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Yemelin close to Montreal


JCPetit

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Yeah, I'm beginning to wonder whether we've been led up the garden path YET AGAIN regarding Mr. (Y)Emelin.

Look: Boston deliberately ended the season of our best goal-scorer AND laid two deliberate attempts to injure upon our players in Games 6 and 7 of the first round. All three incidents came from different Bruins. That is a ridiculous ratio and a testament to their being a team of scumbags as opposed to one loony tunes nutter like Cooke. Philly has Richards, Pronger, and a couple of other notoriously dirty guttersnipes. So the rep of those two franchises is well-deserved.

I don't think anyone is arguing that you need a mix of players to win. Still, it IS possible to characterize certain teams as fundamentally 'finesse' teams (Detroit, 1970s Habs). I've never heard of a team winning without any grit, although only the Broad Street Bullies seem to qualify as a team that won without any finesse element (and even they had Barber and Leach). If you ask me, two mean SOBs added to our regular roster would probably suffice.

Philly and Boston have earned their reputation over decades. It is the equivalent to a brand standard. Philly/Boston fans expect this type of team and have been conditioned for exactly this. If they iced a team like the Sabres of 06/07 the first thing they would mention if they did not succeed would be "toughness".

If I gave you two guesses who the most popular Bruin is, it would likely be Lucic or Chara. If that exact roster played on Montreal, who would sell the most jerseys? It would probably be Thomas. A two time Vezina winner in Montreal would own the city like Roy/Theo/Halak and eventually Price will. Every city identifies with different things.

In Boston they are always searching for the next Neely, Montreal it is the next Roy.

Even if Pittsburgh lead the league in PIMs, that is not their franchise identity and is unlikely to be sustained long term. Anaheim had that reputation for a couple of years, but it moved when Pronger/Brian Burke moved on.

The media might attempt to desensitize us to the facts, but Chara altered the outcome of the season with his reckless act. He did it on a night where once again the Habs were embarrassing the Bruins with skill and speed. This was on the heels of a ridiculous brawl where they attempted to send a message with goonery and a period after Boychuk low bridged Subban.

I have no problem with a player like Emelin who toes the line. I am not going to get all holier than thou about "I don't want that guy on my team" because I loved EVERY MINUTE of Chris Nilan, Claude Lemieux and Chris Chelios. Better on my team than on the other. I don't want to define my team by these players, but if the other team has nukes, there is nothing wrong with having a couple of your own to assure the other team doesn't use theirs.

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Philly and Boston have earned their reputation over decades. It is the equivalent to a brand standard. Philly/Boston fans expect this type of team and have been conditioned for exactly this. If they iced a team like the Sabres of 06/07 the first thing they would mention if they did not succeed would be "toughness".

If I gave you two guesses who the most popular Bruin is, it would likely be Lucic or Chara. If that exact roster played on Montreal, who would sell the most jerseys? It would probably be Thomas. A two time Vezina winner in Montreal would own the city like Roy/Theo/Halak and eventually Price will. Every city identifies with different things.

In Boston they are always searching for the next Neely, Montreal it is the next Roy.

Even if Pittsburgh lead the league in PIMs, that is not their franchise identity and is unlikely to be sustained long term. Anaheim had that reputation for a couple of years, but it moved when Pronger/Brian Burke moved on.

The media might attempt to desensitize us to the facts, but Chara altered the outcome of the season with his reckless act. He did it on a night where once again the Habs were embarrassing the Bruins with skill and speed. This was on the heels of a ridiculous brawl where they attempted to send a message with goonery and a period after Boychuk low bridged Subban.

I have no problem with a player like Emelin who toes the line. I am not going to get all holier than thou about "I don't want that guy on my team" because I loved EVERY MINUTE of Chris Nilan, Claude Lemieux and Chris Chelios. Better on my team than on the other. I don't want to define my team by these players, but if the other team has nukes, there is nothing wrong with having a couple of your own to assure the other team doesn't use theirs.

