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A (narrow) path to the playoffs


patience is a virtue

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Things are coming together for the Habs. Finally. Plus, White and Markov will both be in the line up soon.

I'll assert that that there remains a narrow, but totally viable, path to the playoffs:

  1. We have to win 6 out of the 8 games between now and the trade deadline
  2. PG needs to become a buyer, if 1 is fulfilled - I'd be looking for a top six winger and a bottom six winger
  3. Markov needs to come back soon and stick, and return to form quickly
  4. One of Ottawa, Florida or Toronto need to slide downward and Montreal needs to outpace their fellow hopefuls

All doable. I actually think 4 is the easiest. Montreal plays Ottawa 3 times in March. That will be a golden opportunity.

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Things are coming together for the Habs. Finally. Plus, White and Markov will both be in the line up soon.

I'll assert that that there remains a narrow, but totally viable, path to the playoffs:

  1. We have to win 6 out of the 8 games between now and the trade deadline
  2. PG needs to become a buyer, if 1 is fulfilled - I'd be looking for a top six winger and a bottom six winger
  3. Markov needs to come back soon and stick, and return to form quickly
  4. One of Ottawa, Florida or Toronto need to slide downward and Montreal needs to outpace their fellow hopefuls

All doable. I actually think 4 is the easiest. Montreal plays Ottawa 3 times in March. That will be a golden opportunity.

Too many teams ahead of us. Too many 3 point games,as last night showed. White isn't a game changer,though a great 4th line piece moving forward,if he stays healthy,and I doubt you'll see Markov until March,if at all. We can't continue losing UFA's for nothing.We don't have anything to offer for a top 6 winger w/o it being a lateral move,unless you want to part with our 1st rder,which I don't think even PG is stupid enough to do.

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It's an interesting analysis. But I agree, the Habs will not make the playoffs.

That being said, there is a decent chance that we will follow a classic pattern of non-playoff teams: getting hot and finding their game once they are out of the race. This could at least make for a pleasant finish to the season and alleviate a little bit of that awful negativity surrounding the team. I just hope that the team doesn't get SO hot that Gauthier manages to keep his job.

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More importantly, an attempt to make it that involves being buyers and not sellers is trading our future for a miniscule chance to make the playoffs, and an even smaller chance of winning the cup.

It is the sort fo short term thinking that keeps us mediocre year after year.

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More importantly, an attempt to make it that involves being buyers and not sellers is trading our future for a miniscule chance to make the playoffs, and an even smaller chance of winning the cup.

It is the sort fo short term thinking that keeps us mediocre year after year.

No question, becoming buyers would be idiotic under these circumstances.

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I would rather the Habs not become buyers unless they are acquiring long-term fit players (ie no rentals).

as much as getting the odd pick for the Gills and Moens and Kostitsyn's, I don't mind keeping them even if we miss the playoffs. what did it cost us in terms of 'asset management' to get Cole? nothing. u lose UFAs and u gain UFAs. cap management is WAY more important than getting a pick or two.

and as for slipping in the draft, I would prefer to be in the top 5 and wouldn't mind tanking, but as long as our scouts do their jobs, it's not terrible to pick 12th.

BRING ON THE WINS!!!

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All pushing for the playoffs will do is mess everything up. We won't make the playoffs. Trying to make the playoffs hurts our draft and our future. Buying and losing contracts for nothing cripples our future.

Now on the other side of this say by chance we do make the playoffs. Then what? We're a team that has little to no chance at the cup. So we make the playoff only to be put out the first round.

Tank the season and build a contender or cripple the future to be a playoff bump for another team. I know my choice.

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I welcome this thread. It would actually be nice to have it free of people repeating over and over the idea of tanking. We have other places to talk about that. Until we're mathematically out, it's fun to think about the possibilities. On a side note, when we play the Leafs on Saturday, I'm curious if some fool is going to drop a fail for nail post. If you'd rather lose to the hated Leafs, you are no fan of this team, in my opinion.

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I welcome this thread. It would actually be nice to have it free of people repeating over and over the idea of tanking. We have other places to talk about that. Until we're mathematically out, it's fun to think about the possibilities. On a side note, when we play the Leafs on Saturday, I'm curious if some fool is going to drop a fail for nail post. If you'd rather lose to the hated Leafs, you are no fan of this team, in my opinion.

