lazy26 Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I like this trade. Locke wasn't going to help us out, and Belle will flesh out our depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 yeah I agree he looks like he could be a sleeper. (we do hope he wakes up) He was a first rnd draft choice ok 30th but still that depicts a high level of skill generally so maybe he just hasn't gotten the shot he needed. Maybe he has been moved so often due to circumstances. He's big and they say he can really skate so maybe this is a young dandenault, but he does not look like he has much offensive talent so we better have breezy teach him the defensive side . A joke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 out of the blue, don't know Belle but he looks good and well I trust Bob and the scouts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Notice that this moves comes a few days after Minnesota lost C Pavol Demitra to free agency. Minny is thin at C, they didnt get Locke to star in the AHL. Anyway. Now Habs have Laraque, Subban and Belle, Jackie Robinson would be proud. if we only could get Iginla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Geez you guys make it sound like the guy is any good. something is wrong when a player is traded a 3rd time in about 5 years since he's been drafted. when you have a guy that's 6'1 235 you keep him. he's way too big or his frame and I heard he's real-ly sloooooooow. I'M sure he'd lose a race against Guillaume. Belle will be a depth guy in the Ahl and could get some NHL time should a D be injured. I still think that Valentenko will be a call up before him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I know nothing about this guy but I like what hockey futures says about him: Talent Analysis Belle is a well-balanced skater who has good speed. He is very athletic, highly skilled and can play in all situations. He is good positional player when he wants to be. He has great height and weight distribution, though a little more muscle could never hurt. He is a very capable defenseman with the stick and has a big league shot. Even though he is a great two-way player, he shows his youthfulness by trying to do too much. Speed, strength, size and a heavy shot. Our defense is getting bigger and tougher. Komisarek, O'Brnye, Hamrlik, Belle are all big boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habscout Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 After I read Belle's bio on HockeysFuture, I thought he may pan out as a forward if defence isn't his forte. He has the tools to play that position, IMHO. That HF report, and another one I read on the TorStar site seems to break down his game as follows: Pros: pro size, good skater, athletic, good shot, good hitter Cons: lacking hockey sense, draws bad penalties To me, the coaches can work on his weaknesses, AS LONG as he's coachable [ie. he has a good attitude]. The attitude factor is what concerns me, as it could explain why he's in his 4th NHL organization at the age of 23. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Our defense is getting bigger and tougher. Komisarek, O'Brnye, Hamrlik, Belle are all big boys. don't forget Valentenko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 don't forget Valentenko and mcdonagh..he likes to hit !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 from a local Minnesota paper: http://www.twincities.com/ci_9852750?source=most_viewed Belle, 23, is a strong skater with a big body who never was able to latch on with the Wild after being included in the deal that sent Willie Mitchell to Dallas for Martin Skoula. He played nine games in Minnesota in 2006-07, earning one assist, but wasn't recalled last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAKS-AVENUE Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 if we only could get Iginla We should be the first team to ice a complete Afro-American. line. I wonder what nicknames people would come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Don't forget Bouillon. ?? He was naming black players in the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAKS-AVENUE Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 don't forget Valentenko I wonder if talks are going bad with O.B and Belle is Gainey's replacement. Seems to be the same type of player maybe better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 ?? He was naming black players in the system. yeah... and so is Bouillon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I wonder if talks are going bad with O.B and Belle is Gainey's replacement. Seems to be the same type of player maybe better. Ryan O'Byrne is a very good player, and he seems to not get much, if any, respect. He isn't some old journeyman defenseman that is filling a hole for us. He is young, big, and physical, with enough upside to be a top 4 Dman for us. Belle has alot to show before he can be considered the same, let alone better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I wonder if talks are going bad with O.B and Belle is Gainey's replacement. Seems to be the same type of player maybe better. I can't see that at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 You know you have a good GM when a minor trade brings a smile to your face. In spite of all the wrong things Gainey has done, he certainly makes up for it with shrewd moves like this. Belle is an excellent player as far as risk/reward is concerned. He's more of a call up option then Mathieu Biron was for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 yeah... and so is Bouillon. Ah, I thought you misunderstood him. I don't consider Bouillon black at all, I thought he just had dark skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Bouillon's half Haitian. If Barack Obama is black, then he is too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Bouillon's half Haitian. If Barack Obama is black, then he is too. if being half black is black, then both are... and Iginla too. Ah, I thought you misunderstood him. I don't consider Bouillon black at all, I thought he just had dark skin. BTH, you are so post-racial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenadian Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Insert Seinfeld reference: Not that there's anything wrong with that............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Of course, that goes without saying. Belle may not amount to much, but there's no chance Locke would have in the Montreal organization, so it's a low-risk high-reward kind of move for the Canadiens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koivu Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Another great move by Gainey. Gave up a guy not going nowhere, for former 1st with a lot of potential to get better with the right coaching. I like he played couple years with Carey Price, from what I have read - his upside could be tremendous ... Go GAINEY Go ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAussiePosse Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Here in England there's a huge kerfuffle about the Equality Bill, which grants employers the right to choose job applicants with certain attributes over others to improve the workplace diversity. If only countries and companies could emulate an NHL team like Montreal, where it is not only the most diverse in its class, but also has the greatest export (goals anyone?), with the largest band of shareholders (21,000+ each game), as well as a large crop of Hi-Pos ('high potentials') and a management board that is two steps ahead of most rivals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskhab Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I remember in junior he was supposedly the best skater of that amazing 2003 draft class. But he sounds like a guy who has the tools but just can't put them together. It really is confusing to see that he only got 3 points last year. This guy was supposed to be an offensive catalyst. I knew something was wrong when the Blues dealt him for Bacashihua a couple years back, since it was obvious that Bacashihua was a 1st rounder that had plateaued and needed a major kick start. It's possible that if the team carries 8 D like last year, Belle will be on the team. He could easily end up being a guy snatched up off waivers if he doesn't make the team out of camp. It's a reclamation project for sure. There is talent there, it just needs to be realized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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