Preseason GDT: Bruins/Habs

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I'm not saying the habs have not made good trades - what I'm saying is that we haven't made the type of trades where there is universal agreement that we have totally ripped someone off. To me the only clear that could be declared as clear wins WHEN THEY WERE MADE, were the Muller-Richer, Courtnall-Kordic, and Damphouse-Corson deals.

On the other hand, we had a lot more one-sided crappy deals like the Savard-Chelios, Ninemma-Ribeiro, Thibault-Roy. For a team that has only had 1 top 5 pick since Svoboda, you really need to hit a home run every now and then to get that impact player or really do a great job of drafting with mid-picks. i think we may have found one in Subban, but other then that, we've done a great job of drafting bottom six type of players, but really crappy job of drafting top 3 or even top 6 forwards or top two d-men. If you aren't getting them at the draft table or though trades, you are stuck in mediocrity.

What we have lacked since the post-Roy era is that one trade that transforms the franchise. To me Kovy is a tier two impact player, not someone capable of turning the franchise around. Our best pickup has been Cammy (much better player then Kovy in terms of consistency/work ethic/attitude) and while I was shocked when we actually were able to get him, but I don't think he is that Hart candidate type player that we have lacked for a long time (again, I'm not counting a guy like theodore who had two good years), who not only is capable of being the heart and soul of the team (like Koivu was), but also can be considered as one of the top 5 or even top 10 players in the game.

Everything you say here is correct - the same being true of BTH's reply. But here's the thing: how often do teams fleece other teams in return for franchise players? The Leafs did it twice in the 1990s. San Jose did it with Thornton (who, if the Habs had acquired him, would be reviled among Habs fans by now for being a 'playoff bust'). Vancouver arguably did it with Luongo (another player who by now would have been ripped to shreds in Montreal as a 'playoff bust'). Those are about the only examples I can think of since the year 2000. So I don't think that's the appropriate measure of success.

Your argument about drafting/player development is MUCH closer to the mark in terms of identifying what's ailed the Habs over the last decade. (In fact, if you have really strong player development, you're much better positioned to swing a deal for the franchise player when he comes on the market, since in a cap era teams will always be looking for high-end young players and picks in return for the franchise player. Then again, if you're sending pack high picks and young players for Iilya Kovalchuk, are you really 'fleecing' the other team? I doubt that fans would think so). In short, forget about 'fleecing' teams for superstars - the real issue with the Habs has been mediocre player development, I think.

Edited September 26, 2010 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber