Neech
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Posts posted by Neech
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I was implying that he didn't play hardball. What can I say? If you think he wouldn't have gotten at least that much elsewhere, you're not paying attention to the fevered orgy of spending that is UFA season.
I think what he got was around the top end of what he would have been offered. I don't see it as a bad overpayment, or really an overpayment at all, though I think we could have had him for closer to 5 million a season. But that's not a big deal. The Hamrlik deal was an overpayment IMO, I think he would have accepted something closer to what Hannan got.
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This is just my impression, but I do get the feeling that Huet is a low-key guy with good perspective on things, who is likely to appreciate this organization for giving him the chance to put himself in this position and for generally supporting him. And he might not welcome the pressure of being some other franchise's 'Big Acquisition', expected to carry them on his back signlehandedly. While I don't think that means he'll settle for minimum wage, it does mean that he might not play hardball - c.f. Markov.
Markov didn't need to play hardball, I bet he tripped over himself trying to put ink to paper when he heard the terms of the deal.
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I was very happy with today's game. Koivu showed up to play again today...let's hope it's the beginning of a trend. Ryder, tho still snakebitten, worked hard and drew a couple of penalties as a result...so that's encouraging. Big Titz/Plex/Kovy were great as usual. Aside from Brisebois' gaffe, or Dmen played a solid game too...more of the same tomorrow I hope. Ottawa is definitely in reach...gotta take advantage now while they have injuries to deal with!
Yeah, I was most impressed by the Koivu line. Saku himself was flying, he was creating all sorts of chances and could have easily had a three point night. Higgins was working hard and being effective. And Ryder - hell must have frozen over - Ryder had a good game. He was working and getting in good position, and could have had a goal or two. Also indicative of how well this line played, it drew four penalties.
The only line that had a sort of down night was the Lapierre line, and they could have gotten a goal on that nice passing play to Latendresse. The other lines were great, Kovy and Plex strong and creative as usual, and the fourth line was creative as well, I'm glad they got that final goal, they deserved it.
Huet was good again, he seems to be hitting a groove along with the team. The Isles did miss a lot of great chances, however, so it could have been closer. But our D came up huge in the clutch (aside from the Brisebois gaffe), the most memorable play was when Kovalev got his stick over to break up an easy tap in near the end of that 5 on 3.
Dandenault seems to get a goal or two each time he comes back from being scratched, we should bench him every other game and we'd have a 30-goal scorer.
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I'm thinking, what is our future core?
Well, at forward its Plekanec,Higgins,Latendresse,AKost and SKost.
At D, its Markov,Komisarek and Gorges, O'Byrne coming.
Hamrlik is in the core on D, seeing as how we have him for three more years. And I wouldn't be so quick to put Gorges and O'Byrne into our core; they haven't earned it yet, although I don't see us letting them go any time soon.
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Among Canucks fans, Ryder's name has come up a lot. He probably would explode being gift wrapped so many scoring chances with those two. However Nonis won't bite if the price is insane.
Yeah, I don't know who Nonis would give up, surely not a roster player seeing how handicapped they are on D already. Maybe Cooke, or just some prospects or picks.
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Bad things about RDS:
1) Miss way too many face offs showing replays or other dumb stuff. Whatever you are showing is NOT better than the GAME. Make it the priority.
That said, I'll take them over the mouthbreathers at CBC any day.
1) - This has been my main complaint against them all season, they should really correct this.
I watched the game on CBC today and the announcing was very good. Unlike the TSN guys, they seemed knowledgeable about the team. I like the duo of Hughson and that other guy.
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TSN showed Lapierre's spear of Crosby 4-5 times in the game recap. You know, the subtle push of the stick that forced Crosby to drop like he was hit with a sniper bullet.
What about when TSN went on about what a selfish player that Kovalev was for not passing to Plekanec with the open net when it was the absolute right play, they mentioned it 5-6 times during a 2 minute highlight pack. So I would put nothing past TSN. Alot of people form their opinions from what boobs like Darren Duteschyn say.
