v-hab

I am not trying to add gasoline to a issue that is becoming a more obvious a problem. In the last 4-5 years I have questioned Bettman’s quest for US coverage from the major networks. They want guarantees that American teams will be in the cup finals before they commit to even limited coverage. I have often wondered if the Ref’s get the message ‘indirectly’ for Canada’s teams that are the financial backstop for the NHL. I can remember when the NHL head office was in Montreal , The Sun life bLdg. If pro ref’s in BB can have grudges and openly admit to biased, crooked officiating then why not the NHL, here is the 60 minutes interview, part #1 and #2 of Tim Donaghy and how he acknowledged most Ref’s officiate a game based on their personal bias.( Think Chris Lee ) http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=591...ain;contentBody http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=591...ain;contentBody

Everyone is trying to trade Hamrlik, not going to happen. He has a restricted NTC to only 12 teams. "Roman Hamrlik, MTL - NTC [held a full NTC until 2/1/09; from 2/1/09 to 2/1/11, has a list of six (6) teams in both the Eastern and Western Conference that he will accept a trade to; after 2/1/11, does not hold a NTC]

Sorry if I mislead, not intentional. I'm really impressed with remembering Gretzky. When I was asked I came up with 'Red Story' and only the last name of the other. Conacher played in 4 sports. Lionel Conacher and Wayne Gretzky is the answer I was given. Heavens only knows what my brain will throw out in order to keep this info. Now I will try to see if there was more, in case Red Story as Ref was on the Stanley cup. Hope you had fun

I have Gerry James playing hockey from 1954-60 The leafs won the Stanley cup in 50-51 and then again in 61/62 I will research this later, but I am impressed

so. . . no one got the answer but one right, will check back in the morning and give the two players

This is a slow day with no rumors to play with, also I can’t find a thread where this kind of Trivia would fit. And some might find it fun as I did. Question, There are only two players that have their names on both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup can you name them.

The real point at issue here is finding a way to resign him, When you look at the available UFA’s for 2010 that play centre in his price range. Very few names pop out as a possibility, the only one I could find is Mathew Lombardi , That is if he is if he is even available come july 1st. He does not have the complete skill set of Plekanec . Front loading may be the only way to keep him.

I know, I should have checked I was trying to do it from memory. I don't see how your argument is related to perceived value for any given team. TB wanted Malone and found a way to pay him. value can only be judged after the contract is complete.

I understand your point, just a real quick look might suggest differently, Front loaded contracts Toews, Kane, Savard, Heatly Lecavalier and Malone. The others that I left out are older than 30. and did not chech your list. I don’t believe it has anything to do with age, players look are a number, how they get that number is of little concern and all the better if it is front loaded. This is a Cap management process where players assists management in keeping a better roster for the player to play in. Presumption that Plekanec could have a bad season is speculation that can also be used in reverse ‘he could have better than great seasons and be worth more.

A trade as you outlined should work however, I was hoping for more from Edmonton. Cogliano age 22 is on the smallish side with a respectable cap hit $1.133. His Faceoff percentage is very low at 39.9 % on 168 FO’s ASSETS: Has explosive speed, which places a ton of pressure on opposing defenses. Is a smart, two-way player with offensive upside. Can play all three forward positions FLAWS: Lacks ideal size for the NHL game and can get knocked off the puck. Is more of a playmaker than scorer, so he needs to work on his shot. Needs to play with more consistency CAREER POTENTIAL: Speedy two-way forward If ever your trade should happen, it’s not that hard to live with. I was hoping for someone bigger as we are a little small right now

I have often wondered why Gainey didn’t use this option of ‘front loading’ with years to bring down the cap. Last spring I ran a Idea past Brian as a way to keep some of the big guns only I went below the minimum. I still believe it might work for Plekanec this year. He is too valuable a player to lose and try to replace. A 7 year $29.4 million might work, bring the average cap hit to $4.2 million per year. Starting in year three he has a tradable contract if things don't work out. Salary Year 1 $8 million Year 2 $7 million Year 3 $4 million Year 4 $3.5 million Year 5 $3.5 million Year 6 $1.7 million Year 7 $1.7 million It all falls within the NHL and CBA rules.

Excellent point, As soon as Markov is ready to come back we are over the cap and must start to move bodies to make cap room and player room. So far Sportsnet is the only creditable source I have been able to find. I never go to Eklund so I can’t know if he is on to this or reported it earlier. Like you, I often wondered how these sources get this news . Perhaps the agents???.

I posted a possibility sometime last week ( forget the thread ) Berglund a 1/21 pick and David Backes a 2/62 pick have been moved all over the place trying to find a spot that would start them scoring again. Berglund is now on the fourth line as centre and Backes is now at centre on the first after being on the trying the 4th., 3rd.,and 2ndnd. lines, their value is far above Halak’s value. I don’t see how this as a destination for Halak they have Mason 33 years at $3 million who is cold this year and Conklin 33 years at $1.2 million who is hot so far. It’s a stretch to see a exchange here unless one of Berglund or Backes is included. Perhaps a backup plan for Plekanec. again I believe it has to be a package with Halak.

