Commandant

Tons of twitter sources, including reliable guys like Raymond Lavoie, are saying we may have made a trade.

For Subban and MaxPac, sometimes tough love works. MaxPac was becoming a defensive forward in Montreal, he was not developping any offence whatsoever... going back to Hamilton to learn how to use his body to be a goal scorer was the best thing that happened to him. For a young defencemen, sometimes sitting in the PB for a game or two is beneficial. It gives a new perspective to get a birds eye view of what is going on out there, and why you are making the same mistake over and over again, as PK was doing in December last year. Both players have come back better from these experiences... I have a hard time saying JM failed to develop them when the strategy worked, even if the player may not have agreed with it at the time. SK built his own bed in Montreal by acting like a child. Missing practices, missing buses, not reporting to Montreal etc.... I think you have your story wrong. Gainey asked Robinson to take the job and Robinson said he was done with coaching.

So basically everything that has gone right during JM's tenure was in spite of him, and everything that has gone wrong is because of him. Analysis doesn't get much more biased than that.

The difference between this and the Tanguay experiment is that we are not changing Markov's role. With Tanguay... we asked markov to be the shooter and Tanguay to be the QB. In this scenario we are simply moving where Markov lines up... not changing his role. Remember too that even with Tanguay out, our PP didn't start working that season until Schneider was acquired to shoot the puck. Markov needs someone with a bomb of a shot beside him, and I know Subban and Weber have that... I like Emelin's passing, but I'm not sure he has the bomb that we need. I'd at least give it a shot. Markov has played on the right before as well. Thats where he typically plays on the PP when playing for Russia. We can't wait as long as Jersey did to pick up their game. The fired McLean in December and didn't pick up their game til January. By then it was too late. We are still in October. At this point, we could still be last year's Buffalo Sabres, a team that had a really rough October and took a long time to win their first game at home, but still managed to make the playoffs. Agreed that this can't go on much longer. It almost has to be Gainey. What other options are there? Marc Crawford, no thanks. Like it or not but this team is handicapped as long as we stick to the french rule, and the Molsons have said they will stick to it. Carolina offered him the same money, but would only go three years. Cole signed here because of the fourth year, he's said as much in interviews. I still think he can be a good player for us. I'm not writing him off yet. He needs more ES time though.

There are numbers out there for team goals when he is on the ice. Cole's numbers compared to our other forwards show no improvement. Cole has not been a good power play player since the 2007-08 season. Again, Darche isn't the answer, but AK46 and Pacioretty are both far better options than Cole. I don't buy that on PK, lets remember that Guy Boucher also benched PK in Hamilton and the kid came back stronger. His first year in Belleville he was also benched. A coach can bench a rookie, sometimes a kid needs it. Doesn't mean he'll never play again.

in good news, Kristo stays hot with 2 goals tonight.... Kristo was creditted with a 2nd assist last night too... giving him a 4 pt weekend. 4g 11pts in 6 games this season, has a point in every game this year, and has a point 20 of his last 23 going back to last year.

I'd try him on his off point.... the only time he has ever been tried on the RP was when we put Tanguay at the Left point and asked Tanguay to be the QB and Markov the main shooter. Markov would still QB the PP, he'd just do it from the other side of the ice.... and Subban would be the main shooter, with Markov taking the occasional shot. The setup would be similar to what we had with Wiz/Subban only Markov is LH instead. Plenty of teams use LH/RH on their off sides to set up dual one timers on the PP and use it successfully too. In fact its probably the more preferred traditional option to having two guys who shoot the same way. If it doesn't work, you can move to Markov-Emelin later, bu I'd want to see it before saying it wont work.

By amazing, I mean the depth in this draft is unreal.... At the top not sure it has a Crosby/Ovechkin but Nail Yakupov vs Mikael Grigorenko is very good... at a Taylor Hall vs Tyler Seguin level. Same Winger vs Centre dynamic as well. Still though, the draft is gonna be real, real deep in the first round.

Upon the return of Markov, I put him on the first unit and try him with Subban... and if that doesn't work Emelin. There is room to change a lot when he returns. This draft looks amazing right now.

I agree with all the PP stuff... but as for Moen, he did have 2 goals tonight and is leading the team with 4 overall. Why complain about his line. Moen - Eller - Kosty was our best line tonight....

I agree that Darche shouldn't be on the PP ahead of those guys, I just don't think Cole is the answer. The PP units, should be IMO. Kostitsyn - Pleks - Cammy Subban - Weber Kosty has always been good on the PP in the role of digging pucks out of corners and standing in front of the net. This has been his role on the Habs PP as far back as 2007-08 playing with Kovalev and Pleks. Second unit. Pacioretty - DD/Eller - Gionta Diaz - Emelin Go with whichever centre is doing better that night and the last two nights, its been Eller by far. Darche is not a PP answer, but neither is cole IMO. If you insist on using Pleks on the point, put Gio on the first unit, and both centres on the second.

For all the complaints of Darche vs Cole... I get not wanting Darche on the PP, but Cole is not the answer. Playing that front of the net role on the first unit should be Andrei Kostitsyn, a proven PP performer.... not Darche or Cole.

Cole has not learned JM's system defensively at this point. His defensive zone coverage is brutal. Just look at the OT goal. He was very good in the offensive zone tonight though.... but he's gonna need better D to get JM's ice time.

Reinprecht is shit... he's in the AHL for Florida and will stay there for Vancouver. Booth is still good, and he makes this trade a major win for Vancouver IMO.

Once again, lack of fwd support on the game winning goal. 3 Leafs were down low against 2 Habs dmen.

######ing shit! Can't buy one.

Another mistake by refs... puck was in the netting and no whistle.

Fire JM, why does he insist on putting Moen on a scoring line?

I hear a lot of bitching about Jacques Martin and Mathieu Darche, but how come no one complains about Josh Gorges and David Desharnais. Those two are brutal tonight. I like them most of the time, but they are having a bad game. But Habs fans only bitch about the whipping boys and don't say a word if the sacred cows are having a bad one. Note: This is more directed at twitter than here, where the opinion is generally better informed.

###### this PP

Now lets see this PP get one.

That too many men was bullshit. He didn't try to play the puck, it hit him.

Half that time has been on the PK

These refs are a joke.

###### off Diaz has to pin the puck to the boards.