I have seen Crosby dive and whine for 3 years now. I want the kid to succeed, but I hope he drops the bullshit. I don't think the scenario I presented about him whining and Laraque running around like an idiot are far fetched at all.
Well they wouldn't be able to call the Bouillon hit dirty because it was clearly clean. The Lapierre spear was a dirty play, plain and simple, yeah maybe he embellished it.
And Kovalev has been a selfish player in the past, they made the wrong call on that play, but so what? Every sportscaster does it once in a while. It was such a minor thing, and even the RDS announcers mentioned that he could have made the pass to Plex. It's hardly in the league of calling a good clean body check a dirty play simply because it's against Sid the Kid. I understand that lots of people have a vendetta against TSN because it's the Toronto Sports Network, but many of those (maybe including you judging by this post) dislike them to the point of paranoia.
And yeah, I agree that your scenario with Laraque could have happened, I never said I didn't. But what also could happen is that Crosby gets up and plays the rest of the game hard just like Ovechkin did. I don't like his diving and whining either, but he's not the only guy who does it, and yeah he doesn't get called out on it by TSN and such, but on the flipside he gets a lot more focus on it by people like you. I too hope he matures and isn't bitching at the ref 20 minutes a game when he's 27.
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Well deserved, Kovy.
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Hmm, I just had a thought and I think I figured out what Bob is going to do. I bet he Ribieros him. i.e. gives him a generous contract with no intention of paying it. I strongly believe that Bob gave Ribs that contract just to trade him. Other GMs would have a higher rating for Huet because Bob must have faith in him to pay them that much, and if he is making that much then he must be good.
Also Theo was moved and his contract was even larger and longer than Ribs. The Avs believed Theo was good and his large contract probably had something to do with it.
Bob will do in the 6 mil/yr x 4 yrs = 24 mil or 5mil/yr x 5yrs range with full intention of trading him in year 1 or 2 depending on Prices progress. Bob seems to have the decency to reward his players before he is forced to get rid of them. I could even see Bob signing Huet soon and trading him at the deadline. Teams would pay a lot to get a soon to be UFA Huet so just imagine what they would give up to have him locked up under contract. 6 mil/yr isnt crazy, it just is for the Habs if its long term which it doesnt have to be.
Like said this years UFA goalie list is slim so if Bob resigns Huet any would be bidder will probably still need a goalie come next seasons trade deadline. If Price & Halak look ready by then Huet and his remaining 18 mil/3yrs contract are gone.
Personally I dont think Halak is movable. Halak doesnt have much worth yet so Habs wouldnt get much in return for him. He is still unproven in the NHL and he could become the next Vokoun so its probably better to hang on to him. A Price/Halak tandem in a year or 2 isnt looking like its a bad thing. Besides after Huet is gone who will be the backup if Bob moves Halak? Why would he do that? It'd be silly.
Well I'd be hella pissed if bob gave him 5-6 million over 4 years, that is way overpaying him. The Ribeiro contract wasn't that unreasonable, if I remember correctly it was a one year deal. And you can't really compare Huet, who has won diddlysquat, not even one playoff series, to Theodore who won the Hart and Vezina and pushed a mediocre team through a few first rounds. Also, the Theo deal is kind of like the Thornton one, everyone saw it was a mistake so it's less likely to happen again.
And seriously, there would be absolutely zero takers for Huet at 6 million a year for three more years. Goalies aren't nearly as easy to move as you seem to think. If Huet has a below par season, or even a pretty ordinary one, no one will bite on him. Look at all the goalies recently who have signed a big deal, then underperformed, and now the teams are stuck with them. Khabibulin, Raycroft, Emery, Gerber, Mason, Theodore.
What type of comment is that?A hyperbolic one.
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I'm not 100% sure, but wasn't it Ovechkin a few years ago who spit in the face of another player during the World Juniors?
Do you think a Canadian would ever do something like that?
