Commandant

Eller is apparently not going to dress (healthy scratch) tomorrow

How is Diaz a bad signing? A free asset on a cheap contract.

I sing this song in my head and just change the words to say Mayer sucks, Desjardins is better

Really? You watched the second half of the 2009 season, and the entire 2009-10 season right? Price stuggled mightly through that time. While he was seen as one of the best young goalie prospects, he still had a ton of question marks and his play on the ice needed vast improvements. Subban on the other hand was already the best defenceman on the team last season.

I agree, and its funny as I think Gionta (who shoots right) has the best chance of succeeding on the Left side.

He had already taken out A LOT of scoring without replacing it at the previous trade deadline. So yes, it was ridiculous to think he was adding a 30 goal scorer without weakening his lineup and forgetting the guys he moved out the previous year, and loss of Sundin.

He went to Sweden to try and Sign the Sedins. Gillis also went to Sweden. The difference was Gillis got the signatures on the contracts and Burke didn't. Burke deserves a lot of criticism, but going to Sweden wasn't a mistake IMO.

Was Galchenyuk punished? or was he put on the third line and Bourque on the second in an attempt to shake things up and get more offence? I think its the latter and you are seeing something that isn't there.

Elbow

If you are the GM.... it is PART ONE OF YOUR JOB to realistically assess the talent on your team. In the Kessel trade Burke failed MISERABLY in the biggest part of his own job. Trading first round picks to get a 35 goal scorer is the Last Move, or close to the Last Move you make when you are rebuilding your franchise. Its not the first move you make.

I like what Arpon Basu said.... the reason to keep Galy up now, is so that he's ready to fly next year. He goes through the majority of his growing pains in this short season and is ready to hit the ground running next year.

Even if you believe Markov replaces Subban... that doesn't make us a better team than last season... that leaves us as the same crummy team we were. The whole idea should be that Markov - Emelin + Subban - Gorges, gives us a legitimate top 3 maybe 4 on defence (4 if Emelin is ready).... something we only had a top 2 last year at ES

You can still only fall one spot.... so if you finish last, worst you can pick is second.

Are they losing to St. Louis 6-0 and being outshot more than 2:1 bad? Are they getting blown out by Anaheim bad? No, they aren't.... its one game. Which leads to my humor piece... memo to hockey fans... after one game. http://lastwordonsports.com/2013/01/20/memo-to-hockey-fans-after-game-one/

It wasn't the reality ever.... not when Jean Beliveau kept returning to play senior league hockey in Quebec until he got paid. Not in the 1920s when Newsy Lalonde became a mercenary for whoever would pay him the most. Not in the 1900s when Cyclone taylor did the same. People just like to romanticize that the old time players did it for "the love of the game" which was never really true. Detroit was outshot 34-15 last night and lost 6-0 Vancouver lost 7-3. Habs have competition in tanking apparently.... That is if we judge all teams by 1 game out of 48 like some want to do.

Kristo's 7 game goal scoring streak was snapped on Friday. He did score on Saturday though, giving him 9 goals in the last 9 games.

To me Subban is just as valuable and proven today as Pacioretty is (And remember they are the same age). I don't have a problem with giving Patches the years.

Just my opinion, but they are jerseys.... the moment the material changed from the WOOL that the players in the 40s and 50s wore, to the mesh like lightweight material of today, the essence of the sweater was lost. Probably some point in the 70s.

Edler also took a big discount vs what he could have got on the open market. Compare his deal to Ehrhoff.... 10 years, 40 million dollar deal... front loaded so its really a 7 year 37 million deal, and Edler > Ehrhoff. Lets remember too that Meehan's "asking price" for PK, and what they are willing to settle for, are two different things. Just cause they are asking for 6 x 6 today, doesn't mean they expect to get that either, they will come down some, its a question of how far.

Subban today is better than Price was in 2010 (coming off the season he lost the starting job) and MaxPac was in 2011 (~20 goals in ~130 career games). He's not at the same point of his career as they were.

After picking their roster yesterday, here is Burke's legacy. The Leafs have more "dead money" and "dead cap space" than the Habs, and that includes paying Gomez his full salary of 5.5 million this year and taking the 6.4 cap hit. http://lastwordonsports.com/2013/01/19/brian-burkes-legacy-leafs-paying-big-money-on-failed-acquisitions/

Offer Subban the Edler deal... and I bet he signs it. As for Meehan/Bergevin agreeing on money.... I don't know about that. I don't think they've agreed on money because Bergevin wants less money and less years. Meehan wants more money and longer term. The term is the bigger issue here, as the money will likely resolve if they come to an agreement on term.... but its not resolved yet either.

Players are one play away from the end of their career... No matter how good you are, it just takes one Chara/Pacioretty incident gone wrong and kiss your future contracts good bye. Of course he wants security

I wonder if Gallagher can be effective at LW Gallagher Eller Bourque as the third intrigues me.

I don't buy that. If a player can't handle a blow to his confidence... it doesn't matter if he gets hit with that blow at 18 or 22... at some point he's gonna go in a slump and have confidence destroyed.... if he can't rebound, he was never an NHL player. Was Max Pacioretty ruined because he came up to soon? Nope, he went back down, developped and became a 30 goal guy. Riberio became a 70 pt player Latendresse a 27 goal scorer before getting concussions. Price had growing pains but was a legit NHL starter and great goalie by 23. PK subban struggled defensively but is our best D now. and on and on.... Sure, some players bust... but so do guys who never get NHL time like Thomas Hickey, or Zach Hamil, or whatever. Sometimes a kid busts cause he just wasn't good enough or he didn't have the mental fortitude.... not because he was ruined.