Lovett's Magnatones Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 The Habs need more offense. They have for some years. There seems to be either an aversion to giving up the assets needed to get a 25-35 goal winger, or a lack of wingers available for trade/signing. A phrase I've been thinking of over the past week is "a mixture of players." I think it's possible to make a lateral move to bring in a different mixture of players instead of relying on a rental or a UFA signing to jumpstart the offense. If you look a the trades the Cup team won in the last few years, the trend is towards shipping out quality roster players to get a different look. And it's worked. BOS 2010-2011 - Blake Wheeler for Rich Peverly, Chris Kelly for a 2nd. Kaberle for futures LAK 2011-2012 - Jack Johnson for Jeff Carter CHI 2012-2013 - Michael Handzus for futures (rental) LAK 2013-2014 - Frattin and futures for Marian Gaborik CHI 2014-2015 - Vermette and Andrew Desjardins (rentals) The center dept sucks. Flat out sucks. I'm tired of watching Plekanec and Desharnais especially. The centers are small, they can't create Jack, and with the exception of Galchenyuk, there's no offensive creativity or cycling of the puck. So here's what I do if I'm Marc Bergevin. I pull DD out of practice and pick up the phone...just kidding. I would call St Louis about Paul Stastny, and the player I offer is Tomas Plekanec. Keep in mind Stastny has three goals this year and two years left on his deal like Plekanec. The cap hit is 7 million, so there can be a waiver dump if need be on the Habs side to make the dollars work. Then I put Eller back and center and move DD to wing. Next year, I call up Michael McCarron to play center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Trading for Scott Gomez 2.0 (7 million dollar cap hit, 3 goals) been in decline for many years now, is not the way i want to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 Trading for Scott Gomez 2.0 (7 million dollar cap hit, 3 goals) been in decline for many years now, is not the way i want to go. That's hyperbole. These are two players that are struggling. I would rather run Galchenyuk, Stastny, Eller and McCarron over Plekanec, Galchenyuk, DD, Mitchell. Face it, nobody would take DD or Mitchell on waivers. Half of the forward corp is garbage. Time for a major shakeup. And they're BIG. Do you stay up late enough to watch the West? How many teams run three centers under 6 feet? You like possession hockey. How many small centers can cycle the puck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Pleks and DD are mired in huge slumps. If you think this is representative of their games, then yes, move them by all means, for Stastny or someone else. If you think these slumps are an aberration - which, statistically, they are - you're better off holding on to them than making a desperation move, waiting for them to grind out of it, and then add another top-6 FW at the deadline to bolster the offence. (I worry, as you probably know, that Pleks is past his prime. DD is just in a prolonged funk). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 Pleks and DD are mired in huge slumps. If you think this is representative of their games, then yes, move them by all means, for Stastny or someone else. If you think these slumps are an aberration - which, statistically, they are - you're better off holding on to them than making a desperation move, waiting for them to grind out of it, and then add another top-6 FW at the deadline to bolster the offence. (I worry, as you probably know, that Pleks is past his prime. DD is just in a prolonged funk). My argument is simple, and Stastny is just an example. The forward configuration needs to be blown to smithereens. It's not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IN THE HEARTS OF MEN Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 DD is In a prolonged slump every season... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stogey24 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I like this thread. I haven't been so unhappy with a Habs roster in a long time. I just don't see it this year. They 100% need a mix up. (Statsny just got hurt though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 That's hyperbole. These are two players that are struggling. I would rather run Galchenyuk, Stastny, Eller and McCarron over Plekanec, Galchenyuk, DD, Mitchell. Face it, nobody would take DD or Mitchell on waivers. Half of the forward corp is garbage. Time for a major shakeup. And they're BIG. Do you stay up late enough to watch the West? How many teams run three centers under 6 feet? You like possession hockey. How many small centers can cycle the puck? My point is that Stastny is a 7 million cap hit, for a centre who is in clear decline. I don't see that helping us. Size or not, he is not putting up points. you might be right on the problem being the size of DD and Pleks both in the same top 3 centres. I just don't like the proposed solution of Stastny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IN THE HEARTS OF MEN Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I certainly don't like stastny either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueKross Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 At the current pace, we will be a lottery team come trade deadline. Yeah, I said lottery not wildcard. For the faint of heart, that's when you realize that you are not near good enough, and trade assets for picks. Nobody here wants us to fall that hard, but it is evident that it is a real possibility, unless something drastically changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoRP Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 At the current pace, we will be a lottery team come trade deadline. Yeah, I said lottery not wildcard. For the faint of heart, that's when you realize that you are not near good enough, and trade assets for picks. Nobody here wants us to fall that hard, but it is evident that it is a real possibility, unless something drastically changes. I agree, the team is not good enough, without Price that is. With Price, we might make the playoffs, and may win one round. I am even more tired of watching Plek and DD than Lovett's is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Excuse me, is this the Auston Mattews (Laine or Gauthier maybe) thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stogey24 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I agree, the team is not good enough, without Price that is.With Price, we might make the playoffs, and may win one round.I am even more tired of watching Plek and DD than Lovett's is... Yup, I think we're all getting