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all this trade means to me is that the staff and organization are not sold on Tinordi or Beaulieu down the home stretch, both will finish off the season in Hamilton, and Murray - Weaver fill the bottom pairing, unless there is more to come...

i'm in agreement with those calling PK out in here, the odd giveaway, brain fart, every player does it. What i've been seeing from PK for the last month has been a rollercoaster of LaFleur like rushes and the kind of stuff someone like Weber or Keith never get caught doing. that is too big of a gap in someone's game, and quite honestly, someone who wants to be considered a top flight Dman needs to understand that the kind of blunders Subban has been taking to the ice, are not even a thought when watching the Webers Keiths Pieterangelos etc. Markov has been a better defenceman for some time now than even Subban. I'm am getting rather tired of hearing the constant whining from the blind Subban lovers, who despite his obvious drop in reliability, dominance and overall game, rather blame MT for being just as frustrated with what he sees from PK as most of us are. I'm not saying trade the kid by any means, but I am saying, stop acting like an overly sensitive mother trying to get in the way of a Fathers good old fashion licking, the kid needs to be disciplined because he is going above and beyond his ability to screw up lately, and its about time he gets his head in the game again.

I think its more the 1 year deal that he rejected, not the 6 million, if he was offered 5.5 per season at a 2 year term, he wouldn't backhand it off the table as easily.

Well atleast team Canada took me up on 2 of my points, Price and Bergeron, Crosby's line looked way better today than any other. Still think PK should be there to shoulder the offensive zone entries, if every team is going to play with 5 guys behind the red line, we need shifty and tricky players skating in like Doughty and Subban can. What a player Doughty has been, they can't take the puck off him, he skates in at will with skilled and shifty puck handling, always makes the right decision in the offensive zone. I also firmly believe, Price saved that game in OT with that colossal Blocker save on Salo, that is a goal 8 times out of 10 on most goalies at these games.

problem is the sample size isn't going to get much bigger, Sunday will be the half way point of this olympic journey possibly, if players haven't got their butts in gear by then, changes need to be made, if Kunitz doesn't start making the brass look smart for picking him as Crosby's wing man, he has to go, Guys like Duschene should not be sitting out in his favor at that point.

Really? you don't think with Price in net and Crosby, Toews, Getzlaf as our first 3 shooters we wouldn't be ok? Come on now, there is no team scarier in every facet of the game at this tournament than Canada, none, it is once again our tournament to trip over our own feet at, or we win it. As far as the goalies go, I say Price should go in, because frankly everyone was sold that he was our starter, and it was his job to lose. I don't see how anyone loses a starter job at any level of hockey with a .950 sv%. Both of them were solid, Luongo was slightly more solid, but as long as your designated starter for the tournament doesn't play poorly, there is no reason to change anything. Last time around, Brodeur played poorly against the US, Luongo got in and stole it, this time Price lets in one goal, looked very solid except for one 4 second window, hardly the same scenario. As far as PK goes, he is the 7th d-man in my books, you let him play the PP, you give him 10 min or so of 5 on 5, and if the team needs a goal and there is a PP chance, i'm much happier knowing we have PK in the mix over Hamuis. PK can't really do any damage in 10 min of 5 on 5, but he can be the difference between a goal or none on the PP at any given time. Outside of the Habs at olympics, anyone else disturbed by Kunitz still being in the lineup after 2 games? i'm also wondering why none of the brass has used a past connection of when Bergeron and Crosby tore up the WJC together on the same line to put them together again. Kunitz was a nice try but obviously he doesn't belong on the big ice, being counted on at the olympics to be a performing winger.

the only gift horse I see here, is that now Desharnais is producing to a point where he may be attractive to other teams again looking for a second line center, because here, he is a place holder. Eventually, and i'm talking in the very near Future, Galchenyuk needs to be the one centering Max and Gallagher on the top line. Now when it comes to asking if we can win with Galchennyuk, Plekanec and Eller as our top 3, my vote is absolutely. DD is typically in the way of allowing Galchenyuk to play the position we drafted him for, and the position he is most comfortable with. If you run a team with two 200 foot centers and two 6 foot+ centers, and 3 centers capable of helping there line be the stars of any given night, that is when you win hockey games on a regular basis, playoff or not. Does anyone honestly think Max is going to mind playing with Galchenyuk when that kid gets to play HIS position, and is in his early twenties? And lets not forget, DD was slumping horribly with Max on his line, that line didn't start going bonkers until Gallagher got on it, he is the true catalyst behind their revival. All the things that guy does on every shift to help out his line mates and draw attention to himself don't always show on the stat sheet, but they sure do translate to what goes on it. Examples: Gallagher plays on Eller line = Consistent Production, Desharnais line asleep at the wheel Gallagher plays on Desharnais line = consistent production, Eller line not producing.

