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Well the team looks better on paper then it did yesterday, I just hope it isn't like the pre-cap Rangers where they always looked good on paper and not so good on the ice.

I'm a bit confused by Gainey to be honest. Countless interviews before and during the draft Gainey said the focus was on a BIG #1 centre, not half a dozen small to very small players.

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If he doesn't rediscover the magic with Gomez, he's overpaid by maybe $1 mil. I'd rather have Kovy, but he *is* younger and faster, and the X-factor is chemistry.

An intriguing signing to say the least.

I'm EXCITED!! A whole new Habs team. Cammaelleri is actually the one with the greatest upside. A PPG player on the KINGS with nary an Iginla in sight - could prove a cagy acquisition.

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btw for those who care, it's 50-50 on CKAC right now

(happy or not happy)

I'm impressed, I thought it'd be like 25-75 :P

50-50 is great.

it's usual montrealness... lmao

Well the team looks better on paper then it did yesterday, I just hope it isn't like the pre-cap Rangers where they always looked good on paper and not so good on the ice.

I'm a bit confused by Gainey to be honest. Countless interviews before and during the draft Gainey said the focus was on a BIG #1 centre, not half a dozen small to very small players.

he shifted focus when he got told to F himself by Barrie.

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yah.

and Gill will impose more respect than Komi, want it or not.

Seriously, this is frikkin intriguing.

I'm not Lecavalier excited

I'm not Hossa excited

but I'm frikkin curious to see all of that.

as of right now, only Komisarek needs to be replaced (#2 dman) can Hamr or Spacek be that guy? (but even then, last season, Komi played more like a #4 dman... )

Yeah, curious is the word. More because of what Martin should do with them; then the players themselves.

BTW: Gomez, Cammalleri, Gionta, D'Agostini, Pacioretty, Latendresse, Lapierre, Laraque: that's definitely a more Latin-rooted team. :P

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Brian, with all due respect, something must be wrong. After Camm's signing, and assuming some RFA salary, they said on the radio that we still had roughly 5M.

Read the charts Streamer, it all adds up - you have to assume some of the RFA's will get raises, I have estimates in there as well. While you're there, join the chat! :)

http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=1807

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I said that Gomez and Camm were improvment over the guys they are replacing, i.e. Higgins and Koivu. you replied that Bobby and Pete didn't agree with that statement.

You are twisting everything. You said that Bob and Pierre said that Higgins was better than Cammalleri, which is not the case!

In any case, we have a first line composed of smurfs! 5'7", 5'9" and 5'11"....

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Press conference in a few minutes on CKAC.

They just said that they had put an offer on the table for Kovy, but that Kovy rejected that. Meanwhile Cammalleri accepted his offer. (i.e. Kovy wanted Camm's money??)

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Speed, fiestiness...the analogy with Buffalo is apt. Which, frankly, is fine with me. Those Buffalo teams were admirable and I hated when the Habs played against them.

Bob has radically reconstructed your Montreal Canadiens. Boldest acts by a GM since Serge Savard rebuilt the core in 1992-93. I find the fan reaction mostly hysterical, especially given that so many people were demanding a total reconstruction. It's a lot to digest, but we are guaranteed to be an exciting, dangerous team next season. As fans, we should be EXCITED by what's gone on here today. But this being Montreal, Chicken Little rules the roost.

Size is certainly a legitimate concern. Nonetheless, this team has a built-in identity, and it's straight in the Montreal tradition: speed, skill, fiestiness.

However...what about Kovy??? :huh:

This is way past 1993

1993 was Courtnall for Bellows and Corson for Damphousse.

The only thing I am fully on board with is that they turned over the core that proved incapable of following a system.

I don't have a problem with the players per se, although I am not happy with their size, but the cap is a HUUUGE concern

moving forward.

All my concerns can be rectified for the coming season should the Kostitsyn's take the leap and Laps and Lats continue to

progress and Paccioretty can also grow. Martin implementing a strong system to insulate Price will help as well.