Oh of course not, we Canadians would never do something like that. We have a better upbringing than those dirty Russians, who would stab each other in the back in a heartbeat. They're all cheaters and rats, while we're strong and pure. Racially pure, that is. Boy, those Russians never won anything without cheating and dirty play, and when they lose they have no class. In conclusion, the Russian people and their culture are despicable.
(sarcasm, in case I have to spell it out for you)
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I know Cherry is not a fan of Crosby. But if Ovechkin was Canadian he would be all over him like he was Lindros.
I have never heard Alfreddson, Kovalchuk, Zetterberg mentioned as the best player in the game. Are they mentioned in the upper echelon, yes.
But the best, not that I have heard.
Crosby is a good player, but his flaws are almost always overlooked.
Until Crosby stops all the BS whining and diving I will hold it against him. Like I said in an earlier post.
If Cube had broken his nose it would have taken over the whole context of the game. Just like Lapierre's VICIOUS spear of him (sarcasm).
It would have resulted in Crosby lying on the ice, getting up and bitching to Cube and the ref, Brashear chasing Plekanec, Kostitsyn etc around the ice seeking
revenge. TSN would have showed it and asked if it was a cheap shot, Analysts would insist this is why they need enforcers and the game would have been
taken over by the sideshow.
Whoa, you're getting out of control a bit there with your exaggerating. Had a few cups of coffee? No, not even the TSN people are blind and biased enough to call Bouillon's check a dirty hit or anything against the rules. And no one knew it was a broken nose until after the game. I've yet to see Crosby bleeding during a game, so I don't know how he'd react. I agree that the way Ovechkin responded was commendable, and I also agree that he has a much more likable personality on and off the ice. Maybe Cherry would love him if he were North American, but who really gives a shite about what that racist old loudmouth thinks? He's only one guy, and I hear plenty of positive things about Ovechkin, but it's only natural that the local media would focus on the local guy. And by the way Ovechkin's flaws are overlooked too, along with every top-tier player.
And yes, I've seen on both Sportsnet and TSN, maybe RDS but I forget, that commentators bring up Alfredsson or Zetterberg etc. when talking about the best player in the league. Some even name them as such. But as I said, I have no problem with them giving that title to Lecavalier or Crosby.
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You make a good case. My own view inclines closer to where we both think Gainey is (i.e., keep Huet even if it means a worrisome contract). The thing is, our team might be ready to contend sooner than we thought - it could conceivably happen as soon as next season. I'd hate to end up in a scenario like the Wings or Sens have stupidly endured over the past few seasons, that of having a serious contender with question marks in goal. Price couldn't cut it as a starter this season; it strikes me as very chancy to anoint him the starter now, after he's put together some good AHL play. Halak has proven that he can play well for a 20-game stretch. Not exactly Jacques Plante there. Conversely, it seems safe to say that Huet can be a quality #1 for us for at least another two years. That buys Price all the time he'll likely need. If, by year three, we're stuck with an overpaid backup, well, worse things have happened than a team having two #1 goalies, especially given that Price will presumably still be a bargain at that stage. So I say, sign the man. The most sensible poster in this thread.
To the people who think we can sign Huet for 1 year: YOU ARE ON CRACK. He's 32, finally become a UFA with a few years of starting under his belt, this is payoff time. The careers of these guys aren't too long and nothing is guaranteed, so when the money's on the table they go for it. I seriously doubt he'd go for a 2 year contract, that's what he signed last time after half a season of starting. It's very plausible that there would be people willing to offer him a 4 year contract at 18 million or even more. Now I agree that this is too much and too long, and he surely wouldn't take under three years. I think having him on the payroll for an extra year IF (and this is still an if, people) Price has established himself as the no. 1 by then is worth keeping him around next year or and the year after when the job's still his to lose. So maybe a three year 14 mil deal paying him 5.5, 5, then 3.5 could keep him for when we need him and leaves him easier to unload.
