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Time For Some Minor Changes?


CerebusClone

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Despite a small winning streak after the Olympics, the team simply isn't producing enough offensively. The lines aren't working, and the top players are not putting up numbers.

I know he has a minor injury right now, but why is our most talented and skilled prospect still in the minors? While other 2003 draftees like Carter, Richards, Bernier, Michalek, Phaneuf, Perry, Getzlaf, Horton, Staal, Zherdev, Parise, ... are all helping their respective team, Andrei Kostsitsyn is still stuck in with the Bulldogs although he has shown some great things last time he was on the roster. He's got great skills, more than anyone else in Montreal except maybe Kovalev, and he does seem much more comfortable in the North American style of hockey. The Canadiens are in serious need of offense, and I'm sorry, but they won't get it by playing Garth Murray 15 minutes like last night. I think Kostsitsyn should be called up, and put on a scoring line.

Also, Koivu and Kovalev should be put back together. Things just aren't working the way they are now; Koivu and Ryder are both in a huge slump, and Ribeiro hasn't produced more than they have since the break despite some garbage points off Kovalev's individual efforts. I love Higgins, but he doesn't belong on a first line. Koivu and Kovalev were both playing great at the beginning of the season, and were producing at least at a point per game rate. Ribeiro and Ryder have shown some chemistry in the past, so let's put them back together.

My lines would be similar to this (perhaps I would switch Perezhogin and Zednik):

Kostsitsyn-Koivu-Kovalev

Perezhogin-Ribeiro-Ryder

Higgins-Plekanec-Zednik

Bulis-Bonk-Begin

As a guideline, you aim to give about 20-21 minutes to your top offensive line, 18-19 minutes to the second, 17-18 to the third, and the rest (motsly on the penalty kill) to the defensive guys on the forth/shutdown line. I love a well balanced lineup, but it's not normal that Murray gets as much time as Koivu, while Ribeiro gets a lot more.

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Higgins on the 3rd while Perezhogin & Co. isn't producing too? He's a nice part of this 1st line (though Gainey said a while ago that there isn't a real first line anymore) - he brings some great defencive skills to this line and also scores some goals. I'd rather give Koivu a new right wing ala Kovalev.

There isn't much room for experiments right now, I don't know if Kostitsyn would be the right choice right now.

And please oh please send Ribs to the 4th and give Pleky some more ice time!

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I'M POSTING THIS AGAIN: I officially don't really care for Montreal anymore this year. They don't deserve to make it. I'm getting the same resignation attitude from my habs friends around the office where I work. So what if we make the playoffs? We can visit the Canes - Yippee-yi-yo Cow Patty! Might as well put the Tampa Bay 2004 series tape in my VCR and watch that instead. It'll be about as enjoyable.

:(

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I'M POSTING THIS AGAIN: I officially don't really care for Montreal anymore this year. They don't deserve to make it. I'm getting the same resignation attitude from my habs friends around the office where I work. So what if we make the playoffs? We can visit the Canes - Yippee-yi-yo Cow Patty! Might as well put the Tampa Bay 2004 series tape in my VCR and watch that instead. It'll be about as enjoyable.

:(

Oh my, the season isn't over yet. We've still tons of games to play ...

How can you be a fan of a sports club if you already give up 15 games before the season ends?! Heck, we're 1 point behind the 8th and still have 1 game in hand over Atlanta. If we reach the PO's, everything can happen. Just ask the Beaners.

If you don't care about Montréal, jump off the bandwagon, join the Bolts fans and jump on the HABS bandwagon in August again ... :wacko:

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Sorry guys, minor changes aren't going to get it done. Having 3 smurfs at center is a huge problem. I here on various telecasts about the Montreal speed, however only Bulis, Higgins, Plakenak and Dandenault have great speed. No one crashes the net, there is a general poor work ethic on most nights. This team needs some major changes, atleast a 1/3 roster turnover.

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There isn't much room for experiments right now, I don't know if Kostitsyn would be the right choice right now.

And please oh please send Ribs to the 4th and give Pleky some more ice time!

I agree on Ribeiro. Personally, I was a little mad when they resigned him. We'll never win anything with this guy as a key player on the roster. I was at least thinking/hoping that they resigned both Koivu and Ribeiro to make a choice between the 2, and since they resigned Koivu that this is Ribs' last seson with a Habs uniform.

However, I don't think bringing up Kostsitsyn is much of an experiment. We all noticed his skills last time he was up, I think he was often the best player on the ice, and his presence could lead to the occasional goal that makes the difference between losing or winning.

