The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Somew day people will realize that signing old, over the hill players who haven't done anything in years isn't a good option. The team needs to turn over and get younger, not older and slower. Unquestionably. But you also need warm bodies to play at certain positions. Assuming we lose Koivu, you're looking at Plekanec and Lapierre as your 1 and 2 C. I'll take my chances with Yashin over that, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Ya know, given our dire condition at C, that's so crazy it just might work. With him and Kovalev we'd have the single most erratic line in all of hockey, that's a certainty! God, the hair of Montrealers would turn grey and fall out within months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Yashin on a one-year deal sounds good to me. Is he a better bet to put up 60 points than Lang though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Yashin on a one-year deal sounds good to me. Is he a better bet to put up 60 points than Lang though? Frankly, I'd consider signing 'em both to one-year deals if possible. I have no idea what kind of money Yashin would want, but more than $3 mil would be categorically insane. Lang (or his agent) are probably in denial over the possibility that his injury was career-ending, and may well expect significant dollars and more than a one-year term. But again, anything over $3 mil cannot be more than a one-year deal IMHO, given that we will have no idea if he is even an NHL-calibre player anymore. Both players at $2 mil each would be reasonable; but we all know that reason has little to do with UFA negotiations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Frankly, I'd consider signing 'em both to one-year deals if possible. I have no idea what kind of money Yashin would want, but more than $3 mil would be categorically insane. Lang (or his agent) are probably in denial over the possibility that his injury was career-ending, and may well expect significant dollars and more than a one-year term. But again, anything over $3 mil cannot be more than a one-year deal IMHO, given that we will have no idea if he is even an NHL-calibre player anymore. Both players at $2 mil each would be reasonable; but we all know that reason has little to do with UFA negotiations. I believe they're both eligible for bonuses (being 36+) and they're both risky signings that would probably require bonuses. I could definitely see Lang signing something like one year, 1.5 million salary, 1.5 million in bonuses, which will leave him with a 3 mil cap hit. Yashin has always wanted tons of money, I can't see him signing for 3M. And if we're expecting him to be our 1st line C, he's right to want more than that - how many UFA 50-60 ever sign for so little? Also, if we sign both, we'll have to find a new team for Chipchura. And it would mean Tanguay, Komisarek and Koivu gone (probably all gone anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I think they have enough soft, lazy Euro's in the lineup. Signing 2 more over the hill guys doesn't make much sense. Lang could barely skate last year before his surgery. Yashin is in Russia for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thib46 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I think they have enough soft, lazy Euro's in the lineup. Signing 2 more over the hill guys doesn't make much sense. Lang could barely skate last year before his surgery. Yashin is in Russia for a reason. Montreal needs to stay away from older players who are looking for salaries based on past (long past) performance. I would much prefer going with young, bigger and faster players who are hungry. Chicago and St Louis come to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) Yes, these are only some wacky speculative scenarios that assume we won't re-sign Koivu. If he *is* resigned, then we remain grossly weak at C, but there'd certainly be no point in signing both. Chipchura...a fair point, although we can probably keep him on the team in a 4th-line role, stepping up to third or second line if one of these hypothetical guys gets injured or flames out (and one or the other almost certainly would). A bonus-laded approach for Yashin and Lang is indeed the way to go. The good news for anyone who supports these scenarios is that both players are liable to be available after the initial wave of UFA frenzy, meaning that if Bob fails to sign high-end UFAs and finds himself with wads of cash at his disposal, he'll have little to lose in offering such contracts to these guys. And Chris, I totally agree that Yashin would be a high-risk, desperation signing, and that it'd be VASTLY better to go with some strong youngster at C. (Lang is also high-risk, but at least he was a great team player for us - not to mention our best overall forward). But since we don't have any quality C in the system at all, I'm willing to entertaing such scenarios, especially since it's all purely speculative fun at this stage. Otherwise put: it's probably better that Yashin get top-line minutes than Maxwell, Lapierre, Chipchura, or Metropolit, although Maxwell is at least potentially interesting. (Frankly, although I