JCPetit
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Posts posted by JCPetit
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I sure like Carter a lot. Don't understand why the Flyers lost confidence in him. Plekanec is a lot better than Shaw though.
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If he is the no. 1, we are in trouble. Let's say that we would be a real contender if he was our 3rd line centre. I agree that he would fit very well as the second centre if we had a Kopitar, a Malkin, a Staal (Eric) or a Getzlaf as a 1st line centre.
Having said that, I don't mind if he proves me wrong and finish the season with 30 goals and 60 assists. ;-)
But I doubt that will happen.
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Gilbert was always gonna be a tough sell for fans. He doesn't look much different to a guy we dumped unceremoniously (Diaz) and sometimes reminds guys of another puck moving defenceman who was drawn and quartered by Habs fans (Brisebois). Gilbert is the anti-Gorges. He doesn't do all of the visually obvious defensive plays like blocking shots and throwing himself in corners to retrieve a puck (something Gorges always did and was honestly terrible at ever gaining possession from). Gilbert also loses the puck as much as he steals it, and steals that don't immediately convert into goals get forgotten compared to when the puck is taken from him. But where Malhotra takes defensive zone faceoffs to help Plekanec play more offence, Gilbert helps Markov not having to be the only guy to carry the puck out to the opposing zone when we do get possession. That's a big reason why Markov has looked great for us early and honestly been our best D. He doesn't have to defend a player, get the puck, carry the puck then get into position. Less work, more focus.
I'm not 100% convinced on him but I'm much happier to pay $2.8M for two years on what he brings than Anton Stralman $4.5M for five seasons of what he brings.
Also, not to say the Habs have been strong defensively so far (they haven't been) but fans are still extremely hard on our D core at all times without looking around the league and seeing the six D for other teams. We're Top 10 for defence on average in this league whether you believe it or not.
Interesting. And don't forget that five players (six including the goalie) should be involved in the defensive zone, not only two. A lot of times so far this season I got the impression that the forwards were not doing their job to help the defensemen.
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MB signed Brierre to start last season. MT had brierre on the fourth line and healthy scratch before October was up.
MB signed Gilbert to start this season. I dont see a difference in what is "tough to swallow" for MB .......nor would scratching Gilbert make MT "an idiot"
Let's say there is a limit to what you can do. Obviously Gilbert will get a very good try to prove himself.
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MT is not an idiot. Not playing Gilbert after just a few games would be a bit tough to swallow for MB. Somehow, it's a question of survival.I think he and Weaver should play behind Bealieu. However the coach seems to like Gilbert . Had him on for the last minute with the goalie out protecting a one goal lead. Expect him to dress for the next game.
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Dogs get one quickly <3minutes, Thomas scores 1-0
End of 1st, 20-7 shots so far, nice!
Not bad. Last year there were games when they weren't able to total as much.
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at this point and I know it is early but a 2 year extension would be a good move imho.
I like him, but I don't see that coming.
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lil Audette with 4 point game with his 2nd Hat-Trick of season already!!
Seems small soft perimeter player, but now with 8g-15pts in 10 games, so he's got some skill for sure.
If my memory is good, he was the first player to be drafted in the QJMHL a few years back. The talent is there.
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I too believe we're better off without gorges. however, do I think we're a serious Stanley cup contender? not quite. we're one badassed right handed defensive defenseman away yet. a 2nd pairing minute eater.and believe me, that isn't josh gorges!
Gilbert and Weaver are a disappointment so far. On the other hand, we have two excellent young prospects with the team right now, and two right-handed big frames (Pateryn and Dietz) waiting for their turn in Hamilton. Things are improving fast.
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When you look at the line up, there is definitely a big improvement over the last few seasons. I know that a lot of guys here have strong feelings against the coaches. I personally reserve my judgment for a couple of months. Let's say that if this team is not more exciting and doesn't win its fair share of games between now and mid-January, I will be among those who will doubt Lefebvre and Duchesne. Let's see what they can do.
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Richer scored 50 or more twice. He totaled 819 points in his career, 412 goals. Not too shabby.lafleur was converted to wing, since he was struggling at centre. with more time, he may have adapted to the nhl game at centre. Galchanyuk really hasn't gotten the opportunity yet.
The less said about Stephanie the better - he was our last 50 goal scorer, but was a cream puff.
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The Habs are too conservative IMO regarding that position. I have seen them switching guys like Lafleur and Richer to the wing, even though they were great centers in the junior. They even wasted Wickenheiser that way (I suppose that there were other reasons, but you see the point). They could do that at the time, because they were already strong at that position. I don't believe they should do it with Chucky. Let the kid play at his natural position.I like the fact that Galchenyuk is playing with Plek so far obviously, but I think it's good to learn from a guy that's so good defensively, and also because Plek creates so many turn overs, Galchenyuk has the speed to turn those turnovers into a great scoring chance.