Again last night, I didn't watch the whole game, but every time I tuned in I saw either Begin, Bulis, Murray, or another marginal player miss a great opportunity because of their lack of skills. They keep either missing the net or shooting right ON the goalie. Once again (at least from what I've seen), they made the goaltender look good with a lot of weak shoots that any goalie would stop with basic positionning. Even on Streit's goal, despite a completely desertednet, he nearly missed it by hitting the inside of the vertical bar!!

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Sorry guys, minor changes aren't going to get it done. Having 3 smurfs at center is a huge problem. I here on various telecasts about the Montreal speed, however only Bulis, Higgins, Plakenak and Dandenault have great speed. No one crashes the net, there is a general poor work ethic on most nights. This team needs some major changes, atleast a 1/3 roster turnover.

I don't care if the centers are smurfs; I can list a bunch of centers listed 6 feet tall or less in the top 50 scorers. The problem lies more with the wingers. Although I kinda of agree about the net crashing, the team is in dire need of goal scoring skills. Steve Begin crashes the net all the time, but he's still completely useless offensively (despite his few lucky goals at the beginning of the season), and playing him so much this season has probably hurt the team more than anything else. All heart, zero talent. The trick is not to crash the net, it's to be able to lose your cover, and position yourself so that you are in a good position to take a solid shot from a good angle.

Good goal scorers are usually always near the net anyway; it's just where most of the goal scoring happens. However, no one on this roster knows where to position himself to receive a pass. Everyone is skating along the boards, and nothing happens. No wonder Koivu isn't putting up any numbers. Every time he controls the puck, Higgins and Ryder should get closer to the net, but they don't. So, all they do is pass, pass, and pass again until they lose control of the puck.

It's quite pathetic actuallty...

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I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Kostytsin is miles ahead of Perezhogin in every respect. The guy is bigger stronger, has a better shot, is a better playmaker and puckhander. He is even close in speed, but can handle the puck at full speed unlike Zhogs.

However calling him up at this point of the year, I'm not sure about, but he can't do much worse than Perezhogin.

I am all 100% in favour of changing the lines around...It is definitely time to see if we can get something going 5 on 5 and definitely time to reunite Koivu with Kovalev and Ryder with Reibeiro.

DO IT BOB...DO IT

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I agree this team needs work and some changes must be made before they'll be successful... But I believe they can do it!

GO HABS GO!!!

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Kostytsin is miles ahead of Perezhogin in every respect. The guy is bigger stronger, has a better shot, is a better playmaker and puckhander. He is even close in speed, but can handle the puck at full speed unlike Zhogs.

Completely agree with that. Perezhogin is not that skilled; he's good a decent skill level, but his key to success is similar to Mark Recchi's: decent skills, hard work, good work ethic, and he can well complement more skilled players like he was doing with Koivu and Kovalev earlier this season. By himself, Perezhogin isn't that good of a player, but if you put him with the right players (and once he gains more experience/confidence), he'll contribute.

Kostsitsyn is more about pure talent. Most people agreed that in terms of skills, he was one of the top players in the very deep and talented 2003 entry draft. According to Russianprospects.com, some coaches even seemed to think that at some point, not so long ago, he was slightly above [the younger] Ovechkin, (still in terms of talent alone). Of all our prospects, he's the only who has the potential to carry the team, and change the issue of a game all by himself.

Andrei has had a very hard time adjusting to pro hockey in North America, but we cannot deny that he has some great skills and potential.

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Having 3 smurfs at center is a huge problem.

AMEN!

I can't believe we're locked into Koivu (we'll call him Papa Smurf, as he's the longest serving and the leader of the Smurfs) for another 3 years at top dollar. I just hope Bob has the sense to sign a quality free-agent center with some size in the offseason...it should be his top priority. Anytime I watch a Sharks game, I look at Thornton and fantasize that there could be some chain of events that would land him in a Habs jersey. I can only imagine how many goals Kovalev would rack up having a top-notch playmaker with size centering his line.

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The Habs aren't even a low scoring team.

We are seeing some scoring by the defense and some garbage ending up behind opposition goalies occasionally.

I suggest you try this for fun.

Alex Kovalev

55 games played divided by 82 = .67 of the season.

4.5 mil (salary for a year) times .67 (current number of games played as a percentage) = 3,015,000 dollars earned so far.

3,015,000 divided by 52 points = 57,980.77 dollars per point

If I scored one goal for the Habs this year at this rate I would earn the same as I do now.

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I seriously wonder what Bob has in store the Canadiens on Thursday. I would hope Bob pushes the right buttons for these guys to absolutely come out flying. Maybe there will be line changes maybe not maybe Huet will start maybe not but if the Habs loose Thursday I will be a very sad person. If Saku hoists the Cup in Montreal I will be the happiest man alive I believe he can do it.