Panic Panic Panic....we are in a slump, several players in a personal funk all at the same time, but seasons are full of highs and lows, and it is important to not follow along with it as a fan. Instead look around, see the teams around us who were in much more horrible situation than we are, who have climbed out and gotten back on the rails. Take a step back and realize if they can turn things around in the blink of an eye, so can any team, including our own. Look at toronto, not 2 weeks ago were not even in the top 8 anymore, had Ottawa nipping at there toes. Now on the heels of a 6 game win streak, can possibly catch us tonight. They were raving about firing Carlyle, trading Kadri, etc etc. Now all is well, the train is on the move again. Philly had a horrendous start to the season, suddenly find themselves in a position no one saw coming based on a hot month. Point is, 3 weeks from now this team could be 9-1-1 in their last 10, we would be battling for top 3 positioning again, and would be none the wiser right this minute. No one expected this team to be a contender, so why are we surprised and angry to find ourselves in the bottom of the playoff teams? When the playoffs start, i'm sure there will have been at least another 2 bad streaks, and another 2 hot streaks, we will have leveled off in 7th - 5th spot, and i would be fine with it. I'm objective enough to see this team is not that good, and also not bad enough to not be a playoff team, and I am ready and able to wait out the development of our youth, while maintaining a playoff team for the next few years, to ensure this team reaches the next level with a solid core, and a long line of back up coming up the ranks. Over and Out

Can't wait to be rid of him to be honest, I believe this guy has nothing left to give as far as consistent 20 goal seasons are concerned, and when he isn't scoring, he isn't even being a physical threat out there like Prust and Moen. He has size, strength, and a great shot, uses neither attribute on a regular basis at all, and is out for a skate more often than Kovalev ever was. We got rid of an expensive problem to acquire this less expensive problem, but a problem none the less.

I think it is simply a reminder clause Upon being brought up to speed with a possible trade, he is obligated to remind us that we will regret the move very much. Especially if all we get is a Kane or Eberle type player, who don't even out produce Pleks by much if at all, let alone do the rest of the things he can do. Pleks and Max are my 2 untouchable forwards unless the package is mesmerizing, Kane and Eberle are not. Pleks plays the game in a very rare way, only Datsyuk, Begeron, Toews, can do it better. Max Is well on his way to being the most affordable 30 goal scorer in the league, and for a long time too, just based on his production vs cap hit and term, we shouldn't move him if it isn't a major upgrade. Sometimes I feel that fans just want a trade for the sake of having a trade, what part of a patient rebuild from the ground up isn't getting through to people? Did we see Chicago trade away any top line forwards in there prime during there building process? Did we see Pittsburgh do it? We need a player like Pleks during a long playoff run, the same way Boston needed Bergeron, Chicago needed Toews. because regardless of production, these players always get the job done against the other teams top lines.

Emelin should never sit, even during his "slump" he has still not been bad enough to bench over Boullion, no matter what kind of game he pulls out of his hat. Scratching Diaz also hinders any value he holds in a trade negotiation, so unless they plan to sign him to an extension, scratching him makes him look bad, and GMs won't give more than a 5th round pick for healthy scratch type players. I feel like these are the kinds of changes and shake ups we should see when the team is outside the playoff picture, not when it is in the current position we find ourselves in. We find ourselves with a Record that should give our regulars that are struggling some room to snap out of it, not put them in a vice until someone pops.

any word on how many Hab games Sportnet will be airing during the season with the new deal in place?

I can't help but picture you looking like your avatar while you are saying this, but anyway.. No i would not make this trade, simply because we would be trading away similar point production, with less cap hit, for a bigger one dimensional player. Plekanec is one of maybe 5 or 6 two way forwards in the league capable of putting up 55+ points a season, Kane is one of 30+ players capable of scoring 25 goals a season. Would I like to have Kane, of course, he is a big kid, with a nice scoring touch, but if it is going to cost me my most effective forward, I say no thanks.

No its my bad for expecting objectivity in a thread involving trade talk lol

there is way too much NHL 14 going on in here guys come on. are we seriously talking about 6 - 8 man trades? this isn't the 1980's, and the Thornton trade happened nearly 10 years ago. Evander Kane is hardly worth Plekanec in points, never mind the defensive zone aspect or attitude and everything else being thrown in. Are we seriously that hooked on SIZE that we are willing to shoot ourselves in the foot with silly trades? Jesus am I glad MB is the GM and no one from here is, we'd be buggered in no time.

We win every one of those trades hands down, see the problem there? not even Santa can pull one of those out for you

I still say Beaulieu is our most tradeable bluechip asset, and coupled with a 1st or second rounder, could get us something nice, especially from a team lacking defensive prospects of worth and have forwards to give.

