DON

Gomez on a broken leg and using no stick is a better centre than our 4th line one is now, but i still would play 51, 81 and 14 over him at centre. If he comes back, plays and earns more icetime, then even better; but Martin running him out there for 20+ minutes/game, seemingly only because he is a high paid vet, drove me nuts (same as Cammalleri). That was just so sweet for Eller, after all the hard work and miles he has skated forechecking and backchecking, he deserved a big game and he is just another reason the future looks much brighter than present rendition of team. Now if Pacioretty can start scoring again (not that the 50 point rate he is on, is too bad at all in his 2nd full year) but he has lost something it seems, confidence, sophmore slump??

Hopefully, Cammalleri is scratched because he is moving to another roster for picks/prospects! But not Kaberle, Habs can use his offense and experiance going forward with such a young group of d-men.

why not just dress Big George and sit him on bench, he is still getting paid isnt he (sorry, Orr is about as useless isnt he?) Islanders are just 1 point behind with 2 games in hand, 27th place is just around the corner baby! The last top ten pick turned out pretty nicely for Habs (#31). As did their last 2nd round pick (#76).

Anyone know where Pribyl was? I didnt see him play in last couple games, was he scratched, nailed to the bench or injured?

Again i dont disagree that Beaulieu will be a great addition to a team that is mired near bottom of league in scoring year after year. And now with a strictly defensive guy like Gorges locked up and others like Tinordi and Yemelin, the Habs should be able to have at least 3 offensive guys who are not afraid to rush the puck. This is off-topic but; I dont think Beaulieu's development will be much different than a Del Zotto, Karlsson, Justin Faulk or Cam Fowler who are all promising young d-men, but had/have struggled to hold their own defensively. A perfect example; Del Zotto is now leading his team with a +25 after being a -20 as a rookie (sure on a better team now but still). Even Diaz and Yemelin (and Subban) have a rookie-like brain cramp almost every game, but you know their decision making should only get better over time with a bit of coaching and experiance.

I dont disagree and most likely will be top 4 d-man and a damn good one, but just will need to pair with a solid defensive d-man is all. Funny that have "too many" righties, being that southpaws are much lower % of players. Hope Beaulieu's face has healed a bit, didnt look good, i thought a broken jaw at first. Cant wait till, Gallagher, Bournival, Ellis, Beaulieu, Pateryn, Kristo, Tinordi all turn pro next year (most likely)

i know i know, i didnt say why nor really care at this point how we got to this record, it is just a fact that when your top forwards and top scoring d-man are not scoring, any team is dead in the water, that is all, 29 other teams have injuries as well and like i said it is just too easy to find fault with team's failure.

You are correct and Subban is usually in the middle (or it seems that way), whether it was prospect camp or over past 2 years with Habs, i hope it is only because he is more intense or something and not still immaturity? Fights at practice do happen, but Plekanec still seemed a bit pissed when interviewed and said "the players need to all get on same page before they can start winning again".

Kaberle is a bit scary defensively, not near as bad as MAB and is fine as a 3rd pairing, if he can be shipped out then i am fine with that, if they keep him that is OK. Habs need offense, the bottom line, no matter where it comes from and he is getting points and the PP looks a bit better. Not sure why anyone has issue with me annointing Gorges as future captain? Gionta is a hardworking guy for sure but the team still seems leaderless when he is playing or not and who knows if he will even finish the season with Habs? Tinordi will most likely split his time between AHL and Habs next year and likely replace Gill, which he probably could right now and Gill is another that may not last the year in Habland? I would also assume either Pateryn, Dietz and/or Ellis will make the grade in a couple years and add another Gorges-type defensive d-man to the mix; Nygren and Beaulieu are 2 stricly offensive d-men who need to learn some defense at the AHL level a la Subban before ever making the jump. All in all, i dont see any weakness in long term d-core, it is still up front that is in need of a couple highly skilled draft picks. Bournival, Kristo and Gallagher all look OK, but likely not top flight scorers like a Spezza/Hossa. Too bad this draft class is strictly loaded with super looking d-men and Euro forwards. But if Habs remain with 6th pick there are some sweet choices, even if they have to take another d-man like Trouba, Murray or Dumba, cant go wrong. Interesting that Gauthier said both Subban and Price will be signed for sure and that have no fear there is $$ to sign both long term and moreso that he didnt say no outright when, John Lui (i think) asked if he may blow the team up, now that they need to win 2/3 of remaining games just to make playoffs.

