hab29RETIRED

Those lines look better, but I'd flip kosto and dago

I can't think of a better line that what Carbo had on that two man advantage yesterday.... I mean Metropolit-Koivu-Kovolev.... can any line possibly have more promise then that line??

umm, we are giving up 40+ shots a game and have had our goalie bail us out every one of those games. The defense has been useless to non-existant.

I think they need to keep going with the hot hand. They aren't in a position to be able to even risk one game on saying if Price has got his game back. The have to make sure they get in the playoffs and get the best possible position and the race is too tight to give Price a chance unless Halak starts dropping the ball. I was pissed when Carbo played Huet over Halak on the last game against the leafs a couple of years ago when the habs got knocked out of the playoffs. halak kept them in the race and should have played that game. Besides, with goalies, you just never know. As much as Belfour likes to refer to Hasek as the guy who was his backup in Chicago, who would you rather have had in their prime??? I think we got to give Halak more of a chance this year AND next year - regardless if he doesn't stay as hot as he has been. As far as goalies go, I think you tell them both they have a shot at being number one at the start of the year and let their play dictate waht to doand then decide what to do. Having two stud goalies in their age group is a great position to be in. ANyone know when Halak is eligible for UFA status???

We went from a hockey trade thread to day of our lives - i didn't realize we had so many housewives on this forum

wtf

first we bring in a long on the tooth breeze by, a washed up niinemaa and now a washed up Schneider. Who knows, maybe he'll be better then he has been at Atlanta and maybe he can help the PP. I'd rather have given up a roster player for someone like Whitney or Morris, then giving up draft picks for a guy who looks like he's probaly done. I HOPE he has somthing left in the tank to help the habs turn things around, but I'm not going to hold my breath. The worst part about this deal is the salary cap hit. We NEED an impact centre and I'm not sure we can afford one now. I sure hope Gainey also doesn't give up a lot of youth for a guy like Jokinen to address the need for a big centre.

anyone know how many years he has left on his contract. I think we gave up too much for a guy his age. I doubt if that leaves any room for an impact centre now.

Exactly. Unfortunately i dropped French coz i hated my 6th grade French teacher. I've had to travel to quebec for work a lot over last few years and only know the rudimentary greeetings. I'm even hesitant to say them, bcoz, the reply usually comes in a flurry of french - which of course I can't understand. But i used to listen to habs games on the french CBC radio and used to follow the play by knowing a few words like, "il lans" "a le but" bel-a-rai la patrick roy" (probably butchered the spelling). In western canada the only option to french coverage was the CBC french radio or tv on saterday nights, thanks to the leaf centric CBC. For the past few years, i've been able to follow the habs on RDS. Even when i had to goto the UK this past year for work, i was able to catch the Detroit-Montreal game on SKy sports in London and the rest of the games on the internet.

have you seen the crowds in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver or even a lot of US cities when the habs are in town?? I have an easier time getting habs tickets when I'm in Montreal then in Calgary. Have you seen photos of Saki Koivu as a rugrat where he is wearing a habs jersey???

If I was Koivu and could speak French, I'd refuse to speak french just out of spite for all of the crap he has to put up with from the french media.

I live in Western Canada and have missed 4 habs games during the past 3 years and have been a habs fan since I came came to canada as a 5 year old in 1975. I think you seriously underestimate the number of habs fans outside of Quebec. You sound more like a casual fan of the NFL, if you have watched zero games during the past 3-4 years of your "favourite" team. You simply may "like" the 49ers. Not the same thing as being a fan!!

Lies - Huh??? am i missing something???

the cap situation is exactly why i don't like the tangauy trade, bcoz i see Gainey moving Higgins for two reasons. He needs cap room to be able to sign Sundin and still retain his RFA's. Secondly, Higgins, is the guy that the leafs are going to push for and may not have been willing to trade sundin's negotiating rights for anyone else other then Higgins. I'm also worried that bcoz the habs will have the following core UFA's next year, Gainey will move Higgins: -Higgins -Komisarik -Kovalev -Koivu -Tangauy The two guys i think the habs SHOULD sign long term are Higgins and komisarik, but i can see Gainey sacraficing Higgins to make a run at it this year. Which I think is a BIG mistake as I think he is the most natural choice to take over as captain and has the potential to become a 40 goal power forward. The only way i'd move higgins if we were going after someone like Malkin. Big offensive centre you can build the team around and has a lot of years ahead of him.

