MK1

Kovy will sign for 4M-ish, somewhere. If MTL doesn't give it to him, there are plenty of other teams that can justify spending that kind of dough on an uber-talented, niche player such as him. You have to remember that in MTL he was basically asked to shoulder the whole load of the team, while at the same time not even wearing the C at that! If another team needs his skills and basically uses him as a PP specialist and 2nd line sniper, he will find lots of homes at the above salary range. The problem all along with MTL was that he was expected to be the player he has never, ever been in his career.

At this stage in the game I'd take anyone that can consistently force the play and score 5v5. The last thing this team needs is another perimeter softie that needs 4+ PPs per game in order to pad their stats and justify their paycheque.

Komi is replaceable by 1-2 big, tough stay-at-home guys, something that is definitely draftable/tradeable. The hard part is acquiring offensive dynamic d-men, and on that front the Habs look fine with Markov in the lineup and Subban in the system. There are lots of guys that don't have to be 1st rounders that can fill out a defensive role quite nicely for a much lower pricetag than Komi. With a reputable DEFENSE coach (if you are reading this Bob, wake the F up), there are many guys that can be molded into responsible d-men who can clear the front of the net. Which, with no real offensive skillset and a mediocre 1st pass at best, is all that Komiserik is at this stage of the game, and not worth 5M/yr in my opinion.

Except for the fact that he borrowed funds to buy the Habs and to build the Bell Centre, so he is doubling up on each side of the ledger. It would be like having a private mortgage on your home, and then remortgaging the property just because you are on title, thus creating two debts from the same asset.

Slam it because he is paying premium $$$ for a guy that is hurt alot and is a no-show in the playoffs. Here is the lowdown on Tanguay in the playoffs since the lockout season: 24 GP --------> THREE goals Bravo, just what we need, another perimeter softie who "looks great" in the regular season and then blows or gets injured when it actually matters. Throw a wet Joe Thornton in the dryer and you get Tanguay, definitely worth 5M in my books. Whoever mentioned it earlier, Sutter must just smile everytime he things of BG. I guess a sucker is born every minute. I am going to throw out ONE name, and suggest that Bob open up this mediocre roster and basically give whatever is needed to get him signed, because he is a phenom even on a terrible team and will be a legend on a decent/good team. ILYA KOVALCHUK - 2010 UFA Pay him and sign him, period. There is your franchise move.

And again we come down to the argument being made by alot of people on this thread that, oh well, we lose Komi/Streit/Souray but at least we have guys in the minors coming up. **Newsflash** That is a perpetual cycle. There are always guys in the minors who have potential, that is why there is an OHL/AHL/WHL/QMJHL/Europe ..... I can go on but you get the picture. These are the Montreal Goddamn F'ing Canadiens! And because of the ineptitude and "calmness" of their saviour GM they have seen proven NHL-caliber talent leave time and again for absolutely nothing with the promise of better days ahead. Like I mentioned earlier, talk to some Leaf fans about better days ahead and "rebuilding" because they have been hearing it for decades and it never changes a thing. If this team is going to contend it needs to get some proven NHL talent on its roster in all important slots. Wishful thinking about unproven 19yr olds is just what Gillett wants from the fanbase ... just continue to pay through the nose for tickets and merchandise, and in a couple year's we'll be right there.

That's right guys, just sit back and wait, all of those teams that are making playoffs runs and having success on and off the ice, it will all come to and end in a couple years when the dreaded "cap" ravages them all .... Success in this league is like the time value of money .... sure you can wait and see, and maybe just maybe, if everything falls into place, you can reap some rewards 5yrs from now, at the expense of a TON of fans, and more importantly their money. Or you can realize that GMs come and go, and you need to grow a pair and make some bold moves in order to have your team contending on an annual basis. If you can sleep better at night knowing there are some "solid kids coming up" by all means enjoy the product currently on the ice because that is all Bob is banking on at this stage in the game. There is a similar Toronto-based club that has has the same mentality for the past decade, ask their fans how the "wait a couple years" argument feels each season. From where I sit I see a city that is almost at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to attracting free agents, a GM who barely opens his mouth and is "real close to a big deal" each trade deadline, and a team that despite having the need for grit and top line Cs has acquired neither over the past few seasons. But BG is doing great, in fact give him a raise, he's a very smart hockey man you know.

That's a great idea, why don't we just call him Mats Sundin so we can pay him close to 8m/season to play with rookie wingers and 2nd/3rd line guys for the next decade and then wonder why he never really came through like we thought he would. I will reiterate my previous assertion ... signing Vinny, with his huge contract and very recent injuries, will take place for all of the wrong reasons and move this franchise closer and closer to MLSE territory.