i had Josh as one of most valuable trade assests, but i am very very pleased he will be around long term and sorry Brian, but Josh should be captain very soon and for a long time. Great news on a very bleak season and salary is a tad high, but he works his ass off every game and good for him to get good coin and good on Gauthier to get a super character player signed early.

well at least Yemelin is some fun to watch. But when Plekanec, Gionta, Cammalleri, Gomez and Markov have 24 total goals combined for 1/2 season and Stamkos has 26, it seems that a $30m group of players is underachieving just a bit. I know, it is just too easy to find negative #s right now, but with this top player production, do we need to dig any deeper as to why I am already looking towards the draft in June and hoping for some trades for the future. Gauthier looked like he gonna jump from the bleacher seats last night. What a great effort by Cole on last goal, what a super pick up he seems to be, too bad he isnt rubbing off on some other forwards.

i agree 100% on the strategy and going with youth, whether Leblanc goes to AHL or stays, i am 50-50, i know many all-star players have put in full year or more and lit it up in AHL. I am a Gauthier backer and only hope he sees that, to bite the bullet this year is a painful necessity and should pay off long term, even though the mob calling for his head already will only grow with each loss, but if he does try and patch holes and ship out more picks in an attempt to rescue the season and his job, then he will lose 1 supporter. Hey i was a Dallas Cowboy fan for back to back to back 5-11 seasons and cheer on the Blue Jays and Raptors every year even though they cant really compete, so i would have little problem seeing the Habs take one in the chin for 1/2 a season more, if we get a shot at some top skilled prospects/picks and can reset the forward group.No more trading picks for 4th line centre every friggin year also, my one Gauthier beef.

Hey, i just thought Semin by himself would be all you could get for a sub-20 goal scorer who makes $6m, if you think anyteam would giveup a 1st rounder or any combination of picks/prospects, jump on it. And by just dumping Semin/Cammalleri's salary we can use $$ for Price/Subban/Gorges instead, was my main thinking. Even Cammalleri to Oilers or Leafs might fly and get back some good stuff? I dont mind Gionta one bit; but if a team wants his leadership, cool, but i just didnt see him as being really tradable. We just need, somehow, to get down from 6 sub 6 footers up front to 3 or 4 and make roster room for another smallish fellow - Gallagher, if not in 2012 then 2013. I am just thinking we now would need to go about 27-11-6 (just be my funky calculations) to make playoffs and if going to be sellers in Feb, might as well go big and reshape the forward group. Whiich is and has been the weakest part of team for awhile, offense/scoring/size.

yes, they say defense can be taught and he no doubt has top offensive skills, but i also wonder if he can do the opposite of Markov (who used to be a forward) and become a forward instead? I know would be odd, but that is where he was yesterday and the Habs already have lots of offensive d-men, not of his calibre but, he can handle the puck great and skate very well.

Love what the young guys are bringing and future looks good. But, if not for Cole and Price this team would be looking at fitting Yakapov into roster next fall. This team is just finding ways to lose, which is typical of a young inexperianced and/or leaderless team. I love Gorges play, but he would be the most valuable trade asset and if going to be like the Sens route and get a boatload of top picks back, he is one who could be worth a 1st rounder from a contender or the Leafs. Would be painful to see him moved, but he will likley command too high a salary for strictly a defensive d-man in the off-season anyways. I would add Plekanec, Desharnais, Kostitsyn, Gill, Weber, Cammalleri as expendable, tradable, valuable on the market and replaceable (whereas Giont and Gomez are basically untradable). If only one trade; I would love to see Semin for Cammalleri and then let Semin walk in summer. Cant catch Ducks nor Columbus, but Habs can still sneek in the top 5 pick slot if Isles, OIler and Carolina can do a bit better. go canucks go

That was a super belated present. What a great game for a Hab fan to see after the last couple flops. I crap on Cammalleri all the time, but when he does actually show up to play he can really be a difference maker (but i hope this just increases his trade value) Love the play of Gorges (was best player easily all game), Yemelin and Diaz just continues to quietly play solid, which basically means Weber can get his things packed and ready to move to, Edmonton, Washington, L.A.? Love that Campoli was sat, would be nice if he can be sent to AHL for time being. Leblanc did super for only 9 minutes of icetime, he seems like a nice smart player and both he and Eller finally got rewarded. Subban finally goes to the net and chips in, why he dosent do more often? he is still scary defensively, but does alot more good than bad out there and great to see him score. Probably a relief for ol Randy, but still in a no win situation. Love the roster/line shakeup anyways and not going into a shell once they had the lead.