Using your size isn't always about hits, come on now, Jagr is one of the best of all time at using his size and strength to drag defenders on his back to the net and still make a play happen.

am I the only one who recalls how destructive to goalies the Plekanec and Jagr combo is EVERYTIME they play together anywhere? We obviously made the wrong choice, we wanted to bring in the washed up, bought out, poster boy for the fans, and forgot that the fans rather see a productive top 6 acquisition. A fact NJ currently is enjoying, and we are not. And save me the playoff stat argument, a much more productive, confident, second line center version of Briere pulled those off. we are a few seasons, a couple concussions, and 9 minutes of ice time a game away from that version of Briere, therefore we will never see that kind of production from him here. What we needed was size, strength, and a recently productive winger for our top 6, Jagr was the closest thing to that within our means. I was upset when we chose Briere in the summer over him despite all the rumors, and i'm even more upset about it now when I look at Jagr's stats. I tried to put my Hab shades on, and hope maybe Briere will come in and be his sniping, 50+ point self again in his home town, but the shades are off, and i've come to terms with the fact we made a mistake, and these things happen.

absolutely not imo, Georges and Emelin are struggling a little at the same time right now, which is making it look like more of a panic situation than it is. But the fact is both are capable, and will get out of this funk, regain confidence and start making the right decisions instinctively again. Once that happens, it won't look like they need Markov or Subban's help, and we can leave this dynamic duo intact. The only time these 2 should be separated is if one is injured, mostly because Markov needs to spend every minute possible that he has left as an active player, mentoring Subban to be a more dominant version of what he was, and that kind of thing can't happen if they are separated to make Emelin or Georges look better during a slump. It's very much a little evil for the greater good type situation in my eyes.

guys, we are a playoff team, and likely be a middle of the conference type team when all is said and done. Not imagining us trading anyone away going into the playoffs in that position, certainly not a d-man who may be a tradeable asset, but has no immediate replacement or upgrade going into the playoffs. if we trade Diaz for a 2nd or 3rd rounder to some fringe playoff team, we replace him with Boullion, that is a downgrade, if we call up Beaulieu, still a downgrade at the current time, and we downgrade our team going into the playoffs in a good position? Doesn't make much sense to me, and i'm not at all against the possibility of keeping him either. Diaz has been reliable and good most of the season, steady and dependable in any situation MT puts him in, and his only knock is a lack of size and physical play. I'm also not going to forget last season while Subban was holding out, he was simply great with Markov on the PP for the first 10 games or so of the season until Subban came back and played his way back up the depth chart. he was running a Point per Game pace on the top PP unit with Markov and even leading the team in points with 9 assists at one point. Diaz is simply pushed out of that favorable position here and unable to hit a 40 point plateau because he has Markov and Subban ahead of him, and so will Beaulieu or any replacement we find. We still have no Idea how Beaulieu will turn out, and as far as I can tell, he is still behind Tinordi on the team's depth chart, simply because we have Markov and Subban who can do his job better, while Tinordi only has Emelin who can do his job better. As far as I am concerned, Diaz has turned out quite fine, and if we can snag him in the 2.5 - 3.2 mill range a year, I say keep him, he is still young, plays the role we need him for well, and you know what they say about the devil you know. I would think, to acquire a player of meaning to fill in the void Gionta will leave when he becomes a UFA, you actually use Beaulieu as the blue chip in your deal to acquire something of consequence, and keep Diaz. We bring up Tinordi to fill the Boullion spot after he is let go, and decide if Murray comes in as your depth guy, then having Diaz playing with Tinordi on the 3rd pairing becomes a situation where Diaz' size is not as glaring of an issue when he has Tinordi to take care of the heavyweights in front of the net, he can focus on breaking out of the zone. and we come away with hopefully a top 6 forward with some size from a team in need of a high end Defensive prospect on the verge of breaking into the league, using Beaulieu and possibly a 1st or 2nd rounder.

Bournival deserves better than that, it guys like Boullion and Ryan White that sit out, whether that is for Bourque and Murray or Parros and Murray, I still don't think Bournival, who has more goals than the entire 4th line combined gets to eat popcorn just because he is the rookie on the team.

still amazed at the play Galchenyuk made on his goal, what a take away and what a finish.

this is a must win if I ever seen one, this team needs to get back on the rails, and at home, against the Isles, is an opportunity they cannot squander.

I'm going with 1. Carey Price 2. PK Subban 3. Tomas Plekanec 4. Andrei Markov 5. Brandon Prust Honorable mention to Alexei Emelin, But that 5th spot basically went to the player that is unique in his role to the team, and the role being a great asset. In Prust's case, he is tough as nails, great on the PK, and can actually contribute to the game of hockey much like a Chris Neil when needed, no other forward can do his job. Same for Emelin, he plays brutal, rugged defensive hockey, and he can chip in offensively from time to time, he wreaks havoc out there like no other d-man we have. The only reason I value Prust above him at this point, is because Emelin has a shadow lurking in the minors by the name of Tinordi, in a season or 2, he will not be the only one playing his role on our team. Prust on the other hand has no one coming up from our prospect pool to fill his role in the near future.