DON Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Briere at $4m for two years isn't bad at all. He is on the decline yes, that's why he only got $4m instead of the $7m he was previously signed to. At least we didn't sign Lecavalier for 5 years. Gagged a bit when heard him signed and also when Lafleur handed torch to him at 1st game. But, screw it if Molson wants to pay a bottom six guy $4m/yr, fine by me. But agree with you guys, that since taking over signing Prust onwards, Bergevin has done very well (even with choice of the headcoach ). Now what to do with Gionta, Markov, White, Bourque, Moan, Weaver, Bouillon (who if was English I would be positive he isn't resigned, but..). Can safely bet that; Eller will get $8-9m/3 years, or a 1 year deal to prove himself and Subban will get boatload of cash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Bourque played much better than Pacioretty in the playoffs, hew ill stay I'm sure. His size and speed are really noticeable when he actually shows up. Pacs and DD need to get better in the playoffs, that line did virtually nothing in the 3 rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 We had a very good year. Not the ending that I wanted but unfortunately the gang that can't score showed up. As they have at different times in the year. Now comes MB with a big job to do. We know that we have a good core but we really have to make some changes. Markov can't cut it anymore, gets beat too often. Gio unless he is taking a crewcut, time to go. Vanek not worth what we have to pay him. Pleks is a real toughie, still has some skill but can Eller replace him? It's a question. We need to get Tinordi and Beuliieu as regulars. Franky been nice man keep it real. Crankshaft thanks you did a good job in relief. Weaver should get a 1 year deal. Wiess sign him for 3 years. Eller sign him 3 years 2.25 mill per year. Bourque is another toughie cause he played like he can in the playoffs can we get him to do that all the time? I would if I could dump briere. Great little guy but no place on the team. Tokarski is back up next year, Peter ahl or trade for what have you. Is pateryn ready to make a play for coming up? Would be nice. All in all a lot of work to do to improve this club. They are really on the cusp, we need a goals scorer, A top 4 defenceman, Galchenyuk at centre. It will be really interesting to see what the brain trust do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Eller has proven he is awful on the wing. Keep him as the 3rd line center. If you want to play Gally at center that means one of DD or Pleks has to go. Pleks can get you a 2nd line RW. Subban will be resigned. I would not resign Markov, He is one of my favorite all time habs players but s pretty poor with mobility and defense. They need to land a top 4Dman who is a RD and move Emelin back to the LD, I don't know if Vanek was injured, if he was he would be worth resigning, he was rally good wen healthy. If he wasn't injured then no reason to sign him, didn't show much in the playoffs. They can't resign Gionta, he was invisible in the playoffs, he is small and they have enough small forwards. Goal tending will sort itself out, it doesn't matter to me who is the backup if Price is healthy. Budaj has been a really good back up for them. They still need to get bigger, younger and faster as a team, especially on the back end. Bouillon, Murray should not be resigned, If they can find a bigger more physical stay at home RD man to play on the bottom pair I would go there. If not, Weaver was really good and should be reigned. For Eller... to me there is a big difference between playing 2 games here, 2 games there on the wing, and being told you are moving there permanently. He hasn't done much but I think the sample sizes are too small. Pleks has shut down Crosby, Stamkos, Kreijci, (twice) in his playoffs... based on 6 months of Eller, I'm not sure he can replace that role, and thats a huge reason for our advancements at times. I don't just give up on that easily, especially when he contributes second line points.... and that defence for aonly 5 million. As for goaltending... thats an area you can save nearly $1 million for another position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stogey24 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Bourque played much better than Pacioretty in the playoffs, hew ill stay I'm sure. His size and speed are really noticeable when he actually shows up. Pacs and DD need to get better in the playoffs, that line did virtually nothing in the 3 rounds. For 82 games Bourque does nothing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Gionta says he wants to return and would take a pay cut. With a big enough cut, I would personally like to keep him, even if it's on a checking line/PK role. (I don't think he needs the money anyway ... not after five years at $5M apiece.