I like this entire post and think it absolutely rings true line for line, except for the last one.

The tough guys will do their job regardless of what the other team has waiting in the wings.

It would be nice to answer back now and then, though I don't believe in the revenge scenario / eye for an eye thing as much as others seem to.

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I like this entire post and think it absolutely rings true line for line, except for the last one.

The tough guys will do their job regardless of what the other team has waiting in the wings.

It would be nice to answer back now and then, though I don't believe in the revenge scenario / eye for an eye thing as much as others seem to.

It is great to take the moral high road, but it only works if the league defends that high road.

They don't, so you do what you have to do. The Bruins are playing tonight because they ignored the moral high road.

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It is great to take the moral high road, but it only works if the league defends that high road.

They don't, so you do what you have to do. The Bruins are playing tonight because they ignored the moral high road.

The Bruins are playing tonight because Chara took out Pacioretty? I don't think so. Outside of that hit I don't see where the Bruins have been immoral to such a degree.

More accurately I think, the Bruins are playing tonight because they had better luck on ONE goal vs Montreal and beat an injury riddled Philly with no real goaltender to speak of.

Again, I'm all for some toughness in the Habs roster and look forward to seeing what Yemelin can do.

My eye for an eye comment has more to do with the comments around the boards ( here and elsewhere ) that call for someone to break Chara's ankle etc.

If that's me on my moral high horse, then so be it.

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The Bruins are playing tonight because Chara took out Pacioretty? I don't think so. Outside of that hit I don't see where the Bruins have been immoral to such a degree.

More accurately I think, the Bruins are playing tonight because they had better luck on ONE goal vs Montreal and beat an injury riddled Philly with no real goaltender to speak of.

Again, I'm all for some toughness in the Habs roster and look forward to seeing what Yemelin can do.

My eye for an eye comment has more to do with the comments around the boards ( here and elsewhere ) that call for someone to break Chara's ankle etc.

If that's me on my moral high horse, then so be it.

We'll never know how Pacioretty would have done in the series. Given the exuberance, robustness and skill that he showed, I believe he could well have made a difference in a series of close games. One goal is all it would have taken - this from a guy on a 40-goal pace.

I'm not sure about the deterrent value of guys like Pronger and Lucic. Consider that it was the Bruins who lost their #1 C to an outrageous cheap shot; where was the deterrence there? For me, the real issue is simply whether you're going to lay down and let the other team take out your guys, or whether you're at least going to respond in kind. They drop Patches? OK, a few games later, Emelin or whoever drops Bergeron. Suddenly the series takes on a different complexion, because the Bruins have not been allowed to remove a top-line player from the equation with absolutely no ramification. Wamsley is absolutely right that as long as the league wants to reward vicious cheap shots - which is what they do when they allow a player to injure an opponent without suspension - we are simply suckers if we DON'T add a dangerous player or two to the roster. Remember: Chara got exactly the result he wanted. And players like him will continue to do so as long as the league is as criminally negligent as it is.

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Emelin and our other new Dman both have me feeling pretty good. I am still very impressed with what our boys accomplished last year with such key injuries. Very nice work from Monsieur Gauthier and our coaches as well. My pride in the Habs is , since Mr Gainey , restored.

As to the tough vs. dirty issue, dirt is dirt. I hope Emelin will bring an edge and play hard, but I don't want a guy who sends a pointed elbow pad into another man's face. That's not hockey. It's not anything human.

But... I am well pleased with how things are progresssing and am already praying for Markov's knees!

Looking forward to next year already.

:1gohabs:

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We'll never know how Pacioretty would have done in the series. Given the exuberance, robustness and skill that he showed, I believe he could well have made a difference in a series of close games. One goal is all it would have taken - this from a guy on a 40-goal pace.