frustrated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovett's Magnatones Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 I'm more tired of watching Desharnais than Plekanec, but Desharnais isn't going to bring the return they need. DD is on my crap list lately. I can't remember the last time I saw him win a puck battle behind the net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stogey24 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I'm more tired of watching Desharnais than Plekanec, but Desharnais isn't going to bring the return they need. DD is on my crap list lately. I can't remember the last time I saw him win a puck battle behind the net. They're both on the crap list man. Plekanec is NOT the same player as last year. Look at Pacioretty lately. He doesn't smile after goals, barley shows any enthusiasm out there anymore. He needs some guys to play with. This team has turned into a joke. 90% grinders and third liners. Carey Price may very well be the reason our g.M and coach have had success in their tenure with this team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I would assume the play of your #1 goalie is normally a part of a teams success or failure and coasting into the playoffs the last few years likely had something to do with having a #31 on your team. If put a Price on the Leafs and I guarantee they would be a better team. I did just watch video of Max after Subban and then his goal the game before and he didn't look like he was in a depression and looked to me generally pleased they scored. You think an imposter is wearing #14? Last year Plekanec had 60pts and guess what pace he is on this year...61. That seems quite similar to me and not that of an over the hill washed up guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Add me to the list of disgruntled fans; I am sick and tired of watching a pop-gun offense saddled with too many smurfs and bargain bin pickups year after year. I don't think the team is as bad as they look right now, but there are trends that bite them in the ass repeatedly: small skilled players are fine, but you can only have so many on a roster before it exposes you in tough games (think DD and his disappearing act in the playoffs). Our 2nd line is a joke; how is Galchenyuk supposed to generate results when he started the year with Lars F-ing Eller on one wing and a Semin on the other, and now has two guys that belong in the AHL this year flanking him? Perhaps this extended absence of the best goalie in the world was in some ways a blessing; it shows what we really have, and that's an impotent group of forwards as a whole who can't score enough to be considered a true contender. This team has only succeeded because Carey Price has robbed better teams game after game after game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 This is definitely the 'Frustration' thread. With Carey Price, this team was widely rated a second-tier contender last season and a first-tier contender through October and November of this season. Everyone agreed we had a superstar defenceman well-surrounded with a mobile, intelligent defence corps, and although our FW configuration was not overpowering, it contained an elite sniper, a young guy with possibly elite potential, and some nice second-tier FW talent scattered through the roster. Carey Price gets hurt - and, coincidentally or otherwise, players who normally produce a certain level of offence go bone-dry - and now we're talking about blowing it all up. It doesn't make sense. Price is part of the team. Indeed, this team, unlike, say, Chicago, is built from the goal line out. If we're in the region of being contenders with him in net, then we don't need to blow it up. We just need to add that missing element (a top-6 FW) that everyone agreed we needed even when we did have Price. That said, we certainly should be looking to improve in any way that we can. If an upgrade on DD becomes attainable without opening up new holes in the organization, then of course we should pursue it. If Plekanec is deemed to have begun the downside of his career rather than just being in a slump, then the same applies. But it makes no more sense to blow up this team due to Price's injury, than it would make to blow up Washington because Ovechkin happened to go down. At most we should fire the coach for his inability to make the team rise to the occasion in the way that, say, Dan Byslma had the Penguins winning like crazy through all of Crosby's injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Agree, CC...I'm not talking about absolutely blowing it up or rebuilding, I just want to see a significant move made to add top 6 scoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stogey24 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Don, your boy Plekanec had 3 goals in the last 37 games. That doesn't worry you at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I would have no problem with moving pleks, dd, eller and yes markov, one of my all time favorite habs but he is a shell of his former self and a team like Washington would certainly trade for him. I think his no move contract expired last year This team needs size, grit and to get younger and more talented Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 sbhatt: we definitely need to add a top-6 FW. I don't think anyone disagrees. Still, you have to be careful that you don't create new problems in your effort to fix an old one. E.g., trading Beaulieu would create a major organizational problem in terms of who supplants Markov as our second offensive defenceman. So, I respect that it's not easy to make that big addition, and I don't want Zoot Suit to make a desperation move. That way lies McDonagh for Gomez. Stogey, Plek's goal-scoring is a HUGE issue. I hope Bergy is asking hard questions about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Worry...no. He is darn consistent producer, still plays big minutes vs top opponents, never misses any games and slumps happen. Why the whole vet group's offense has dried up at same time is beyond me? When the younger players seem to be doing fine, even the rookie goalie is holding his own? Trade Plekanec, before his contract extension even kicks in is quite unlikely, but am sure many GMs would love to add him to their roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 It sounds like PK is fed up of the forwards being unable to score too:http://www.gohabsgo.com/2016/01/09/pk-subban-was-heated-following-last-nights-loss/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Markov is tied for 20th in NHL d-scoring, am sure he would find may a happy GM to take him off Montreal's hands also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.