know he's a little pr*ck, Grabovksi would be better than any of these options except a healthy Lang. I said at the time that losing him was regrettable because of our ridiculous impoverishment at C and I stand by that). Edited June 17, 2009 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Montreal needs to stay away from older players who are looking for salaries based on past (long past) performance. I would much prefer going with young, bigger and faster players who are hungry. Chicago and St Louis come to mind. That's great but we don't have any young, big, fast and hungry players. It isn't a choice between signing Yashin or going with Malkin on our top line, it's a choice between Yashin or Lang or Koivu or Sundin or some other over-the-hill declining centre. Right now our young forwards that could make the jump this year are limited to Pacioretty (not a bad idea but he's a winger), Maxwell and Chipchura. There is no dream scenario available to us. We suck at C and our goal for next season can only be to suck less. Any C we bring in is going to be flawed, be it Yashin, Lang, Lecavalier, Briere, Koivu, Sundin, Chipchura, Maxwell, or whoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 We suck at C and our goal for next season can only be to suck less. This pretty much says it all :puke: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) God, the hair of Montrealers would turn grey and fall out within months. it's already started Edited June 17, 2009 by marky_and_komi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Just think about it: "La but des Canadiens compte par le numero 69, Canadiens goal scored by number 69, Alexei Cash-in Yashin!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Just think about it: "La but des Canadiens compte par le numero 69, Canadiens goal scored by number 69, Alexei Cash-in Yashin!" That made me puke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 mind you having Yashin would make Kovy look like the hardest worker ever !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 mind you having Yashin would make Kovy look like the hardest worker ever !! Depends on the game. They both give their all about ten times a year. Odds are, they never hit the same night twice, but boy oh boy. Imagine that game? Two of the most talented players on the planet trying? We'd have a good team!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Depends on the game. They both give their all about ten times a year. Odds are, they never hit the same night twice, but boy oh boy. Imagine that game? Two of the most talented players on the planet trying? We'd have a good team!!! Yeah like when malakhov was playing at his best he was gold!! but what a lazy ass though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Yeah like when malakhov was playing at his best he was gold!! but what a lazy ass though. Hee hee! Remember his little skiing expedition when he supposedly had a knee injury? Signing guys like that is an admission that you have no chance of winning; but it unquestionably would raise the entertainment factor. Look at Kovy - easily the most entertaining habs of the last decade, and not only for the phenomenal plays he makes, but for the 'total package' of psychodrama he provides. In all seriousness, my only real concern with such a signing would be the possibility of (further) damage to young guys like the Kostitsyns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Yeah like when malakhov was playing at his best he was gold!! but what a lazy ass though. I still maintain that Malakhov was the best defender to ever play the game - when he cared. On those few nights he was a better skater than Coffey, could pass like Gretz, hit like Stevens... And he did it in an era when all the athletes he was up against were in infinitely better shape than previous generations. Just that it happened so rarely because his head was never in it. I know it's not popular to say, but he would have put the Orr in Orrdinary if he cared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I don't think it's worth its own thread, so I'll post it here. The Globe and Mail reports that Martin's former right hand man in Ottawa will become his right hand man here; Perry Pearn has reportedly turned down the coach/GM role in Lethbridge (WHL) to replace Doug Jarvis as the assistant coach in Montreal. Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/globe...article1194497/ About him: http://www.nhl.com/coaches/perry_pearn.