titanfan

They are hoping for a Feb. 5 start, and yes they are planning a Canadian Division. The problem is there are only 4 Canadian teams (2 in Ontario, 1 in Manitoba and Laval) and they don't have government approval yet. I am skeptical at best they will get it. The NHL had a hard time. With the current situation in Ontario and Quebec I think it is a 50/50 shot at best....

Hard to argue with that. I actually think people don't realize that value that Byron brings to the lineup. His speed alone is valuable. And he wears an 'A' for a reason. Too many posters quickly put - 'let's get rid of Byron'. Is he the Rodney Dangerfield of the Habs? (Just dated myself I guess).

Don't disagree with most of what you wrote. Where exactly is Poehling going to play? There will not be an AHL. Roster is too deep for him to fit. Taxi Squad means he can practice and travel with the team and be called up. Still think that is the best place for him. I want him to play too.... Losing Kulak isn't great, but something has to give.... My hope is that we can trade him for a draft pick, rather than losing him to waivers. I think he could fetch a 2nd round pick (3rd for sure) without us having to send cash to sweeten the deal..

I actually changed Armia and Anderson a couple of times. Neither one feels like a 4th line player..... And i switched Edmunson and Romanov to add some experience to each pairing. Romanov - Juulsen/Mete is a little young...

Yep. Or if you are a Leafs fan - the Zamboni Driver who steps in to whoop your ass! (I hadn't heard the term EBUG before)

Kind of my thinking too. But they could keep Frolik and Perry on the 23-man roster and put Poehling, Weal and even Kulak on the taxi squad with Demchenko??? The problem is if/when you call up Weal and/or Kulak your Cap Hit takes a bigger spike.

Taxi Squads explained: Taxi Squads The Taxi Squad is a minimum of four to a maximum of six healthy players who may travel with the team (they don’t have too) and may practice with the NHL team. In the normal course of events, non-rostered players are not allowed on NHL practice ice. Not even if they are on that team’s AHL squad. This concept exists almost entirely to allow for on-site call-up players at all times in case a member of the regular NHL roster either tests positive for COVID-19 or has to isolate because of close contact. In the time between the start of the NHL season and the AHL training camps, the squad also serves as a place to keep the call-ups that might get used. Contrary to early reports, there is no requirement to ever play any of them in an NHL game. They are also not trapped on the squad as some early speculation implied. They can be removed to the minors, and new players added. The transfer from the squad to the AHL does not involve waivers. Any squad member testing positive for COVID-19 is removed from the maximum count, but other injuries or illness require the NHL to sign off on their removal from that count so another player could be added. All NHL teams must have three goalies either on the NHL 23-man roster or on the Taxi Squad this season. If the squad goalie is the third goalie, he must travel, and he functions effectively as the EBUG for his team in emergencies. I have no idea what EBUG means? EDIT: If you are a Leafs fan the EBUG generally refers to the Zamboni Driver who steps in to whoop your ass! (To everyone else - the Emergency BackUp Goalie.) I learned something new today.

I believe teams will go with 24 man rosters. It will allow for easier movement of players in and out of the lineup to rest players with so many back-to-backs - without having to go to the Taxi Squads unless there are injuries or Covid issues. If that is the case, here is my 24-man Habs roster (lines will change, and the players dressed will change) Drouin - Suzuki - Toffoli Tatar - Danault - Gallagher Byron - KK - Armia Lehkonen - Evans - Anderson Perry - Frolik Chiarot - Weber Romanov - Petry Edmundson - Mete Juulsen Price Allen Demchenko (Weal and Kulak are gone) That puts them $108,809 over the cap (thanks to the Alzner contract). Only an issue IF everyone stays healthy OR we need to add for a playoff push (both good things). If it is a trade to add for a playoff push, someone will go as a result - so that should/could even out. If everyone stays healthy then the decision is made on who goes to the taxi squad for cap relief (Etc.) EDIT: My mistake, teams have 23 man rosters. But Demchenko is the way out of this and it solves the salary cap situation at the same time. Technically, Demchenko can be put on the Taxi Squad (along with his $792,500 contract). See the next post.....

This is a little shortsighted in my opinion. First of all of Aho wound up a Hab many would consider them a very strong team. That is just ONE extra player! Realistically, Montreal is two pieces away from being a contender. But the truth is - nobody and I mean nobody would have said St. Louis was one piece away from a Champion last January. Yet, that is all they were missing. Are the Habs that close? Maybe? Maybe not? What we do know for sure is that the Habs have a strong corp of young talent, they have a solid lineup with depth, they have draft picks - AND they have Price and Weber and they have CAP ROOM! Seriously, who do they get to replace Price and/or Weber? And if you say younger players or cap room - why? We HAVE cap room, and we have younger players. Every team should be grooming goaltenders and defencemen no matter what. New Jersey did and Brodeur played for something like 40 years! (Obviously an exaggeration, but not by much!). Lastly, Salaries today don't equal Salaries tomorrow! If they did Sidney Crosby would be making a lot more than he is now. When he signed his contract it was a blockbuster. The kind of dollars many thought at that time could cripple a franchise. A few years later and it is close to what we offered Aho! McDavid makes 50% more than Crosby (or close to it). When Weber and/or Price get older they may or may not still be strong players. (See Chara, Brodeur, Chelios, etc) But their contracts may not seem like the anchors they look like now either. Hell a $4 million deal used to look like a lot.! I like the direction the Habs are going (at least for now until Bergevin screws it up). And I like that we have Price and Weber to mentor our young players and also make sure they aren't thrown to the wolves every night. Good teams are a mix of talent and grit, youth and experience, superstars and grinders. And, in this argument, if going ALL young was the answer the Oilers would have won a cup by now!

Heard there was a parade in Toronto today

This has nothing to do with how either team will do this year, or even which team is better and by how much. BUT: The difference between the two clubs last year was ONE head to head matchup. If the Habs beat the Leafs, in regulation, in just one of the games they lost to them in regulation last season - both end up tied with 98 points. I know, it is easy to go back and look at any game all season or a ton of different factors - but one more win by the Habs coupled with one more regulation loss by the Leafs and the teams wind up tied for points. Of course, there is ONE game against St. Louis that I bet the Bruins would have liked to win... EDIT: I had to go look it up. The Habs and Leafs played 4 times last year. Habs one once in a shootout. Lost twice in overtime. And lost once - 6-3 on Feb. 23, and the Habs actually led 3-0 at the end of the first. The Leafs scored 2 empty netters to make it 6-3. The difference was THAT close! Leafs scored the winner with 1:50 to go in the third.

Not a fan of our second line. It really puts Domi in the hot seat, so to speak. Obviously the hope is that the line has an unbelievable season. Truth is though that there is a very good chance that Domi winds up seeing his numbers go way down on that line, as he is left out to dry. Sure hope I am wrong. Believe it or not, I would have been more comfortable with Drouin or even Byron on left wing instead of Lekhonen.

45-31-2-4 for 96 points 4th in the Atlantic 8th in the East 253 goals

Would you do it? Jonathan Drouin for Justin Faulk. And what other pieces would have to be in play for it to make sense. Just a question to spark a conversation? And, yes i know Faulk is a Right shot D.

Except...they don't. The Habs only have $4m in Cap Space left - and need some of that for things that happen during the season.

Unlesssss.....Carolina is bluffing If Bergevin does nothing else they wait until the last minute to match. Or....in the ultimate FU.....if he DOES do something...they don't follow through...... Then the Habs are in cap hell!

Something! Anything! This was nothing!!!! The only good thing is that Carolina didn't wait a week to announce that they were matching the offer. What a waste of time that was. Oh yeah, and now Carolina is pissed at Montreal...

This is nothing more than smoke and mirrors by Bergevin. He basically trades nobody (Shaw for picks). Signs nobody (KIncaid). And then tries to fool fans by throwing out a laughable offer sheet. At the end of the day, once again HE DID NOTHING. If by some miracle Carolina doesn't match the offer sheet we should all go out and buy lottery tickets. Don't be fooled by the 'offer sheet'. If he really wanted to make a ballsy move he would have done so. Don't get me wrong, I would love to add Aho to our lineup. I'd also like to win the lottery.... Now, if only Bergevin would make a REAL MOVE! Then we'd have something to be excited about.

I wondered the same thing. Didn't bring it up here because of all the Subban haters. But you make some very valid points. We had the assets and the cap room to make it happen. Imagine having both Subban and Weber on the back end, with Petry and Mete - and of course Carey Price. With the ability to transition the puck to the other end of the ice quickly - our young, skilled forwards would have had more opportunity to create offence. But then what do I know... Time for the Subban haters to chime in...

Is it even worth talking about Dion Phaneuf? Guys like him and Corey Perry will go for bargain basement prices now that they have been bought out - or will they? Is there any scenario that we take a run at him with a 1 year contract for say $1 million? EDIT: And of course he is a stop gap, not a long term solution. We have signed worse players to bigger deals... Karl (cough) Alzner. Ales Hemsky...

Edler has re-signed with Vancouver. Two years, 12 million

and beg someone to take Alzner

No rose coloured glasses here. We have done worse with $1 million. If we tried it, and it didn't work - Then move on. If it did - it is worth the gamble. We've paid more money for players NOT to play! Three words that make a lot of sense on a message board like this: Optimism, Pessimism and Skepticism. Don't be blinded by any of the three.

I have a real problem with discounting a player solely based on age. That includes being too young, or too old. Am I interested in signing Larry Robinson for $10 million/year - of course not. But Markov is just two years removed from playing in the NHL. There are plenty of great examples of defenceman who play past 40. Yes, his numbers took a dip last year - but I have no idea how to compare the KHL realistically with the NHL. Seriously? All we really know is that he is still playing. He is a left D - and we sure need those. His game management skills and leadership are exceptional. His ability to quarterback our (terrible) powerplay - is, at least, intriguing. And then there are the intangibles. Do we have the cap room? Yes. Will he accept a deal at a reasonable price tag? Say $1.5 million? We should at least find out. It would be irresponsible of team management to not at least take a look at this. And it is foolish for any of us to so dismiss the possibility so quickly. Does it happen? Will it work? That we will have to wait and see. But again, we'd be foolish not to at least look into it. And this has very little to do with sentimentality. Sure it is Markov, so it would be nice to have him back. But not as a token 'throwback'. However, if he can play - and help the team - ...

I hope they are