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trizzak Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 If we had to trade a bottom 6er I think I'd rather trade Prust than Moen... Both are damaged goods, but at least Moen is cheaper damaged goods. Prust is turning into a liability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 You'll need both Moen and Prust for the year. They both are injury prone but play physical, good defensively and good at killing penalties. They also need someone who can win some fights, I think Moen and Prust's effective fighting days are just about over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habinator33 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Gionta says he wants to return and would take a pay cut. With a big enough cut, I would personally like to keep him, even if it's on a checking line/PK role. (I don't think he needs the money anyway ... not after five years at $5M apiece.) I think the main problem with Gionta is Therrien. If he's on the team Therrien will continue to use him in all situations. His pp time will probably decrease but when the game is on the line such as OT he'll be right back out there over Galchenyuk. That being said even at a 50% reduction he's not worth it to fill out a checking/PK role. Use the money to fix greater holes such as a top 6 winger or top 4 D. We have always had an abundance of checking/pk role players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I think the main problem with Gionta is Therrien. If he's on the team Therrien will continue to use him in all situations. His pp time will probably decrease but when the game is on the line such as OT he'll be right back out there over Galchenyuk. That being said even at a 50% reduction he's not worth it to fill out a checking/PK role. Use the money to fix greater holes such as a top 6 winger or top 4 D. We have always had an abundance of checking/pk role players. I don't think $2M (or even $2.5M) will get us a top-six winger or top-four defenceman in today's market ... and that's even assuming that there are attractive UFAs in the market that would be willing to sign with the Habs. But of course we don't know how much of a cut Gionta is willing to take: he might want $4.5M, or he might settle for $1.5M in order to stay in Montreal. He's not getting $5M anywhere though ... Therrien overusing Gionta might become less of a problem if we can sign some legit offensive power in the meantime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I think the main problem with Gionta is Therrien. If he's on the team Therrien will continue to use him in all situations. His pp time will probably decrease but when the game is on the line such as OT he'll be right back out there over Galchenyuk. That being said even at a 50% reduction he's not worth it to fill out a checking/PK role. Use the money to fix greater holes such as a top 6 winger or top 4 D. We have always had an abundance of checking/pk role players.100% agree.I think that if some of our kids are going to get a chance, there are some guys that HAVE to be moved. Galchenyuk is never going to get a real shot at centre and get the type of ice time he needs with the right linemates, as long as Pleks and DD are ahead of him. Same goes with some of our role players and Dmen. We already saw during the regular season, Tinordi and Beaulieu not get the chance they should have because of Bouillon and Murray. In the playoffs Gionta and Pleks were overplayed and Vanek was saddled wit Pleks who he had clearly zero chemistry with. I'd like to see the following moves this summer: Resign the following RFA/UFAs: -Subban -Markov (2 year max under $10M, or say goodbye) Let the following walk: -Gionta -Bouillon -Murray -Parros -Vanek (unless he is willing to take a 5 year deal under $5.5M - not going to happen) Make the following Moves: -Pleks & GOrges/picks packaged for Ryan O'Reilly or Kane. -Pick up a veteran top 4 dman like Beiksa by moving a #1 pick and the trade chip players listed below -Target a UFA like Moulsen, or trade for another 20+ goal scorer -Trade for a fast/skilled 20 goal scorer to play with Eller -bring in a veteran like Chris Higgins to play with Eller, or Weisse can play with Eller, as they had some good chemistry Trading Chips: -Prust AND Moen (otherwise we are going to see these two with more minutes that they should be getting) -Bourque - Hopefully his playoff performance creates a market - I can see a team like Colorado might bite -Pateryn - could be part of package to get a guy like Beiksa -Budaj - go with Tokarski -Briere - tough to move and has a NMC, but I'm sure he'd wave if he knows he is not going to play. The hard part is finding a team that wants him AND he'll be willing to go to. Lineup: MaxPac - DD - XXXROR/KaneXXX XXMoulsonXXX - Galchenyuk - Gallaghar XXXHigginsXXX - Eller - XXXskill/speedXXX Weisse - Bournival - White Subban - XXXBeiksaXXX Markov - Beaulieu Tinordi - Emelin Weaver That's a lot of change and i think if we bring in a good mix of veterans and youth to replace some of the leadership we are losing, we will be better. -I'm not against keeping one of Moen or Prust, but i just think they will be over used by MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobin Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Trade Tokarski while his value is high. Tokarski is 24 and not going to backup Price. Budaj is perfect for 15 games a year, cheap, and has one more year. Ultimately, they will probably bring Fucale in as a much younger backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sim.on Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I don't believe we will be able to afford Weaver. Whatever we want to pay him, the New York Islanders will be able to promise more minutes and more money (even with them being a cheap team). We have Markov and Subban as priorities. Time to get Tinordi in there. I think the team will try to package several players to get a superstar winger. Free Agency won't solve that question. That's where guys like Moen and Bourque will come in handy. Weaver might be happy to stay in Mtl for less than top dollar and minutes just cause life is better when you're on a winning team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCHabnut Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Trade Tokarski while his value is high. Tokarski is 24 and not going to backup Price. Budaj is perfect for 15 games a year, cheap, and has one more year. Ultimately, they will probably bring Fucale in as a much younger backup. Toker and emelin for bieksa? Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trizzak Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I think the main problem with Gionta is Therrien. If he's on the team Therrien will continue to use him in all situations. His pp time will probably decrease but when the game is on the line such as OT he'll be right back out there over Galchenyuk. That being said even at a 50% reduction he's not worth it to fill out a checking/PK role. Use the money to fix greater holes such as a top 6 winger or top 4 D. We have always had an abundance of checking/pk role players. People seem to be forgetting just how much Gionta has regressed. Both his biceps are blown out, so his shot is nowhere what it once was. I doubt he ever scores 20 goals a season ever again. And if we're looking for a checking/PK forward, I think we can do better than a 5'7" 35 year old who has also lost a bit of speed. The only thing he brings that another UFA might not is leadership, and I'm okay with losing that. Give Gorges the C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 For Eller... to me there is a big difference between playing 2 games here, 2 games there on the wing, and being told you are moving there permanently. He hasn't done much but I think the sample sizes are too small. Pleks has shut down Crosby, Stamkos, Kreijci, (twice) in his playoffs... based on 6 months of Eller, I'm not sure he can replace that role, and thats a huge reason for our advancements at times. I don't just give up on that easily, especially when he contributes second line points.... and that defence for aonly 5 million. As for goaltending... thats an area you can save nearly $1 million for another position. I'm for keeping Pleks, unless we can get a young star forward back for him in a package. Like maybe: Pleks Prust Tokarski to Winnipeg for Evander Kane. Of course it's opening one hole to fill another, and no one would fill Pleks' shoes. But that's the type of move that, with a developing Galchenyuk, could set up our core going forward for the next decade. I'm unsure about Eller on the wing after he had his best 17 games of the season at C. Galchenyuk should certainly get much longer shots at C, but he's a guy who I'm skeptical about being a centreman at the NHL level. He has the two-way defensive awareness of Patrick Kane. He has great vision and passing skills that are probably best suited for C, but they could also be adapted for the wing, if the defensive sacrifice is too great. He definitely needs to put on some muscle and become more sure of himself, so the jury's still out for a couple of years. If we had to trade a bottom 6er I think I'd rather trade Prust than Moen... Both are damaged goods, but at least Moen is cheaper damaged goods. Prust is turning into a liability. I'm with you on trading Prust. He's a declining asset with all his injuries, yet his trade value would be much higher than Moen's (I bet we could get a second-rounder+ for him). He was a key part of the culture change on the Habs, but he's not a core guy that we can rely on all that much. We have youth and other pluggers that can take his spot - Bourney should be an everyday player, for instance, and Weise might be better at this stage of his career (not better at punching faces, however). If need be, we can get another goon to ride the pine, and who can take an occasional shift more competently than Parros (although it's unlikely that he'd be as PR-friendly). To those wanting Briere gone, we're almost certainly stuck with him for another year, unless he was so unhappy with 4th line minutes on a conference finals team that he demanded a trade from his boyhood dream club. Not going to bank on it. We don't