Machine of Loving Grace Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Arnott is still good enough to play third line with occasional top six duties. If we moved Eller to wing permanently he'd be a definite option but I don't believe he's ever had interest coming to Montreal. He was close with Gainey in Dallas and Gainey made him an incredible offer to come here several years ago and he took less money to play with Nashville. The rumour I remember was he took $1M less per year to play in Nashville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nihilz Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Arnott is still good enough to play third line with occasional top six duties. If we moved Eller to wing permanently he'd be a definite option but I don't believe he's ever had interest coming to Montreal. He was close with Gainey in Dallas and Gainey made him an incredible offer to come here several years ago and he took less money to play with Nashville. The rumour I remember was he took $1M less per year to play in Nashville. I hear ya but, times change. Im personally not confident in Eller playing top 6 unless its at center. Especially as a fill measure to play with Plek & Gio. Just to complete a line, kinda deal. Its not in Eller's ability to play wing, just the cohesion of the line and moreover concern for Eller's development. Regardless, as I mentioned, the 4th line center is a piece that has enigmatically eluded the Habs for a while. And ever more an issue glaring on the side of an epidemic with some having Noke notched in as their starter. Hopefully.. a Moore, Halpern or even a healthy Betts who played with Prust in nyc... would definitely make me feel better than the lingering top 6 "issue" right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Eller is so much better at C than as a Winger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Eller is so much better at C than as a Winger. If he can't win faceoffs he'll never be a C in the NHL. So let's hope he gets better in the circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 If he can't win faceoffs he'll never be a C in the NHL. So let's hope he gets better in the circle. I prefer a 46 FO% with good C skills than a 53 FO% with less skills... Don't you ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I prefer a 46 FO% with good C skills than a 53 FO% with less skills... Don't you ? Pretty difficult to show those skills when you're constantly losing the faceoff and never having puck possession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Pretty difficult to show those skills when you're constantly losing the faceoff and never having puck possession. Well, better trade Eller right now cuz he's awful when playing W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Well, better trade Eller right now cuz he's awful when playing W. Or you work with him and put him in the best position to succeed so he learns either role. Going forward, he's either going to be our second line center, third line center or a top six winger. Anything less would be a disappointment and he has the next two years to develop before we put expectations on him he has to meet or he's gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Or you work with him and put him in the best position to succeed so he learns either role. Going forward, he's either going to be our second line center, third line center or a top six winger. Anything less would be a disappointment and he has the next two years to develop before we put expectations on him he has to meet or he's gone. I think it's much more easy to developp faceoffs skills than overall positional skills no ? I'd be more than happy if he could develop into a kind of Jordan Staal as a 3rd C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I think it's much more easy to developp faceoffs skills than overall positional skills no ? I'd be more than happy if he could develop into a kind of Jordan Staal as a 3rd C. Wouldn't we all? It took Staal five seasons to become a 50+% faceoff center so I'm not giving up hope with Eller. It just has to be a coaching decision to decide who would excel where better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankhab Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Winning faceoffs is something Eller can learn. You can't learn size and talent, which he has. Relax, he's at least 3rd line centre, probably 2nd line in a few years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Well, better trade Eller right now cuz he's awful when playing W. Is he improving though? He played the wing exclusively for Denmark at the Worlds and was their best player in the tournament (and he was playing alongside another NHL'er on his line before anyone brings up the lack of talented linemates argument). I agree that he has looked better play wise down the middle but he'd certainly be an intriguing option on the wing if he can keep improving there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueKross Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Eller will be fine. You would wonder how a young player coming in would have any success or knowledge of how to be successful, with the piecemeal line-ups and coaching staff for that matter. Also apart from what I just stated, the man-frame typically starts to show about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Is he improving though? He played the wing exclusively for Denmark at the Worlds and was their best player in the tournament (and he was playing alongside another NHL'er on his line before anyone brings up the lack of talented linemates argument). I agree that he has looked better play wise down the middle but he'd certainly be an intriguing option on the wing if he can keep improving there. I would say the exact same about PLakanec/Desharnais, as both suck on faceoffs, but someone has to play there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I would say the exact same about PLakanec/Desharnais, as both suck on faceoffs, but someone has to play there. Eller has the size to be a more effective guy on the boards than those two do so there is a bit of a difference. Your point is true though, someone's going to have to slide to the wing before long (when Galchenyuk is ready to play C at the NHL level) if they want to keep everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueKross Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Eller has the size to be a more effective guy on the boards than those two do so there is a bit of a difference. Your point is true though, someone's going to have to slide to the wing before long (when Galchenyuk is ready to play C at the NHL level) if they want to keep everyone. I think it is pretty presumptuous to think Gally will be here longer than 10 games, wishful thinking maybe. With are record of injuries, extra top line centers aren't a problem as far as I am concerned. The direction of where to put the extra center will sort itself out when the time comes. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to make that kind of decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Fascinating graphic from the Financial Post (courtesy of JT's excellent blog: http://habsloyalist....6/tax-tilt.html): http://business.fina...ily-tax-havens/ This really underscores the fundamental competititve disadvantage the Habs face when trying to seduce UFAs. A contract like Moen's, for instance, actually pays him around $200 000 less annually than he'd make in Florida. And the bigger the contract, the bigger the tax hit. It's simply bad business to sign in Montreal unless the Habs are prepared to 'overpay' you relative to low-tax markets. A Parise-like deal yields a differential of over $700 000 per year. Imagine that over the life of (say) a 10-year contract - you're talking $7 million in foregone revenue for the player. JT's proposed solution - adjusting the salary cap to compensate for taxes - is of course perfectly sensible. But, rather like the excellent idea that fines and traffic tickets should be charged as a % of income rather than a flat rate, or the equally sensible idea of drug legalization, it won't go anywhere. Too bad. Wow. RDS.ca came up with this "news" today, July 9th... About time no ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I think it is pretty presumptuous to think Gally will be here longer than 10 games, wishful thinking maybe. With are record of injuries, extra top line centers aren't a problem as far as I am concerned. The direction of where to put the extra center will sort itself out when the time comes. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to make that kind of decision. I certainly don't think he'll be in Montreal more than 9 games, I'm not even sure I'd want him to get that many this year. 'Before long' was referring to a year or two down the road from now when he should have an NHL year under his belt, be it on the wing or already at centre. At that time there may be a logjam where someone has to switch to the wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueKross Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I certainly don't think he'll be in Montreal more than 9 games, I'm not even sure I'd want him to get that many this year. 'Before long' was referring to a year or two down the road from now when he should have an NHL year under his belt, be it on the wing or already at centre. At that time there may be a logjam where someone has to switch to the wing. I figured as much. Kind of a luxury to have that problem given that we have taken how many years to come up wth one power center assuming that we got him now. As far as I can see we have a year or two to figure that out. We all know a lot can change in a year. I believe getting a number one big power center is the most difficult piece to attain in todays hockey world. I would start my focus next year in getting another one lined up, because it may be years before we can get another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankhab Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I certainly don't think he'll be in Montreal more than 9 games, I'm not even sure I'd want him to get that many this year. 'Before long' was referring to a year or two down the road from now when he should have an NHL year under his belt, be it on the wing or already at centre. At that time there may be a logjam where someone has to switch to the wing. Odds are against Gally making the team this year, but I don't think its crazy to suggest he could. I'd give him about a 60% chance to get the 9 game tryout, and about a 20% chance of staying with the team. His odds are that low because of all the games he missed. Bergevin and Timmons were very high on this guy, apparently they have liked him for quite some time, and I trust our new management team to handle the situation correctly. Many prospects have been rushed ahead of schedule to the NHL. Many, however, have played right out of the draft, (Owen Nolan, Joe Thorton, etc are players who come to mind as not putting up points in first year) and while they hardly dominated the first year, they did stick around and learn a few things, and were better off for it in the long run. Its probably going to be a tough decision, because I think this guy is going to have an amazing camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The Habs put in a call to Doan's agent today and were told that Doan has some interest in coming to Montreal. Good to hear that they're looking into him at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The Habs put in a call to Doan's agent today and were told that Doan has some interest in coming to Montreal. Good to hear that they're looking into him at least. https://twitter.com/...450938043056128 The talk is that Doan has told every team that has called he has interest in coming to their club. Call your cousin, Carey! That'll at least quiet the people still hurt about us turning down Jagr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The talk is that Doan has told every team that has called he has interest in coming to their club. Call your cousin, Carey! That'll at least quiet the people still hurt about us turning down Jagr. Jagr? i would say we more like dodged a bullet with that old timer. Doan is a different story and would like to see it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankhab Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I Jagr? i would say we more like dodged a bullet with that old timer. Doan is a different story and would like to see it happen. I wouldn't bet on Doan coming here. We don't have the cap space, we're a few years from contending, and I think our greater need is on D. Of course, I've been wrong many times before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueKross Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I listened to Doan's agent on Prime Time Sports and he said that he is not taking offers until he can make some sense of Phoenix situation. He said that there was more information that happened today and that he hoped that they would be trying to come to some conclusion in the near future. Phoenix is still Doan's first choice and the fixings of a deal have already been discussed. He also said that upwards of 15 teams had expressed interest in Doan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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