hab29RETIRED

in Hickey's article he says buying out Samsonov will cost $1.2M for the next two years??? I thought he only had 1 year left? Get rid of: -Samsanov -Kovolev -Bouillon -Dandenault -Bonk (if he can't signed for under $1.8M) -Johnson (if he can't be signed for under $1.6M) Allowed to walk: -Souray (if he costs more then $5M - personally i don't think he is worth more then $4.5M but the market price for D-men has gone totally out of wack) -Aebishaer -Ninnima Replace with: -True #1 Centre (Brierre, Gomez) -Gritty winger who can consistantly score and is willing to pay the price by setting up shop in front of the net (i'd love Smyth if he wasn't going to cost $6M) -At least two quality d-men to replace the pathetic job Bouillon, Dandenault, Souray and Ninnima did Lastly - sign Markov!!!! I'm also hoping there won't be a problem signing Price - can you imagine if he decided he wanted to go back in the draft!!! I'd also like to see the Habs hire an experienced assistant coach. Last year they got Andy Murray as an advisor. In my mind he SHOULD have been the coach!!!! WHY, WHY, WHY, can't the habs ever hire an EXPERIENCED coacH?????? do we have to be the friggin training ground for rookie coaches??? I think Demers was the last experienced guy the habs have had. Carbo needs help - obviosuly he is not ready yet -He may not be as bad as mario tremblay, but he isn't even Claude Ruel at this point either!!! They need someone who knows when it is time to make a goaltending change - not because the goalie is to blame, but just to change the momentum.

beat me to the punch with your reply.

why in the world would you want Grabovski playing with Begin and lapierre?? If this could is going to succeed he HAS to play with guys that can play offense. Even if we can't ship Sammy out, we should do what Lamarillo did with Mogilny, ship his sorry ass down to the minors and let him rot. At least that way his salary won't count against the cap.

I agree on Kosititsyn. he should have been up earlier. It will be interesting next year the habs have a lot of guys that have potential to be good thrid line centers (Plekanac, Lappiere, Chipcura), and possibly second line centres (Grabowsky), but we are lacking a bona fide #1 line center. Next year i'd like to see a make up like the following linuep up front: Kostitsyn (new #1 centre) Higgins Latendresse Koivu Kovolev Perozhogin Grabovsky Ryder Begin Chipchura/Lappiere Johnson Ideally the habs will trade or sign a UFA (not likely after the Samsanov mess) #1 centre. Briere would be sweet, but probably won't happen. One thing I don't want to see is two checking lines next year. We have too many checkers on the team now, that really don't add anything. I'd also like to see them move kovolev, but i think it would be asking too much for the habs to unload samsanov's salary (even if the return is a bag of pucks) and be able to get any sort of decent return for Kovolev. I also think that if they do manage to unload Sammy, he will end up return to form as a 20-30 goal guy. but at this point, considering the way carbo handled him, i can't see him being a reclamation project like bonk was (particularly because he went to the media with his problems and trade requests too oftern). I also wouldn't mind seeing Bonk back, but not unless if was under $1.2M, which probably isn't likely and I really think the Habs need to spend the money on getting some quality D-men. On defence, from the current D-men, i wish the habs could get some decent bona fide defencment and only have Markov, Komisarik and Streit return from this year's team (would like to see Souray back but not at the $5.5M+ he will probably get). If we can't re-sign Markov, we are in some SERIOUS trouble next year. let's hope Yemelin does come over and makes an impact.

i've been saying they should blow the core of this team up since the end of December. Gainey missed his chance on getting something for his impending free agents - Souray, Bonk (why would they want to come back to this mess of a team??). In today's nhl, it is INCREDIBLY STUPID to have a policy of not signing free agents to contracts during the season. The habs should have dumped kovolev in the off season or very early this season. I don't care how talented he is. What is the point of having a guy who doesn't show up for 5 out of every 6 games. With the exception of his first playoff series with the habs, the guy has pretty much been a bust. Aebeichar should have been traded at the start of the season when there were people stupid enough to think he is any good. The guy is always flopping around on his belly like a fish out of water. He has got to have the worst positioning of any goalie i've ever seen in watching hockey for 32 years. It was a joke that he was even considered a possible 1A. The only redeeming quality he has is that he allowed us to dump Theodore. Dandenault and Bouillon are at BEST 6th or 7th defencmen. but hey they are french so I guess it's ok that they were both signed to long term deals. Why the hell arn't Koitysin and grabowsky (spelling - too pissed off to bother check for spelling), not in the lineup???? You may as well bring up some more kids from the farm to play rather then let this sorry bunch play or even be around the team (murrey, downey, Bouillon, kovolev, samsonov, aebishar). I hate to say this, considering how many coaches montreal has had, but this team needs an EXPERIENCED head coach. Andy Murray would have been nice. But oh wait, he is not french and probably isn't bilingual. This team obviously has a problem developing home grown talent -mainly because they will take the few offencsive prospects they have and empahsis defence so much that they forget how to play offence and they have not had any GOOD experienced defenecment that could mentor young d-men since the 2-3 year window where they lost Robinson, Green, Ludwig and got robbed by giving up Chelios for a has been. The only thing that the habs can develop inexperienced FRENCH coaches for other teams (Lemaire, vigneualt, Therrian, Julian - hell even Tremblay is an assistant in Minny now). In the last 22 years i think the ONLY experienced coach (other then Gainey's short stint behind the bench last year), has been Jacque Demers. This team has been re-building since 1995. This is starting to remind me of the Ballard Leafs (as much as I hate to say it). Gainey made a mistake of bringing in a young inexperienced coaching staff with a YOUNG team, especially when the some of the key older guys on the team (kovolev) are lousy leaders. Saku is a great leader by example, but he does not seem like the type of guy who can grab someone and give them the lashing when needed. Souray does do that to an extent, but it is hard to take a guy seriously when he tends to make a brutal give away or be a pylon 2-3 times a game. What Vets other then Koivu do we have worth keeping (although I think we need to move him - coz we are a long way off from being a serious contender, and really, who else do we have that someone else would acutally WANT)???? Souray would be one, IF he wasn't going to cost between $5.5 and $6.5M. The habs need veterns to guide the kids - espically on the D. The biggest problem i see with this team (other then not showing up half the time), is that they simply CANNOT move the puck out of their zone. They have the worst transition game in the league and their D-men give up possession more times then I've seen ANY habs team do - including the teams during the Trembaly-Houle era. You have to move the core - Koivu, Kovolev, Samsonaov, Boulliian, Dandenault, Ryder and try to get good prospects and try and get some character guys to help guide the kids. This team really doesn't have character guys with leadership skills (i won't include Begin, because, despite him working like the energizer bunney, he takes too many stupid penalties to be a true leader and example for young players).