I’m not as certain as you with a second round player straight up for Halak. Keep in mind he will be a RFA at seasons end. if other GM’s believe he is that good, they could drive Gainey crazy and the Contract salary with a offer sheet. It truly has to be a win-win trade completed before February to get the best value. I see Halak more in a package deal to free up some more contracts and keep the financials in order. Keep in mind, Montreal has 7 games in February and stop play Feb 13th. and only resume play on March 2nd. one day after the trade deadline.

I started the year following Edmonton, Vancouver and St.Louis as possible trading partners, have since dropped Vancouver and added Phoenix since they have back to earth. Basically, I just follow ice time for certain players and are they hot or cold along with movement on their depth charts as possible trades. Saskhab has listed Edmonton as a possibility and I totally agree, a western conference team that is having problems is perfect to help upgrade our player roster. We have two players they could be interested in , SK and Halak. If we packaged Belle ( lives in Edmonton ) and Weber in the deal. Edmonton would be taking in $2,592 mil. In return we would get back Marc Pouliot ( on IR ) a first round and 22 overall, Ryan Stone 2/32 pick and Jeff Druin-Deslauriers 2/31 pick as a backup for Price. Montreal coming in $2.050 mil. Why would Edmonton be interested?. Nikolai Khabibulin age 35 is IR day-to-day has a $3.750 cap for the next four years. Deslauriers has been filling in for him, when he is good, he is very good( 4-0 in the last 4) the same holds true when he is bad, very bad. Last Vancouver game he was pulled in the first after 4 goals. Edmonton knows he will not be a #1 should they try to unload Khabibulin in the next couple of years where Halak could take over as #1. Edmonton is on record to be looking for a fill-in D-man and Belle would fill that need. One of the problems with all this is BG doesn’t like to do multi player trades but it looks good from my research.

From ICE CHIPS (TSN) The Canadiens have sent Ryan White back to Hamilton of the AHL. Paul Mara and Jaroslav Spacek were given "therapy days" and did not skate on Wednesday. - RDS

Medical Watch from Yahoo Sprots; • D Jaroslav Spacek took a shot off the inside of his right knee in the first period of the Dec. 8 game in Ottawa. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury. • D Paul Mara left the Dec. 7 game against Philadelphia with an upper-body injury. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury, but he did not accompany the team to Ottawa for the Dec. 8 game. • RW Brian Gionta(notes) was a last-minute scratch for the Nov. 14 game in Nashville. Subsequent tests showed that he suffered a broken bone in his foot when he stopped a puck in the Nov. 3 game against Nashville. The Canadiens said he will be out indefinitely. • D Andrei Markov was cut on the leg by G Carey Price’s skate in the Oct. 1 season opener in Toronto. He had surgery to replace damaged tendons and has resumed skating with the team. The Canadiens said he’ll be out until February, but Markov said his goal is to return sometime in January. • C Benoit Pouliot(notes), who was acquired from Minnesota in a trade on Nov. 23, has a wrist injury. He’s listed as day-to-day and has begun practicing with the team.

I gave my edge to Backes for two reasons only, The first is the cap hit at $2.500.ending in 10/11 and second he plays with a edge and might lineup a little better against Boston, Toronto and Ottawa and their LW intimidators. Actually, they both have pluses and minuses Their faceoff percentages are not nearly as good as I thought. Basically, the area that separates these two, is cap hits. This make resigning Plekanec even more important with his faceoff record and PK record. 08/09 Backes 44.4% on 477 TFO – Total 31-23=54 points Horton 43.7% on 863 TFO-Total 22-23=45 points 09/10 Backes 44.1% on 263 TFO- total 4-7=11 points Horton 52.5% on 59 TFO – total 8-17=25 points ( now playing RW )

