Where are they now? News on past Habs prospects and players

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

14 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

Him and Price and maybe Subban are basically the only consistent elite players the Habs have had for any amount of time since 95. Kovalev was not consistent. A few players had great seasons but not at a consistent elite level.

 

It always bugged me that #79 was completely overlooked in Norris discussion, etc. He was probably not top-5, but surely top-10 among defencemen. Sort of slipped through the cracks of public and media perception, lost on terrible teams. My understanding is that players themselves knew what he was, e.g., Joe Thornton told Mike Cammalleri that Markov was a 'stud' when Cammy was asking around about whether he should sign with Montreal. A real player's player. 

[GHT120]

 

[DON]

Hope Dobes & Fowler pan out better.

[tomh009]

5 hours ago, DON said:

Hope Dobes & Fowler pan out better.

Arguably Bergevin should have extended Lindgren instead of Primeau back in 2021. But goalies are voodoo ...

[DON]

1 hour ago, tomh009 said:

Arguably Bergevin should have extended Lindgren instead of Primeau back in 2021. But goalies are voodoo ...

Be great to see Fowler & Dobes pan out better.

[GHT120]

 

[huzer]

My son had a tournament in Chicago this past weekend. We went to see the Chicago Steel game on Friday night.  Noticed a familiar dome behind the bench, Scott Gomez is their coach.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Cool stuff

[Prime Minister Koivu]

One of the worst deals in NHL history 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

33 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

One of the worst deals in NHL history 

 

No question. It is also unbelievable that we had to 'throw in' Keane for a deal that was already appallingly bad without Keane.

 

That trade hurtled us toward a decade of darkness that would have been unimaginable to previous generations of Habs fans.

 

Houle was one of the worst GMs in league history and it didn't help that the Molsons were divesting themselves of the team at the time.

 

Painful memories indeed.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

No question. It is also unbelievable that we had to 'throw in' Keane for a deal that was already appallingly bad without Keane.

 

 

Yes, strange we also had to throw in a solid 3rd line way forward like Keane. He scored 168 goals in his NHL career and played a 200 foot game. A solid contributor. 

[DON]

1 hour ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

Yes, strange we also had to throw in a solid 3rd line way forward like Keane. He scored 168 goals in his NHL career and played a 200 foot game. A solid contributor. 

 

1161 NHL games under his belt and then go play AHL for 5 years. 

 

Either he just loved hockey... or needed the $$. I hope was the former.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

3 minutes ago, DON said:

 

1161 NHL games under his belt and then go play AHL for 5 years. 

 

Either he just loved hockey... or needed the $$. I hope was the former.

 

I remember reading a story about that some years ago. Apparently it really was a "love of the game" thing with Keane. Pretty cool if true.

[titanfan]

Went home to finish his playing days with his hometown team.

[Helmethead]

12 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

No question. It is also unbelievable that we had to 'throw in' Keane for a deal that was already appallingly bad without Keane.

 

That trade hurtled us toward a decade of darkness that would have been unimaginable to previous generations of Habs fans.

 

Houle was one of the worst GMs in league history and it didn't help that the Molsons were divesting themselves of the team at the time.

 

Painful memories indeed.

 

Was in between classes at Concordia. 

 

Killing time browsing a copy of Allo-Police at the multi-mag on the corner of Guy and deMaisonneuve when they announced it on the radio. 
 

Devastated.

[hab29RETIRED]

1 hour ago, Helmethead said:

 

Was in between classes at Concordia. 

 

Killing time browsing a copy of Allo-Police at the multi-mag on the corner of Guy and deMaisonneuve when they announced it on the radio. 
 

Devastated.

I was in university and a friend of mine told me the Habs traded Roy to the Avs. This is before having 24/7 access on the internet and smart phones, so info wasn't readily available like it is now.
I asked who did we get - Sakic? Forsberg? I was speechless at the return. I have hated Tremblay with a passion after that. Blame him and Corey, more than Houle. 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Thibault was an over-hyped ultra big deal in Quebec junior circles. I remember all the French media pumping his tires and I remember being unconvinced based on my own eye test. To my mind, the fact that the Habs immediately reached out to a acquire him is a telling indicator that our so-called "management" at the time had no independent expertise or scouting knowledge. They just went with what the rather insular and parochical local media hive-mind said was a surefire superstar. Basically having beers with Yvon Pednault was their answer to NHL scouting.

