illWill

Cousins, Armia, and Weal on the Power play in a 2-2 tie. I have to say that I am intrigued with the strategy

Walk into the top team in the league's barn and dominate them. Also, sHeA wEbEr Is TOo SlOw AnD oLd #iLoVePkSuBbAn4LiFe

1. Boom? 2. So your argument is that Turris isn't getting the job done, the same Turris that Poile was able to convince to an overpayment in free agency? And hey everybody, Habs29 would trade Weber for Subban right now. I'd love to throw a poll up on that 3. See my point above about how he was able to sign Turris to a deal that nobody would touch now. Sort of like how he had to dump Subban to the only team that would take him

So much to dissect from the original post but I don't have all day so I focused on one of my favorite topics. 1. Weber's "stupid cap hit length salary" Poile is the one that matched the offer sheet. And Nashville is going to be decimated in cap recapture if Weber retires early. 2. Trades for Subban when they had a stacked defense already, but trades him because of the same stacked defense? How "stupid" is Subbans contract that he had to salary dump him and the only team that would take it without salary retention was NJ? Would you trade Shea Weber for Subban right now? 3. Bergevin "failed" to sign Duchene? You say that as if Mark Bergevin single handedly is the reason why Matt Duchene is in Nashville. Like Duchene is picking between GMs and was so wooed by David Poile the man that he made a decision for himself and his family to go with Poile. Tell us how MB could have sealed the deal. Change the income tax in Quebec? How about creating a warmer weather system? Buy some guitars for the entire city so they can learn country music?

The first thing in like 10 years that I agree with you on

What is the going rate for a 21 year old who was drafted 100th overall, made the team unexpectedly out of camp as a 19 year old, went on to play in a top pairing but also set the Habs record for longest streak without a goal to start a career and creates virtually no offense? Anywhere from 1m to 4m seems reasonable to me

Bergevin is "stupid" for signing Subban to a team friendly bridge deal? Is Tampa stupid for signing Point to a bridge deal? How about Laine with Winnipeg? Boeser in Vancouver? Or should we have thrown all the money at a young and unproven Subban at the time? Do you know how the negotiations went, did Subban even want that? Tell us again how stupid Bergevin is. Or how about how Bergevin was "reluctant" in locking down Radulov. I could have sworn that Bergevin was one of the only GMs to even offer him a contract from the KHL. And then he even offered him a multi-year deal when he was a UFA that was similar to what he signed with Dallas. What's the problem again? Let's get our facts straight It is sort of like how Montreal seems to be able to always have an elite goalie, but other teams can't get someone to stop a beach ball. All of the #1 centers in the world can't stop the puck. I'd like to think that 70+ point Max Domi has something to say about your argument. How about Kotkaniemi in a couple years? Could it be that some realize that it isn't 1977 and now there are 31 teams in a salary cap league? All things being equal, there is a 3.22% chance that any particular team will win the Cup. Even making the playoffs is a coin flip, but yes, let's dump on a GM that has actually been above average since 2012. Please tell us how you would fill the holes and tag Bergevin so he knows how to do his job. Is it through the draft? Well we got a few high picks, we drafted a "potential #1 center" in Galchenyuk, how did that work out? When he had another high pick, he "seen the hole" and reached a bit and picked Kotkaniemi. Do you hate that he tried to fill a hole and selected him? How about the hole at LD, do you hate how 4 out of his first 5 picks this draft year were LD? How about reaching for Romanov the year before? I could have sworn he also drafted Ryan Poehling as a center and he looks like he is a player. Let's talk UFAs. Do you remember just a couple months ago how he offered a contract to top center Matt Duchene AND left defenseman Jake Gardiner? Maybe you conveniently forgot that he tried to address the holes but sorry he didn't hold a gun to the player's head to sign here. He was however able to sign Ben Chiarot and Nick Cousins though, and they are NHL players so that helps "fill the holes". How about trades. Traded for Domi and Danault, our top two centers. Did he not come out ahead in those deals? He also traded a left winger for another left winger, plus Nick Suzuki who was drafted as a center. "But he didn't try to address our needs!!" He has offered contracts to UFAs, he has literally drafted to fill holes and he is on the winning side of pretty much every trade he has made, yet there is still a myth that he doesn't know what he is doing. This team right now is young, entertaining, has cap space, a top prospect pool and is competitive but yet that's not good enough to some. And no matter how much time I spend on a post like this, I will never change their mind. My advice is to watch the games, have fun, cheer loud and talk trash to other team's fans Otherwise not being a "serious contender", whatever that means, will make you a very cynical and depressing person.

So like Claude Julien who coached them to their most recent Stanley Cup?

Can someone explain to me how basically every other team improved in the off season but Montreal hasn't? The NHL has the same amount of points up for grabs every year. Every team adds and subtracts players from the previous season, how does the net result mean an improvement for most of the league? Does growth from the youth factor into this calculation? I need to know the secret formula here

39-36-2-5 = 85 points 5th in the Atlantic 11th in the East 237 goals for I'm predicting the injury bug hits pretty hard this year. Not really based on anything just a guess

This should be an exciting team to watch, especially with so many young players on the roster. Can't wait to see how Suzuki does in a real game, how much KK has developed since last year, if Domi can continue his pace, Drouin either dangling around everyone or making smarter plays, Gallagher tiring me out just by watching him, TATAAAAARRR, big Shea Weber clappers, Mete's gotta score his first goal sometime, Chiarot cross checks and of course Price highlight reel saves. Lots of story lines to follow this season.

"Please don't trade for Laine, please don't trade for Laine" - Nick Suzuki

How do you know he didn't? Why do people assume the highest offer automatically gets the player?

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