Kovalev Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 So now that the season for the habs is over, for next season who will leave? Discuss about everything the team could do to improve next year and who should play with who and the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonavistaman11 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I know one thing, the way that kovalev played from game 3 against Boston untill the last game tonight, he should definitely be signed, and he would be well worth the 5 or 6 million a year......But Before Gainey goes and offers him a big contract he has to decide on whether he thinks Kovalev will be that Superstar player for a full season or will he be the disgruntled player that we saw in the first few games witht the team..... If the team did sign him and he decided to take it serious and play the way he can, this guy on a line with Saku could be the leagues most dynamic player!.. Top Line: LW-Zednik C-Koivu RW-Kovalev Second Line: LW-???? C-Ribeiro RW-Ryder Ryder and Ribeiro showed some great Chemistry together this season and deserve the chance to make things happen again next season...With the Addition of a good LW we could have 2 very good scoring Lines. Third Line: LW-Bulis C-???? RW-Ward If Jim Dowd doesn't resign Gainey will have to be on the hunt for a solid checking center.....Bulis and Ward should be the wingers on this line because both add speed, grit, and great defensive hockey which is perfect for the Checking Line... Fourth Line: LW-???? C-Begin RW-???? It looks like Darren Langdon will retire, so we'll need a new inforcer to fill in on one of the wings. As for the other wing, Gainey should be on look out for another hard nosed energy player like Begin!... I would also like to see some new young blood in the lineup next season like higgins and Perezhogin but at this point in time I dont think there's gonna be enough room.... Dagenais, Juneau, dackell, Sundstrom, Quintal, should all definitely be gone....I would like to keep Yanic Perreault around as he always seems to come in very valuable at times, but I dont see a reagular spot for him. As for the Blueline, The only guys that I want to stay are Komisarek, Markov and Souray.....Souray deserves another chance after a great first half of the season, but if he continues his struggles the way he did in the PLayoffs were better off without him.... As for the rest of the D, They're all decent players but there needs to be a dramatic upgrade if the team wants to win and go deep into the playoffs... :ghg::ghg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puck7x Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I agree with bona-vista's forward lines for next season, with one difference, slot Dowd in there as 4th line C, and Begin and Langdon as the wingers.... If Langdon doesnt return, his spot will be filled by some other goon, thats a given. Zed - Koivu - Kovy ??? - Ribs - Ryder Bulis - ??? - Ward Langdon - Dowd - Begin Souray - Komisarek Markov - Rivet ???/Bouillon - Brisebois - ???/Bouillon Theodore Garon Gone: Juneau, Dackell, Sundstrom, Perreault, Quintal Dagenais... Who knows, alot of people want him gone, but do Gainey/Julien feel the same? Will Dagenais end up back in the AHL? Or with another NHL team? He did score alot of goals this year in the time he played... If Dags doesnt get that LW spot he will probably be replaced by a prospect, either Hossa, Perezhogin or a longshot Kastsitsyn... This next year is huge for Hossa, in my opinion its his last shot with the habs (same can be said for Hainsey) , he either makes the team or he's gone... Habs also need to fill the 3rd line C spot, we could use Dowd in that role again, but if we want to improve the team we will need to get someone better, simple as that. It would be great to get a really big physical C for that spot. Next year is looking good, can hardly wait... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonavistaman11 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Hossa definitely has the size, now if he could just get his act together and become the promising forward we all expected he'd be when he exploded for those 5 goals in 4 games awhile back.....We'd have an awesome Second line!... :ghg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=82163 That is a link for a TSN article that says Koivu wants Kovy to stay. I think the article made it clear though that Kovy was definitely a rental player. Kovy is talking about his decision about where to play next year. He said that the habs fans really made him feel welcome and that will play a part in his decision. It honestly doesn't sound too promising. I hope he does resign with us. We absolutely need him... Lines for next year: Hossa - Koivu - Kovalev Zednik - Ribs - Ryder Bulis - ? - Ward Langdon - Dowd - Begin Souray - Kommi Markov - ? Brisebois - Boullion ? I think we need a big, solid, responsible centre for our third line. Someone new...... I also think we need a couple new D-men. Quintal and Rivet need to go. I hope and pray, CJ plays Garon more next season as well. I'm not going to bash Theo but we need another goalie who is ready to play "just in case" :hlogo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAussiePosse Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Originally posted by Bonavistaman11It looks like Darren Langdon will retire Link? Source? I'm worried about something like this. Langdon is really underrated, and given the ice time, he'll score goals at will, just like in the playoffs. Add up all the ice time from each player, divide by goals, and Langdon leads them all. Seriously though, he gives us an intimidation edge, something that we haven't had since the years of Brashaer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zowpeb Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I think that you guys are forgetting about the CBA talks...what happens there will have a major impact on who we sign/re-sign and who we don't. I don't think the team will sign anyone until they know for certain what the new agreement will be. A salary cap means Kovalev gets signed for less then if there wasn't...so there is no point in signing him until Gainey knows for sure. I would like to see him back though... If Kovalev is back I'd like to see something like this: Zednik-Koivu-Kovalev --> Why break this up? Could be our 1st true #1 line in a decade... Higgins/UFA - Ribeiro - Ryder --> The team will be saving some real $$$ with Quintal, Juneau, Dackell, Brisebois, Perreault all gone after this year. The real question is where to spend it. A good LWer is an option...but I think Higgins is going to make his mark here. He's good at both ends of the ice and could fit in here nicely...Hossa and Kastsitsyn are both options as well. In fact, if there is no season next year I suspect Kastsitsyn will step in and have a HUGE year in this role. Bulis - Dowd - Ward --> I like Dowd. He works hard, is good in the dressing room, and good at both ends of the ice. I think him and Bulis could form the foundation of a very nice checking line. I'm not sure on Ward...he's got the ability but didn't put it all together this year. He deserves a shot but I hope we have a back-up plan for that spot...and Perezhogin may actually be that guy. I don't understand people putting Dowd on a 4th line...he's clearly better then that. ?? - Begin - ?? --> Begin showed he can be a great high energy type of player to center(or LW) the 3rd line. Some people put Dowd on this line but he's a 3rd line C all the way. I've also seen some people putting some of our top prospects on this line...and that's nuts. The prospects need the playing time for development. I could see Ward drop to the 4th line RW duties...and let Zhog play 3rd line RW. A couple of depth guys could be signed cheaply for the 4th line roles though...we have solid depth with our prospects in the event of injury or we want a look at them with the big club. A couple of cheap, gritty, energy guys for this line who only get in about 50 games a year. A Begin - Plekanic - Ward line might work too... Markov - UFA --> This team needs to give Markov a legit top pairing partner. Markov struggled a bit this year but he still showed some flashes. With a better partner he could pick up his play. Most of that money we're saving with the loss of Perreault, Juneau, Dackell, Breezy, etc...should be spent here. Souray - Komisarek --> I think the playoffs were a great learning experience for Komi and he handled things pretty well. Souray plays here because he deserves the shot after his early play this year. Hopefully he can come back 100% healthy and show it wasn't a fluke...but I suspect it was. ?? - Rivet --> Rivet isn't a top pairing guy. But he is a solid player and in the right role can be very useful. It is possible that Hainsey will be ready next year (or the year after if the strike is prolonged). Someone said Hainsey has 1 more chance but I disagree...it can take D-men longer to develop. He's got the skills and talent...he just needs to figure out positioning and work on his focus and that can come with maturity IMO. If not Hainsey then Bouillon or another signing... I think Higgins, Perezhogin, Kastsitsyn, Plekanic and Hainsey are all VERY close to deserving a shot at the NHL. Higgins, Zhog and Kastsy are all high level prospects too and if/when they're ready they'll deserve top 3 line positions to prove themselves. If the league is on strike for a full season then it'll be really interesting to see our prospects get an extra year of development and come in and push our NHL players who've been sitting for a year. We'd have a real glut of NHL ready players and considering we have a VERY good farm system we might come into the new agreement better then any other team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sakiqc Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Players who might not return: (alphabetical) - Dackell - Juneau - Perreault - Theodore -Trade Theo Yes, Theodore. It's not that he's not great. He is. But it's part of the game and it might be an excellent alternative, especially if Garon is really a #1 goalie, like we were said. I'm thinking about a team like Ottawa, with loads and loads of offensive weapons, but not 1st class goalie. Also, it's sure there will be lot of changes/trades