I'm in no hurry to see Galchenyuk at center.....he's learning from a complete player, one of the best these days, and definitely the Habs best.
Tell me, when was the last time we had the chance to develop a bonafide, 1st rate, top notch NHL center? A guy who has the potential to figure among the 10 best scorers year after year. When?
I regret, but he won't learn his trade by playing on the wing. What he will learn is being comfortable playing on the wing. The more he will play a that position, the less he will be likely to become a center. He is so talented that he might have a good career anyway, but my opinion is that the best position for him, to truly unlock the full measure of his potential, is to play at center.
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Great talent indeed. I still believe that he should play centre. ASAP.
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On PK. The team had pulled off the win for the last three games, but if they had lost, I would be raging on him. His insane contract is why the team looks like it does. I love PK and knew he was getting a big payday, but with a 2014 cap hit being the third highest in the league, I want the third best player in the league. Not the junk I have been seeing. The fans will turn on him fast if he doesn't get it together. I hope he does, because he is fun to watch, but Markov is better right now.
P.K. is the least of my worries. He will find his game soon enough. He is just trying to do too much.
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I don't recognize Pleks. I am not a fan, but don't mind at all to be proven wrong. He is not much of a playmaker, but if he keeps scoring big goals he will make up for it.
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DD didn't get a lot of points in the playoffs, but I felt he played well. And I commented at the time that pretty soon, nobody would remember his good play because his stats were mediocre. Anyway, I dispute that he is a playoff dud, just as I do with Pleks.
We can't have both centering the top lines. IMO, DD would be a good 2nd line centre. If you look at the best teams in the league, he would not be able to play higher. As for Plekanec, he certainly has no business as a 1st line centre and again would not be able to make it on the 2nd with many top tier teams. I agree that having him as our 3rd line centre would mean that we would be very strong up front. Unfortunately, it won't happen. My prediction is that it is his last season in Montreal. Next year, hopefully, we should have Chucky, DD and Eller centering our first three lines.
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I second that! However Therrien has him on the wing with Plekanic as his center. Nobody has scored from Pleksanics wing since Kovy. MT will be forced to break that line up. Like last season when the entire hockey world knew not to put Vanek on with Plekanic MT did it any ways. It lasted five poorly played periods. I give the Pleks, Gally, Chucky line three games. Secak will replace Parenteau (not a first line skater) with DD and Max. One of the five centers has to be moved to the wing. Plekanic is the logical choice. Chuck to center. No brainer.
I doubt that the Plekanec's line will work, but so do I about the DD's line. I am quite sure that the 3rd and 4th lines will do better than last year, but our our top lines remain doubtful to me. Let's just hope that I am wrong.
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both DD and Pleks have been poor play off performers
That's right and it's the reason why I firmly believe that centre is our weakest position. I can't wait to see Chucky as our 1st line centre.
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Preseason is meaningless for veterans. Just a way to slowly get their timing up to snuff. One consequence of internet/media saturation, I notice, is that WAY too much is made of preseason in general. Except as a mechanism for seeing which rookies might have a shot at the actual lineup, it's largely a waste of time from a fan point of view.
You are 100% right.
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He was a warrior and certainly deserved respect, and this is why I think that today's news deserved its own thread.
Having said that, I truly believe that the fact that Francis Bouillon won't be playing another season with the Habs opens a new chapter for the Habs -- a chapter decisively animated by younger players. I am glad to witness that change and believes it bodes well for the future.
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Great news! I would have been very disappointed if Bouillon had made the team instead of a youngster. The time has come to change the fabric of this team. Bergevin is moving the boat in the right direction.
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I think mb is going to go look for a goon. Teams beating up Patches and PK is not the answer.
I don't think so.
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Weiese is playing and Eller can't fight.
Weise is not much involved tonight. As for Eller, he doesn't fight but he uses his frame effectively.
Parnteau the new bourque
He looks terrible.
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Guys like Weise, Prust and Eller can bring some toughness. They're not playing tonight.
Tomas Plekanec #1 Center!
in Habs & Hockey Talk
Posted
In the regular season, we can live with that. Off season, though, it's a liability. If we don't have a superstar like Crosby, Toews, Datsyuk (he is getting old) or Giroux, we need the big, robust, fast and skilled center. Having two smallish players to centre the top lines is a weakness. I am sure that Bergevin is aware that we have a problem, but he is a patient man. He will wait for the right time to fix it.