If the Montreal Canadiens end up trading for Vinny, it will be a LOUD AND CLEAR signal from the ownership that they are more interested in selling TV contracts and jerseys than icing a championship team (see MLSE over the past 10 years for more examples of the above). Vinny is a good player, and elite player no doubt, but his contract is absolutely crippling heading into a lower cap period. We have already established that this team needs far more than one player to fix all of its problems, so tying up 8m/season for one guy that has had two surgeries in the past 12 months isn't exactly my idea of fixing everything. His production could be matched by two solid players each netting 20g/50pts per season, for far less money at the end of the day.

Your example with Plex and Higgins only applies because they both played like total dogsh*t this year. If they had put up similar numbers we'd be paying through the nose for them or else losing them for nothing (Hi, Souray, Ryder, Streit). Bob's policy is lovey-dovey with the team but it places him squarly behind the 8-ball once the season ends. If your guys play well, better open the wallet because all 29 other GMs can read numbers too. And if they've played like horsesh*t, good luck getting anything tangible for them from anyone else. Explain to me again how his system helps the team in any meaningful way?

+10000000 !!! I could not have dictated my own thoughts any better, but needless to say that is exactly why I have a problem with this kid! He is a product of his environment ... a complete sense of entitlement to his current position without any fear of competition, again bravo BG! If you think that is going to breed a championship-caliber goalie you are sadly mistaken folks. World Jrs is a 2 week tourney, and from what I recall he was parachuted into the AHL conveniently right before the playoffs started. He has lots of natural talent, but wake-the-f*ck-up people this is the NHL, everyone has natural talent. How you hone your skills and adapt to a changing game is what makes good goalies great. So far, Carey Price has done zero of that in his very short (and very mediocre) NHL career.

Maybe when someone in this organization comes to the realization that regular season hockey is absolutely NOTHING like playoff hockey we can ice a contender in the next few seasons. This team is full of Joe Thortons ... as much as I love watching Joe, someone needs to explain that the regular season means dick in this league other than sorting out who plays who when it really matters. This current habs team, of which Gainey is the architect, is built around a complete core of soft perimeter players who have consistently shown they can't bring anything into the post season. If you think that design deserves to laud praise upon Gainey, by all means continue defending his marginal moves and his nancyboy "stars". He is now in a situation where almost all of his talent has regressed and he has to turn to 29 other GMs and try to unload some of this garbage. Brilliant. That's why I'm pissed.

Anyone who caught the HNIC postgame show would've seen PJ Stock's comments regarding the team in general. They barely beat the 8th seed and got pounded by Philly last season because they were soft and had no grit. So Gainey addresses this in the off-season by going out and signing Lang and Tanguay, two more perimeter players, the latter of the two a perennial no-show in the playoffs since the early 2000s. Bravo, the team clearly needed more soft regular season perimeter scorers .... hi Plex, K brothers, Kovy etc. In the end they are what they are, an above average regular season team that can score lots of PPGs and win more than they lose against the entire league. But when it comes to tough playoff hockey against a legit contender each night they lack the fortitude to compete at that level.

I'm more inclined to say that as soon as the first goal goes in, the crowd will quit on them and the team will begin to crumble shortly thereafter. If the past 2 months has shown anything, it's that playing at home has been harder for this team than playing on the road. Frustration is one thing, but booing Carey after a stellar 1st in game three after he let in ONE goal is just the culmination of how the fans have treated Les Glorieux down the stretch. I am certainly not saying we should be happy with their performances lately, but when it's tougher to play at home than it is on the road it makes it that much tougher to turn things around. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy for Habs fans. They go to the games almost looking for a reason to boo or chant Carbo, the team picks up on all of this negative energy, and before you know it they are falling into the same bad patterns. All of that positive energy at the beginning of game three was basically just like your girlfriend faking it .... the only difference is that the habs never get to finish.

+1 Also, you forgot to mention SOURAY in that paragraph full of BG fail over the past few seasons. BG canned his close personal friend at the most opportune time for HIMSELF to shine, and he still failed miserably down the stretch and into the playoffs. Seven straight losses now, most since 1937 ... bravo BG, captain of the failboat.

I know that Komi is a supposed core piece of this team, but realistically he just isn't that good to pay him anywhere near the kind of money he could get from one of the other 29 headcase GMs out there. He is not offensive in the slightest, so you are going to justify paying him 5M+ per season (he will get that too sadly) for his DEFENSIVE PLAY?!?!?! Cut the cord and get some serious talent in return from some other sucker team. He is worth maybe 4M/season based on his skillset and the salary cap era, but he will never settle for that being in the prime earning years of his career, and frankly I couldn't justify paying him 5M+ based on his play consistently this entire season. The talent in the farm is plenty good enough to let him walk and give some others (Weber et al) some playtime back there for a fraction of the cost. They certainly can't be any worse than Komi defensively and they may actually score a goal once and a while!