there, with what Melnick said. We could land home 1 or 2 needed skilled winger. Something like Theo and Bulis for Havlat. or -Trade 2 prospects For Ryan Smyth. or -Sign a 1st class UFA (forward) If we take for granted that Kovalev is back at 4M$, and that we'll have 1 graduate from Hamilton, lineup would look like this: Zednik - Koivu - Kovalev Havlat/Smyth/UFA - Ribeiro - Ryder Bulis - Higgins/AHL - Ward Begin - Dowd - Langdon Markov Rivet Souray Komisarek Brisebois Bouillon Theo/Garon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zowpeb Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 To build a legitimate winner you need to start from the goal out... I like Garon but do you really think it's worth re-starting that building process?? If Garon doesn't pan out then you need to try and trade or sign a goalie that will get you to the Cup. I think Theodore can get us there and while it's possible that Garon could I am much less confident. I'd rather keep both of them and let Garon get in 25 starts next year. If Theodore gets injured we have a great back-up...and if Garon pushes Theodore for his job then MAYBE consider trading one of them mid-season or in the next off-season. It's just not worth the risk right now...I was hoping that Garon would get in 10 more starts this year to show what he's got... I think we have enough depth to trade a couple of prospects for a guy like Smyth or Havlat or even someone better then them...but I really don't think we need to. I'd like to see us keep our high level prospects to a point where we can max out their value(whether that means keeping or trading). Right now they're just prospects though... Higgins, Kastsitsyn, Perezhogin and Hainsey all could be significant contributors or even impact players. Especially Higgins and Kastsitsyn. Trading guys like that now is just going to be getting rid of them at a significantly lower value then they'll be worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zowpeb Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Originally posted by habitual_habHossa's waiver status dictates that either he makes the opening day roster, or he's traded or he's put on waivers and snagged by another team. Can Hossa handle 2nd line duties right now? His history tells me no; that he needs to be brought along like Ryder was. Higgins has had a good year in the AHL but again, Ryder had to work and win his 2nd line spot so why should it be given automatically to either Higgins or Hossa? Ditto for Kastsitsyn. Everything that I've read about Kastsitsyn tells me that he needs alot of work on his D and that a few months to a year with with Jarvis might be very beneficial. I hear you about Kastsitsyn but I was referring to him if he lockout lasted a full year...it would mean he had an extra year in the minors and will hopefully be ready by then. Really, his offense ability is enough to get him to the NHL despite his defensive issues. Higgins made the team this past year right out of camp...and proceeded to have a very good year in the AHL. I don't see any reason why he won't be ready by as early as next year...and extra year in the minors in the event of a lockout would only further that. As for Hossa, I don't think he'll ever really make this team and he'll be dealt... Personally, I think it'll be Begin on the 4th between 2 rookies. Probably Hossa, maybe Higgins on the left and Perezhogin on the right - and they can move up the depth chart from there.CBA... Meetings seem to be going along OK between the NHL and the NHLPA - Jeez, Goodenow and Bettman sharing a pizza at a game the other night. Is there room for optimism when the NHLPA doesn't trust the NHL, the NHL doesn't trust the NHLPA and individual franchise owners don't trust each other. Jesus wept. Hossa MAY find time on the 4th line but I don't see it. Higgins and Zhog are too good to be left on the ice for only 8-10 mins a game. They won't develop well with that little time and without PP/PK time in the minors. I think that prospects of their calibre should come up onto the 2nd or 3rd line when they look like they're ready...they can work their way up to the 1st or 2nd line from there. As for the CBA...those guys are often seen together at games. That means very little...I'll be surprised if there isn't a lock-out next year...the only question is how long. I actually believe a 1 year lock-out will push in a system that will help the league maintain itself long term. If they try to make incremental changes like the MLB is doing I think we'll still see a few teams fold in a couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habinator33 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Basically no matter what the habs must and i repeat must bring a highly skilled player in to play with Koivu they finally did with Kovalev. So if we do happen to lose Kovalev to Free agency then we must go out and get someone else with similiar skills. No more of this crap of rookies, 3rd line fowards, and 40 year old veterans on Koivu's line he deserves better then that. You saw how much damage he has done in his career when he's had a top player on his line whether it was in the