Gainey had to either pick up help or dump Souray. He did neither. If you ask me that is all you need to look at to evaluate his performance. Souray had to be signed or traded if he was not going to bring in any other help. I can't believe that canadiens couldn't put together a similar deal then the Isles did for Ryan Smith or the Sharks did for Guerin. The waiver pickup was also a joke.

Risebrough DID tradae Gilmour for Leeman

Hey, the 86 team had a bunch of late year callups (although they did have Roy), that ended up going far. If we can pickup a true front-line player for Souray, we can make a real push next year. I'm not holding my breath for this year, just because of the number of road games we have to win just to get INTO the playoffs. We should find out tonight against one of the upper echelon teams, on how well this team can compete.

damn, can't get team990 on my computer at the office. Can get CJAD, but not 990

I hope a SJ deal goes down. How does this deal sound: Souray, Kovolov, Ryder for Marleau, Carle, Bernier and Malakov or Souray, Samsonov, Ryder for Marleau, Carle, Bernier and Malakov By taking on Malakhov's salary we can make the salary swap work. (i think Malakov is in last year - otherwise this would be a bad move). SJ addresses their powerplay with Souray, by either taking Kovolov (good playoff preformer) or Samsonov (has good chemistry with Thornton - who Marleau is playing with now) and get guys with a history of playoff success (other then Ryder)

i hope this is not true. We do NOT need a laperriere who will only prevent one of our young guys from getting ice time.

Is there any information yet about what this press conferance was for?

that would be too good to be true :?-

Well let's HOPE it's Bernier and Carle.....actually, since we are only hoping anyways, let's hope that it's Carle, Bernier and Vlasic Too bad Houle isn't the Shark's GM eh?

unless he gets hurt. I'd rather close the deal sooner rather then later. With Souray's shoulder/wrist history, if there is a good deal on the table, i say move him ASAP. Although, i was hoping for more then just Bernier - am i reaching, or just greedy I'm all for throwing in Ryder and getting a carle or vlasic.

I agree. The habs have had a lot of luck putting in young rookie goalies in the playoffs - Dryden, Penny, Roy, I think Theodore even did better that one year he played against NJ (habs still lost, but Theo was better then Thibault). Moreover, I'm much more impressed with Halak's lateral movement and ability to get back into position then i've been with Aebiechar. Abby i always flopping around like a fish out of water and usually gets himself out of position. Halak also looks WAY more confident handling the puck then Huet or Abby. When either of those two are out of their nets, I can feel knots in my stomach - with the impending doom that something is going to go wrong. I also don't want the habs make a trade for a goalie, since that is the one position that they are deep in.

why, why, why, why, why!!!! :?- hopefully this is one of those BS rumours.

they did look better. although i was really hoping that Higgens would finally bury one.

agreed. If the habs ever did something this stupid, the entire mgmt team should be fired and made to wait to serve meals to Hould and the habs alumni association. I don't think Houle could ever do something this stupid.....oh wait, he did give away Roy for less then a bucket of pucks... scratch the last sentence.

I thought that the Minnisotta rumour was for Markov and not Souray?

The Ducks have been listed along with the Sharks, wings (list other UFA's coming back), Oilers (probably out not an option anymore), Canucks (don't have anyone of interest), Flames (already got Stuart). Although most of the rumours are from Ekland and that Ottawa reporter, neither of whom are all that reliable - at least I hope that their other rumour of the habs trying to pick up a goalie is not reliable!!!

They are loaded with prospects, but i see only two that might help us next year and one who can immidiately help us (Gezlaf). SJ has more prospects that may have an impact next year

my reply wasn't serious - it was meant as sarcasm at the type of game plans oppenents DO have against us

it's not just the games in hand that worry me,we still have 3 or 4 games left against the make beliefs, and for whatever reason, the team just has not been showing up for the toronto games this year.

i like him, but i think we should be able to do better. I think he is another 2nd line centre. I would rather try and get someone who has more #1 potential like Getzlaf or Marleau. Although I doubt if we can get Getzlaf, because 1) if he was available, i'm sure Lowe would have got him in the Pronger trade (i was surprised that he didnt' get getlaf AND perry in that trade), and 2) i think the ducks are already stacked o defence, whereas San Jose NEEDS a guy like Souray. Straight up i can't see the sharks ever gong for SOuray for marleau, but if we were also offer other spare parts so they can be a top 2-3 contender in the West, we might be able to pry Marleau and a top defensive prospect out of SJ (i.e. Ryder, Bonk, Bouillon). I think we have a lot of wingers that can become top scoreres, but they need the proper centermen to succeed. I also think we really need to re-build our defence - Komisarik is the only quality d-men we will have the rights to for a few years and I don't know if we can re-sign Markov.