i've got a really bad feeling that we are going to lose Higgins if Sundin signs. With the exception of the Kovy trade, Gainey tends to not only overpay in trades, but also overpay in his FA signings. I will be really pissed if we lose Higgins and pick up Sundin (who was a FA in 12 days anyways), and picked up Tanguay. Higgins has way more upside then Tangauy and is a much more complete player. I'd even say giving up someone like Lapierre is too much for the SUndin signing, but he is the othe guy i see the leafs wanting. If all we are giving Grabovsky or even the cube, i'd be ok with that, but i can't see the leafs being satisfied with just picking up those guys - even if they are trading the rights of a guy who was going to walk. Teams are overpaying for negotiating rights and gainey has a history of overpaying.

i've got a really bad feeling that we are going to lose Higgins if Sundin signs. With the exception of the Kovy trade, Gainey tends to not only overpay in trades, but also overpay in his FA signings. I will be really pissed if we lose Higgins and pick up Sundin (who was a FA in 12 days anyways), and picked up Tanguay. Higgins has way more upside then Tangauy and is a much more complete player. I'd even say giving up someone like Lapierre is too much for the SUndin signing, but he is the othe guy i see the leafs wanting. If all we are giving Grabovsky or even the cube, i'd be ok with that, but i can't see the leafs being satisfied with just picking up those guys - even if they are trading the rights of a guy who was going to walk. Teams are overpaying for negotiating rights and gainey has a history of overpaying.

Let's not get ahead of ourself. If the leafs did give exclusive negoitating rights to the habs, i'm worried that it may be someone like Higgins or Latendresse going the other way, rather then just a draft pick. I would not want to give up either Latendresse, Higgins or Lapierre for only a year or two of Sundin. Although, i could see Chipchara going to the the make beliefs. The guys i wouldn't mind losing are Begin (why would the re-building leafs want him), Grabowsky (we have enough smurfs at centre, although he may become a good winger), Kostopolous (why would the leafs want him for sundin's rights?). I'd also hate to lose any our defensive prospects (the two russians, McDonaugh, fisher), coz i'm not really sold on the ther current top six. Even with the Tangauy deal, I think they gave up too much. Didn't montreal back out of trading Ryder for Tangauy??? I know at the trade deadline Gainey said that all the deals offered for Ryder would have been sideway moves he wasn't interested in. I would much rather have given up Ryder for Tangauy then a first and second rounder. Especially since Tangauy has actually not wanted to play for montreal in the past (according to reports when his name was linked to montreal earlier in the year). If we can't re-sign Tangauy (which i wuold hope would be less then the 5.5 he currently makes), giving up a 1st and 2nd rounder seems like a lot! If those are our top lines, it looks good up front, but I really think the habs need to shore up their defence. From the d-men from last year, the only guys i want to see back are Markov, Komi, Hamrlik and O'Byrne. I'm not sold on Gorges yet and I'm hoping they dump the cube, Dandy, breeze by and i really wouldn't want Streit back for anytihing over $2.5M (someone stupid GM will pay double that).

I don't want to EVER see Ryder in a habs jersey again. I wish they had moved him for anything - a 6th round pick, a bag of pucks - anything, just anything, to get him out of the lineup at the deadline.

I hate eklund, but these two clips are pretty funny - especially, when the last two games make it hard to smile - let alone laugh! http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=14893 Also check out his top UFA centre rankings. I know that Sakic isn't going anywhere, but how the heck do you rank Sundin, Langkow and prospel ahead of Sakic???

I don't know if i would want to split Koivu and Higgins right now. They seemed to be clicking together. The Kovy line was clicking all year, so i think, what they need to do is find a way to get Kovalev, Pleks and the Kosty going. maybe switching the two Kosty brothers on the top two lines if things don't start off right would be an option.

Who do people want to see in the lineup tomorrow?? Here is what i'd like to see Higgins Koivu S. Kostitsyn A. Kostitsyn Plekanec Kovalev Stewart Lapierre Latendresse Begin Smolinski Kostopolous Markov Komisarek Hamrlik O'Byrne Bouillon Gorges -I'd also like to see Koivu and Kovy get double shifted on other lines if things aren't working -As much as I like how hard, Kostopolous plays, they really need someone who can actually do some damage when he hits. Too bad Chipchura was buried in the minors for the last half of the year. -I also think the way Stewart goes to the net (like he did in the toronto game), if the kovy line isn't going, he should get thrown on that line, bcoz, there just isn't anyone in front of the net. What worries me is how A. Kostitsyn just totally backed off after taking that big hit from Chara. - I really wish they had given Valentenko or Carle a look, bcoz, i have absolute no confidence in the habs third defensive pairing. -They need to worry less about hitting the bruins and going out and playing their speed and slick passing game. I just don't understand why they are letting the bruins dictate the style to be played. -on the powerplay, i'd like to see the following on the 1st unit: Higgins - Koivu - Kovalev Markov - S. Kostitsyn