I'm not sure about the deterrent value of guys like Pronger and Lucic. Consider that it was the Bruins who lost their #1 C to an outrageous cheap shot; where was the deterrence there? For me, the real issue is simply whether you're going to lay down and let the other team take out your guys, or whether you're at least going to respond in kind. They drop Patches? OK, a few games later, Emelin or whoever drops Bergeron. Suddenly the series takes on a different complexion, because the Bruins have not been allowed to remove a top-line player from the equation with absolutely no ramification. Wamsley is absolutely right that as long as the league wants to reward vicious cheap shots - which is what they do when they allow a player to injure an opponent without suspension - we are simply suckers if we DON'T add a dangerous player or two to the roster. Remember: Chara got exactly the result he wanted. And players like him will continue to do so as long as the league is as criminally negligent as it is.

RE: Pacioretty. You're right, we'll never know what might have happened but there are so many ' what if ' angles to look at it's nuts.

What if Price hadn't let in one soft goal, or Cammy had been covering the point or Hammer hadn't gotten caught looking for the penalty etc etc etc.

On the topic of Yemelin, he isn't signed yet and if we end up with him do we really know if he's a cheap shot guy? There should be a distinction drawn between grit and goon.

Having not watched the guy play and not being very familiar with him I can only hope he falls into the grit category.

It could be a great pickup for Montreal if that's the case.

The real problem re: Montreal ( or any other team ) vs Boston + cheap shots is this:

League disciplinarian Colin Campbell has a son that plays for the Bruins.

The very idea of Campbell being in charge of handing out suspensions is laughable. I realize that Campbell's lackey does the dirty work when Boston is involved but that is a very weak compromise.

Since the chances of Campbell being moved out of the disciplinary job are about a good as Gomez going to the AHL, I guess we'll have to live with it for now.

I don't think getting our own goon would make one lick of difference. Over the top cheap shots are not going to deter future over the top cheap shots.

In fact it would probably only lead to more Habs getting caught in this ridiculous cross fire.

You've been calling for Montreal to exact revenge for the Pacioretty hit and towing the thinly veiled 'eye for an eye' notion for quite some time.

Yet the very next day after Patches was hauled away on a stretcher you were ready to give up on watching NHL hockey because it had gotten too violent.

It seems we are actually perfectly ok with the violence but not the fact that the lack of punishment did not work in our favour.

Even though it's early in the series ( Tampa vs Boston ) it was clear to me tonight that a talented team with grit will prevail over the goon squad.

I hope this series proves the model yet again.

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BrenDittero, there's a big difference in violence vs. severe intent to injure. I love the physical violence in hockey, the checking, the fights, I'm not afraid to admit it. There are a set of standards in hockey, when a player is down, you don't punch him, when a player is in a vulnerable position you don't take advantage of them, and the Bruins continue to ignore there rules.

Case in point, last nights TB/Boston game, TB was up 4-2 with a minute left in the game, there was a scrum and Horton and Lucic BOTH gloved punched the TB players, and the announcers were all like "the Bruins are trying to send a message", this is the type of team they are, the type of team who fight other players while holding onto their elbow pads ala Campbell, who attack noted heavyweights Hamrlik and Spacek, who cheap head shot plays ala Ferrance. I'm all for squaring up when it's clear both players want to fight, thats honourable, what the Bruins do is NOT honourable, they intend to hurt other players.

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Yes Bar, I realize that there is a big difference between violence and severe intent to injure, in fact that is exactly my point when talking about adding a goon type player.

Looking for a player to add to the Habs roster who is dangerous and employing him for the sole purpose of acting as judge and jury when the league doesn't step up will get us nowhere.

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i hope the habs finally do sign this guy - I won't be holding my breath until its official though.

Anyone know the seriousness of the ankle injury - ie. sprain vs. break??

