Commandant

Stepan 55 points in only 68 games last year Brassard 60 points on the year. Eller is lucky to score half as many.

Secondary scoring options. The team needs another game breaker.... The fact is that every team in the final four had 2 game breakers or more in their forwards, they had gamebreakers on multiple lines..... Toews, Kane, Hossa, Saad, Sharp..... Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler..... Nash, Brassard, St. Louis, Stepan.... Stamkos, Johnson and the rest of the triplets... The Habs have one guy (Max) and the other teams are always gonna get their best defence on him. We need a second guy who can play on a different line and face the second pair of defence.

I agree, a 1-0 game or a 2-1 game can be great. Its not about the goals..... Its about the scoring chances. A 1-0 game or a 2-1 game, with plenty of great chances and plenty of great saves... I enjoy that too. A 1-0 game or a 2-1 game, with limited shots on goal, limited chances from high danger areas, lots of clutching and grabbing, and lots of safe dump it in the corner, regroup and play defensive hockey is boring 3 on 3 doesn't guarantee goals, but it does guarantee you are gonna get scoring chances, open ice, and reduces the defensive system, clutch and grab hockey.... Plus we're doing it for 5 minutes on those occassions where 60 minutes doesn't settle the games. To me its fun to see the skill on display.

I stand by what I said, If he's the clear cut 8th to the point that they'd rather put Gilbert in a position we know he will play worse in, then use tinordi, thats a damning assessment of his abilities or lack thereof.

Its an absolutely damning assessment of Tinordi's ability (or lack thereof) that they would rather put a defenceman on his off-side than to play him. Trade him... get a second and move on.

God forbid we have anything in the game that lacks structure and leads to scoring chances..... I mean scoring chances suck! Give the coaches six months and they will put in defensive systems for 3 on 3 and limit all the scoring chances... and everything will be back to normal. To me, its crazy that we always complain about the lack of goals in a hockey game, and the defensive systems, and the neutral zone trap.... and now we finally get a chance to see what these high level athletes can do in open ice situations and immediately we think it sucks or is dumb.

I agree. I feel he'll play and the decision is who sits of Byron, DSP, Mitchell and Flynn.

Yeah, if they didn't give him in time in a game in Owen Sound, I doubt he gets any time in the 2nd game either.

Beaulieu is a MAYBE to become a top 4 defenceman... he's a top 6 right now, and I hope he progresses, but he may not get there. I include him cause the Avs are in desperate need of defence and you have to give something to get something. I think he'd be the start of any trade scenario. I wouldn't give him up for just anyone, but here is what you are looking at 24 year old NHLer who has 3 seasons of .9 PPG or more already under his belt. An elite centre/wing heading into his prime. Good contract. He already has a 70 point season under his belt, which on the Habs only one player has done and thats Plekanec (who is unlikely to repeat it). He immediately becomes 1a/1b best forward on our team with Pacioretty, and he can play C whihc is the number 1 C we've lacked forever. Elite forwards are hard to get... and its gonna be costly.

Elliotte Friedman wrote a lot about the Habs and their system in this week's 30 thoughts. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-canadiens-more-than-a-one-man-team/ If you look at the system Elliotte talks about, you see exactly why Semin is not in the lineup. He can't play this system.... its all about getting the puck out of danger, and creating races for loose pucks which the Habs usually win due to superior team speed. Semin can't play this system, he can't skate. You can say 10 games isn't enough, but 10 games is more than enough for me to see his skating speed is just not up to par.

I'd give a lot for duchene...... a LOT.... Start with Beaulieu and go from there

Some might say... we are a contender, lets not f this opportunity up... don't let the moment pass us by as we are in a good situation with Max Pac, Price, and Galchenyuk signed to below market value deals, and while we pay subban market value he is also a core piece. Our core is in its prime, lets win, now.

You are also FAR more likely to find a Lefty who can play RD than a righty who can play LD. This is because there are far more Lefties.... so for the most part coming up through minor hockey, junior, AHL, even NHL... the righties always get put on their correct side. But when teams are imbalanced it often ends up 4 LD and 2 RD or 5 LD and 1 RD so you end up the lefties switching over. Therefore they get some experience. We are in a rare situation where we have more RD in our system right now, than LD.

No they didn't score because of him... but they were gifted a PP at the end of regulation because of a bad play, and another in OT because of a bad play. His teammates bailed him out, but doesn't excuse the fact he lost concentration and put us in a bad spot twice.

After last night Gilbert should come out for Pateryn.

Looking at age factor three years ago and looking at age factor now is different. This is truly the first time i have felt we are one player away from the cup.... in the past I've been like we could win the cup, but we need a miracle out of price... now i think we can win the cup even if Price is just his regular self... we just need to fix the Chucky line, cause the goaltending, the defence, and the other lines are all clicking. Bergevin's thought processes in the past, and his thought process today may not be the same. Every GM comes in with a 5 year plan to make the franchise a contender.... Guess what, we have started Year 4, and we are a contender. Now may be time. And Now might be when Bergevin starts to think a little differently than he did in previous years.

I hammer on Emelin, but the truth is Emelin is one of our top 6 dmen. The problem is that he's no where close to being worth 4 million. but is Emelin better than Tinordi? From what I've seen yes, yes he is. I'd rather see Emelin traded, Beaulieu moved up to 20 minutes a game, Tinordi/Barberio rotate on the third pair and the three million in cost savings be put towards upgrading Chucky's right winger.. but that doesn't mean Emelin isn't better than Tinordi as long as he is still here. That said... the likely outcome i see here is tinordi will go the way of O'Byrne, traded away for a prospect or pick the organization values more highly than him.

Yeah, Brian Flynn did nothing well except score a goal. Semin would have had a hattirck.

MB doesn't do rentals.... like thomas vanek or jeff petry.

He scored 6 goals last year. In ten games this year he had 1 goal... (a pace of 8 over 82)... He can't score from the press box, but I'm not convinced he can score from on the ice either.

Thats such a bullshit argument. One player doesn't make a team win. If Tuukka Rask didn't turn into Red Light Racicot every time he sees a CH jersey... Iginla's team would have gotten "over the hump". Is he supposed to be able to control the other 20 players on the team?

He produced on Boston as well.... when they won the presidents trophy. Iginla produces... the quality of team is irrelevant. He was the Bruins best player when we beat them in 7. The fact that the team didn't advance, doesn't mean he played badly.

"The suits" wanted 4 on 4 for three minutes followed by 3 on 3 for four minutes.... like the AHL had last year. The players association were the ones who wanted 3 on 3 for the full five minutes

I don't like Semin in the top 9, too slow. I don't like Flynn, Byron, in the top 9, they are 4th liners. I would like to see more of DSP in the top 9, he MIGHT be the answer. I would like to see what Kassian could do. I would like to see what Holloway could do. I'd rather have neither one of Flynn and Semin in the lineup... if DSP/Kassian and Hollow prove to not be the answer, it will be time to go out and get a real top 6 winger.

At the NHL level, yes he does. He's been a pretty good AHL goalie in his career... hence why he jumped Budaj in the depth chart and became our backup at one point. At the AHL goalie he's a better option than Pasquale, and a small sample size where Pasquale has been better this year doesn't change my opinion looking at both of their careers to date. The sooner Tokarski is back in the AHL, the better chance he finds his game, and can be part of the solution (with Fucale) in giving this team the goaltending they need to make the playoffs.