Olympics that one season with Recchi and Corson or this year in the playoffs. That being said here are my lines with what our current holes are: Zednik-Koivu-Highly Skilled Foward(Kovalev) Hole(FA/Trade/Rookie)-Ribeiro-Ryder Bulis-Hole(Big Center FA/Trade)-Ward Hole(Goon,Langdon)-Dowd-Begin Souray-Komisarek Markov-Rivet Brisebois-Hole(a top 4 defensemen. Mobile, Physical, puck moving d-man) Bouillon(7th d-man) Theodore Garon (possibly Veteran) Definitly Gone this offseason: Juneau, Dackell,Perreault, Quintal, Sundstrom Other Possibilities: Kovalev, Dowd, Langdon, Dagenais Tradeable commodities: Garon, Hossa, Hainsey As I said for 1st line we must go out and get an All-star calibre player. With Gainey as our GM i'm expecting to see a team modled more by him then by Savard. I expect to see the hole at 2nd line LW and 3rd line Center filled by solid all around players with good size. For 2nd line center we need someone that can go in the corners get the puck give it to Ribeiro and then crash the net and score goals. Preferably someone with better skating abilities then Dagenais. I'd love to get a Ryan Smyth or Jeff O'neill or someone of similiar skill types at this spot. Not saying were going to get either one not even sure if either is even available anymore just like the style of play both play and both can score goals. For 3rd line center we need to finally get someone with good size that can push around Lecavalier, Thornton, etc. Also someone who can possibly put the puck in the net more then 5 times a season like Juneau and Dowd and whoever else we've had there for the past 5 years. Combined with Ward and Bulis i think we could have a solid all around 3rd line. Yes if i were to pick a goaltender to Trade it would be Garon. Lets face it Theodore has proven he can compete on a consistent basis at the NHL level. Trading Theodore and putting Garon in net no matter who we get it could be Forsberg is a step in the wrong direction. Garon has been decent at best and has looked very sloopy in some games and has left some huge rebounds. I think eh can become a no 1 goalie but right now we got Theodore and he's proven so I say move Garon either at Draft day or on Waiver draft day becuase I don't wanna have to protect 2 goaltenders and risk losing one of our other players. But this is only in a situation of having to trade a goalie I rather keep both of them and continue to see what Garon can do unless someone comes calling and asks for Garon and has a nice offer. As for Hossa and Hainsey I see them coming into their deciding season with the habs just like this season was for Ribeiro. Can they make the team or not we'll have to see but they are our best trade options in terms of Prospects. We can get away with dealing one of them and not hurting our farm to much. Anyways the future is looking bright we got a strong core of young players Ryder, Ribeiro, markov, Komisarek, Begin, Bulis, Ward at the NHL all now with a full season of NHL experience and tough playoff competition. Some of them may have worn down towards the end of the season but thats not gonna happen next year. We also have some solid veterans who are really aren't that old and are just entering their prime Souray, Koivu, Zednik. Throw in we got a young coach whose done a good job and is only going to get better now since he has gotten a full year under his belt. To go along with that we got one of the strongest Farm systems in the NHL with a good amount of players that have shots at making the NHL at some point in their careers. A few of which we can use similiar to Balej to go out and improve our team hopefully not all rental players though. If we fill in the holes we have with quality players theres no reason we can't compete for the Cup we've already proven we got a playoff calibre team this offseason it's time to take it to the next level. The Montreal Canadiens future is now in Bob Gainey's hands THANK GOD!!!! The Future is bright: 2005 Stanley Cup Champions :hlogo: [Edited on 2004/4/30 by Habinator33] [Edited on 2004/4/30 by Habinator33] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kovalev Posted April 30, 2004 Author Share Posted April 30, 2004 I just watched a review of the habs season this year and in it they mentioned the player who will leave and who will be free agents assuming that theres a season next year. Juneau Dackell Dowd Quintal Perrault Langdon *Kovalev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33_ Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 Realistic lines for next season: Kovalev-Koivu-Zednik Hossa-Ribs-Ryder Bulis-Higgins-Barnaby Langdon-Begin-Ward Komisarek Brisbois/Rivet Markov Souray Hainsey/Beuchemin/FA (Slegr, Zhitnik) FA (Scneider/Matvichuk) Scratch: Quintal: aging, but plays with heart. Bouillon: great heart, limited skill, no size Dowd: energy guy, I like him Sundstrom: (if we can resign him cheap) I would like to see Perezhogin or Kastsitsyn on the 2nd line, but I don't know if they are ready. Zherdev was young and raw in Columbus, and put up some good numbers. Could either Perezhogin or Kastsitsyn put up similar numbers? In addition, this must be Hossa's make or break year, as this