NHL Offseason Thread

[Commandant]

Thanks, teacher.

Might also help to have a superlative forward better than 4th line on Team USA.

Sure, we need better top end talent.

Not sure where I ever said we didn't.

Explain how signing Mike Brown would bring us closer to the goal of acquiring another top line forward.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Bergevin is a genius. He trades for Brown, scrivens and John Scott (his bum buddy's, I mean his axxhole, I mean fox hole buddy's type of players), and trades away subban.

Let's just go with "hole buddy"...

Where've you been, Habs29? I'm looking forward for the season just to read your acerbic take on things.

As for Brown, he is exactly the kind of borderline mediocrity who tends to look good on terrible teams. I saw more than my fill of these types of players from 1997-2006 or so. So long, don't let the bench door hit your arse on the way out

[xXx..CK..xXx]

My first look at the 2016-17 Habs comes courtesy of NHL 17 for my Xbox. The team is having a tough time trying to gel with all the new faces. Price is quite rusty in there and needs to tighten up. The top line of Pac, Chucky and Gally is a threat every time they are on the ice. Weber looks solid out there, dishing some hits and chipping in on offense. Radulov looks lost out there and is likely missing Russia. The team is playing great defensively but is having a tough time scoring goals, so nothing new there.

Picked it up as well and the Habs need to get their ish together! Can't keep it close with them. Price definitely looks rusty and Radulov is useless. Those things will change once the season actually starts though.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

As for Brown, he is exactly the kind of borderline mediocrity who tends to look good on terrible teams. I saw more than my fill of these types of players from 1997-2006 or so. So long, don't let the bench door hit your arse on the way out

Ugh. Memories of Brad Staubitz praise is flooding back in.

[Guest Stogey24]

I see plenty of nhl teams that do quite well without a mike brown type. Including the last 4 teams in a stanley cup final

So L.A didn't have Jared Stoll and Chicago didn't just Sign Jordin tootoo?

Your acting like these guys will be playing 20min a night. They add sand paper when needed and create energy. That's their role.

If you pay Brown 575,000 to bring a high tempo game every once and a while I think it would be a good thing for this team. Habs bottom 6 is buttery, unless McCarron makes the team.

[Commandant]

The last 4 teams in the Stanley cup final were Pittsburgh, San Jose, Chicago, and Tampa Bay. So clearly I wasn't talking about LA.

That said... Jarret Stoll has 388 career points, a very high faceoff percentage and 0 NHL fights in 872 career games. I don't understand how he applies.

http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/2103

Jordin Tootoo spent the season in New Jersey and was not a part of any of the three Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup winning teams. Again I'm failing to see how he applies.

Tampa does just fine without a "sandpaper, energy guy"; Chicago has 3 cups without one, Pittsburgh just won the cup, and San Jose went to the finals after dumping Mike Brown for nothing.

There are fewer and fewer teams carrying this guy on the bottom six, and there is a reason for that. You just don't need this type of player to be successful, and are better off with a specialist who wins face-offs, or kills penalities, or provides a little skill or isn't a total liability. A lot of these Mike Brown types are liabilities on the ice and yeah he doesn't play 20 minutes, but for the 6 to 8 minutes he does play, its almost like a power play for the opposition.

Don't let the facts get in the way of the old Don Cherry style arguments about toughness being necessary though. With such reasoning as "the bottom six is soft as butter".... I don't know where that comes from but sure... Of course the bottom six was the farthest thing from a problem for last year's habs.

How about 1) lack of scoring in the top 6, 2) lack of reliable goaltending, 3) injuries on defence.... those were all far, far greater problems than the group of Mitchell, Fleischmann, Weise, Byron, etc... who performed pretty well up to the trade deadline.

[Guest Stogey24]

Once again. Your acting like these players are the reason teams are or aren't winning a cup.

Bowman (the guy who recently won 3 cups) obviously saw a reason to signing tootoo this year. No? Or he just signed him for fun.

Tampa has Callaghan,Brown,Paquette, and Boyle. All guys who play gritty and add that sand paper. They don't need that extra bit of grit.

If Montreal didn't have..

Andrighetto-Desharnais- Byron

Flynn-mitchell-danault

Probably the softest bottom 6 in the league, then ya, I'd say don't pick up a Brown type of player, but they need something in that bottom 6 that's going to do some mucking in the corners and lay the body when it's necessary. It's not about fighting.

[Commandant]

"Once again. Your acting like these players are the reason teams are or aren't winning a cup."

I never said that their presence prevents you from winning a cup.

I said that there is no reason to have them. They are not necessary to win a cup.

J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette, Dan Boyle.... these are not players I'm arguing against... these are players who actually provide some worth to a team

Mike Brown does not.

You are comparing apples and oranges.

None of those teams have a player whose sole purpose is to have stage fights and run around like an idiot.

[Guest Stogey24]

How is that comparing apples and Oranges?

I said Tampa has Callaghan,Brown,Paquette, and Boyle. All guys who play gritty and add that sand paper. They don't need that extra bit of muscle that a player like Brown brings.

Montreal doesn't have the luxury of having the Paquette's or Boyle's of this world. So adding a guy like Brown makes sense in their situation to add some sand paper to the line up. Just as Chicago did adding Tootoo.