I was all for finally getting a top pick, but unless Price gets injured or Gauthier sells important assets, this team is just not bad enough for a lottery pick, they just cant compete with OIlers/Columbus and several others.

And it wouldnt surpirse me if they actually leap both Leafs and Sens by April, but 8th is just a bit much..i think?

And if picking 7th to 14th, not a big difference and all those ranked in and around that range are nice looking prospects.

I would love to see Gathier sell Moan/Gill/Campoli/Weber etc for stuff and the team still do OK and win every other game or better and still bank some extra picks/prospects.

Especially if White and Markov will be ready for final 20 games, and can easily call up St.Denis to fill in till Markov is back.

Just too bad Blunden is gone, which makes selling Moan is that much harder with Blunden hurt long term.

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Ottawa and Florida are not very good teams sitting in a playoff spot right now. There is the potential for one team to fall out completely.

The Habs are in 11th and can definitely catch Winnipeg for 10th, but there's such a large gap between 8th/9th and 10th we'll need a lot of help to make up that gap.

In no way should the Habs consider being buyers. They may not sell, I suppose, especially since selling wouldn't net a lot of return anyways (unless you sold Kostitsyn, which might get a conditional 1st rounder). Moen and Gill have value, but nothing spectacular that the team can't live without if the team decided to hang on in hopes of chasing down the Senators and Panthers.

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Looking at the Standings and there is one truth to it. Of Washington and Florida only one will make the playoffs. I think Flordia will just slip out and Washington take over third place and the division lead. I believe if we are going to look at a run the only way is to beat out Ottawa and take 8th. Toronto will probs sit in 7th by seasons end, so Montreal would focus on Winnipeg and Ottawa. We can catch these teams... If we should is another issue, but I really think Montreal is going to start winning more and more now and we will end up in either 10th or 9th... Our team is much better then Edmonton, Columbus, Carolina or the Isles... I don't think we will end up with a high pick anymore, not with players returning from injury. So unless we pull a New Jersey and win the lottery then I think Montreal will play themselves out of the bottom teams... If that is the case I would want to see us at least in the playoffs and give Boston a hard time haha!

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Two things are sure :

1. We will not make the playoffs.

2. The odds of seeing the 8th seed Oilers in the SC finale of 2006 were 10000 to 1.

The odds were actually about 65:1 in vegas.

No real odds maker that takes serious bets gives odds like that/

I welcome this thread. It would actually be nice to have it free of people repeating over and over the idea of tanking. We have other places to talk about that. Until we're mathematically out, it's fun to think about the possibilities. On a side note, when we play the Leafs on Saturday, I'm curious if some fool is going to drop a fail for nail post. If you'd rather lose to the hated Leafs, you are no fan of this team, in my opinion.

What about the last game of the season do not beat them but injure their best player ala Grabovski on Markov.

(kidding of course I never wish for injuries unless they are to players who only play the game to injure others) ie Kaleta

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I welcome this thread. It would actually be nice to have it free of people repeating over and over the idea of tanking. We have other places to talk about that. Until we're mathematically out, it's fun to think about the possibilities. On a side note, when we play the Leafs on Saturday, I'm curious if some fool is going to drop a fail for nail post. If you'd rather lose to the hated Leafs, you are no fan of this team, in my opinion.

Like I've said earlier, as much as it hurts to watch the habs lose, there has been so much hurt this year, that I could tolerate them failing for nail - as long as they win their games against the Leafs and Bruins.

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I welcome this thread. It would actually be nice to have it free of people repeating over and over the idea of tanking. We have other places to talk about that. Until we're mathematically out, it's fun to think about the possibilities. On a side note, when we play the Leafs on Saturday, I'm curious if some fool is going to drop a fail for nail post. If you'd rather lose to the hated Leafs, you are no fan of this team, in my opinion.

While tanking is never something to cheer about, I absolutely understand why people are advocating this. We have had such a dissapointing season that it seems we might as well endure a bit more to gain a franchise changing player.