Another garbage goal for Gallagher, he just reminds me more and more of Gionta. Why does he have to be so small! in a couple years once Gionta, Cammalleri, Gomez are gone it wouldnt matter, but with Desharnais, Plekanec and the rest of sub 6 footers, how can he be added to this Habs forward group? Tinordi, seems to have much better speed than i expected and he has Rick Green's scoring touch and that is fine by me, as long as he protects Price and can clear the crease its all good. Am very curious to see Pribyl play. Bournival is a hard worker and can skate but dont think a natural scoring type guy like Gallagher? Those russian forwards are just so skilled and dangerous with the floating forward looking for breakaway all the time; a couple of the Swede forwards look very good as well. Canada will have its hands full.

Beaulieu is not on the PK and is the 7th d-man for a reason, he is a PP specialist with great puck skills, skating and vision which cant to taught like defensive play can be. I havent seen him play well defensively, he gets schooled by junior forwards and like Subban will need at least 1 full year in the minors to be even so-so defensively as Suban is slowely becoming. But not a big deal, he is a great draft-pick and Green of the Caps sucks as a d-man but as a 4th forward he is an all-star and i see Beaulieu as more a Green-type player than a Subban. Fighting does not equate to defensive play, but nice that he has some grit for sure and is not like some other softish offensive Hab d-men like Diaz, Weber, Markov, Kaberle, Campoli, Subban (i know you will say Subban is not soft, but he seems (to me anyways) totally terrified to take a hit, unlike a Gorges or Yemelin and fighting Marchand is about as light-weight as it gets).

Since option 2 and 3 are not realistic, the team needs to bite the bullet a la Ottawa and shed Cammalleri for a Semin (whose contract is almost done) and ship out Gorges, Kostitsyn, Moan, Gill and maybe Weber for picks. Not that you have to try and "tank-it" by anymeans, but you can roll 4 lines and give Yemelin, Diaz, St. Denis 20+ minutes and same up front with Leblanc, Eller Without 11, 21 and 13 producing the team is dead in then water and even if they wake up it is too late most likely. The only way it seems the Habs will ever get a highly skilled top forward is with a top 5-10 pick, like Grigorenko, Forsberg, Yakupov, whose upside is 100points+, not a mid first rounder who is likely to top out at 60-70 points, with the rare exception (Giroux or the like). When was the last time the Habs have been sellers at trade deadline day? 1970 Filling gaps to squeeze into playoffs each year and shipping out picks for rentals will never put a Spezza type player in your lineup. Hab fans loved a russian who coasted 1/2 the time but had great skill and was exciting some times, imagine having a Filip Forsberg type player step in as a teenager and make an impact and actually work hard every game alongside Leblanc and other young prospects. Hey, Leafs have had shit teams for long time and been mismanaged much worse the the Habs, surely the Hab fans stop being so seemingly short-sighted and take a look at the very very quick turnaround Murray has done in Ottawa and once they find a goalie like Price they will be set for years to come. But if the Habs can reel off 10 wins in a row, someway somehow, then for sure go for playoff berth, but must be almost 100 or 50:1 to make playoffs now and time for Cammalleri to go somewhere/anywhere else, Edmonton/Washington/Pittsberg/Toronto, i dont care, cause unlike Gomez i am sure some contender sees 13 as a playoff boost they could use.

PK has had some bad games here and there, after which i thought a night or 2 off wouldnt hurt, but like you, i did say he was missed and he has more talent than almost any 2nd year d-man. I agree 1000% that some others should of been sat before PK, but why he picked PK after he owned up to his mistakes??, whereas some others - Cammalleri- continue on with zero compete level for past year and 1/2 and get a regualr shift. Overall Subban is a key d-man, but his turnovers and showboating (intentional or not??) drive me crazy ; a John Daly-like wind up slap shot that misses the net by 10 feet, must just scare the shit out of any Hab forward that thinks of screening the goalie, same as dump-ins, just wrist it in and no need for a booming shot, if PK just kept it simple and actually drove to net with puck to get rebound/goal/or draw penalty, he likely would be the superstar player we all hope he will be, he has the speed and talent for sure.

