Commandant

Kaberle and a 2nd was offered to Columbus for Brassard. It was not offered for Spacek. If Rutherford ever offered Kaberle and a 2nd, he was looking for a real asset back... not a 38 year old D whose body appears to be breaking down.

He'd be considered an overager in the QMJHL; but yes he could go back there. Same situation as other guys who spent 2 years post draft in Junior though... Leblanc is QMJHL eligible as an overager this season (hence why Shawinigan traded for him in the summer when his shoulder was hurt). Highly unlikely. He has 4 years in the QMJHL and I cant think of any team who has sent a 1st round draft pick to the CHL over the AHL when they had 4 years experience and it would be for an overage season. Really would only be if he's had some type of injury and they don't want him in Hamilton. Tinordi is also eligible to go back as an overager, as would Gallagher etc... but the thing is we can be 95% sure that aint happening.

Draft rules are your age on September 15th. AHL/CHL eligibility is by your age on December 31st.

Beaulieu is a December birthday... so he's eligible for the AHL next season if the Habs choose to go that route.

Tinordi or Zucker will be the captain. As a 3rd time WJC member I think Zucker has the edge, but I'm pulling for former U18 Captain Tinordi.

Yeah that was some shitty reffing. Kronwall jumps, hits Kesler... Kesler comes up angry and gives him a shot.... no penalty to Kronwall, 2 minutes to Kesler. Canucks come down shorthanded... Hansen runs over the goalie, Edler puts it in to the open net while Howard has been wiped out. Good Goal. It benefitted the Canucks in the end... but it was a giant mess of refereeing.. bad calls both ways.

We are adding a lot more than just those 3 though. Beaulieu, Gallagher, Ellis and Pateryn will also be in Hamilton (unless they are in Montreal); and Kristo is likely as well. It will be a very young team, but there is no doubt its getting a serious talent injection.

Watch them before the change and watch the last 3 games. Focus specifically on the breakout. You'll see the change, its drastic.

The Breakout gets worse and worse as teams get film of the changes Cunneyworth made. Having the two forwards fly out of the zone as soon as the first forward gets the puck, isn't working. We don't headman the puck quick enough, and the forwards reach the blueline where they are forced to stop to avoid the offside. Then when the pass finally comes, they aren't moving their feet and we can't gain the zone. The Hawks were just stick checking us at the line all night. PATHETIC Short quick passes work 100x better than these low percentage plays.

Brutal giveaway by Subban. Zero reason to go to the backhand there. What was it you said about firing JM? Careful what you wish for.

our breakout is really shit.

Bad Defense on the first goal.... Bad goaltending on the second.

per twitter.

AK46 from Pleky.

horrible icing.

weak call IMO, but I'll take it.

So much for the hit me nots, eh?

Yeah i was just coming here to post the Pribyl numbers. 1g 2a is impressive, even if its against a minnow like Latvia.

What? #11 has been his number for over a year now.

He's gonna play tonight. Everything I'm hearing is that he's been one of the best D in their practices... is playing "lights out" and is a surefire bet to make the team. He's a legit contender for Captain.

The way they are playing... we might not need to negotiate. He might be 2 years and out.

I mentionned the guys who need the experience... the core of our team going forward and the guys on the way up. Price, Subban, Eller, Pacioretty, Desharnais, White, Diaz, Emelin, Weber... heck the playoff experience would probably do Louis Leblanc some good as well. Guys like Palushaj are also likely to be up with the team (even if not playing) as the Bulldogs don't look to be making the playoffs this year. This experience will be valuable. How valuable? How likely to make the playoffs? What is the value we can get for dumping guys? How much higher would we draft? These are all questions to ask in February when we see the standings then. But I think there is some value to this team. You just have to assess how much.

Here's the thing... all that stuff is talking about the past. If you notice my post, I specifically looked at deals signed in the summer of 2011. Why? Because if we dump Gionta and/or Cammalleri as has been suggested they need to be replaced. The suggestions for replacing them is via UFA. The Selanne and Whitney deals are for 38 and 39 year old players. I don't think they really factor into the equation here. If the premise is a dump and rebuild, we aren't looking at those guys. The contracts that the Sedins got, that Franzen got, they are irrelevant to building this team into the future. Inflation has happened, and will continue to happen. You aren't dipping into the the 2008 or 2009 FA market... you are looking at the 2012 one. And what players signed for in 2011 will have far more impact. If you dump Gionta tomorrow, you get 5 million dollars to spend in the summer. What will you be able to purchase for 5 million? A 50-55 pt guy. Sure, Gionta is injured right now and has not played well this year, but he's also been our leading goal scorer for the last two seasons. For 5 million do you really think you can do better. Consider also that Montreal always has to pay a premium to get FAs. This is the reality of a higher tax rate, the toughest media market in hockey, the french/english bullshit that we are now seeing in a coaching change, the laws forcing your children to go to a French School if you move them here, etc... etc... Its the reality, and everytime someone signs in Montreal, whether it was Houle, Savard, Gainey, or Gauthier doing the contract we have always complained about overpayment. So the question remains... for 5 million dollars, do you really think you can improve on Gionta? Edit: I missed one of those contracts... I admit Fleischmann is a steal, but he was cheap due to some serious health complications. It was a risk, and good on Dale Tallon for what looks like the steal of the summer. Right now when we assess the summer signings, in terms of value for dollar i think Fleisch, Ian White, and Erik Cole are the top three.

Wait 5 million should be 70 pts and 6 million should be a ppg or more? Summer Spending. Ville Leino 4.5 million - 53 pts (only one good season in his career). Brooks Laich 4.5 million - 48, 59, 53 pts over his last three years Tim Connolly 4.75 million - 42, 65, 47, 40 pts over his last 4 years. Is a major injury risk Erik Cole 4.5 million - 52 pts; 16 (1/2 season); 42 pts; 51 pts last 4 years Brad Richards got one of those cap hit reducing contracts... cap hit 6.67 million.... actual salary 12 million, 12 million, 9 mill, 8.5mill, 8.5mill, 7mill, and then 1 million for each of the last 3 years.

crosby, markov. We'll have the most talented IR squad in the league.