What I am more interested in is your comment about hoping for the leafs, making you no fan of this team.

Hypothetically, if we came to the last game of the season and were out of the playoffs, and losing to the leafs meant getting top pick, would you still advocate that hoping we lose means you are not a HABs fan?

I get the whole leafs/bruins hatred thing and could never support either team, but in my opinion people hoping we tank (even if this includes losing to the leafs) can still be habs fans (they just can see the big picture, not just the next game)

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This team is NOT Andrei Markov, a rental center and a coaching change away from the Cup. These guys need to tank. What the organization's been doing for the past 3 years is not working, and we need to retool. Steps have already been taken in that direction, a high pick, a new coach/gm team and a different direction is needed to bring these guys back to the top 4. As long as the Habs beat Boston, the Leafs, and a few other big games(Philly, Pittsburgh, NYR) i'm comfortable with these guys losing 20 out of their last 28. Sell high, and let the rebuild begin.

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While tanking is never something to cheer about, I absolutely understand why people are advocating this. We have had such a dissapointing season that it seems we might as well endure a bit more to gain a franchise changing player.

What I am more interested in is your comment about hoping for the leafs, making you no fan of this team.

Hypothetically, if we came to the last game of the season and were out of the playoffs, and losing to the leafs meant getting top pick, would you still advocate that hoping we lose means you are not a HABs fan?

I get the whole leafs/bruins hatred thing and could never support either team, but in my opinion people hoping we tank (even if this includes losing to the leafs) can still be habs fans (they just can see the big picture, not just the next game)

I've never had a problem with the leafs as I've never considered them a rival.Just irrelevant to be honest.I guess you have to be from Canada to think that.

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It's an interesting analysis. But I agree, the Habs will not make the playoffs. That being said, there is a decent chance that we will follow a classic pattern of non-playoff teams: getting hot and finding their game once they are out of the race. This could at least make for a pleasant finish to the season and alleviate a little bit of that awful negativity surrounding the team. I just hope that the team doesn't get SO hot that Gauthier manages to keep his job.

I Gauthier really largely responsible?

I'm not an informed critic by any means but I thought he did a pretty good job with a situation that just kept slipping off the tracks no matter what he did.

Bad, bad bad result with Markov , not doubt way off the medical opinions he relied upon

Campolio who gets there finally as Markov drags out.. gets clobbered first game he almost plays Boom~

Cammy injured,

Gionta injured

Gomez injured

Faggeddaboudit....

Despair and hopelessness sets in.. .dressing room collapses.....

Kaberle... last desperate shot to try to fix the PP with what was available. Desperation move at desperat moment?

Gauthier? Or scapegoat for bad feelings to be sent off into the desert with our ill will on his back.

I don't mean to directly accuse of scapegoating incidentally: I have way too much respect for your analysis and insights in general, but I just have this sense that Gauthier's ills were team ills largely outside his pervue.

Man proposes, Allah disposes.

Once again.. I 'm not as I hardly need remind, a sage judge of the game and team,

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OH ye of collecive little faith. :rastapop: of course, you are probably right, but i am waiting for the next few games before counting this bunch out.

I'm with you . That's why odds are only odds.

My job as a fan is to cheer my team on, so...allons the hell nous!

:clap:

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While tanking is never something to cheer about, I absolutely understand why people are advocating this. We have had such a dissapointing season that it seems we might as well endure a bit more to gain a franchise changing player.

What I am more interested in is your comment about hoping for the leafs, making you no fan of this team.

Hypothetically, if we came to the last game of the season and were out of the playoffs, and losing to the leafs meant getting top pick, would you still advocate that hoping we lose means you are not a HABs fan?

I get the whole leafs/bruins hatred thing and could never support either team, but in my opinion people hoping we tank (even if this includes losing to the leafs) can still be habs fans (they just can see the big picture, not just the next game)

Ya, last game of season, we lose and get a good draft pick, I could stomach a loss to a rival.
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You know dam well that the Habs will come out and put a licking on the Leafs tonight. I just hope that this dream of being a playoff contender is put to bed before the deadline. It would be a huge mistake not to take advantage of a sub par season.

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