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What a sad underachieving bunch this was this year, holy moley, the only area they were clearly lacking was in goal, but the rest of the team's quality should have pulled them through to the finals at least.. Bet ya Bergy would take one hard look in that dressing room and conclude the attitude and character is all wrong...

Klefbom sure would make a nice addition playing along side Weber, a good Puck Mover playing with Weber is exactly the combination that would yield tremendous success for that top pair. Because it is so obviously a good fit for us, I am going to go ahead and predict we sit on our hands about it, and let the opportunity to balance our top pair in such a great way, slip on by.

I can get behind this analysis, the trade in its current state didn't seem necessary when you consider the PMD is the way to go in today's NHL. However this could have easily been properly constructed with a proper plan and vision. If you are in the Front Office, and it just grinds your gears to see your #1D flying up the ice sometimes and going rogue and costs your team a goal, you might be tempted to make a move away from that type of player, I get it. His coaches want him to cool it, some of his team mates want him to cool it, but he tunes it all out and keeps doing his thing. Some people can embrace it, others are driven mad by it, I am sure we have all had multiple times where we just wanted to smack PK for doing something stupidly risky and having it burn us. Point is, I can understand the thought behind moving away from a dominant but high risk player for a dominant steadier player, once you establish that, you still have work to do as far as figuring out what hockey strengths you gain and lose from such a trade. In this case, Subban was almost unmatched in the Puck Moving department, Weber is almost unmatched in the Shutdown department, A trade for us would have also had to involve a larger plan to compliment the stylistic change we just made. Trading Subban for Weber had to also come with another move later to bring back some Puck Moving to compliment the newly acquired big boost in our Shutdown capabilities from the back end. It essentially was ok last year while Markov was filling the role beside him, but it faltered greatly this year with the loss of that and again adding more Shutdown guys like Alzner. This D has enough Shutdown with Weber alone, he is elite at it, it is why he plays huge minutes, for any team including Team Canada. We are, in hockey terms, chemically imbalanced, too much shutdown not enough puck moving, our group of D is improperly built around Weber. Weber brings extreme stability and decision making, he brings the ability to smother and shutdown top players at an elite level, call it a day on all those things and acquire at least 1, preferably 2, solid PMD who still fit your philosophy of not being high risk players, but their main strength is Puck Moving, and you have yourself a well thought out plan, and a properly setup D-Core. Unfortunately we are out to lunch on everything that followed the trade, which could have gave us a chance to properly move forward. It actually would have shown this management group was competent in realizing, High Risk players were not something they wanted on their roster, and were wise enough to make a real change in that department while making sure not to compromise the balance and overall ability of the D-Core in its entirety with a couple smaller trades after the big one. The plan ending at, we are trading Subban for Weber was wrong, it should have been clear, we are trading Risk for Stability, and we are going to acquire some puck movement afterwards to re-balance the D based on the abilities of the player leaving and the one coming in.

Man I just don't get why one needs to get gunned down to raise up the other, that aspect has been annoying and incomprehensible to me from the moment this trade took place. We see it page after page, every time it is brought up, Its take a shot at Weber to play up Subban, take a shot at Subban to play up Weber. It is obvious enough to see these are 2 top pair Dmen we are talking about here, elite players at their position. Subban had a fantastic year, is a Norris finalist, there really isn't a need to harp on him for his "Meh" game 7, there were a handful of bigger issues that caused that demise, than Subban. Subban might be the better type of Dman to have in this current NHL, but that does not take away from Weber still being an Elite Player who does not deserve to be harped on just to play up Subban. Believe it or not, it is POSSIBLE to praise Subban for an excellent year, without throwing popshots at Weber to make the point. It is also possible to Praise and appreciate what Weber does, without having to cut down Subban's game.

Not sure why we would even be trying to move Weber while we would be going after the player who would compliment him really well, Klefbom and Petry are not going to be back boning any kind of viable Defense. Weber, Petry, Klefbom, however, starts to look interesting with Mete and Juulsen in the mix.

What kind of analysis is this? Our offense is defunct for multiple reasons, playmakers being the least of our concerns. What is more troublesome are how skewed we are, positionally, up front, we got Wingers trying to be Centers, Centers trying to be Wingers. We lack a legitimate 1C, probably even a 2C but lets worry about one issue at a time up there. Then we have a D core that is carried by 2 guys, both playing from the same side, also happen to be the only 2 capable of producing points on any kind of regular basis. We have no one on the Left side capable of eating minutes while driving some offense on a consistent basis for the forwards. Those are the real issues plaguing this offense, you have to be properly setup at the forward and defense position before you can even get into what style of players you need to compliment each other better and further upgrade that offense. You need a real 1C, you need a real top 6 with maybe only 1 guy out of the 6 being a bubble guy, the rest have to be hands down top 6 guys. You need at least 3 of your 6 Dmen to be very good all around players who are capable of playing big minutes, solid in their own zone, while contributing to team offense, whether on the PP or 5 on 5. We are obviously not there yet, and need to get there before we can even consider talking about how many natural goal scorers, playmakers, or net drivers we are lacking to make it better.