Beware the Summer of 2010, that is where my concern begins AND ends.

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This is a make it or break it year for Bob. If they don't go far in the playoffs, he will get canned and deservedly so!

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FOR EVERYONE THAT MISSED THE PRESS CONFERENCE:

(it was really more of an interview, it was standing up with a couple of reporters)

- Gainey said that the offer he made for Komisarek was in the same ballpark as the Toronto offer, that it had money and term.

- He made Kovalev an offer that Kovy said he would consider, but he took too long and in the meantime, other things were getting set up with other players.

- He was asked who the next captain might be, but he dodged it and said they could ask Martin in a week.

- re: the Gomez trade, he said that McDonagh was a very good prospect but that we had other good prospects like Subban and Carle and Weber. He said that not every player could play on the team at the same time and that the team had to dish out some of its assets for other guys they could use at the same time.

- He made the team younger and faster.

...sorry, I don't remember much else.

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All my concerns can be rectified for the coming season should the Kostitsyn's take the leap and Laps and Lats continue to

progress and Paccioretty can also grow. Martin implementing a strong system to insulate Price will help as well.

Goaltending -- something that hasn't been discussed much -- will be a huge factor. Either Price or Halak will have to show some serious consistency or it won't matter what our (small but fast and feisty) forwards do.

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This is way past 1993

1993 was Courtnall for Bellows and Corson for Damphousse.

The only thing I am fully on board with is that they turned over the core that proved incapable of following a system.

I don't have a problem with the players per se, although I am not happy with their size, but the cap is a HUUUGE concern

moving forward.

All my concerns can be rectified for the coming season should the Kostitsyn's take the leap and Laps and Lats continue to

progress and Paccioretty can also grow. Martin implementing a strong system to insulate Price will help as well.

Beware the Summer of 2010, that is where my concern begins AND ends.

OK, Wamsley. Of all posters around here you are the one I respect the most. All I can say is, I love a lot of things about this new team (on paper) - tons of speed, tons of skill, younger. The young guns have to continue to develop, but that would be true no matter what Bob did, correct?

Your concern about the cap is 100% legitimate. But instead of being traumatized, why not see that as a future problem that the Habs will have to manage? Future deals are always possible, and lots of things can happen between today and 2011, in a whole raft of ways. I for one think there's quite a bit to be pleased with what happened here. We traded an erratic and aging core for a younger, faster, arguably more talented core that has proven it can play in a rigorous system and buy into the team concept.

The loss of Komi and (to a much lesser extent) McDo hurt. But I just don't see our D being WORSE today. Spacek is good value and top-4.

Therefore, I don't think your concerns over the cap should overwhelm what has been the most *exciting* off-season day in living memory. We've added a TON of quality players. Be at least tolerably happy.

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But I just don't see our D being WORSE today.

I do! Gill is a pylon.

All I can say is, I love a lot of things about this new team (on paper

I Like the acquisition of Cammalleri. He will be good, no doubt! I also like Spacek. But 5 million for Gionta??? I don't think so!!! I'm not crazy about the Gill pick-up as well. And you already know what I think about gomez. Had Gomez's salary been in the 5-5.5 million range, I'd be pleased...

Edited by Habsfan
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CKAC's interview on now in French:

- Bob gave some numbers to Komi, but Komi never gave Bob some numbers (ie. what it'd take to come back to MTL)

- About getting lot of small players: Bob says this is the time to get talent, because it's what is the hardest to get during the season.

- What he loves about C-G-G: they are younger, more durable (injury problems last year a factor), says he thinks the chemistry would be good.

- Gionta signed because of Gomez, no doubt in Gainey's mind.

- About the Gomez trade: said he didnt have many options, that once the idea was in place to make the deal, that was the price on the table. Said Weber & Carle (!) can replace him.

- Sounds like he decided to build around Gomez, which is why he didnt bring Tanguay back.

- Hill is there to replace Komisarek.

- Spacek is there to replace Schneider, help the PP.

- Next captain: Bob has no idea yet.