It would be pretty cool if we can find a way to dump Spacek and have a D consisting of the following:

Markov-Emelin

Subban-Gorges

Weber-Gill

Diaz

I'd like to inject youth and speed into this past year's slow/old D core that we had. If we can also fit Wiz into lineup and have Gill as the seventh Dman, with Diaz as a potential platoon from hamilton, we would really be set. Having a pairing of a solid offensive Dman on each pairing with a solid defensive partner who is also capable of moving the puck AND also having a defenseman on each pairing who isn't afraid to play phyiscal would really give us one of the best D's in the league

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i hope the habs finally do sign this guy - I won't be holding my breath until its official though.

Anyone know the seriousness of the ankle injury - ie. sprain vs. break??

Nothing official yet. I saw the play a few minutes ago (was taping it) and it looked to me as if he could put a little pressure on the injured leg. It wasn't much pressure but having had leg/knee injuries firsthand, being able to put even the tiniest bit of pressure is generally a good thing. Not surprisingly, he didn't come back though. Pretty entertaining game overall actually.

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i hope the habs finally do sign this guy - I won't be holding my breath until its official though.

Anyone know the seriousness of the ankle injury - ie. sprain vs. break??

It would be pretty cool if we can find a way to dump Spacek and have a D consisting of the following:

Markov-Emelin

Subban-Gorges

Weber-Gill

Diaz

I'd like to inject youth and speed into this past year's slow/old D core that we had. If we can also fit Wiz into lineup and have Gill as the seventh Dman, with Diaz as a potential platoon from hamilton, we would really be set. Having a pairing of a solid offensive Dman on each pairing with a solid defensive partner who is also capable of moving the puck AND also having a defenseman on each pairing who isn't afraid to play phyiscal would really give us one of the best D's in the league

I'm iffy on that lineup... Emelin, Weber and Diaz haven't proven they can take a regular shift in the NHL yet. Have we ever had a European free agent come over and immediately play well in the NHL? I think having 2-3 question marks on your defense is too risky. Add in having 2 players on rehabbed knees and that defense is looking a touch shaky.

Spacek, though not worth his contract, isn't awful. I think everyone is remembering him as he was after he came back from injury, and not how he was for the rest of the season. He was 1 of two of Montreal's regular defensemen who were + players (Hamrlik being the other). That is steady 5 on 5 play.

I agree that Spacek should be moved, but I don't think it should be to accommodate that lineup... it should be to accommodate another free agent signing (Wiz, Bieska, etc) with Weber dropping to the 7th spot/4th line wing.

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I think we need to get rid of Spacek, let go of Wiz and keep Hamrlik and Gill. #75 because of his leadership role and the important part he plays on the PK and Hamrlik because of the big ammount of minutes he eats up. With Weber stepping up, Markov, Gorges back, Yemelin added, and Subban that's plenty offense on the back end, which shows we don't really need Wiz. Yemelin, Markov, Subban are all better defensively than Wiz. Of course, if possible, keeping Wiz would be good but its not necessary. I see our defense like this:

Markov-Yemelin

Gill-Subban

Gorges-Hamrlik

Weber

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RE: Pacioretty. You're right, we'll never know what might have happened but there are so many ' what if ' angles to look at it's nuts.

What if Price hadn't let in one soft goal, or Cammy had been covering the point or Hammer hadn't gotten caught looking for the penalty etc etc etc.

If you use this logic than every series win becomes a "what if".

The fact that the Bruins were the ones who removed Pacioretty from the series and were the MAIN BENEFACTORS of that action is unavoidable. It isn't like they removed Ryan White. They removed a player who was dominant this year in a series that came down to 3 Boston OT wins + a 1 goal regulation win.

There is a better than average chance that Chara's act altered the outcome of that series.

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I would keep hammer but he has to take one hell of a haircut to about 1.5 mill he may not like that.

That's more like Gill money. Hamrlik is still a 2-3 mill per year defenseman on the open market.

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If you use this logic than every series win becomes a "what if".