Wamsley brought up a 2-year deal worth 10-12 million. He might go for this rather than the guaranteed extra money if he feels good about his health and career (although I doubt he would), but this brings an added cap problem for the year after next when we'll be giving a whole bunch of raises out to people and probably trying to get a big name or the right pieces to make us a serious contender.
But it still bugs me that Huet is actually not WORTH this kind of money (4-5 million per year). He's just not a big athletic number one guy, and this year he's had shaky stretches along with good stretches. The thing is that his good stretches have coincided with the team playing well, keeping the shots to the outside, and getting good offense. When the team's been bad he hasn't bailed them out. He hasn't been stealing games for us. Price may be ready as soon as next season (which I think is unlikely, the year after could happen) to be that guy who steals games for us.
So it's a tough question, but judging by what's going on this year it looks like Bob will be trying to keep Huet, so I just hope it's under 4 years for something reasonable (under 5 million per). And maybe some of us can pray that Huet will pass up his payday to fit in perfectly with our plans.
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I guess Im just a bit worried about that because of the recent implosions of Ribeiro and Theordore due to the party life. Not saying partying is bad or anything, especially for a well adjusted individual, but Theo, Ribs and Emery in Ottawa (also a big time party animal) couldnt seem to handle it. Higgins will be ok, but something has definitely ruined Ryder's game.
So any word on where you heard these rumours? Or were they just speculation on your part or someone you know?
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I am in the Lemieux camp on that one. Best player I have ever seen.
Crosby and Ovechkin are different type of players. If you want to debate hockey skills then you are going to argue til you are blue in the face on either side.
I like the fact that Ovechkin bulls through things, he never complains and has never been handed the mantle of best player in the league.
If his name was Alexander Crosby and Sydney Ovechkin would the media have annointed Sid the Kid the best player in the league. I doubt it.
We would have Don Cherry wearing the Great 8's jersey on CBC weekly. We would have the media pointing out the Crosby is a diver and whiner etc etc.
I don't hear anybody calling Daniel Alfredsson the best player in the NHL? Zetterberg? But plenty will call Lecavalier the best.
Crosby has been annointed the best because the Canadian media wants him to be the best.
Well no shite he was annointed by the local hockey media, that's pretty obvious. And I hear Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Alfredsson, and Zetterberg mentioned very often in the conversation about the best player in the league, but I agree with the assessment that right now it's between Lecavalier and Crosby (with Ovechkin making a strong push in the last few weeks). And by the way, Don Cherry is hardly the fanboy of Sid, you can look to Pierre McGuire for that. Yeah, people tend to refrain from criticizing Crosby, or we don't hear it when they do, and TSN has devoted itself to showing 3 replays of each play he makes, but whenever they talk about Ovechkin they always compliment his passion, attitude and scoring ability. It's not Sidney's fault that he was hailed as the 'next one', but it's not like he doesn't deserve it and he's handled it pretty well.
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No.....it's just most fans can relate to tough, rugged, goal scoring machines and admire them as hockey players, instead of good visioned, finesse passing, light on their skates homos.
It's not really debatable, your either on one side of the fence or the other. Not that hard to figure out and really no need to argue about it. More of a preference you might say.
Well you just have personal grudge so I'll attribute your dumb comments to that. Crosby is hardly light on his skates, he has remarkably strong legs that make him hard to knock off the puck.
And it's definitely debatable, although it's hard to tell right now. But last season it wasn't hard to tell, as Crosby was clearly superior, the best in the league even.
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I think Ryder is finished with the habs. Word is he showed up out of shape at beginning of season and parties too much, also some worse rumours that he has alcoholism problems and is the NHL sustence abuse program. That could be more than enough for a top calibre NHL sniper to loss his step and his insta-reflex need to snap shots on quick passes. As a one dimensional goal scorer those knife edge abilities as his bread and butter, if he's lost that then he brings nothing else to the table.
Where did you hear these rumours?