- Refused to talk about Beauchemin.

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- About the Gomez trade: said he didnt have many options, that once the idea was in place to make the deal, that was the price on the table. Said Weber & Carle (!) can replace him.

Can't believe he mentionned Carle and not Fisher. He might have thrown the towel on him.

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He might have thrown the towel on him.

Most likely. The kid has regressed since he was drafted. My guess is that this year will be his last chance to impress.

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Spaceman is probably my fave signing of the bunch. He's one of the most underrated D's in the league. He's complete, he can eat tons of minutes.

Problem is the D's we were left with: Hamrlik was horrid last season; and Gorges is in over his head.

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OK, Wamsley. Of all posters around here you are the one I respect the most. All I can say is, I love a lot of things about this new team (on paper) - tons of speed, tons of skill, younger. The young guns have to continue to develop, but that would be true no matter what Bob did, correct?

Your concern about the cap is 100% legitimate. But instead of being traumatized, why not see that as a future problem that the Habs will have to manage? Future deals are always possible, and lots of things can happen between today and 2011, in a whole raft of ways. I for one think there's quite a bit to be pleased with what happened here. We traded an erratic and aging core for a younger, faster, arguably more talented core that has proven it can play in a rigorous system and buy into the team concept.

The loss of Komi and (to a much lesser extent) McDo hurt. But I just don't see our D being WORSE today. Spacek is good value and top-4.

Therefore, I don't think your concerns over the cap should overwhelm what has been the most *exciting* off-season day in living memory. We've added a TON of quality players. Be at least tolerably happy.

Thanks for the kind words and ditto.

I fully admit to overreacting because I have been on board with everything he has done for 5 years (give or take a few).

I wanted to jettison the core, BUT I am fully confused by the timing. I really saw the 2010 season as a great opportunity

to be flexible and remake this core. I also don't think he addressed the size issue and I HATE paying premier dollars for

question marks.

This COULD be great, but Gomez could put up 65 points and Gionta 20 goals and Cammallari could regress to 25-30.

If that happens, what is the reaction next season when these guys are the core for the next 5 years?

This is extremely risky. It could work, but it is the first time in 5 years where I feel the actions could lead to possible

disaster. And I don't like disaster.

That being said, if this team busts their ass every night and turn into a Devils stye team, then I will recant and love the moves

because it is what I have been looking for for 3 seasons.

My faith has been shaken with the regression of the prize prospects, but if last season was just a developmental blip

then you guys are welcome to throw these posts in my face should this huge gamble pay off.

Edited by Wamsley01
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Can't believe he mentionned Carle and not Fisher. He might have thrown the towel on him.

Carle progressed nicely and was ahead of Weber until he hit some wall last season. Dont know what happened between him and Lever, but I'm glad Bob hasnt written him off. He has Beauchemin-upside; a little less physical (even though he's as thick) and more offense.

Fischer I never liked, so whatever.

BTW, when Guy Boucher was confirmed as the new Hamilton head-coach, I pointed out how he had a lot of success with a very small but very feisty team in Drummondville. I dont know how much of a coincidence it is that now Martin also seems to want to go in that direction. There seems to be a philosophical connection there. Can only be optimistic about that.

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That being said, if this team busts their ass every night and turn into a Devils stye team, then I will recant and love the moves

because it is what I have been looking for for 3 seasons.

If that happens, after years and years of seeing this team take too many nights off and fall into horrible slumps each and every year; just that very change will make me happy. I couldnt have endured one more year of collective heartlessness.

Oh, and... WE WILL HAVE A NEW CAPTAIN! I'm taking any and all bets now that it will be a huge positive in itself.

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If that happens, after years and years of seeing this team take too many nights off and fall into horrible slumps each and every year; just that very change will make me happy. I couldnt have endured one more year of collective heartlessness.

Oh, and... WE WILL HAVE A NEW CAPTAIN! I'm taking any and all bets now that it will be a huge positive in itself.

I am surprised at the lack of emotion over Koivu's departure.

Edited by Wamsley01
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