illWill

I've sat all over the rink and there isn't really a bad view in the place. The only thing I didn't like sitting near the very top in the back was that the sound didn't travel very well up there from the game and the fans. If you don't get your tickets directly from the site you'll be paying market value on the reselling sites, and based on the games you are deciding between, the prices will be inflated. Saturday nights are always more expensive and the teams you mentioned would be as well.

Not much to talk about these days but man, what a great job Bergevin has done with this team. *goes to get popcorn*

You say that as if losing Niemi is a bad thing. Shaw will be missed and he had a monster season, but he was always in and out of the lineup anyway. And why is it going to be a long season because the Coyotes spent more cap money? Last year wasn't fun for you? I think a lot of people underestimate how young the roster is up front and the room for growth that exists with not only them, but the rookies looking to crack the lineup. I think this is a pretty well balanced and deep team once all is said and done. Add a top 4 LD and I wouldn't have any complaints about them.

Armia was one of my favorite Habs last season. He might be one of the best I've seen at takeaways

I must be in the minority of people that want to keep Drouin, I think he is a big piece of our core moving forward. He is on a relatively cheap contract for what he currently produces combined with his potential. Plus I just enjoy watching him play

My god some of the stuff I read on here makes me question the state of humanity

Is Aho worth 2 firsts, 1 second and 1 third round pick, AND taking up 9-10 million in cap space? Honest question. That's a heavy price to pay no matter which way you look at it. Remember the majority of us didn't want to spend that on Duchene and that is without losing the draft picks. Most of the reasoning being that we want to be able to afford our own players when their contract is up. Why is Aho so special we should sell the farm for him? This offer sheet by Bergevin is conservative in both AAV and draft pick compensation, but flexes the power of the Canadiens money. If this works it will be a brilliant move, if it doesn't, no harm done.

It is a great trade this year for the Leafs, but Barrie is UFA next year, as well as Jake Muzzin. Whereas Kadri has 3 years left on a great contract, that's why he has so much value. Colorado has their top two centers MacKinnon and Kadri locked up for about 11 million per year over that time, that is more impressive than the Leafs filling a hole for a season. I doubt anyone here would have liked to trade Gallagher for example, for a LD with an expiring contract.

Here's a question: if Carolina decides not to match, can they announce that to make the offer sheet official, or do we have to wait for the 7 days to expire?

Please tell us what you would do if you were Bergevin

Oh and just to reiterate, Aho SIGNED this offer sheet, meaning he likes the contract. Him and the Canes were not able to reach an agreement before this. But Bergevin should have given the player MORE than he wanted.

What the hell are you guys talking about? You're complaining about an offer sheet? Don't want a chance at signing an elite 21 year old on a steal of a contract? Hate that he tried? Did he kidnap your dog? Must be something I don't understand

Good to have you back!

You never addressed what I said about the term. Carolina was try to get an 8 year deal, and by doing so it pushes the AAV up. Montreal offered a 5 year deal, meaning that Aho would be a UFA at the end of the deal, and then be able to cash in again. Might want to wipe the spit up off your shirt. Like the out of the box but hate how we don't know if it worked yet? Let's start flinging feces everywhere! 1. If we get Aho and assuming the season goes well, odds are next to zero that we have to worry about winning/losing the lottery. 2. Aho would be an UFA after 5 years, not 3 3. Everything I seen today with rival GMs commenting about the offer sheet indicates they understand it is within the rules and fair game

Welcome back, we haven't heard from you since the Habs had a great season. I see you still think Bergevin is a moron despite the majority thinking otherwise, but I'll play along. Bergevin clearly stated that they weighed all of the options and considered offering more AAV. The main issue here is not only the 21 million lump sum in year 1, but also the 5 year term. Carolina wanted an 8 year term buying up some UFA years, so the AAV would increase along with that. Or Bergevin is a moron and you know better, whatever.

Live view of Bergevin walking into the press conference

They would have to add an additional first round pick if it is over 8.5 m per year

Solid signing, should amount to a few extra wins over the course of the season compared to having Niemi. As my 7 year old would say, welcome to the Habs " King Kade "

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, we know Santa is bringing us something tomorrow but we don't know what.

Bergevin being able to speak with free agents. It seems he is confident that he can sign someone and had to move Shaw out. Signing say a Corey Perry to replace Shaw and also recouping picks in the process would be a shrewd move. But I'd say more likely it could be Duchene or Lee and and quality back up

Call it whatever you like, but the fact remains that his cap hit was a hindrance to his team. The very second I heard what he signed for in Montreal I hated it. Liked the player, hated the contract. Up until the upcoming season starts, he was the highest paid dman in the league despite not even being in the conversation for the best, even arguably the 4th best on his own team. You're saying that because Poile signed other players for too much money, that is why Subban got dumped? That just proves my point. Show me one team in the league who doesn't have some payers that are over paid. This is a cap world, and nobody on the Predators took up more of the cap or underperformed more compared to their cap than Subban, that's why he got dumped. Poile was willing to eat 3 million (!) just to get rid of him, you're telling me that he couldn't find somewhere for Turris or Bonino? In NHL history there have only been two trades involving a player making 9 or more million per season, and they were both PK Subban. But yes you're right, he wasn't a liability to his team because the Preds didn't have to send other assets with him to get rid of him.

If a trade for Gostisbehere doesn't happen, then I'm good with 6-7m for Jake Gardiner. There is no reason to go into this season without addressing the LD, with all of the cap space and assets we have. Here's a thought, I wonder what the odds are that Karl Alzner remembers he is an NHL player and can actually contribute to the team.

I agree that the Habs are better with him and would not want to dump him as a negative value player. He did miss a chunk of the year and it was scary, but I thought he responded admirably. Look at Price's numbers with him on the ice vs off the ice. Also his intangible leadership value is off the imaginary charts. I also agree that PK has great playoff numbers, I actually picked him way too early in one of my drafts because of this reason. However you can't just say PK's teams have made it further because of him, whereas Weber's teams didn't make it as far because of him. We are comparing player vs player. Two different players with different skill sets. One got dumped because he was a liability to his team, and one is still the captain of the Canadiens and thriving....

Thank you for your actual response, and not a passive aggressive down vote. Of course there are several factors in play here. Nashville traded for a defenseman who makes more money than he is worth, so they had to dump him. They are also stacked at D, and have been for some time, so that point is also moot. I am not even going to talk about the possible locker room issues, as that is purely speculation. Trolling? This whole site was trolling for two years until this past season where it was clear who was the beneficiary of the trade. It has been a long road for us trade defenders, so I don't think basking in this glory is too much to ask for. How is Weber coming off a down year again? Is it the Habs being more successful with him in the lineup? Is it him on pace for 20 goals in an injury shortened season? I look forward to your answer. Playoff series won by each team? TEAM being the key word here. Please elaborate why Subban propelled his TEAM to more series wins, but then got dumped off to the Devils for garbage