hab29RETIRED

Thank god Linden signed with Vancouver. I definitely did not want him back!!!

anyone know when habs individual game tickets are going to be available. I'm hoping to try and make a trip to Montreal in October or February to catch some games. btw, you can see some of the photos i've taken at habs games at my new site: http://www.pbase.com/kssphotography

I thought Dandy got a NTC when he signed as a UFA. Although i hope that gainey is able to dump both Dandenault and Bouillon, i don't see it happening.

major trade between Vancouver and Habs (possibly a three way with Toronto), also an as yet undetermined deal between Islanders and Habs, and the Habs pick up either a D (not Boucher) or Lehtinen from Dallas. The Canucks have been rumoured to making a big deal for a while now. I guess we'll wait and see if anything happens this time....... I'll trust Eklund for now. Quite frankly, there really isn't anyone on the Canucks that i would want (other then Luongo, if Price and Halak didn't look so good).

major trade between Vancouver and Habs (possibly a three way with Toronto), also an as yet undetermined deal between Islanders and Habs, and the Habs pick up either a D (not Boucher) or Lehtinen from Dallas. I hope this doesn't happen. I would h ave loved Lehtinen 3-4 years ago. He is not what the habs currently need. Does anyone on this site ever dream about non-french players.

I still can't see a spot for Begin when Grabs has so much potential, and I still don't like that he is on the fourth line. The fourth line has 3 centres...a trade MUST be made here, even if it is just to move a body with a pick in return. I see your point, but Begin won't be off the team next year. 1) he costs too much for us to move him, 2) his work ethic is too strong, so he's BG and Carbo's kind of guy... I think it's more likely that Chipper will get injury call ups and won't make the team out of camp, while maybe Lahti will actually play on the third or fourth, while Grabs will get a chance on the first... I've never seen Lahti, so it's hard to say if he'd fit well on a grinding/banging line, but I'd imagine it would make more sense to give Grabs minutes on an offensive line and Lahti minutes on the crash and bang line... Is Lahti a first line type player??? He stats and brief bio make him out to be more of a third liner/depth player. I'd rather see the habs give a chance to Grabovsky or Kostitsyn on the first line with Koivu. I also think Gainey brought in Smolinski as a 2nd liner - which i think is a BIG mistake.

The flames - who he played for the last two years were only willing to offer him 2 years and only $4m. They even decided to go with an injury prone Aucion then bringing hamrlik back. The habs not only were willing to pay a lot more then the flames, but also doubled calgary's contract term. Another BS signing. After the habs did a pretty decent job at the draft they have gone to their usual practice of signing castoffs that no one else really wants to play depth roles. We need to add to the meat of the lineup - we have enough turnips on this team!!!!

No, Staurt was a late season pickup for Calgary. he spent most of the year on a real lousy Bruins team

Staurt - who IMO is a much better defencemen then Hamrlik just signed for $3.5M.

I wouldn't call it an unspoken rule - the better word is COLLUSION. Last year philly did make an offer to a RFA. St Louis also offered contracts to Stevens and Shanny - albiet that was over 10 or 15 years ago. The bottom line is that you have to do what you can within the rules. If the habs are having issues attracting UFA's, why not go after the RFA's. The habs obviously have an issue convincing UFA's to play in montreal - even when they are offering more money. They need to do something to get top players to want to come to montreal, so they have to think out of the box and conventional practices to improve their team. There is less competition for RFA's, so why not go after them. I would much rather make a huge long-term offer to a young Vanek or Martin who have their best years ahead of them, rather a guy who had a career year just before he became a UFA, but maybe getting close to being over the hill. It makes a hell of a lot more sense giving a 23, 24 or 25 year old a 6 or 7 year deal then someone who is 29 or in his 30's. What do you have to lose in making an offer to an RFA. IF it is a team you are chasing in the standings, and they match, you have just reduced their available cap space. The GM's have to start using the Cap to their advantage instead of being dinasours and not being willing to change with the times and system. So far the habs are first shooting themselves (by not trying to lockup their impending free agents before they can become free agents (the way Calgary and SJ have done), and then limiting themselves to going after UFA's when it has become obvious during the last three or four years that players would rather play someone other then montreal if they are getting similar contracts from other teams. Going after RFA's would allow montreal to chase players that there isn't as much competition for. I think trading Pleks is a BIG MISTAKE. If you ask me he is much more complete player (is faster, looks like he has much more hockey sense) and given his age, has potentially a much bigger upside.

I agree, with signing Ryder to a longer term deal. Personally, i'd like to see him traded for a top two centre, which would probably be easier if he was signed to a longer term deal.

one more point i want to add is that if the habs were going to over-pay, i would much preferred them tendering an offer sheet to an RFA rather then the UFA's they signed. Preferably one in their own conferance, so that if the other team does end up matching they may get screwed by being up against the cap. I would have preferred them offering the $7.5M they spent to someone like Vanek.

I live in Calgary. Why don't you read what some of the calgary writers have written about Hamrlik while he was here. Yes he was good for Dion, but the guy makes a lot of bonehead plays. He isn't going to be the human pylon that SOuray was, but he will make a lot of stupid passes and terrible turnovers.

