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beliveau1

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Everything posted by beliveau1

  1. Talk about ugly - it looks like some poor schmuck getting kneed in the nads.....
  2. Rather than a host of individual postings I figured I'd just start a group topic for discussion and news on all signings made prior to July 1st of 2007 - for team signings. Canucks Sign Pyatt to 2 Year Deal p.s. if the mods prefer I have no problem if you close it - I just thought this would save us a ton of topics by making it simple and together?
  3. I won't get into a semantics based argument over an 'F' or an 'E', but any defenceman who ranks an 'F' is only going to be around long enough for a coffee break in the NHL. 'F' denotes a total failure mark and is the ultimate liability in the NHL. Souray is not the worst defenceman there is in the NHL when it comes to patrolling his blueline. If so then you'd have to rank him down there with the real slugs - guys like Hal Gill and a few other notable ones out there......
  4. He was on the ice in far too many crucial situations for my liking - he definitely verged on a #1 role last year far too often! The Habs need to be in a position where they don't have to bump him to the top unit unless things are drastic.....
  5. Souray certainly suffers from a number of brain cramps, as well as having had the misfortune for being saddled with the blame for some of Rivet's gaffes on occasion. However an 'F' in his own zone is questionable - anyone being graded in that extreme would simply not have an NHL job. Souray is at best a 'D' in his own zone and overall that makes him probably a 'C+' overall when you factor in his offence. The problem is he's being asked to carry the role of a number one pairing in Montreal, and that he is definitely not. Realistically he is at best a #4 defenceman who should garner top time on the powerplay, or ice time when a goal is needed - but not when the game is absolutely on the line! That said it is still feasible to upgrade the defence without having to eliminate him from the lineup. However he has to be relegated to the second pairing at best. The problem in doing so though lies with what salary he commands on the open market. In other words, can Gainey afford to sign him and still get a top pairing thoroughbred defenceman. Losing his offencive production will be a factor no doubt, but the cost has to be reasonable to keep him. As for Souray, personally I think we need his offence or something similar, but I have seen far worse behind the blueline..... so I have mixed feelings when it comes to signing him or not? In my opinion(humble as it is) the Canadiens have to upgrade on guys like Bouillon and Dandenault if they hope make this team better behind the blueline..... Komisarek & Markov are a good basis to work from, but leaving Souray aside for the moment, one has to say that from the #3/4 spot down this roster is soft and it's small!
  6. Yes and since it was his second offence, if the NHL wants to really get serious about head shots then it should have been for two games . Make it an escalating scale..... cross the line & pay the price!
  7. Heart - 1999(and best of all..... it came from Montreal)
  8. I love Stortini's.... what a mean look with that toothless smirk. (p.s. mine grows like his = nice & thick but with 'some' gray in it. My anti-rejection meds help as hair growth is side effect!)
  9. Stortini is just hilarious.... he looks like a lumberjack hitman from northern Ontario!
  10. I agree with you somewhat - in theory that is what you want. Unfortunately that seems to be no longer the case as players are growing wise to the options they have. The contracts you mention happened 1o years ago or more so that is in a sense irrelevant given the new manner in which contracts are approached. Could Gainey have avoided this situation? Possibly, but agents and players are extracting as much leverage as they can. Can't blame them for doing it really. In a perfect world..... (oh yeah, the Habs would be hoisting the Cup every year, right) As for excuses - I don't think that certain realities are excuses....
  11. The total cap constraining aspect is what bothers me about Souray and what he brings to the table for the money it's going to cost - much more of me hopes that he walks rather than stays.....
  12. Sorry but I disagree strongly - I've been involved in charting this and other stats for a long time at several levels. It is not an overall indicator of that. It usually reflects a teams play when a player logs average plus minutes on any given night. Exceptions do occur from time to time on a game to game basis, but not truly on a season wide basis. We could go into a myriad of situations and scenarios that result in a minus being attributed to a player on the ice who had absolutely nothing to do with a goal being scored, yet he has to be deducted as such. However arguing this stat is usually an excercise in futility as we have been lulled into believing it's real credibility. Coach's look at the number, but they want to further understand why the numbers are skewed, or if they are accurate? A far more reasonable stat is to log overall ice time for such players and average the number of goals scored. It has its' own set of flaws but it is a better indicator of how many times a player is involved. Personally I always preferred giveaways and a count of defensive lapses that result in goals scored (or even scoring chances) when a player is on the ice. However I do have some issues with his defensive play - not as much as some do, but I still have issues.... p.s. then one has to say that a goalie on the a bad team who faces a high shot ratio night after night and has a high Goals Against Average is no good - the perspective for certain stats has to be judged accordingly....
  13. In reality plus minus is an overrated and useless stat - agents and sports media people love it. However it is a truly deceiving stat in many cases. A player can have a superb game and be on the ice for the only goal in a 1-0 loss, when you outplayed & out shot the opposition all night long. You walk away from the game minus 1 - does that mean you stunk the joint out? Coach's have learned to put that stat into perspective when analyzing a players contributions and performance when all is said and done.
