Commandant

Do you think it was 1 performance that made the Canucks take a veteran D out of the Stanley Cup finals and make him a healthy scratch, or was it a season's worth of poor performances? Heck he had a bad year his last year in Florida and that led to him being available for trade as well. He's had 2 straight seasons where he has been below the level of a top 4 defenceman. The Canucks are lucky to have Edler, Salo, Hamhuis, Bieksa as legit top 4 Dmen, because Ballard hasn't been that. 20 games takes us to the end of november.... I think thats a worst case scenario, considering he's already skating. 1 year off the ice for a second straight tear in his knee, sounds about right, (on the long side of the 9-12 month plan).

Apparently the results have been sent to NHL management who has to make a ruling on this. Its expected they will send him back to Philly though.

How is that woeful diligence on the part of the Habs? How were they supposed to do a physical of the guy before acquiring him? They did the physical and he failed so they sent him back. This is the way these things are supposed to work. If its bad due diligence, explain how the due diligence is supposed to be performed in this situation?

A few points.... 1) Alex Henry is not an NHL defenceman... not even close. 2) Keith Ballard was so good last year that the Canucks made him a healthy scratch in the Stanley Cup finals and played a raw rookie with less than 5 regular season games in Chris Tanev instead. He has been an unmitigated disaster for them. 3) PK Subban has grown so much in a year. Yes, he's young, but saying he'd be at best a 3rd Defenceman on a top tier team is a stretch. He'd be second on Boston. For 2nd, he'd be right up there with anyone on Pittsburgh or Washington. He'd be the 2nd D on Tampa, heck he might be first on Tampa since Brewer brings 0 offence. Are those not the teams picked by most "experts" to win the Eastern Conference? He's fine being our number 2 defenceman, which is what he'll be as soon as Markov returns.... and realistically 20 games missed is a large estimate for Markov right now considering that would take us to late november. Losing Campoli hurts, no doubt about that. But I don't think this team is in as bad a shape as some make it out to be.

2 goals for Brendan Gallagher tonight (4goals in 3 games).... but Vancouver loses to Medicine Hat 5-4 in a shootout.

1a for Kristo 1a for MacMillan but UND loses to Boston College, 6-2 in the final of the IceBreaker Tournament.

My bet would be Willsie, since Willsie played C for the Habs in preseason games, and Trotter was always a winger in preseason. Hehas been almost exclusively a LW since he left the University of Denver. He was at LW for almost all of his 2.5 years in Hamilton, though I don't know what he was doing in the AHL last year. Maybe we'll get some clarification though.

According to Derek Wills on twitter Lines were Trotter-Willsie -Palushaj (still unclear who is center of this line), Conboy-DeSimone-Avtsin Lefebvre-Dumont-Blunden Berger-Masse-Schultz Looks like they are going for the same top 9 approach that the Habs are going for. I hope Berger can move up as time passes, really liked him in training camp... he seems like he'll be useful, but needs development.

Beaulieu with a couple assists tonight.

Only an Assist for Bournival tonight.... First game without a goal. 10g 3a 13pts in 6 games.

5-2 Final 1. HAM St. Denis, (1) (Palushaj, Trotter), 10:16 2. HAM St. Denis, (2) (Trotter, Willsie), 3:40 (PP) 2. HAM Trotter, (1) (Blunden, Palushaj), 4:55 (PP) 2. RCH Parker, (1) (Kassian, Whitmore), 10:59 (PP) 2. HAM Schultz, (1) (Berger), 13:44 3. HAM Trotter, (2) , 5:24 (PS) 3. RCH Stuart, (1) (Tropp, Brennan), 17:52 (PP) Lawson with 30 saves for the win Three Stars: 1. HAM - 19 Brock Trotter 2. HAM - 32 Frederic St. Denis 3. HAM - 52 Nathan Lawson

Not saying that I wished we had riendeau instead. Just saying that I think masse's signing was due to fallout after the bruins got riendeau.

4-6 months for Nash as he had shoulder surgery in late September. Basically the same surgery that Eller and Leblanc had at the end of last season.

The only place I'd ever consider playing Henry, would be as a fourth line wing for 2 minutes a game, as your goon. Henry could fight with anyone. If you decided you wanted a goon who can't play hockey. And it would appear PG and JM decided that they don't want such a player, and i have no problem with that.

Just let Subban play 30 minutes a night until Markov is healthy. Problem solved.

Henry played 3rd pairing minutes for the bulldogs at the end of last season. He is so slow he makes Hal Gill look like a speedster. He's a good leader for the AHL.... a good fighter down there.... but he's not an NHL defenceman. I don't think there is anything in Hamilton that helps the Habs right now. Team has to hope Mitera develops quickly, Callahan is better than expected, or St. Denis takes a huge step forward if they are looking to the farm for help. The Hamilton D is very weak this year with the injury to Nash, and with Diaz making the Habs. Next year they will get Beaulieu, Tinordi, Nygren, and Pateryn though... so there is help on the way.

Masse to me will always be the guy the Habs signed due to media pressure. The signing came days after they lost out on Riendeau to the Bruins, and Masse has alwasys seemed like a bad consolation prize for that.

Uggh, those two spots wasted on Masse and Lefebvre are burning us. I don't know what they saw in either guy.

Is that including removing Woywitka?

Bryan McCabe?? Or a trade? Whats next. The fact that we signed Campoli told me they weren't happy with having to play 2 of Emelin, Diaz, Weber every night.

For all the jetisonning of draft picks... people forget that this team has also acquired 1st rounder: Lars Eller 2nd rounder: Aaron Palushaj 3rd rounders: Michael Bournival, Ian Shultz From other organizations in the same time period. that seems to me to make up for the few second rounders we`ve moved. Now I recognize we can`t countinue to move 2nd round picks.... but lets not only look at prospects and picks traded away and forget about those acquired. I think the prospect pool is in fine shape. Especially when you consider that Price, Subban, Eller, Pacioretty, Weber, Diaz, Emelin, Desharnais, White are 9 players 25 and under who are already contributing to the team and will continue to get better. Just because those guys are in the NHL now, instead of still developping, doesn`t mean they are any less a part of the future. In fact, it means I`m more excited about the future. Specifically the first four guys I mentionned, they will be our core for a long, long time.

Darn it.... Can't make it tonight.

What a Gem by Carpenter. And my Cardinals move on!

Courtesy http://habsprospects.hockeyhq.net/ Moncton Wildcats 3 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 2 (Final) Morgan Ellis - one assist Drummondville Voltigeurs 3 Gatineau Olympiques 6 (Final) Archambault - one goal (3), one assist Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 4 Shawinigan Cataractes 3 (Final SO) (SO: 3-2) Bournival - one goal (10); also scored in the shootout. Bentley University 1 University of Michigan 5 (Final) Mac Bennett - one assist Greg Pateryn - one goal Air Force 3 University of North Dakota 4 (Final) Danny Kristo - two assists Mark MacMillan - one assist - First NCAA career point

Another goal tonight... his 3rd short handed goal of the season. 5 games played 10 goals.