Higgins parties a lot also, but I'm more inclined to believe he's playing injured or something (wasn't he playing with a broken bone down the stretch last year?). BTW Higgins is getting a lot of crap, but his season isn't TERRIBLE statistically (same with Koivu). He's on pace for 25-30 goals, and 50+ points. People just had expectations for him to have a superstar breakout year. Hasn't happened, but he's still producing and not a pylon like Ryder, plus he's only 24!Yeah but the stats don't tell the story. It looks good on paper but bad on the ice, there have been many weak games. 50 points isn't as impressive this year on a team that can score. You're right about all the missed chances, but Higgins isn't a finesse guy so he has to work that much harder to get results. The partying rumour (if true) is kinda worrying, but it doesn't surprise me that much, just as long as he tones it down a bit and gets his head in the game.
Really Ryder is the albatross holding the other two back. When such an ineffective guy is on a line, it's almost like playing a PK unit (maybe 4.5 vs 5). Higgins - Koivu - Latendresse did well for a week or two, maybe if those two wingers had buried some of the 10 open nets they missed there would be a lot less screaming about them. If you watched Koivu closely he did look off for a while a month back, but the past few weeks he's kicked it up a notch I think proving he still has that fire.I wouldn't say that the past few weeks have been GOOD for Koivu, but he's made steady improvements. Last night was his best game of 2008, he was creating all sorts of stuff and outworking and outwitting the opponents, it's a shame that he was alone there with Higgins playing so badly and Ryder being his useless self. Never count Koivu out, I think he's going to be here for the stretch drive in a big way.
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Yeah, it's easy to say Ovechkin is better right after he has a four goal game and Crosby is injured. But 120 points at the age of 19?
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Who? Moi????
All I said was that they shouldn'T break up the kid line!Haha, it was a comment of your tendency to end each sentence with an exclamation mark. Don't stop it though, it's fun!
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Well we're NOT going to trade Huet at this point, he's our number one guy and we're in a playoff spot. He'll at least finish the season here.
Ideally, we'd sign him to a 2 year deal, but I really doubt he'd go for that. He'd want a minimum of 3 years, and maybe he'd hold out for 4 and test the market if we don't want to give it to him. I don't want to give him 4 years, that's too much, and 3 is probably too much as well but it's more manageable. So I guess what I'd be going for is 3 years for 10-14 million. If we give him more than 4.5 per season we're overpaying him, he isn't really worth 4 million but that's the amount he'd command given the Bryzgalov contract. But knowing Bob Gainey I wouldn't be surprised if we give him 5-5.5 a year, he has a tendency to overpay. I wouldn't be surprised but I'd be pissed. But the main thing is I hope we sign him for three years or less, four is too many considering that Price will be breathing down his neck as soon as next season.
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Ovechkin is more likeable and real than Crosby. Ovie will say what is on his mind, Crosby is the corporate shill in the mold of Gretzky and Jordan.
He offers non controversial soundbytes.
I don't know that Crosby is better overall. He has better teammates and more support. This will be debated for the next 20 years.
Ovechkin has some good teammates. Semin, and now Backstrom and Green are elite players. I don't think there will be much of a debate if they both stay healthy and Crosby continues on the insane pace he's set. But Ovechkin is more than capable of turning it up a few notches, and I'm sure both of them will be holding a few Hart trophies by the end of their careers.
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I hate these goofy loop holes in the NEW Nhl. If I was a GM this is what I would do. Time three or four big contracts with your top players so that they all become UFA's at the end of a certain year. In those contract talks a new "5 year deal would be negotiated and agreed upon before the trading deadline of that year. A part of the agreement would state the player must honor signing back with the team during the summer, most likely a handshake.
How does everyone win?
Let's say Saks, Kovalev, and Markov's contracts end in the same year and have agreed to come back in the summer. We trade Markov to Atlanta for Hossa, Kovalev to Calgary for Tanguay and Saku to San Jose for Marleau. Season ends all players resign and we now have all 6 players to go and win the cup ourselves without losing anybody.