I would hazard a guess that the PP looked "sooo good" a couple weeks before the playoffs because the Habs were playing balls teams in the basement of the league (and still having trouble with them). The PP down the stretch, against legit contenders, was average at best and certainly not this juggernaut certain folks on this board think it was. Bottom line is that last night the Habs threw everything they had, physically and mentally, at the Bruins and it wasn't enough. No one expected them to win this series for a reason, namely because the Bruins are a much better hockey team over 60min night in and night out. They aren't a one trick pony (hi PP goals) which can be neutralized like we have seen in this series with amazing efficiency. Back to the drawing board, and maybe this time BG can build a team that goes into the corners and in front of the net once and a while, with a dash of defensive capability sprinkled on the whole lot. And as much as everyone loves BG and thinks he is the be-all and end-all of hockey minds out there ... he has been thoroughly out-coached by Julien this entire series.

Because there were large stretches of the game where each team just turned the puck over, unforced, time and again with little to no pressure by the opponent. That is not good hockey, I remember watching the latter half of the 1st thinking it was pretty damn close to playoff shinny! Boston recorded 116 goddam points this season for a reason, they were consistently, and against the very same opponents over the course of the year, BETTER than Montreal. Now that we have point that cleared up very succinctly Colin it helps to understand why the noticeably lower quality hockey played by both teams last night looked worse on the Bs than it did the Habs. Hence people saying it was the Habs' game to steal in beantown.

I'd just like to point out that while Boston did not play their best hockey last night, they did make it an utmost priority to stay out of the box, which unfortunately is the formula to beat the Habs consistently. The entire 3rd they stayed disciplined and took no penalties in the last 10min of the game, which = success against a team so reliant on the PP to stay in / win hockey games. If that trend continues in this series it won't matter who BGL plays with, 5v5 Boston will beat the Habs over a 6 or 7 game series, even with Carey playing as well as he did last night.

An early PPG would really take the crowd out of the game, either that or a fast-break 3on2 goal from the Lats/Laps line, something to calm the Garden down as soon as possible.

Why is it anyone's job to "answer the bell" for a 4th liner running his mouth from the pressbox. Shawn Thornton plays far and away more minutes than BGL can/will in a game, he kills penalties and he plays a regular shift. BGL even stated that he's not in the same league as him. Why would anyone fight him on the Bruins? They have hard hitters and tough guys on almost every line, they dont need to match anyone up with BGL to save face. Bob Gainey isnt stupid enough to let BGL eat up any more than about 5-6min of icetime the entire game, so for those 5-6min he can float around and probably take a minor trying to start something, and the remaining 55min the rest of the Bs can hammer away at will while he is riding the pine.

The only way Koivu will "dominate" in this series is when he is given his standard 1min+ on every single PP they get. 5v5 he will be nearly invisible as he was thursday night save for the PP TOI he always gets. Kovy has the raw talent and occasional motivation to just take the puck and do something great with it ... sadly Koivu may have that same drive but not nearly the skill.

Boston is BY FAR the superior 5v5 by comparison to the Habs. TKK simply does not score even strength, which is amazing for a supposed #1 line in the NHL. Boston knows this, so does everyone else in the league, it certainly isnt any secret they are a one-trick pony. The Habs are what they are, a team that relies on the PPG more than any other. When they get them they win, and when they either a) dont capitalize or b) teams stay out of the box, they lose and lose badly. It's now the playoffs, and there will be large chunks of each game when the refs will put their whistles in their pockets and that is going to be absolutely deadly for the Bs and painful for Habs fans.

Unreal. Thomas has played the entire season and led the league, or very close to it, in GAA. He has been consistently solid all season, and while he isn't Roberto Luongo, he is a toss-up with Mason for the Vezina and has had a great year. Leave it to Habs fans to look at Price/Halak, who together have taken turns shitting the bed since the ASG, and think that Thomas is in trouble. If they match up with BOS they will get stomped in five, quit being delusional.

I only watched the 1st, but did any of the other three goals come even strength from the 2nd onwards? I know they are beating the teams they need to beat, which shows they aren't playing down to their competition, but it is worrisome to me that they live and die by the PPG. Had the PP not sparked that 1st period performance, they certainly weren't outplaying the Isles by much 5v5 in the first from what I could see. Against good NHL caliber teams that will need to happen over a 7 game series. My hope is that the final 3 games of the season mean something to the teams we are playing. I can't see how PIT/NYR would mail it in given they will probably be fighting for position, but BOS in particular I hope is still in a fight for first overall. Those games will let us know where we stand with the real teams in the East, tonite was just a scrimmage against the Bulldogs for the most part.