Habs77

They couldn't send Garon down because he'd be taken on waivers... that has nothing to do with the goalie depth in the organization, or the team thinking Garon is the best. It's simply about protecting their assets, and who cares about the AHL title... at the end of the day it's no big deal. Btw I also disagree with that "fact they have a lot of other prospect goalies in the org"... they are to the contrary paper thin after Theo & Garon. Michaud is a longshot, Tarasov will probably never return to this side of the Atlantic, and Fichaud is a backup at best. I do agree with possibly trading Theo at some point, but it would be a risky move to do it now since Garon has yet to prove he can hack it in the NHL on a regular basis. Both goalies are under contract for a couple of years... we can afford to be patient.

The longshot I'm pulling for is Ferland... the only potential power-forward in the organization other than Ward. (hopefully this will change on Saturday) Michaud is far from a sure thing, and he's far from ready... Tarasov is AWOL and I doubt we'll see him in North-America ever again... Fichaud is a backup at best. So it's only Garon for now. I agree he might turn out to be just as good (or better), but I think there's no rush to make such a key decision now. They are both signed for a couple more years, let things play themselves out. On the other hand: - it's a sellers market where goalies are concerned.. a lot of teams are looking for one so this would be a good time to get top value for Theo - there is also pressure to keep payroll down with the new CBA approaching and Theo's salary is over-inflated because of the one great year he had... Garon is a bargain in comparison. - now with the "Theo-gate" scandal hitting the fan (most of family arrested), some say the notorious over-zealous press in Montreal will make it damn near impossible for Theo to keep his head in the game... that trading him would be best for all concerned. I think that no matter what we should always keep the best one... regardless of money or PR concerns. It just happens I'm not sure who the best one is, but I'm presently leaning towards Garon.

I repeat what I said to puck... the Beauchemin signing alone does not warrant all those questions, It had more to do with Bouillon but I used Beauchemin's signing as a segway... it just got me thinking about our overall picture on defense, sue me Fact is we have 7 LDs.. that's a lot, and eventually something will have to give. Will it be Souray who might never play again? Dykhuis/Traverse traded? Hainsey traded? Bouillon/Beauchemin simply never make it to the bigs again? Depth is good, but I could do without the Dykhuis/Traverse kinda depth.

Horrible 1st half... decent 2nd. Calgary really let us back into it, and to our credit we took advantage. Our defense allowed only 3 points in the 2nd half, again saving our butts... as they did all year last year including the Grey Cup final. One of CGY's TDs was on special teams, and we gave up 2 safeties, so our defense allowed only 9 pts and no TDs... solid. 1st Half was plain ugly, no protection, errant passes, dropped passes... and if we ever did manage a good play we'd have a penalty bringing it back. Defense gave up a few big plays, but always stiffened up when CGY got to the red zone... that's the key to winning ball games. 2nd was much better, offense made the proper adjustements... finally managed to sustain a few drives, allowing their D to finally get a breather. The D showed their appreciation by keeping CGY off the scoreboard. On special teams we gave up great returns all game, that has to be corrected. We almost blocked 3 punts yet never did, but we had some good pressure on them... and we had few decent returns. I like the new return guy. ANd last but not least... my biggest concern at the start of training camp was the kicking game, and it turns out it's our kicking game that saved us. What can I say, just a few days ago they were saying Kellett would only punt... now he's 5 for 5 with 2 kicks in the clutch. Great story. Good thing we won this game, with all the new faces around we needed get that winning attitude goin'... and we got it done. With Edmonton at home on 3 days rest, I feel alot better going in there 1-0. But we better play 4 quarters on Saturday, cuz EDM won't let us get away with the kind of effort we had tonight. I doubt Lapointe will play that one, no surprise to see him injured that's his MO. Our backup Graham did very well, I'm not concerned there. P.S. I'm the only one who got the first game prediction right.... Als didn't cover. I'm doubly happy because I actually bet some money on my picks. [Edited on 18-6-03 by Habs77]

I said Beauchemin & Bouillon to start my post... obviously all these questions come the combined presence of these two on top of all the other LDs we have at the moment. But of course, we weren't about to let Beauchemin go for nothing... duh

Beauchemin & Bouillon with new deals in the off-season means the Habs: - are not optimist about Souray's wrist - plan to dump Dykhuis & Traverse ASAP - are contemplating trading Hainsey - simply enjoy being 7 guys deep at LD ??? A lot of uncertainty at LD, the whole Brisebois mess at RD... lots of work for Gainey & friends.