I know it's a little more complicated with the salary cap and players being tempted with crazy money as UFA'S, but in certain circumstances where players are extremely loyal like Saks and Markov this could be pulled of for the name of family. In this case . The HABS.
Saks loves Montreal. Markov could have tested free agency and sign with OV in Washington but he did not. Kovalev loves Montreal and might do it if he knew the big plan. The one thing to consider is how to keep all of this bullet proof, Hush-Hush, and under the salary cap.
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I'm with you Wamsley. I for one have always hated Crosby and I always will. I hope he never , ever becomes a habs. Ovechkin? I love the guy. It's a shame he will never wear a Montreal Jersey. You can add Lecavlier to the Ovechkin list. Love that guy too. There is a tiny little window open for him to wear our sweater though, even if it's a window only in my mind I will continue to hope.
Anyone hear that washington player comments before the game started when asked about playing the habs. Not sure who it was but he said something like " The team is so fast. Their passes are hard, fast, crisp, tape to tape and they read each other on the ice really well. Probably the best I've seen in the league so far."
I sure enjoyed hearing that. It's been a while since we've had respect from other teams.
I don't hate Crosby. I think he's a better player overall than Ovechkin, and he will be for the rest of his career (not that it's cut and dry, but at this point I give it to him). He's also the biggest superstar hockey has seen in quite a while, and he's been annointed as the poster boy of the league, all of which he handles pretty well IMO. But from day one I've liked Ovechkin more, he's more entertaining and likeable.
And I would love to have Crosby on our team, we would win the Cup.
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I'm starting to feel more and more like we should trade Ryder no matter how minimal the return is. I still haven't given up the idea of riding him for the stretch run and playoffs, but if he continues to play like this he doesn't deserve to be in the lineup. He hasn't most of the season. So even if we got a 2nd or 3rd rounder for him it would be better than nothing.
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It was an exciting game, and we got outplayed badly. It was mainly our defense that let us down, Hamrlik and Komisarek both had a very poor game. On the first Caps goal it was an ill-advised pass by Komi or Markov that kept the puck in the zone. And for most of Ovechkin's goals we managed to forget that the league's leading goal-scorer is on the ice. Can't really fault Huet for those goals.
Like someone else said, the Koivu line is establishing itself as the fourth line. It's pitiful. And it wasn't Saku's fault this game, he came to play and was actually creating stuff. Higgins was weak and invisible, and Ryder was as usual the worst player on our team, falling down more than Koivu on a windy day. He deserved to get benched, and he shouldn't be in the lineup on Saturday. Dandenault on that wing gets much more done. I say put Dandy there because I wouldn't want to break up the kid line after the game they played. I was happy to see Lats finally pot a couple, and him and lil Kost made some sweet passes on those two goals. It was great to see our youth step it up on a down day for our top guys and eek out a point.
Kovy was just trying to do too much out there, you can't fault him for effort but his decision-making often ended up with the puck being coughed up. Ah well, we got a point and it's on to New York where I hope we rebound and come out strong. I'll be looking forward to what Carbo will be wearing as an encore to his spiffy grey suit last night, he could have been in a Bond film.
Why break up something good? The Kid line is just starting to gel. It's a perfect line! You have a defensive minded shit disturber, A Power Forward who can score and a fast, play making guy who can do everything! The best thing is that their average age is about 21 years old!I agree that Ryder needs to be benched, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Breezer and Dandy come back this week-end. My guess is that the Lines might look something like this!
You are definitely the most excited guy on this board.
I hope Bob Gainey is working to sign Huet
in Habs & Hockey Talk
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Good points. We probably won't need Huet 3-4 years down the line, but for next year we definitely do unless Price returns this season and takes over (in which case Huet would probably want to leave). Even then, I'd doubt that Price is ready to become a full-time NHL starter, and platooning him would definitely be a safer bet not only for the season, but for Price's future. I wouldn't want to throw him out to the dogs like Pittsburgh did with Fleury.