have space on our cap for Gionta, and a leadership exodus is a little worrying. But this has to be the young core's team now. Gorges, PK, Gallagher, Patches and DD have to be leaders, and they've shown encouraging signs thus far. I don't expect much leadership from Pleks or Markov, but they're solid vets who will pull their own weight. Maybe even Eller can be a quiet leader for us, after playing like a man when it counted most. Tinordi's an assistant captain waiting to happen. Beaulieu and at least one of Tinordi/Pateryn, if not both, should be on the squad next year. There will be some growing pains, but we need our top talent playing for us. Tinordi's turning 23 next season, so he's not that young, and Beaulieu is an NHLer for sure. It would be a shame to lose Pateryn without giving him a real shot, and who knows, he may beat out Tinordi next fall. I agree with Commandant that there's a lot to be hopeful for, much more than in 2010. We're still a key piece or two away from true contention, but there's some chance - in the form of Beaulieu, Galchenyuk, and some other young guys - that it could come from within. I expect Bergevin to be wheeling and dealing this summer, however, and his track record at the trading block is encouraging. To the draft! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuternoga Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Mike Weaver wants to wear the bleu, blanc et rouge in next season. That's great. Sign Subby, Eller, Weaver, Callahan maybe. I can't wait to see what will happen in offseason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Lots of blue-skying on here (Habs29's posts are usually great, but the one above basically restructures the entire roster - that is not going to happen, and even less likely to happen are the specific trades and moves he advocates). Fantasy trades are no more than that because we have little idea about what the other team wants to do. E.g., identifying Bieksa, Higgins, Kane, these all make assumptions about the vision of the management of the other teams. It's sheer wish-fulfillment. Personally, then, I think we should focus on narrower questions, e.g., which UFA, if any, should the Habs target, and what would you pay them? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted June 1, 2014 Author Share Posted June 1, 2014 Brianne did an off-season plan as well on our site.http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/06/01/montreal-canadiens-off-season-plan/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Lots of blue-skying on here (Habs29's posts are usually great, but the one above basically restructures the entire roster - that is not going to happen, and even less likely to happen are the specific trades and moves he advocates). Fantasy trades are no more than that because we have little idea about what the other team wants to do. E.g., identifying Bieksa, Higgins, Kane, these all make assumptions about the vision of the management of the other teams. It's sheer wish-fulfillment. Right. They are not going to blow apart this year's roster -- hopefully we'll get some good improvements, but it's not like we need to start over from scratch. With regards to goalies, Tokarski might not be thrilled to be a backup for three years, but we could probably sign him to an entry-level contract for much less than the $1.4M we pay Budaj. And cap room is good. That said, if Tokarski's trade value ends up being much higher, that might tilt the scales in the other direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Tokarski is under contract till 2015/16 at 575,000 per year so we save a mill just by making him the backup. Let's face it MT played him over Budaij so no way peter comes back next year. MT does not have faith in him so either trade him or bury him in hamilton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Brianne did an off-season plan as well on our site. http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/06/01/montreal-canadiens-off-season-plan/ Bites the bullet and advocates moving Plekanec. That is certainly the big, controversial proposition in this piece - the rest is, to my mind, pretty hard to refute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habinator33 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Tokarski is under contract till 2015/16 at 575,000 per year so we save a mill just by making him the backup. Let's face it MT played him over Budaij so no way peter comes back next year. MT does not have faith in him so either trade him or bury him in hamilton. Does Tokarski have to clear waivers at the start of the season in order to go down to the AHL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Does Tokarski have to clear waivers at the start of the season in order to go down to the AHL? yes he does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 yes he does. So we'll need to trade one of Budaj or Tokarski, it's just a question of which one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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