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Ok guys We're halfway through the season, time to evaluate the coach. It's hard to assess his work, considering all the injuries; overall, I think he has done a decent job; I'm still wondering what his "system" is. PROS: - Discipline, discipline, discipline; he doesn't mess with it, and our young guys had to be disciplined - I also like how reacts after a player takes very stupid bad penalty, even if that player is a perfoming veteran like Metropolit (he temporarily demoted him) - Martin brings a winning attitude to the team; he is a veteran coach who is respected in this league - He is a teacher; for exemple, Gilll has les turnovers than he had early in the season; I'm sure Martin and his staff worked on it - a better use of Hal Gill in the PK units - I like the fact that he decides who starts in the net, unlike Carbo who let Gainey decide for him; plus, I'm sure Carey Price got the message (if he wants to be number 1, he has to deserve it) - Requesting the Pouliot trade: I have no proof fo that, but I'm sure Marin requested Gainey to trade Lats for Pouliot; Martin coached him in a junior camp (or something like that) - Working hard on improving our special teams: we're 1st in PP and 8th in PK CONS: - Oh dear God, his interviews are dull ! Even that Habs ad on RDS is dull because of Martin ("de l'intensité"); and that 1-2-2 trap os boring too. - Even though I like the discipline, I think he is not patient enough; I also think he was unfair when he went apesh.. on AK46 becasue of that bad cross-ice pass in Calgary; Hal Gill had like 2500000 turnovers per game (only during the beginning of the season, though, he has improved in that department) and he wasn't in Martin's doghouse - The defensive pairings are kind of weird sometimes - I don't understand some of his decisions; lile that game in Calgary. late in the game: empty net for the Habs, 6 on 5.... Gill was on the ice Again, take the negatives with a grain salt: Martin is new in Montreal, he is coaching a group of guys he didn't coach before and had to deal with major injuries. Like the team and some of our players, Marin will improve as the season progresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 (edited) First, I enjoy having The Penguin as coach. All he needs is an exploding umbrella out there. He is the funniest looking bench boss in the NHL (Claude Julien being runner-up). I agree about the discipline. Martin clearly felt that the Habs were a country club and he has obviously instilled a much more professional atmosphere. You actually get rewarded for performance - no more weird Carbo decisions re: Kovalev (no consistent demotion for lack of effort), Halak (no reward for good play), Perezhogin (condemend to the third line despite diligently following orders), or Samsonov (benched after good play). With Martin it's simple: if you deliver, you play, if you don't, you're dead meat, albeit modified in light of basic considerations such as injury, etc.. But I just don't understand the bad penalties and the shots against. Both fly in the face of what we've come to expect from Martin. It's gotten to the point where I'm wondering if Martin's "system" (whatever it is) is predicated on actually allowing a lot of perimeter shots or something. It would be nice if the so-called experts in the media analyzed where all those shots are coming from and whether or not the high totals might actually be intrinsic to a coaching system. At the very least, we should be hearing about scoring chances vs. shot totals, in order to come to grips with the question of whether we're being effectively coached or not. In any case, if and when we have both Hammer and Markov on D for a sustained period of time, this team will start looking loads better. And so will JM's "system." Edited December 30, 2009 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 First, I enjoy having The Penguin as coach. All he needs is an exploding umbrella out there. He is the funniest looking bench boss in the NHL (Claude Julien being runner-up). In any case, if and when we have both Hammer and Markov on D for a sustained period of time, this team will start looking loads better. And so will JM's "system." Point one: He's not The Penguin, though it is kind of amusing to think of him that way, he's Hercule Poirot! Point two: All this talk about his undetermined system is just odd, IMO. Last year we had no cohesive defensive strategy, this season we have five collapsing players. In the last game, it was quite evident early on that he wants defenders to "defie" (French cause I don't know a good comparable in English) the attackers and step to the play, rather than recule, recule, recule. They did that, our shots immediately dropped. Any system is a process - it's not like everyone suddenly buys in and plays it perfectly. We've had a lot of shots, but I posted a while back on what I thought were the main causes. I suspect Markov in the lineup himself reduces the shot count by 5. Markov and Hammer playing 40-50 minutes a game will continue that reduction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redondo Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Point one: He's not The Penguin, though it is kind of amusing to think of him that way, he's Hercule Poirot! I thought Jacques Demers was Poirot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I thought Jacques Demers was Poirot? Demers? Interesting. Never saw him like that. From the first time I saw Martin in Ottawa, I was jumping up and down with family, friends, and fans exclaiming on how the Sens got Hercule Poirot as coach so they could solve any hockey mystery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazy26 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Coles' Notes on "The System" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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