My picks: Calgary + 5.5 Toronto - 2.5 Ottawa + 4.5 Winnipeg - 5.5

1 hour 'til the kickoff of the season: Montreal @ Calgary = spread 5.5 Saskatchewan @ Toronto = spread 2.5 Ottawa @ Hamilton = spread 4.5 Winnipeg @ B.-Columbia = spread 5.5 (favorites underlined) [Edited on 18-6-03 by Habs77]

Madden was more bitter at being kept out of the loop than the possible demotion it seems... that's how I see it anyway. Gainey tried to find him another position.. Madden didn't seem open to anything that resembled a demotion. Once Madden said he'd rather leave than be a simple scout, Gainey then invited him to participate in the draft on the 21st... Madden said no. He's under contract until July 1st, and he gets to say no to working until then?.. I couldn't do that at my job Then again do you want a bitter employee making important decisions? Madden gave his reports on all the players already, so it doesn't change much anyway. There was talk Mondou was going to retire as well, and apparently Dorion will stay as scout despite not being all that chummy with AS either... Timmins seems unaffected by the recent re-shuffle... Now will Carbo & Jarvis be coming over or not, poor Julien is waiting for the other shoe to drop

Are we a year late here, with the Selanne rumors? No to both questions. There's no point considering "what if" we could dump all our dead-wood... fact is we won't, so bringing in Selanne makes no sense especially when you consider the new CBA around the corner. Time to go the way of the LA Kings, trim payroll... don't get caught in any more overpaid long-term deals, and wait to see what the new CBA will bring. Besides, Selanne took less money to stay in Cali... he'll do the same again, only with Anaheim this time around. Selanne is so against coming East he blocked a deadline deal sending him to NJ, in effect saying no to a Cup. All that said, we did pursue Nolan last year... but even if we dodged a major bullet there, at least he was a power-forward which we need more. No Selanne :puke:

That means nothing, Kilger has a habit of doing the same thing... hot for a few games then disappears for a few weeks/months. Hossa has that same lack of intensity, drive... no emotion or passion either. I can't stand that kind of player... Hossa & Kilger alike. He was benched during the AHL playoffs at one point, so by "not another AHLer" do you mean ECHL then? I'm not saying cut Hossa loose like people having been wanting us to do with Ribeiro for years... I'm saying if there's someone who has to be sacrificed for us to land a special player... Hossa the the prime candidate. Of course if that deal does not come to pass I would obviously give him more time to wake the hell up... but his complete lack of drive might not be something he can change. I happen to believe part of the problem is that he's not being used properly. This guy is a center through and through... he simply doesn't think/act like a winger out there. But that's just me.. and it doesn't excuse his no-show in the Bulldogs' playoff run. Yeah but he had quite a bit more upside... big diff. People had no problem dumping on Ribeiro when he stumbled out of the box trying to make the team... well fair is fair, if Hossa struggles he's gonna get some harsh criticism too.

I could go for a simple weekly pick the winner (only interesting if played with the spread of course)... the players version would take way too much work for such a little number of participants. And there is so much rollover in this league, and so little info on the players... it would be practically impossible do a pool like Yahoo's NFL version. How would we go about drafting, and even worse picking up people on waivers.. ugh But if someone wants to give it a go... what the hell. P.S. I'd like to do the simpler weekly game picking regardless of whether we do the other pool or not.

Agreed, the Perreault-Ribeiro-Audette line is a recipe for disaster. There's enough talent to go around but little else, no speed, size, grit... and a defensive nightmare to be sure. Could not disagree more here. The only part of Hossa's game that was up to par was his defense... he could do very well on a 3rd line, he's already played there in the past btw. As with Bulis who had lost his way offensively and found his way again while on the 3rd line, Hossa would benefit from having less pressure to produce, for now. And the Hossa-Ribeiro duo did not work at all last year... it was a disaster, Ribeiro kept feeding Hossa with perfect passes and Hossa kept fumbling the plays. Ribeiro-Zednik was what clicked, Hossa held the back more than anything else. Zednik is a LW in this proposed line, Ward is a RW... so what's the problem again? psst.. Teams don't have 5 lines And Lindsay is not ever coming back IMO, we have too many bodies as it is.. why re-sign someone you couldn't find a spot for in your lineup last year? [Edited on 15-6-03 by Habs77]

Sounds fun... but there aren't enough CFL fans here. There's myself, puck & you.. that's it. I'll wait for the NFL season... much simpler since Yahoo has done all the work.

- We signed kicker Kellett who was just released by BC. He's Canadian and can do both jobs, punting & FGs, but had only a 66% success rate last year, 3rd worst in the league. The Als will therefore use him only to punt for now, and keep one of Hebert or Silijkovic to kick the FGs. If Kellett can improve over time, he'll end up doing both to give the Als some flexibility at other positions. - Kelvin Anderson contacted the Als to offer his services, Matthews said no thanks... he's happy with Lapointe & Jay Graham, with Heppell at fullback. Thunder Collins should remain with the team, on the practice squad... he was unable to win the 2nd RB spot since he was injured most of camp. - Canadian Brad Collinson will replace Jason Richards as long snapper. we could not afford to waste an import on the position. - slotbacks will be Cahoon & Coleman, wide receivers will be Copeland, Girard, Cavil, & Stala. #1 pick Andrew Noel will remain on the practice squad. No word of any interest in Terry Ray... and let's no forget Stokes who might be back soon... I'm not sure who will be returning kicks in the meantime. Season kicks off Tuesday at 7pm on TSN... vs. Phillips, Sanchez, and the Calgary Stampeders. Can't wait... [Edited on 15-6-03 by Habs77]

Are there no decent kickers in all of Canada?.. Man, starting tomorrow I'm going to the park to see how good of a leg I have... this is ridiculous.