Gallagher will likely fit in better as scorer on top 2 lines whereas Bournival will for sure be 3rd/4th liner early in career, but with very hard working guys like Leblanc, Bournival, White and Gallagher we will hopefully see more inspired play than that shown at present. Bournival seems to be playing the role Leblanc had last year and would fit on 2nd, 3rd or 4th line nicely. That friggin Dougie Hamilton looks too damn good and will haunt the Leafs starting next year in Boston for sure. Hamilton and Segain for Kessel is a bit lopsided. Should be a even match tonight and will get to see a future Hab pick in June with Filip Forsberg, unless Habs really do well and overtake Ducks and Islanders for Grigorenko, haha. Beaulieu looks super with puck and offensively, but defensively seems simllar to several current Hab d-men who couldnt knock my grandmother off her skates, but at least we have Tinordi, Ellis, Pateryn and a couple other strictly defensive d-men turning pro in fall of 2012. should be another tight tournament and great time of year cheers

I agree with both. Subban scratch was overdue, not sure about Eller? dont see that. But love to Randy hold some players accountable, no matter who they are nor how much paid. But overlooked the worst in need of a wakeup, Cammalleri, but i am hoping that he was not scratched because will hurt his trade value on dec.28th. They might off load him to a team like Caps and take Semin in return, shit for shit i know, but 1 possible option. And it is not just this year Cammalleri has sucked (relative to pay), with 19 goals last year i wouldnt call that fair value neither. I would also replace Campoli with St. Denis (or even a cardboard cutout of Markov to place on bench), who at least knows what defense is. I thought Campoli was a depth d-man and that seems to be putting it nicely. Maybe, no hopefully he is still rusty?? But even if Subban has poor/terrible decision making skills, he brings alot of other good things to the team and was missed last night. Not once in past few years did i ever think they would miss playoffs; looks like a lock for April Hab golf and i am now hoping for added draft picks and being a definite seller at trade deadline for a change and finally drafting that highly skilled power forward, like a Brendan Gaunce, Forsberg or even a frickin russian (hard to say without gagging) like, Yakupov or Grigorenko. And Grigorenko can play for his present junior coach, who will then be a NHL coach for Habs if the lynch mob has their way in Montreal. But hey, prospect pool looks super for fall of 2012, youth on Hab roster is holding their own for sure and future looks brighter for Habs, just need to cull some dead weight and resign Price ASAP. cheers

yes , encouraging for sure, i thought he just had the 1 goal and with an american d-man going down to injury and Faulk playing NHL, Tinordi is a lock i would guess and possibly captain. Love to see Gallagher get his typical garbage goal in 1st game, every game i see him play for Vancouver he is non-stop every shift and is not afraid to take a hit to make a play.

Everyone has an opinion, i am not sure how you even make a good assessment of a rookie d-man after this short a stint, especially when d-man generally take a while to progress, like Gorges did. But I think he is all that he was advertised to be and has really impressed many and i would be playing him every game, playing 3 soft offensive d-men like Diaz, Campoli and Kaberle seems like 1 too many. And Diaz is not the one i would be sitting, but maybe Campoli will improve?? Cunnyworth is sitting Yemelihn for a reason and i guess having too many d-men is a good problem to have. But Weber will likely be gone in new year and hopefully they can get a 2nd round pick for him, or package him with Cammalleri. Habs generally do well vs the Blackhawks and be nice to see Randy get his first win.

It is all too bad Molson had to cut Randy off at the knees so quickly after the hire and if he felt he had to make a statment, he should of been able to come up with something better. I didnt like Martin's coaching, but mostly was minor line up stuff i disagreed with and his "deer in the headlights" appearance when the team was behind, but end of season would of been best to make the change. I am behind almost every move Gauthier has pulled off in past 2 years and i will not be pleased if he gets axed and really cant understand all the critism he gets. Which move was bad, trading Obyrne for Bournival? Halak for Eller (very ballsy trade)? Picking Markov over Wiz (which we all seemed 50-50 last sping on which one to sign), Signing Cole, Kaberle for Spacek, not signing Hammer to 2 year deal (i know C Cucumber disagreed with this one but not I)? trading for spare parts just to make playoffs, which is mandatory in Habland? Not firing Martin for Muller/Bouche earlier? Shipping out Lapierre? Draft picks look promising. All in all he has done well in my books and i know nothing of Molson, except his 1 latest comment, which was exactly what the team did not need, maybe to keep beer sales high or some other lame reason, no backbone maybe??