I tend to agree here 3rd overall is a gift, if teams want to move down to get it they are the ones who need to offer the moon and the stars. Not us dangling it out there like a well seasoned carrot acting like it is a very expendable gift horse. You keep that pick, you screw Button's list, and you pick Zadina, and enter the next phase of your plan knowing you have now added an elite winger in the mix, making wingers already on the team the ones you are willing to give to fill needs. The only reason to deviate from this plan is if someone makes an offer we can't refuse for that 3rd pick. I am not even sure why we are debating how we can give this pick up for this, that, and the other thing, we don't want to make a trade with this pick, we want someone to blatantly overpay for it, or we use it, plain and simple in my books.

This is starting to teeter awfully close to a debate i'm sure no one wants to rehash.. I see and hear different rumblings again about Florida and Montreal getting back to the drawing board on a Pacioretty deal, he seemingly would approve it in a heartbeat. Question is what do we go after as a return. Obviously I'd love to grab Bjugstad but he is likely an untouchable. Perhaps something involving Matheson for our LD problems, or somehow slip away with Borgstrom, who may actually be even more untouchable than Bjugstad. Thoughts?

Lets get this thing Started, we are a little over a Month away. Who do you got in the Final and who is the Winner. Who represents your background/nationality and where do you think they will go. I'll start, I am represented by Portugal, and I think they will get to the Semi-Final against France. But I think the Final will be France vs Germany and Germany will be World Cup Champions again. They have gotten younger while remaining incredibly strong, I just don't see who is going to put them down this year. I will however note, Portugal is a very strong Darkhorse, and could pull it off in the same manner they did at the Euro's, fueled by a strong team game and of course, when you got this guy.... Anything is possible, in any match, at any time.

What if its all smoke and mirrors, what if no matter what plan he comes up with, he is as good as gone once it is cheaper, or the absolute perfect candidate is up for grabs and he has to fork out the money, What if behind closed doors the relationship between them is a complete fracture, Bergevin knows he is only there because of the cost to make a change, Molson is just disgusted at the fact he has to keep him on board or blow millions more. He is forced to babysit his investment that went belly up the year after he dove into it just to make sure it doesn't get any worse while plotting plan B. Bergevin's very presence in the room annoys him, every time Bergevin tries to meet him and discuss future plans and ideas maybe Molson is like... And Storms out of whatever room they were in, leaving Bergevin standing there holding his nuts. I mean it is possible right?

My post had 0 to do with Weber, it was touching on the fact someone mentioned Subban was playing his firewagon brand of hockey during these playoffs, and I was simply stating his game has calmed down quite a bit in Nashville. He has improved his decisions and game management if you compare him today to his last season in Montreal, improvements that could not be taken away from him with some nit picking, in my opinion anyway.

The good has always outweighed the bad, it is simply a matter of whether you are the type of person who can handle that type of play style from a Dman or not. His game on the ice has grown and matured since the move to Nashville, you can't take that away from him. He is closer to a complete and dominant player now than he was 2 years ago, whether it was a the smack in the face from the trade, the fact he doesn't have to try to carry that ridiculously good D-Core on his own leading to that growth and maturity, or something else I don't know. But I do know that the PK who is a Norris Trophy nominee this year, is significantly better than the PK who won the Norris earlier in his career.

What if we re-sign him to be Torrey Mitchel v2.0, McCarron and De La Rose are hardly shoe ins for 4th C, Plekanec could fill the role while being some insurance in case of injuries. Danault could still slot in at #3, and we could still be on the hunt for a 1C and 2C.

Ya i'm pretty sure it was Philly's offer sheet that Nashville matched at the time

I'd do a re-tool before I did a re-Build.

Colorado has a slew of background financial issues to contend with, there is a reason why they left so much of the cap open, they are struggling in their market, spending to cap is not something they can or will do anytime soon, so you can take them off the list as soon as immediately. San Jose however has everything going for them, Cap space, the team is still in it, and with Big Joe likely on his way out, it makes room for Tavares to come in and fill the void while giving that team another 5 year window to get it done, that one would be difficult to compete with. Only thing we have to offer is Money, A prestigious Market, Opportunity to right a ship sailing a drift and leaving your imprint on the team's rich history, The chance to be a part of a three pronged weapon with your Team Canada pals Price and Weber. There really isn't much else and to be honest it is very likely not enough, we will have A chance, but the likelihood of it succeeding is, and will remain, slim, I hope no one expects much more than that as an outcome to the sweepstakes.

Very true, I certainly don't even mean to bring that debate up again, but for the record i'd still be happy if PK was here and we never made the trade too, there are positives to take from both scenario's, i've come to grips with that.