Yeah... BC is known for having the most freespending owner in the league, and they are known for not respecting the cap. They already created some controversy with the league record contract they awarded to Dickenson... our only chance is if they really over-exposed themselves financially and can no longer afford to add a pricey RB. Buono being the only coach Anderson has ever had is the biggest advantage you can have, plus he know the QB well too. He'd also stay in the West, where he has always been. We'd probably have to out-bid the Lions just to have a shot... and the Als aren't known for out-bidding other teams. I wouldn't get my hopes up...

That's cheating man... a post about nothing just to clinch #1000... very cheap

Kelvin Anderson would be an great fit here... Lapointe is too injury prone and inconsistent to be a #1 IMO. It would be a great way for Anderson to stick it to his former team... but all depends on how much he'll ask for and whether we can afford him. Dido Terry Ray... being a for Esk he might be more open to re-join Matthews, and being Grey Cup champs and a model franchise for the league definitely makes us more attractive to free agent than some other teams. Then again when it comes down to $$, and sometimes geography... they might prefer staying out West. Can't wait for the season to start... first 2 games will be very tough, especially that 2nd game in 4 days vs. Edmonton at home. Ouch. Kicking game still my main concern.

He lost 3-0 and still won the Conn Smythe... and this makes me wrong? Yeah... ok, whatever you say :eyes: Like I said Niedermayer was NJ's MVP in the playoffs... IMO of course. That's not saying Brodeur wasn't good, he obviously was. Now can we let this stupid obsession of yours go?... Seriously, at the end of day... who even cares anymore.

The thing is, we don't know if Parise will still be available or not... it's gonna be close. And does AS really like one guy that should fall in our range... or does he like 2-3 guys about the same and will be happy with which ever one falls to #10. If he really likes one guy... I could see him moving up a spot or 2 to be sure to get his man, as he did with Higgins last year. The last time moved up a few spots with his 1st pick he took a center (Higgins)... the other time he just took whoever fell to his spot, and we got a bruiser on D (Komisarek). Maybe this scenario will play out again, move up a spot or 2 and get Parise... or stay put and end up with Phaneuf. We'll see.

I'd bet the farm our guy will end up being one of these 5... but I'm not confident we'll go with a D-man. (although I wouldn't mind it) How hard would it be to trade up our 2nd rounder to grab him too around #20-25? [Edited on 13-6-03 by Habs77]

Well don't forget Higgins... can you say buh-bye Mikey? If we pick a centre in the 1st round (maybe even the 2nd) that'll mean Ribeiro's fate is pretty much sealed. (if it isn't already) And although I'd like us to find someone with a combination of skill/size/grit to play with Koivu, I won't be crying my eyes out if we pick Parise... people are so high on him it's getting infectious. Actually he's one of the very few prospects I've actually seen play... he was team USA's best player at the World Juniors I think. I remember trying to focus on our boy Higgins, and every time I saw a guy make a nice play I would tell myself "I hope that's Higgins"... and most times I'd end up saying "damn, it's that Parize again". So he's good, better than Higgins in the game I saw... for sure. He & Koivu would have to play the top lines I think, Higgins would have to become a Madden-type 3rd liner... good D but dangerous on the offensive end too. I could live with those 3 being our centers... not big, but all have character/grit which is so important - and lacking on this team. [Edited on 13-6-03 by Habs77]

RDS has been saying Richards' job was in jeopardy since the 1st day of camp... no shock at all. It's a ratio thing, Als can't afford to waste an import spot on a backup lineman and special teams long-snapper. Then our receivers are Cahoon (slotback), Copeland (WR), Girard (WR), Cavil(WR), Coleman(slotback, replacing Haskins)... and we have our 1st round pick Noel (6'5'' 225lbs) on the practice squad. AND chances are Stokes won't be picked up waivers in the NFL after being released by Miami, so he could be back soon. No room for Freeman. Sanke was indeed the vet that was supposed to give us some insurance behind AC... but it turns out returnee Tavarez Bolden did very well in camp, and newcomer Ted White beat out Sanke in camp too. I heard a few players speaking highly of White during camp. The kicker & punter positions are still up in the air... that's the biggest concern right now. Toronto's Prefontaine was just cut from the NFL team he was trying out with... that means TO might cut whoever they have now when he comes back, and that might end up bailing us out. Or we'll keep what we have, whatever

Are you asking me out?.. cuz I'm not into that Sorry, couldn't resist... hehe But if you really plan on going I hope they don't jack up the prices to high for this "unique" special event... and what kind of visibility you'll get from where you're seated would also be a concern of mine. And obviously... if the weather just plain sucks that particular day, it's not just the money paid for the ticket that will be wasted but the round-trip airfare is gonna seem like a mighty waste. I really hope the weather will be good... if not it's gonna be such a shame. [Edited on 13-6-03 by Habs77]