 

Thibault had a nice career but he was never a star and certainly did not have the cojones to be the Roy Replacement. Meanwhile the other two assets were a joke. Rusicnsky was a decent if oft 2nd-liner. The other guy was out of the league in a couple of years.

 

You're right. Forsberg + Thibault for Roy + Keane should have been the discussion. 

[DON]

doing better with Isles.

[GHT120]

11 minutes ago, DON said:

doing better with Isles.

 

1 goal, 2a in his last 14 games ... good young player ... would have loved to be able to make the trade without giving him up ... but no longer on the 38 goal pace with which he started the season

[hab29RETIRED]

54 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

1 goal, 2a in his last 14 games ... good young player ... would have loved to be able to make the trade without giving him up ... but no longer on the 38 goal pace with which he started the season

I hated including him. He was a bottom sixer that should he could hit, score and play hard. Was doing great until his freak accident in Utah. We lack guys who forecheck hard and hit.

[tomh009]

5 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

I hated including him. He was a bottom sixer that should he could hit, score and play hard. Was doing great until his freak accident in Utah. We lack guys who forecheck hard and hit.

You need to give up decent players to get decent players, though ...

[Commandant]

37 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

You need to give up decent players to get decent players, though ...

 

I give up a 3rd line winger for a top pairing RHD every day of the week and not worry about it. 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Heineman was a streaky scorer for us too. He scored at a good clip for us last season then just dried up. I don’t think he scored again after getting hit by the car for example. 
 

No major loss

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I like Heineman, but we need to remember that we added Bolduc. And it’s far from clear to me that Heineman is so much better than Bolduc. 

 

Meanwhile, we added Dobson. 

 

Yes, we paid a high price for #53, but you don’t get minutes-munching top-pairing 50-point 25-year-old defencemen cheap. 

 

But my main point is that we have replaced Heineman, so I’m not sure what the point of pining after g him is.

[hab29RETIRED]

6 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I like Heineman, but we need to remember that we added Bolduc. And it’s far from clear to me that Heineman is so much better than Bolduc. 

 

Meanwhile, we added Dobson. 

 

Yes, we paid a high price for #53, but you don’t get minutes-munching top-pairing 50-point 25-year-old defencemen cheap. 

 

But my main point is that we have replaced Heineman, so I’m not sure what the point of pining after g him is.

I don’t think we did replace him though. He was a hard on the forecheck and hit dman.

When we made the deal for Bolduc, the scouting report on him was that he plays with an edge, is a scorer who is hard in the forecheck and hits the dmen.

 

Anderson does that when he’s in the mood, but aside from that we don’t have any forward who punishes the opposing D on dump ins. Texier and Bolduc have speed but really are not overly physical. Gally’s got snarl, but is to beat up, old and slow.

 

we also don’t have any physical dmen aside from Guhle. To. W that’s been the most disappointing thing about Xhejac for me. He just does not lay the body and  punish forwards in front of the net or in the corners - which he did a lot more of as a rookie. He now looks neutered.

 

when Ristolenan hit Slafkovsky after that suicidal pass, Demidov went after him - not Xhejac, who was also on the ice.

 

We have too many dmen who all play the same way - smoothie skating puck moving dmen - Hutson, Dobson, Matheson, Engstrom, and Carrière, and two who aren’t as physical and nasty as they should be - Struble and Xhejac.  

the issue is that under MB we had all clysdale type of dmen, now we have no big punishing dmen.

 

From what Xhejac has shown he just isn’t good enough to be a regular dman. They should try convert him to a winger and tell him his job is to go in and hammer the opposing D.

 

but we still need a big physical, punishing dman - preferably a RHD.