illWill

With the impending return of "Dad", I wanted to discuss how important he is to this team as a franchise defenseman. I don't think it gets talked about enough how losing a clear cut #1 dman for a full calendar year would impact ANY team in the league, and the flack this team has received in the last year should take this into consideration. It's been so long that it is easy to forget that our Habs actually WON their division with a healthy Weber in 16-17, and didn't appear to be near the train wreck of a team that they were after his injury last December. So I decided to look into the team record with and without the services of the newly appointed Captain since he was acquired: 55-37-12 Montreal with Shea Weber in the lineup 30-35-13 Montreal without Shea Weber in the lineup Quite a set of contrasting numbers there. Yes there were other factors into play, but that is a decent sample size of which to hypothesize from. I think that his reinsertion into the lineup helps so many problems that this team is currently facing and has faced in the past. Want to improve your powerplay? How about adding the hardest clapper in the league from the point? There isn't anyone on the team right now that the opposition fears when shorthanded. The zone entry has been good, the movement has been good, but it is missing a bomb shot. Defensive zone coverage has been garbage so far, enter Shea "I invented defensive zone coverage" Weber. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration but he will certainly help stabilize whatever it is our current dmen are doing out there. When he slots into the lineup it will have a ripple effect and Petry suddenly is playing on the second pair, where he and the team will excel. Having a guy like Weber step in and play almost half the game at an elite level can only be described as a positive. I won't get into the leadership aspect of it all, as some people don't believe in that. But on such a young team and based on quotes I've read from them, they certainly look up to Weber. I do think he will help with the already strong locker room and act like sort of a liaison between players and management. I just miss watching the damn guy play for us and can't wait for his return.

Okay a couple beauties not found in rec

I just got back home from my rec game and Niemi reminds me of the goalie I played against

I've spent more of my day watching this than I would like to admit

Just watching Pacioretty interviews leading up to this game and I think it is safe to assume that he absolutely is thrilled not to be playing in this market anymore. Personally I think Montreal got the best version out of him during his prime and that he is taking it easy in Vegas now without the big bad Montreal media breathing down his neck. He finally got his pay day, and in Vegas it is patio season all year long so life is great

I definitely did not check but it seems like this team has already come back to win more games than all of last season. #attitude

Bad game to be selling tickets Joe

He is on pace for 18 goals and 0 assists. He is a streaky player though, so it's very possible that he catches fire and all is forgiven by Vegas. But then there's also a chance that he is on a sharp decline

Speaking of which, has anyone heard from Habs29? He was posting everyday before the season started but now that the Habs are doing well he has been silent. Hope he is okay

I'm the first to admit that 6 games doesn't mean a whole lot. But regardless of how the team started we should take note of these things that most have wanted him to do for years: *Fire Lefebvre, check *Address the center position, check *Get younger and faster, check Also keep in mind that their best defenseman has yet to step on the ice and Price hasn't exactly been lights out so far. Not to mention this team is operating with plenty of extra cap space and could potentially be better with the addition of a player or two. To me it is more important how this team is winning games, and not just that they are. I also think Julien deserves a lot of credit, but maybe I'll save that for a different appreciation thread.

Stirring the pot or posting an opposing opinion? We all know how much most people hate Bergevin, but the intent is to focus on what he has done lately. I had to read the thousands of posts dumping on Bergevin, but now there is one thread highlighting what I think are good moves, and suddenly that's a problem?

As a fellow connoisseur of memes/gifs, I appreciate the legendary Randy Jackson reference, as I use it in my daily life. But your post does not articulate your opinion as to why it is in fact a no from you, dawg

I figured if I didn't include the current year in the title it would set off a frenzy of posts from people scorned over the last few years. The focus of this thread is the moves made by Bergevin in the current year and how they have set up this team to it's surprising-to-most good start. The 18-19 Habs edition is noticeably different than it's predecessor, mainly by their style, but also by their.....attitude. There's that catch word everybody loves, yet it is apparent. Guys are competing every single shift, there is such an internal competition that it is pushing everyone to their max. Scratching free agent signing Plekanec and big contract Alzner to start the season was a Julien decision, and it wasn't held back by any fictitious Bergevin ego. This team now has an identity, and that is speed and attitude. I recall against Detroit when Drouin was hurt with a shot block and finally got to his feet, only to get shoved by Bertuzzi. Well here come like 3 Habs to his defense looking to fight him, haven't seen that in a long time. It seems like there is alot of cohesion on this team and it is fun to watch. Now let's look at the moves made in this calendar year in no particular order: *Hires highly successful Joel Bouchard out of the Q to coach Laval *Hires World Junior Championship coach Dominique Doucharme as an assistant coach *Trades life long Hab Plekanec to the rival Leafs for a pick and prospects, only to get him back for free via UFA *Trades a disgruntled Galchenyuk who never found a role with the team after 6 (!) seasons, for Max "100 times better than his Dad" Domi *Does not give in to Buffalo's demands in a trade for Ryan O'Rielly *Acquires Joel Armia for money that isn't his *Trades a 5th (!) round pick to Minnesota for Mike "looks like a top 4 D to me" Rielly *Signs Xavier Ouellet for maybe the minimum (I'm not looking it up) *Drafts Jasperi Kotkaniemi who looks like a stud so far, despite the majority of fans wanting someone else *Speaking of drafting centers, he drafts 7 of them (looked that one up) *Trades captain Max Pacioretty for Thomas Tatar, who in a small sample size looks to win the trade by himself and is under team control for longer for a lower overall cap hit, PLUS a 13th overall center prospect and a 2nd rounder (!) Do I even have to mention the return that LWs Jeff Skinner and Mike Hoffman got? *Names Shea Weber the 30th captain of the Montreal Canadiens despite him being out due to injury. It's not going to player vote this time guys Say whatever you want about the past, but it is hard to argue against anything that Marc Bergevin has done in 2018

I see you also have an opinion

I don't like this TSN broadcaster whoever it is

I wonder if Weber will grab the torch

Montreal walked into one of the toughest arenas to play in and totally neutralized the Penguin's lethal offence. They are outworking and outsmarting their opposition so far this season. It's only two games in, but you have to give credit to Julien to adjusting his strategy and to Bergevin for getting players committed to playing that way.

As an 18 year old kid making the team, I viewed Galchenyuk as a player with all of the talent in the world but just had to put the pieces together to become elite. As a 24 year old young man, I STILL view Galchenyuk as a player with all of that talent, but he can't seem to put it all together. Watching Domi work hard and make smart plays is a breath of fresh air, and I can very much assume that his teammates feel the same way.

You were close, Weber finished 6th in Norris trophy voting that year while PK didn't get a single vote

Toronto was lucky to get two points in that game, but that's what happens when you have elite talent. It is no different than when people say that Carey Price has to carry this team or that he covers up any deficiencies. Yes, elite players are usually the difference between a win or a loss.

A Bergevin joke, nice! And the punchline is that he sucks at making trades, so he would trade something more valuable for something less valuable. This is where I lol

Offer sheet Nylander Either we get him or we force the Leafs to overpay, win win

Step 1. Sell house Step 2. Move to the East coast Step 3. Profit Step 4. Watch every Habs game on normal TV

42-29-7-4 95 points 5th place in the Atlantic 9th in the Conference 243 goals scored

Jonathan Drouin (MON) Over (57 points)Brendan Gallagher (MON) Under (46 points)Max Domi (MON) Over (53 points)Charles Hudon (MON) Under (33 points)Jeff Petry (MON) Under (34 points)Tomas Tatar (MON) Over (49 points)