  14. Really have to admit that I have mixed emotions on this? On the one hand I realize how much his offensive contributions are needed in the new NHL. However his defensive liabilities(which are not as exaggerated as some tend to claim) give me cause for concern when one looks at the salary cap aspect the Habs have to contend with. If signed then Gainey definitely has to move some contracts if he wants to upgrade this team behind the blueline. I am definitely glad that I am not in his shoes right now..... whatever he does someone is bound to be howling at him in either French or English the moment he announces it!
  15. Obviously they paid too much - I never said he didn't. Fact is very damn manger in the NHL is paying far too much for the talent they are buying. In todays My NHL 20 goals, or even just having a 'plus' season has become a license to make millions in this league. Almost every other sport is doing pretty much the same thing - overpaying for talent. People need to come to terms with the sad but realistic fact that this is now market value for such talent. It's wrong, but it's for real. Gainey has to pay market value for any talent he wants to sign - few athletes are offering discounts for any reason nowadays.....
  16. Too soon - way too soon. They need to resign Gary Roberts and make him the Captain. A young team needs his leadership skill set to lead them to the promised land. Just my humble & lowly gut feelings.....
  17. One should never have blind faith in any manager or leader. However I have to admit that Fisher is still right on this one. It is the going price. Gainey had to pay the piper on this one. Markov patrolling the blueline is a damn site more comforting to me than Souray any day of the week. The past few seasons the Habs have suffered most when this guy was out of the lineup. Is he an outright stud a la Scott Neidermeyer? Obviously not, but he is better than an Adrian Aucoin type signed for a bundle after July 1st rules around.
  18. Still at square one..... but now we just have a minimum verses maximum spending cap to oversee the mayhem and insanity that pro sports has become!!!!!!!
  19. Read that article and have to say that when you hear that from the dean of all hockey writers, it's pretty hard to argue with! I said it earlier and I still stand by my first opinion - like it or not Gainey did not overpay for Markov. Read Red Fisher's lips... He paid the going market value!!!!! July 1st will probably prove that in spades? p.s. one side of me currently says I hope Souray walks given those numbers? But.....
  20. Obviously you want the better talent anywhere in your organization - the draft table included. I think that that was implied by the fact I said lucky to an extent. And I'm not referring to a spin the wheel type of good fortune when I say luck! Drafting any young player is a calculated risk. What you want is a manager and scouting staff that spends more time calculating than just playing pick up sticks on draft day..... Torrey's comment intimated the fact that no matter how good they were at the Junior level, it was always tough to predict just how good they would be at the next one.
  21. Sorry, but if one of the best managers at the NHL level believes it a crap shoot at best, I won't argue with his opinion..... (p.s. and I said lucky to an extent - not always. They are just raw kids with potential written all over them. After all one can never be assured that they will bring it to the next level?)
  22. Obviously it's more than luck - but the fact is there have been a lot of so called sure bets that have gone bust, as well as some last minute gambles that have paid big dividends. Judging talent is not a pure science and you have to get lucky to an extent. To be honest a close look at each of these men's careers shows that most if not all of them has had their share of busts. Is the name Robyn Sadler familiar to anyone?
  23. Paraphrasing the legendary Islander's GM Bill Torrey who once said it best..... the draft is at best a crap shoot?
  24. An agents job is to maximize a players earning potential as much as possible - it is in their best interest to have them sign short term deals whenever possible as every good year ensures more leverage at the bargaining table. Short term contracts are a reality of the business as it far more often than not puts the player in the position of leverage. Plain and simply put - Gainey is doing nothing different from most other NHL managers.
  25. One needs to think about this from the perspective of the players and their agents who convince them they should in some cases want the 1 year deals? Greed motivates most situations, and if an agent can force the hands of a manager to sign contracts that will have to be renegotiated every year, then that is more often than not in the best interest of his clients. It is not always the case, but it is often better to sign short contracts with bigger increases than to sign long term with minimized increases. In other words they were only interested in short term deals? As well one has to take into consideration that in certain cases many of the players signed short term were brought in as stepping stones towards a future prospects laden lineup. A bunch of long term contracts to aging veterans would make it harder for a lot of obvious reasons to move in the young players that are ready to graduate. Managing and growing a champion is not about long term contracts all over the place. Trading players becomes much harder when they have bigger & longer contracts in a salary cap environment. Fans need to realize that maximizing your 'capology' is a definite art. The Leafs and a few other teams are paying the price for a lot of long term contracts. As for overpaying - once July 1st rolls around just sit back and watch to see if these managers have learned anything from the past couple of years? Probably not as there will always be one guy willing to escalate the price of some middle of the line player. Especially decent defenceman, as they are a rarer breed than good forwards are...
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