The fact that the Bruins were the ones who removed Pacioretty from the series and were the MAIN BENEFACTORS of that action is unavoidable. It isn't like they removed Ryan White. They removed a player who was dominant this year in a series that came down to 3 Boston OT wins + a 1 goal regulation win.

There is a better than average chance that Chara's act altered the outcome of that series.

I appreciate your point Wamsley.

All season long, losing one player ( Markov, Georges etc ) didn't stop the Canadiens. I don't believe the BOS / MTL series hinged on losing Pacioretty.

He's a great player but losing the series was a chain of unfortunate moments and bad luck. The chips didn't fall our way.

We'll never know if Chara's act really altered the outcome of the series because that's a " what if " as well.

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I appreciate your point Wamsley.

All season long, losing one player ( Markov, Georges etc ) didn't stop the Canadiens. I don't believe the BOS / MTL series hinged on losing Pacioretty.

He's a great player but losing the series was a chain of unfortunate moments and bad luck. The chips didn't fall our way.

We'll never know if Chara's act really altered the outcome of the series because that's a " what if " as well.

Yemelin has been injured to a knee in the last game of the tournament. It did not look good on TV. What happens if he is sidelined for six months?

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Yemelin has been injured to a knee in the last game of the tournament. It did not look good on TV. What happens if he is sidelined for six months?

I guess the first question is have the Habs actually signed Yemelin yet?

From what I've read, Meehan is in talks with Habs management starting Tuesday ( which I interpenetrate to be tomorrow - Tuesday May 16th )

If the injury doesn't deter the Habs and they decide to acquire him, he most likely would have went to Hamilton for the start of the season.

Meaning that the D core probably would have been built without him anyway, at least for the beginning.

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That's more like Gill money. Hamrlik is still a 2-3 mill per year defenseman on the open market.

why is a 35+ player worth that kind of money? and yes mr gill will be taking a haircut as well.

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why is a 35+ player worth that kind of money? and yes mr gill will be taking a haircut as well.

34 points in 79 games this season (his best as a Canadiens, by the way, and good for 38th in the league amongst defencemen), stepped up in Markov's absence to play way more minutes than he should have, and is a steady veteran presence.

He's easily still a #4 defenseman in the NHL, and will probably only get 1 year contracts every year because of his age, but he's certainly not a 1.5 mill kind of player.

If he gets under 3 mill on the open market, I'll be shocked.

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34 points in 79 games this season (his best as a Canadiens, by the way, and good for 38th in the league amongst defencemen), stepped up in Markov's absence to play way more minutes than he should have, and is a steady veteran presence.

He's easily still a #4 defenseman in the NHL, and will probably only get 1 year contracts every year because of his age, but he's certainly not a 1.5 mill kind of player.

If he gets under 3 mill on the open market, I'll be shocked.

well then it is an easy decision I say goodbye. on this team I do not think he is a top 4 d now much less next year. God we are good :habslogo:

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I appreciate your point Wamsley.

All season long, losing one player ( Markov, Georges etc ) didn't stop the Canadiens. I don't believe the BOS / MTL series hinged on losing Pacioretty.

He's a great player but losing the series was a chain of unfortunate moments and bad luck. The chips didn't fall our way.

We'll never know if Chara's act really altered the outcome of the series because that's a " what if " as well.

We will never know if it would or not, but the difference between losing Markov and Gorges lies in the adequate replacement.

Markov was replaced by Subban and Gorges was replaced by Sopel. There was no replacement for a scoring power forward.

So ultimately the Markov/Gorges replacement replaced 80% of their ability (with the way Subban played in the playoffs I think it is fair to say close to 100%).

Who replaced Pacioretty's 30 goal production on the Gomez line in the playoffs? He had 4 goals and 2 assists in 3.5 games against the Bruins this season.

Moen and Darche had 3 points in 7 games. How would Gomez/Gionta have benefitted from playing with a dominant scoring winger with size?

I don't think it is a stretch to think Pacioretty wouldn't have made a difference over 7 games.

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