One of the rumors I came across this morning from Yahoo and ‘The Fourth Period’ was very strange. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/rumors/post/Ed...?urn=nhl,207082 There is so much that makes no sense, Souray’s NTC and his cap hit of $5.4 million for the next three years. Have to hope this is like a EK rumor. Horton: There is a slight possibility but in order to keep both Horton and Plekanec long term, some dumping has to happen first, or additional ( multiple ) trade, to make this work financially ( Cap ). I like the idea of Horton but it’s hard to imagine Florida giving up on him a 2003 draft pick 1/3. Also the fact he has 11 points in his last 10 games. A Possible trading partner that could work is St. Louis. Eric Brewer is back on the injury list for the next 2-4 weeks. They have called up Alex Pietrangelo from their AHL affiliate . Considering this was a playoff team last year and they are in danger of missing the playoff’s this year, big time. They have been moving, Backes and Burglund all over the depth chart trying to find a line that works with them, a possibility ?. I think we are back to 49 contracts and a cap problem when Markov comes back, we will have gulch of D-men and only one can be moved back to Hamilton MAB after clearing waivers, all the others either have NTC and/or one-way contracts. I would like to think this is the time to push a trade in the direction of St. Louis, ( they have approx. $7.5 mil in cap space) for one or both of the above players. Their cap hits can work for us. I’m thinking a package with AK, Gorges and D’Agostini might do it. Burglund and Backes both give Gainey a safety net, in case he can’t reach a deal with Plekanec. My preference is Backes a better than average second line centre or a second line RW.

I’m happy you finally ‘got it’ after reading many of your posts telling other members “you got it”, one has to wonder if you may have fallen under the ‘ostrich syndrome ‘ Get your head out of the sand, and see the team management as it actually is. What you see as a AHL player, others see as a NHL roster player and good financial management with the lowest cap hit.

Agree 100%. I was very surprised with his play as a defensive Defenseman, especially for $247k ( question, does that mean SJ got this guy for $124k? ) I understand Gainey had to make room on the roster however, the safer bet would have been Bergeron waivered back to Hamilton then recall him when needed. I can’t see any team jumping on Bergeron even for $375k. Leach got 1:10 of ice time as a forward (LW) , what did JM see in the 1:10 that he could not have see at practice?. As well, why not Bergeron at LW instead of Leach. I have a lot of questions with his coaching style for someone who never played a game in the NHL. I hope this doesn’t turn into another (Ron Hainsey) Gainey dumb mistake

First to Habsy, My apologies , There are 26 forum topics and 1 important topic, ‘Permanent Rumor Thread’ and as I scanned through the postings, this was the closest I could find to post my opinions . I agree with you it is ‘bizarre’ and perhaps a ‘General’ thread should be opened. I don’t dare too, as this is a private members sandbox, without first asking permission. If you want to believe Florida didn’t ‘dump’ Martin that’s ok, My take is, they were more than happy to get rid of him with 1 or 2 years left in his contract as GM. He was relieved as coach and offered the GM job for Financial reasons. Team spirit . . . Think Boynton, Bouwmeester and Devorak who only resigned after Martin was gone. Then go back and check the players that left while he was in Ottawa. Now Habs Rule, Where and how do I start. Perhaps it’s easier just to take the issues in numerical order in case I slip into another ‘dissertation’. Normally I would just ignore what appeared at first glance to be condescending. There are some that suggest, it is a fine line between condescending and sarcasms .However, I welcome the opportunity to review your assumptions with the information I based my long-winded ‘dissertation’. #1, I was supporting the idea of trading SK, again, “I don't think you get know for sure, until he is gone”. #2 , I will let my response above stand, and add if I remember correctly , they traded and/or lost to UFA the core of the team . His success in my opinion is suspect, considering the stacked roster he had in his charge. Bowman rarely shortened his bench to three lines, if ever, also think of the roster he had for his time in Montreal. #2a, St. Louis Trades, simply a personal preference after following the team for the last 3 years.David Backes would be a good option should Plekanec opt for FA. I’m sure there are many different preferences . #3, You are correct relative to Plekanec he is on a 1 year contract. However, Price is eligible for negotiation and has been since the start of the season. It wouldn’t hurt to know a ballpark number from his side too plan ahead. CBA rules CONTRACT RENEGOTIATIONS, EXTENSIONS, AND OPTION YEARS Players may not renegotiate contracts at any point during the life of the contract. Players may only be signed to contract extensions provided that the player is in the last year of his contract and the player has not signed a 1-year contract. If a player signs a 1-year contract, he is not allowed to negotiate an extension until January 1. #3a , If we take your $45 million at face value, knowing we have Plekanec, Price, Metropolit, S Kostitsyn, Mara, Bergeron ? , and Pouliot. Most likely I have forgotten someone. The point is, even at $56 million cap there is only $11 million to sign that list. From 11/22/09 B Larose (aka) dlbalr on Plekanec. “Pretty much, here's how I look at it. No matter what, they can't really afford to sign him now, so why not wait it out? If he keeps it up, he wasn't fitting in the team's price range anyways but if he slows down, there may be a chance to sign him at a more reasonable rate. There aren't a whole lot of instances where not negotiating during the season is a good thing, but this may very well be one of them.” #4, I was not suggesting we trade Hamrlik, just the opposite, Hamrlik has a restricted NTC with only 6 teams he will accept a trade with. My point, he is not the “easy answer” to get cap responsible. Last, Price I was only suggesting should he fall out of our price range and get a ‘offer sheet’ I would consider letting him go for three draft picks. “The first three picks of 2010” I don’t understand. Perhaps we will cross paths some day in ‘Rolly’s for breakfast. Cheers

I don't think you get know for sure, until he is gone. I have believed for some time now that Edmonton could be possible trading partner, and more so after watching last Saturdays game with Vancouver. I don’t believe I overvalue our players, I know for sure, I don’t undervalue them either. I don’t believe SK is a ‘bum’, my concern is attitude after the Olympics, will the K-Bros start thinking KHL. Coach Martin is a ‘old school’ thinking coach. He got dumped in Ottawa and Florida and Players just don’t want to play for him. Here he has a 3 line mentality that will soon separate the dressing room. I have been monitoring the depth charts of St. Louis and Edmonton for most of the last two months for players movement. Back to Edmonton, I would trade Belle, Chipchura, SK and Halak for M Pouliot,Stone and Deslauries as a #2 and backup plan to Price.along with a 2 round draft in 2011. St. Louis, Backes has been pushed to 3rd. line RW and last weekend moved to second line centre either they are not happy with him or he is not happy with them?. Include Jonas Junland ( just called up today) for AK, D’Agostini and Metropolit is a fair exchange. Trading Edmonton and St. Louis brings our financials back in order making a Plekanec signing possible and very much needed. A do-nothing GM like Gainey would wait until the season ends then negotiate with Plekanec and act surprised when he opts for free agency. I on the other hand prefer to act, rather than react. I believe we can sign Plekanec somewhere between $4 million and $5 million, the longer we wait, will mean the most money. The problem we have today is a early offer of 3 years at $4mil. can’t happen until we make a trade that can return us to being ‘cap financially reasonable ‘ If we maintain the team we have now with no trade, then we lose Plekanec. The easy answer is to dump Hamrlik at $5.5 million. However, where do you find a team to accept that cap hit for a 35 soon to be 36 year old D-man, not even Toronto is that dumb. So in effect we are stuck with him until the end of 10/11. He is playing great today while Markov is on the IR and should meet our needs until his contract expires. The other fear I see is Price, he also is up for a new contract only he is a RFA. His salary is $850 and $1.4 million in bonuses =$2.200 mil. I can’t see him getting more than $2.million and might be a good value for us of someone at his level of play. Should another GM submit a ‘offer sheet’ for more dollars we might have to let him go and take the 3 first round draft picks. It’s a risk I would consider. As a backup plan, in my first trade with Edmonton, I go after J. Drouin-Deslauriers a backup goalie just in case we lose price, with a mid-level UFA as #1. Gainey could solve the problem by starting the negotiations now to at least know what they both will be asking for.

Montreal members, be careful when walking near tall buildings for the next few days, Not only for concrete, but for RDS personnel as well. They will be devastated. I think it’s a great trade for both players so I’m jumping off the ‘fire Gainey bandwagon’ for now. I believe Pouliot is a third line centre at best and has all the talent to be a second line winger if given the time. He has speed and plays a crash and bang type of game. Remember, McGuire hasn’t had a real job 3-5 years and is only a step above The famous Mike Milbury. Latendresse get another opportunity to be a NHL player without the press telling him how great he is. I’m guessing that $2 million Gainey offered him in the summer, looks pretty good right now. Now if Gainey would only offer St.Louis the K-bros, Plex, and Stewart for Backes, Berglund and Junlund he would solve the Financial problem and the big second line centre in one shot. Can’t believe the one day I go for 4 hour infusion Gainey makes a move and I’m last to know.

Thank you Colin, you appear to have understood the point I was trying to make. I know I did not presented well , and perhaps misled some members. I was more concerned that I don’t see that there is a lot of new growth . I see and read from the same group of members in most threads. HW is my first stop in the morning for information, It seems, I’m reading the same 10-15 members and I question, is there ever any new members?. If so, are they reading just like I do ?. Perhaps my comments should have been worded clearer. I’ll give it another try, I don’t see a growth in new members, and how active are the majority of new members, if there is any. I think the answer is this ‘elite group’ that is very knowledgeable dominates the threads through intimidation , intentionally or unintentionally. One half believes Price is great the other half, he is bum. It is a bit redundant game in and game out. Sometime I get the feeling I’m intruding in a private board. I hesitate to even consider opening a new thread in the event it is not acceptable to the elite membership. Wonder if there are other new members that get the same feeling. Long story short, Four years ago I joined another Habs board, on my very first post I was taken to task for even suggesting a trade with Ryder in it from one member. I was so taken back and could not understand why. Two of the boards ‘captains’ ( JL and another ) came to my aid and helped me to understand, and not take it personally. What I’m trying to say, It’s ok to have new ideas, it might be fun to see what some of the newer members are interested in. we just want a place to post them. This might bring more interest and grow the HW boards membership.