Chris Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Well getting his confidence back is one thing, learning how to skate is another. Like Valentenko, O'Byrne just can't keep up with good skaters. Hate to say it, but he should be down in Hamilton. He is a 6 or 7 at best. He shaould take some skating lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Well getting his confidence back is one thing, learning how to skate is another. Like Valentenko, O'Byrne just can't keep up with good skaters. Hate to say it, but he should be down in Hamilton. He is a 6 or 7 at best. He shaould take some skating lessons. O'Byrne is actually a pretty good skater, so that's not really the problem. We know he can play some solid hockey, he played quite well last season in the last quarter, and looked like he could become a fairly strong number 4 defenseman. He needs to find his game back, and perhaps a quick trip to Hamilton once Komisarek comes back could do him some good... however he still has all the tools to be a good NHLer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskhab Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 If I didn't think it would stunt either guy's development, I'd be for calling up Carle or Weber and dressing them as a forward at this point. Gainey has got to pull the trigger on a deal as soon as the Sundin situation clears up, which will hopefully be this week. O'Byrne does need to get away from Montreal for a while, and Hamilton is the only way that'll happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMPL Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Sundin would have a good point shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adirondack Bud Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Sundin would have a good point shot Yeah, but how long would it take him to decide if he wants to shot or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 (edited) Ok, time for a mea culpa I was too harsh with O'Byrne (although it was fun to criticize him) Ryan has been great this season; playing well, GREAT attitude; he is a habs at heart. Damn, I just jinxed him. Edited February 2, 2010 by rafikz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I wouldn't go nuts there. He has been average. He looks better because he is surounded by 4 D who can't pass the puck. he has thrown a few body checks, fought a couple times, but he should be doing that nightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 The attack on O'Byrne is symptomatic of how Habs fans treat all young players. The kid is learning the game and the Habs are doing the right thing by pairing him with Markov - putting him in a position to succeed. He may never be a top-4 guy, or he may become a heavy-hitting 4th defenceman. But whatever happens, public crucifixion is NOT the appropriate fan response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEEP26 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 The attack on O'Byrne is symptomatic of how Habs fans treat all young players. The kid is learning the game and the Habs are doing the right thing by pairing him with Markov - putting him in a position to succeed. He may never be a top-4 guy, or he may become a heavy-hitting 4th defenceman. But whatever happens, public crucifixion is NOT the appropriate fan response. he looks like komi type player to me..komi pair with markov work great for him.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted February 3, 2010 Author Share Posted February 3, 2010 The attack on O'Byrne is symptomatic of how Habs fans treat all young players. The kid is learning the game and the Habs are doing the right thing by pairing him with Markov - putting him in a position to succeed. He may never be a top-4 guy, or he may become a heavy-hitting 4th defenceman. But whatever happens, public crucifixion is NOT the appropriate fan response. I didn't crucify him I'm against torture, I just beheaded him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habiman Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I like him and he's got lots of upside...If anyone has earned a cross it is Gill... Hamrlik is too old. Gill can't skate and isn't tough on boards. Bergeron only good on PP and can't play D Spacek has yet to stand out and seems to brain fart too often Ryan's improving Georges nice. Markov rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 For the cap hit, O'Byrne and Gorges are steals. O'byrne is looking a lot like a young pre-breakout Komi. I don't think he will ever have the all-star season Komi did, but I'd be satisfied if he can remain consistent and physical. Our probelm is that Ideally, O'Byrne would be a #6 and Gorges a #5 and we have too many d-men that are #5-7 type of dmen on a good team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskhab Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 O'Byrne is 25 turning 26... he ain't a kid. He's had a lot of shots to prove himself. If he's finally emerging into a guy we can trust than hey, that's a bonus. But I do have a difficult time believing he'll be more than another version of Matt Walker, Todd Simpson or John Erskine. In short, I don't expect him to threaten any of our current top 4. And being better than what Paul Mara has brought this year (and Hal Gill 5 on 5) isn't a huge accomplishment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 O'Byrne is 25 turning 26... he ain't a kid. He's had a lot of shots to prove himself. If he's finally emerging into a guy we can trust than hey, that's a bonus. But I do have a difficult time believing he'll be more than another version of Matt Walker, Todd Simpson or John Erskine. In short, I don't expect him to threaten any of our current top 4. And being better than what Paul Mara has brought this year (and Hal Gill 5 on 5) isn't a huge accomplishment. Damn Sasks pretty harsh on the guy. Everyone uses their 'expectations' like they mean something (no offense), I mean look at players that beat the odds, heck our 1a goalie was one such example. We can assume Rhino will never crack the top 4, but I could see it someday. Right now he's our #2 D and doesn't look out