[DON]

Let's just go with "hole buddy"...Just creepy.

Where've you been, Habs29? I'm looking forward for the season just to read your acerbic take on things... He has been working on his shtick.

[DON]

Tampa does just fine without a "sandpaper, energy guy"; Chicago has 3 cups without one, Ahhh, what about ; Ben Eager and Dustin Byfuglien in 2010 would qualify, no? Bollig, Brookbank in 2013, Carcillo in 2015

[Commandant]

How is that comparing apples and Oranges?

I said Tampa has Callaghan,Brown,Paquette, and Boyle. All guys who play gritty and add that sand paper. They don't need that extra bit of muscle that a player like Brown brings.

Montreal doesn't have the luxury of having the Paquette's or Boyle's of this world. So adding a guy like Brown makes sense in their situation to add some sand paper to the line up. Just as Chicago did adding Tootoo.

Callahan is a top 6 forward

Brown Paquette and Boyle all can play hockey.

I had no issue with adding an Andrew Shaw, who can play gritty and play hockey.

The apples to oranges is adding a player like Brown who is a liability on the ice.

That's why its apples and oranges.

[Commandant]

Tampa does just fine without a "sandpaper, energy guy"; Chicago has 3 cups without one, Ahhh, what about ; Ben Eager and Dustin Byfuglien in 2010 would qualify, no? Bollig, Brookbank in 2013, Carcillo in 2015

Dustin Byfuglien? Really? The guy scored how many goals??? Played in the top 6.

Eager scored 18 goals over his two years with the Hawks and killed penalties. He contributed.

Bollig played 25 regular season games and 5 playoff games in 2013.

Carcillo played 4 playoff games in 2013. 0 playoff games in 2015.... Wasn't exactly used

Brookbank played 1 playoff game in 2013

[DON]

Dustin Byfuglien? Really? The guy scored how many goals??? Played in the top 6.

Eager scored 18 goals over his two years with the Hawks and killed penalties. He contributed.

Bollig played 25 regular season games and 5 playoff games in 2013.

Carcillo played 4 playoff games in 2013. 0 playoff games in 2015.... Wasn't exactly used

Brookbank played 1 playoff game in 2013

Contributed? They are all goonish and were dressed for the season (some were more talented, but irrelevant), playoffs are different and basically no fights are there. Would Brown, Parros, Larocque of dressed for the Habs if they made the finals? Unlikely, but unlikely Semenko played much in playoffs either did he?

[Commandant]

Semenko?

This isn't the 80s, much has changed, including the instigator rule.

Playoff games show value.

question if these guys are so helpful to winning games, why don't they play when winning games becomes even more important.

If fighting helps you win games, why do fights disappear in the playoffs?

Is it about intimidating the other team, is it about protecting your players? If so why would these guys disappear when you are playing the same team 4-7 games in a row, and intimidation or protection should be even more important. Theoretically, there is even more incentive in the playoffs, more than any other time of the year to injure an opponents best player as he will miss important games against your team (and in the regular season he is missing games not against you), so why are these "protectors" put in the press box?

[Machine of Loving Grace]

Callahan is a top 6 forward

I agree with you on everything except this and comparing apples to oranges. Since apples and oranges are pretty frikkin similar.

[Commandant]

Also Byfuglien isn't goonish... not in the least. The guy is tough, but can play hockey. If Byfuglien is a goon, than Shea Weber is also a goon.

[Meller93]

I agree with you on everything except this and comparing apples to oranges. Since apples and oranges are pretty frikkin similar.

Apples to potatoes maybe?

Then again the French call potatoes "apples of the earth". Maybe this is why Bergevin is signing all these potatoes.

[DON]

Also Byfuglien isn't goonish... not in the least. The guy is tough, but can play hockey. If Byfuglien is a goon, than Shea Weber is also a goon.

No he isn't...you are.

What does Byfuglien bring to the table? You saying he isn't one of most intimidating players in the league? Is he a tough guy that 'might' make his teammates all a bit taller and more confident, knowing that the big guy has their back?

[Commandant]

No he isn't...you are.

What does Byfuglien bring to the table? You saying he isn't one of most intimidating players in the league? Is he a tough guy that 'might' make his teammates all a bit taller and more confident, knowing that the big guy has their back?

What does Byfuglien bring to the table.... how about being one of the NHL's best defencemen.

You realize there is a difference between a tough player who can play hockey, and a goon?

No one has an issue with a tough player who actually has talent

[habs rule]

big buff could play on any team i ever had.

[dlbalr]

Tough break for former Hab Tomas Fleischmann.  He had as many as eight tryout offers and eventually took one with Minnesota.  He got to training camp and failed his physical, ending his tryout before it even started.

[nihilz]

Subban apparently hurt his rotator-cuff trying on too many suits.

 

[dlbalr]

Jacob Trouba has asked for a trade out of Winnipeg.  Before anyone gets too excited and wonders if the Habs should get him, part of the reason for the trade is that he wants to play the right side and not be in a third pairing role.  Weber's clearly the #1 righty and Petry has a full no-move clause and at $5.5 million, is too expensive to be a 3rd pairing guy.

 

[Machine of Loving Grace]

Many believe he doesn't want to play in Canada either.