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Yes, it is time for some minor changes..

I'm tired of always seeing Montreal fail to score. No team will win a Stanley Cup relying on a goalie to just stand on his head every night while they fumble around in the offensive zone. Once it was Theodore, now they expect Huet to do it.

See when a goalie plays normally e.g Aebischer's two starts or Huet against NYI, and suddenly this team looks like a pile of you know what.

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Yeah I don't know what it is about this franchise that lets guys waste away in the minors instead of giving them NHL ice time.

I know the draft record of this team over the last 20 years hasn't been steller, and there hasn't been any talent they've drafted that has been ready to step right in and play, but in recent years guys like Hainsey, Higgins, Kostitsyn, Perezhogin (maybe a bad example), Komisarek, Danis, Ryder, Hossa, Ward....the list is endless really, that have spent alot of time in the minors while guys like Patrick Poulin, Oleg Petrov, CHad Kilger, Joe Juneau, Shayne Corson (on his second go around) and others got alot playing time.

I know the kids are young and raw and prone to mistake but,hey thats how you learn best. Mistakes.

And another key problem for this organization is that they havne't really sucked in the last 20 years. Other than last year when they lucked out....kinda....with the 5th pick and Carey Price......this team hasn't had higher than a 8th overall selection since what??? Maybe the '80's? Its hard to draft that franchise player when you never have a chance at the top talent in the league.

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If through Free Agent signings and call-ups alone the habs could have this for a team next year...

Ryder/Arnott/Kovalev

Selanne/Koivu/Higgins

Bulis/Plekanec/Kostytsin

Begin/Bonk/Perezhogin or Latendresse

Souray/A. Markov

Rivet/D. Markov

Komisarek/Dandenault or Bouillon

Huet

Aebischer or Danis

That would be a very good team IMO!

:hlogo:

Edited by The-Habby2919
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If through Free Agent signings and call-ups alone the habs could have this for a team next year...

Ryder/Arnott/Kovalev

Selanne/Koivu/Higgins

Bulis/Plekanec/Kostytsin

Begin/Bonk/Perezhogin or Latendresse

Souray/A. Markov

Rivet/D. Markov

Komisarek/Dandenault or Bouillon

Huet

Aebischer or Danis

That would be a very good team IMO!

:hlogo:

Id on't think I want Perezhogin, Plekanec and Kostitsyn wasting away on the 3rd and 4th lines. Maybe Plekanec centering the 3rd line, but the other two need to play with skilled players

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If through Free Agent signings and call-ups alone the habs could have this for a team next year...

Ryder/Arnott/Kovalev

Selanne/Koivu/Higgins

Bulis/Plekanec/Kostytsin

Begin/Bonk/Perezhogin or Latendresse

Souray/A. Markov

Rivet/D. Markov

Komisarek/Dandenault or Bouillon

Huet

Aebischer or Danis

That would be a very good team IMO!

:hlogo:

Arnott would be very nice to have on the team but it will be also very hard to get him. As for Selänne, I'd say that we should forget it - he's very happy in California and I suppose that he'll stay there. Andrei Kostitsyn or Alex Perezhogin should rather battle for that spot on one of the 2 first lines.

Latendresse - hmm, I suppose he isn't ready yet. He was pretty inconsistent during the last season in the LHJMQ and I would give him more time to develope and not wasting his talent on the bottom line. Maybe give Ferland or Lapierre a chance there.

The defence should be our Nr. 1 priority during the off-season and I don't think that Danny Markov will be the messiah to our problems. If we can get a Redden or Kubina, it would be something else though ...

Huet - Danis, I'd take it.

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I was hoping for Philippe Boucher and Denis Gauthier to sign with Montreal over the summer, but they both have just signed brand new contracts with Dallas and Philly.

And I'm still hoping for Daniel Briere to sign here, and fill the huge void we have had for too long now at second line, but my guess is that he will resign with the Sabres. My second choice would be Arnott, but unless he and Carbonneau/Gainey were tight in Dallas, I see absolutely no reason for him to sign with Montreal.

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[Arnott would be very nice to have on the team but it will be also very hard to get him. As for Selänne, I'd say that we should forget it - he's very happy in California and I suppose that he'll stay there.]

I was just thinking about getting Selanne and Koivu to get going what they had in the Olympics...

[The defence should be our Nr. 1 priority during the off-season and I don't think that Danny Markov will be the messiah to our problems. If we can get a Redden or Kubina, it would be something else though ...]

I agree that he wouldnt be a messiah.. but Redden and Kubina would be really hard to get with the cap going up and Ottawa and Tampa probably trying to resign both... D. Markov would be a very nice addition for overall depth though.

:hlogo:

Edited by The-Habby2919
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