of place, has a mean streak and on a team where Moen is your best fighter threat you need all the angst you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 For the cap hit, O'Byrne and Gorges are steals. O'byrne is looking a lot like a young pre-breakout Komi. I don't think he will ever have the all-star season Komi did, but I'd be satisfied if he can remain consistent and physical. Our probelm is that Ideally, O'Byrne would be a #6 and Gorges a #5 and we have too many d-men that are #5-7 type of dmen on a good team. Agreed. O'Byrne plays a simple stay at home game, and this season he has shown a meaner/tougher side to his game (which I like)! Keep up the good work. Ideally, O'Byrne and Gorges are your #5 and #6 d-men, but we have too many of those already. Mara won't be there next year, so that should free up one spot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskhab Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Damn Sasks pretty harsh on the guy. Everyone uses their 'expectations' like they mean something (no offense), I mean look at players that beat the odds, heck our 1a goalie was one such example. We can assume Rhino will never crack the top 4, but I could see it someday. Right now he's our #2 D and doesn't look out of place, has a mean streak and on a team where Moen is your best fighter threat you need all the angst you can get. To be fair to Ryan, he did have some injuries which stunted his development at the NHL level. He did progress nicely from Junior A to NCAA to AHL. I just have a hard time believing he'll be a Willie Mitchell, Barret Jackman or Robyn Regehr type player all of a sudden. He's a NHL player, he's just not the most significant of them. The guys I mentioned are NHL players, too. They have a role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I would love for him to become a guy people hate playing against, if only for the fact he's mean...I don't know if he'll get there but it'd be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCPetit Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 (edited) I have always believed in O'Byrne. In fact, he reminded me a lot of a young Robinson the first time I saw him play. Of course, he won't become close to the Big Bird, but he has got better skills than a lot of people might think. His skating is good, his shot too, has good physical presence on the ice. What is still missing in his play is confidence. Once he will know he belongs to the NHL, I think that he will start to make better plays. Right now, he depends too much of the others on the ice. A question of confidence, definitely. In conclusion: the real Ryan O'Byrne hasn't revealed himself yet. My opinion is that right now he is only the shadow of the player he has the potential to become -- and that player has a lot more tools in his bags than Mike Komisarek, a one-dimension, ridiculously overpaid puck-thrower. Edited February 4, 2010 by JCPetit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskhab Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 O'Byrne's mom died last week, a victim of breast cancer. He's played the last few games with a heavy heart. What a tropper. He's now left the team and won't play tonight (Spacek will replace him) to be with his family in Victoria. http://www.legacy.com/can-victoria/Obituar...sonId=139314204 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 O'Byrne's mom died last week, a victim of breast cancer. He's played the last few games with a heavy heart. What a tropper. He's now left the team and won't play tonight (Spacek will replace him) to be with his family in Victoria. http://www.legacy.com/can-victoria/Obituar...sonId=139314204 RIP That's really tough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 RIP Mrs O'Byrne. that's a second one of our young D-men who have had to deal with the loss of a parent at a young age! (Komisarek's mom died about 3-4 years ago!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 RIP Mrs O'Byrne. that's a second one of our young D-men who have had to deal with the loss of a parent at a young age! (Komisarek's mom died about 3-4 years ago!) The parallels between O'Bryne's early career and Komi's are a bit eerie, but that aside, my heart goes out to the kid on this one. I recall Komisarek talking movingly of how supportive the Habs were when he lost his mother and how he would never forget it. I guess he forgot never to forget the minute Burke waved a few extra hundred thou under his nose. Turd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazy26 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Nice article on O'Byrne from the Gazette http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/mo...0611/story.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thib46 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 The parallels between O'Bryne's early career and Komi's are a bit eerie, but that aside, my heart goes out to the kid on this one. I recall Komisarek talking movingly of how supportive the Habs were when he lost his mother and how he would never forget it. I guess he forgot never to forget the minute Burke waved a few extra hundred thou under his nose. Turd. Remembering how the team showed compassion on the loss of a mother or other loved one is NOT the same as making a career or business decision. The young man will have good remembrances of the organization but he made a decision as to where he thought he was a better fit for his career. Done is Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Remembering how the team showed compassion on the loss of a mother or other loved one is NOT the same as making a career or business decision. The young man will have good remembrances of the organization but he made a decision as to where he thought he was a better fit for his career. Done is Done. I tend to disagree - I think Komi took some extra dough and ran - but I'm not gonna argue about it. It's looking more and more like Komisarek is a decent but basically overrated defenceman, so the Leafs can have him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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