year was for Ribs. If I am correct, if Ribs had not made the team out of camp, we would have had to place him on waivers before sending him down. I believe this is Hossa's situaiton this upcoming year. (Please correct me if I am wrong.) And the 3/4 line is not an option for Hossa. He is an offensive player, put him on an offensive line and see if he can finally emerge as Ribs did. The market for D-men is shallow this offseason. I would love to bring in Matvichuk, a solid veteran with a Cup ring. Schneider is another option. He is aging, but still has 2-3 good years in him. Zhitnik and Slegr are also options. I think both Rivet and Brisbois want to be here, but both are overpaid. One needs to go. I wish this wasn't true, because both seem to love being Habs. I would like to see Barnaby come in too. He plays hard and has decent enough skill to allow Higgins to play on a defensive 3rd line with some offensive punch. I have heard Higgins is a solid 2 way player, so I think solid time on the 3rd line will be good for him. I don't want to bring in Palffy for size and injury reasons, and Glen Murray is the only top notch forward out there, and I doubt we get him. I realize I have moved a few guys from RW to LW and vice versa, but that's not really a big deal. The D pairings I am usure of who plays left and right, so I might have those messed up, which is why I only listed 6 guys and no pairings. I think that team could finish 4-5 in the conference, although there is a lot of youth and inexperience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribeiro Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Habs also need to fill the 3rd line C spot, we could use Dowd in that role again, but if we want to improve the team we will need to get someone better, simple as that. It would be great to get a really big physical C for that spot. Dowd is an awesome 3rd line center. There's been talk on the hockey's future Habs board about a possible Theodore for Jovanovski trade... personally I like Ohlund from Vancouver. Jovanoski for Theodore? That's crazy. We don't take losers. Jovanoski's career has been nothing compared to Theodore's. Totally different stature. Yanic Perreault has to stay on this team. He is a really good scorer, and scores huge goals for the team. He is easily the best face-off man in the NHL, and has a dangerous shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zowpeb Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 If Mathew Barnaby becomes a habs I will personally drive to Montreal and punch Gainey in the mouth. I will then call a press conference to publicly apologize to Gainey which is when I will again punch him in the mouth and proceed to kick the tar out of Barnaby. I might even create a Mathew Barnaby voodoo doll which I will burn in effigy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33_ Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Originally posted by ZowpebIf Mathew Barnaby becomes a habs I will personally drive to Montreal and punch Gainey in the mouth. I will then call a press conference to publicly apologize to Gainey which is when I will again punch him in the mouth and proceed to kick the tar out of Barnaby. I might even create a Mathew Barnaby voodoo doll which I will burn in effigy. Barnaby is one of those guys who you hate if he's on the other team, but you want on your team. He is a physical guy who can piss people off. He also has a little skill, not a total goon. I have never liked him, but he is the type of guy we need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonavistaman11 Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Originally posted by TheAussiePosse Originally posted by Bonavistaman11It looks like Darren Langdon will retire Link? Source? I'm worried about something like this. Langdon is really underrated, and given the ice time, he'll score goals at will, just like in the playoffs. Add up all the ice time from each player, divide by goals, and Langdon leads them all. Seriously though, he gives us an intimidation edge, something that we haven't had since the years of Brashaer. I dont have a link or source to confirm this but the word back here in Newfoundland has it that he wont likely return next season....Langdon always said throughout his career that before he got too old that he was goin to go back home and play for his hometown (Deer Lake) in the NL senior League for a few seasons, and with the possible strike its almost a guarantee that this is the year for him to call it quits.... If Langdon does decide to return to the NHL Im almost sure that it will be with the Habs!....hopefully he gives us at least one more year!... :ghg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonavistaman11 Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 How could you not want Matthew Barnaby?? Just imagine the energy him and begin would give the 21,000+ fans everynight if they were on the same Line... The Bell Centre would be Rockin!... I would definitely give Bob Gainey the thumbs up to try and sign this guy... :ghg::ghg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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