I agree with this train of thought as well, I have forwarded similar thoughts in other threads myself, however the only part I disagree with is Weber. I believe what we are seeing with Chara's longevity is exactly what we will see with Weber. Weber can and should be a part of this team going forward both for how he can anchor a Defense, obviously, and for the safety blanket he will provide for young up and coming Defense this team will have to offer for years to come. Chara and Weber's game are nearly identical, they never rely on speed and skating to be effective, they rely on strength and efficiency, fortunately those are tools that do not fall off the deep end for a hockey player at age 34. They are the type of Dmen who will become more and more defensive minded as age kicks in much like Chelios did, but they will always prove useful and will still be able to contribute on the PP because the weapon they hold will never truly wither away like foot speed and agility always seems to. Chara has not been a Norris candidate for some years now, but he has certainly maintained himself into his later years as a solid top 4 Dman capable of bringing youngsters under his wing while providing quality minutes for the team, A trend I see more than possible for Weber to follow due to the insane similarities to their game. Mobility has never been a huge part of either player's arsenal during their whole careers yet they stand among the very best of their time during their Prime years. And as they get older, Mobility not being one of the main weapons in their arsenal actually becomes their advantage and the key to their longevity. Its the guys like Letang, Karlsson, and even Subban to some degree, who fall off the cliff once their mobility is lost, that is inevitable. Much like many of us know it is all over for a guy like Byron when he losses a step, there are examples everywhere through the years of how much a Defenseman's game will fall off when he losses the step he has relied on so much for his success at some point. Chara is a perfect example of what can be expected of Weber has he ages, and Mike Green, is an example of what happens to Defensemen who have tremendous success due to their mobility that allows them to play as a 4th forward most nights, and eventually lose a step.

Did you actually think I believed we could turn this around internally? We need to trade players away for assets during the next year and fill the holes we have with young players or quality prospects from those trades, while moving forward with our young core and keeping the vets we need to keep or have to keep along the way. It is in the acquisition of the assets from those trades that the smart hockey decisions need to be made to help us retool the way this roster is put together in 2 years and create a scenario where we can rise again because of it. Trading Plekanec as a rental for the best return is only step 1, it is how we proceed to trade guys like Pacioretty, Byron, Benn, Shaw and even Petry that will define this retool. Getting the right prospects at the right positions, using the draft picks from those trades to draft the right players, all of this can be achieved inside the next 2 years if we are patient and pull the trigger for the right deals only. And we will in my estimation come out of this dark alley in very good shape if we make the right hockey decisions at the right time. Mix all that in with Price, Weber, Drouin, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Danault, Hudon, Mete, Lehkonen, Deslaurier, Jerabek, Carr and possibly Scherbak, and it is entirely possible to enter the next phase as soon as 2 years and in very good shape to boot. As far as Alzner is concerned... well we are simply stuck with him, and will just have to work around his situation, he is pretty much unmovable for now and probably the next 2 years, we will see after that.

If you look at it in perspective though, the pieces this team has in place right now and their age, we really aren't far off from bouncing right back in it. It hinges simply on a retool mindset and the proper decisions being made with players and how or when we move them to retool. If we make the trades we know need to be made, and acquire the types of players who we already know need to be acquired, this team could look like it is heading in a very different direction in 2 years. Making the right decisions from now until then will be paramount in deciding whether this is a downward spiral that is still going further down, or whether this is rock bottom for this current roster and after a string of smart hockey decisions we begin to ascend back towards the top, in better shape than we did last time around. I am also aware we likely have to deal with the fact Bergevin is the guy who has to make this "String of smart hockey decisions" to get there, and in turn, makes this situation VERY precarious going forward.

A very interesting article, It really just sucks the thoughts right out of my head on most points, most notably who should be traded and who should be kept until the offer you can't refuse comes along. Plekanec is, imo, the easy chip on the table, it is almost written in stone that he is going to be moved for assets this deadline. While Jerabek and Deslaurier are UFA's I am not sure they are worth moving unless they are asking for ridiculous salaries, they are part of an age group that we should be comfortable moving forward with in a retool scenario. Signed assets like Pacioretty and Byron and where things get tricky, they have fantastic contracts that would be a bonus for any team who has them, they carry with them great value for trade or great value to keep on the team. The return really is the key here, the team is in DIRE need of a top 6 Center and a top 4 PMD, trading either of those assets for anything less than something that includes one of those needs would be ridiculous. If we don't have the chance to properly draft players suited for these positions, the players who carry great value on this team must only be used as trading chips to that end. I don't mind some very solid prospects who can blossom into those roles effectively any less than young players beginning to establish themselves at the NHL level who are under 26. We are, as the article suggests, in no rush to trade assets like Pacioretty or Byron, if we stand firm on our needs, and make a deal only when the right package containing the right type of players presents itself, we can only come out of it winners. If we enter the situation in fire sale mode, acting like if we don't hurl everything and anything not nailed down to the ship overboard we are failing, then that is exactly when we will fail. There is no greater mistake in the coming situation, then not getting the proper and needed return for our valuable assets, that mistake would be more detrimental to the plan to retool than anything else we could do at this point, not getting a great return for a rental would pale in comparison. Overall a very good piece that follows very closely with my own train of thought

Do we REALLY want to be the team who traded away 2 franchise goalies in their prime during the last 25 years? That worked out so well last time, I am sure it won't sting as bad as the first time to watch Price go have success elsewhere while we turn into a filthy pit of despair and embarrassment, right guys? ....guys?

What a disaster, the score does not properly show how horrible of an effort this game has been.