Yes this are panic moves. Panic moves brought on with a stupid policy of not being willing to negotiate during the year so they couldn;t sign Souray and the fact that no QUALITY UFA's wanted to sign with the habs. The habs could have signed both Souray and Markov during the year and saved considerably, before the MARKET VALUE INCREASED. The flames just signed Reghyr for less money then Markov, hamrlik and whatever it will cost to sign souray now, even though he is definitely a better dman then Souray and Hamrlik.

We have Pleks, Lapierre and possibly Chips and Gaby coming up. If all four of them are looking better then Smolinski in camp, we are going to be forced to send one or two of them back to the minors (most likely Chips). If Smolinki gets out played by the kids - which i think he most likely will (there is a reason this guy has been bounced around for the last few years), without a NTC we could have still moved him. It is a terrible signing, coz at centre, the habs don't need another checking type 3rd liner. They needed a top six player and a top three D-man. In today's NHL, this signing is $2M wasted. As far as the second part of my argument, if you are going to eat up $2m from cap space, you may as well do it for an impact player. Moreover, Smolinski signed for more then Bonk did. I would have rather offered Bonk a 2 year deal WITHOUT a NTC, for what he signed for, he still would have been a future asset, as his contract would still have made him movable if the kids show they belong.

Exactly why i hate this signing. I think we already have better 3rd line centres then him - all he is going to do i impede on the progress of Lapierre/Pleks and possibly Chips.

They will be lucky to get Ryder for $3M, thanks to the Horton signing. I've been hoping gainey packages Ryder and either Dandy or Bouillon for a true top 3 d-man or toptwo centre (i.e Marleau). With the signing of Smolinski i doubt that will happen unless Pleks is moved and i'd rather have pleks over Smolinski any day.

ummmm, why would you want a third liner asking for a NTC. He's a 3rd liner - easily replaceable!!! If they were going to sign a smolinksi, they should have just upped their offer for Briere or Smyth.

the habs have young guys who can probably be a # 3 centre. Hell they are loaded with #3 centres (Pleks, Chips, Lapierre, Begin). THere were two glaring holes Gainey needed to fill - Top 2 centre and top 3 D man. I don't think he did either. Hell Robin Regyhr, who was MUCH more valuable for the flames signed for $4M (yes I know he is a RFA not a UFA).

great i start reading this thread and start off being pissed at how much we signed Hamerlik for and then read that we signed smolinski. WHy the hell can we not get a top 6 guys. Every year it is the same BS. All of our UFA signings/trades seem to be for third and 4th liners (with the exception of Kovolev and Samsonov - which i guess somebody forgot to tell carbo, coz he seemed to think that Sammy was signed to sit in the press box. I read here that Bonk was signed by Nashville. Was it less then what Smolinksi signed for??? if so, i would rather have brought Bonk back then Smolinksi. AND WHY THE HELL DO YOU NEED TO GIVE A NTC TO 3RD LINE PLAYER??????????????????????????

no they just sneak into hotel rooms of guys who just had eye surgery so that they can flash them

His defence is NOT much better then souray. He is apt to make the bonehead play. He won't be a human pylon highlight reel. but will turnover the puck faster then you can say brisbois.

nothing that carboneau does will surprise me anymore. btw, i think the philly signing of Briere is starting to look much better now. Hamarlik's plus/minus is inflated considering the flames play a much more defensive style and the fact that he played with Phaneauf didn't hurt either. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE contract!

There really isnt any PR the habs can do. There problem is the DAMN FRENCH media. they're on the right track with Gainey, but are in a no win situation with rags like Le Presse and the idiiot analysts on RDS who would rather lose with French Canadiens then win with no french canadiens.

THat's what pisses me off. The french media go on and on on why the habs don't sign,draft or trade for french canadian stars. Bottem line is the majority of them don't want to play in montreal. Other then St. patrick, the only recent french canadian that wasn't a bust in montreal was Damphouse. Turgeon was a bust and wanted out. The media has been printing their wet dreams of Vinny (i'd love to have him in montreal as well), all he had to do was wait a year if he WANTED to play for montreal, instead he choose to re-sign with Tampa. Luongo, could have waited last year before signing long-term to sign with Vancouver (this is before it became appperent that Price can become the GUY in montreal), but choose to sign long-term with Vancouver. This year Briere passed and some moron from Le Presse or RDS or that idiot Bergeron will probably be all over Gainey for signing Briere to a ridiculously long deal like Philly did. I wouldn't have minded paying Briere $6.5M if had a long-track record of putting up the numbers and being injury free. I wouldn't have even minded signing him for $6.5M for a 3 year term. But 8 years??? That is just plain stupid for a guy who has put up one 90 point season and has had some injury problems and is also small when all of the other current centres in montreal are also small.. I'm hoping that in 5 years, the habs will have a chance at Crosby, but when you consider the way he gets treated by habs fans in Montreal and the way the media is in Montreal, why would he want the headache???? why would anyone??? I just hope Latendressse, who is the current flavour of the month for the French Media, continues to progress and improve and isn't ripped by the French media if he fails to live up to their expectations.