brisebois, played OK in the first two games, in that he was involved in a couple of goals. But as usual, he has given up much more chances then he is helping in creating. For a big guy, the guy is about as effective hitting anyone as trying to nail someone with a nerf football. He does not take the body at all in his own end (for him getting phyical means stick checking) and along with Gorges has been making running around and making terrible decisions in his own end. Striet - agreed. You can't sit Markov in the 7th game. Maybe on the 4 game when you are up 3-1, but not on the 7th game.

As bad as Kovolev, Hamarlik, A. Kostitskn, Brisebois, Gorges and streit were last night, I think Carbo has to take a lot of the blame for the last couple of games. Julian made adustments to his lineup and to the way the bruins played. Carbo & Co, simply did not respond. THe following are the biggest gaffes, that i just don't understand: 1) I really don't understand why Striet was back in the game for the following reasons: - He has not played well the whole series - he clearly was not ready injury wise 2) PP sucks - Why the hell didn't the try and change things up?? The habs kept on trying for the same plays (i.e. cute cross ice passes when the bruins had already taken away the play. The PP worked well all season, bcoz of the habs ability to mix things up. so far in the playoffs, i can pretty much call the play the habs are going to try for, so it is pretty obvious the Bruins know what the habs are going to try - Why wasn't Kovy playing with Koivu on the PP last night???????????????? 3) lineup - i was really hoping that Stewart would get into the lineup. He is the kind of player the habs need against the physical bruins. He also showed a lot more offensive upside against the leafs then Dandenualt. Ryder did not deserve to be in the lineup. - Gorges was good down the strech, but has sucked in the playoffs. As has Brisbois for the last three games. Again, O'Byrne should have been in there. 3) Overall strategy - the coaching staff HAS to make adjustments - the habs are getting drawn in to being physical rather then using their speed and it has backfired. yesterday, Chara hammered Koistitysn, and he never went hard into the corner againd for the rest of the game; - they need to play THEIR game which is speed not a hard hitting trap game. - every time they are up, they are sitting on a one goal lead with 2/3 of the game left to play.

back in the summer when i was complaining about the habs not only signing another dead weight 4th liner line Somolinski AND offering the stiff a NTC, i was blasted by everyone saying a 1 year NTC is not a big deal. In today's salary cap nhl, every contract is a big deal. Having Lapierre here for the whole year woud have been cheaper and probably more effective then Lapierre. How many 4th liners is Bob going to continue to sign without addresing the need for a true number one line game breaker. How many players like Begin, Kostopolus, Chipchura, Striet, Dandenault (when they are playing forward), Murrey (i know he is FINALLY gone now), Lapierre and Somolinski does one team need. Why the hell was Breeze by signed again. I don't care how much they are paying him, he is still WASTED dead weight. Why does bob keep signing or trading for 6th/7th defencemen like Streit, Dandenault, Gorges, Bouillon and Breeze by. If we had moved Souray last year they could have got a REAL d-prospect. THis year if the habs don't move Huet and Ryder they WILL WALK for NOTHING as well. I was saying at last year's trade line what the hell is Ryder still on this team??? The only way the habs are going to get that impact player in the draft is to be one of the worst three teams in the league. Which nobody wants to see - a leaf fan maybe satisfied with that approach, but in the name of Sam Pollack, make a trade already!!! We already know we cannot sign a UFA - NOBODY wants to come to Montreal and pay the high taxes and deal with the idiotic french media. The only way the habs are going to get the impact player they need is to make a trade. They NEED to move Ryder and Huet NOW or they WILL lose them for nothing. Why not make a push for Marleau or a Hossa (although i doubt he would re-sign), offering a prospect, Ryder, 1st rounder and a grit guy like Begin that SJ could use. Guys like Begin have been around since Houle got raped by the Avalanche and are easily replaceble. What we need is a stud on the first line and let Koivu, Plekanac and Chipcura taking the remaining centre positions. Anyway, enough of a rant. But i came to montreal and shelled out $180 for a crap game and felt like wearing a bag over my head like the leaf fans did in the 80's. I'm also getting fed up with this annual 2nd qtr collapse by the habs. Clearly the habs ARE NOT good enough to compete with the current lineup. Can't the brain trust see this????????????

thanks for the link. I just called the ticket office. looks like the seats i'm looking for (rinkside), won't be available on Sept 1 anyways.