Higgins Or Ribeiro?

[Colin]

Fascinating.

Higgins, in his first year, plays better and better and better all year long, and he's summarily dismissed as having any hope of being a 1st line winger. I have no idea if he will or not, but the utter lack of respect he's been shown in this thread tells me that I won't be coming to you for financial planning! lol

[brboo]

Fascinating.

Higgins, in his first year, plays better and better and better all year long, and he's summarily dismissed as having any hope of being a 1st line winger. I have no idea if he will or not, but the utter lack of respect he's been shown in this thread tells me that I won't be coming to you for financial planning! lol

Don't you think him being put in the 1st line with Saku had just a little to do with it?

Believe me I like him and he is getting the job done. But most of his goals have been of the brian savage type. (Saku sets him up in front of a wide open net or he jams in a rebound).

But i like his work ethic. He really hustles out there.

I think he is a solid second or third line winger.

[kaos]

Don't you think him being put in the 1st line with Saku had just a little to do with it?

Believe me I like him and he is getting the job done. But most of his goals have been of the brian savage type. (Saku sets him up in front of a wide open net or he jams in a rebound).

But i like his work ethic. He really hustles out there.

I think he is a solid second or third line winger.

Unlike Mr. October, I like the fact that Higgins scored his goals at the end of the year.

Prety unfair comparison really, since Higgins is only a rookie. He'll be an excellent two way first or 2nd line winger in the NHL. Very much similar to Jere Lehitnen. Under Carbonneau's tutelage, theres no telling how good he could be.

Potentially in the future maybe something like Higgins with Chipchura and (Murray, Plekanec, Latendresse, Perezhogin or Kostitsyn) could be a very effective two way line

[MAK]

Montreal needs a Barrett Jackman type D-man.

hey !! st louis need a good goalie

oh, to have jackman on our side

[huzer]

I definitely prefer Higgins to Ribeiro, but we've been so devoid of talent the past few years, it's easy to get excited when one of the youngsters finishes the season strongly. I think Higgins is a very capable 2nd line winger, who could fill in on the first line if the situation arises.

Back to the actual topic, comparing these two players doesn't really make sense. They play a completely different style of play, play different positions, and are on the ice for different reasons. (I'd come up with an analogy for this comparison, but then people would think I'm comparing Higgins to a different LW, and Ribeiro to a different C, people would get confused, etc, etc.)

[MAK]

Higgins all the way. I've never seen a player miss opportunities like Ribeiro... he should have had 5 goals in the series.

yeah..he's more a setup man than a finisher...but He should've burried some of the great plays kovalev made for him

[Mont Royale]

Fascinating.

Higgins, in his first year, plays better and better and better all year long, and he's summarily dismissed as having any hope of being a 1st line winger. I have no idea if he will or not, but the utter lack of respect he's been shown in this thread tells me that I won't be coming to you for financial planning! lol

Well, the poll question asked if we'd rather have him as 2nd line centre instead of Ribeiro. To that, the answer is 'yes', but that doesn't mean many wouldn't want to keep him on the first line and have somebody else replace Ribeiro.

[huzer]

Almost missed the actual topic...I don't want Higgins to play center. The Habs moved him to the wing for a reason (although it seems they do that with all of the centers they tend to draft, or trade for). Higgins or Ribeiro as our 2nd line center? That's a question not really worth asking, because Higgins will not fill that role.

[kaos]

That's a question not really worth asking, because Higgins will not fill that role.

Good point.

Playing in Hamilton he was moved to leftwing with Plekanec as his center. Duncan Milroy played alot of right wing for awhile

[brboo]

Unlike Mr. October, I like the fact that Higgins scored his goals at the end of the year.

Prety unfair comparison really, since Higgins is only a rookie. He'll be an excellent two way first or 2nd line winger in the NHL. Very much similar to Jere Lehitnen. Under Carbonneau's tutelage, theres no telling how good he could be.

Potentially in the future maybe something like Higgins with Chipchura and (Murray, Plekanec, Latendresse, Perezhogin or Kostitsyn) could be a very effective two way line

I'm not saying He is another Brian Savage. Just the types of goals he scores reminds me of savage. But i guess Dave Andrechuck had a pretty good career scoring those types of goals.

[kaos]

I'm not saying He is another Brian Savage. Just the types of goals he scores reminds me of savage. But i guess Dave Andrechuck had a pretty good career scoring those types of goals.

He certainly did. Was a great regular season goal scorer, especially in the early part of the season. Tended to disappear in the playoffs. Just ask any Sabre fan.

But still, props to him for over 600 career goals. Thats impressive

[habsfan88]

As I expect. The team does not advance into the playoffs and it is so typical for people requesting that the team get a huge facelift. No faith here.

Not sure if I want Ribeiro second line center, but I'm not sure either if I'd dump him. He will get his head screwed on, just watch. (So will souray)

[CerebusClone]

yeah..he's more a setup man than a finisher...but He should've burried some of the great plays kovalev made for him

I agree with that, and the same can be said for Koivu. These guys are simply not great goal scorers, mostly because they are always looking for a pass, sometimes at the expense of a scoring opportunity for themselves. I don't care how may goals Ribeiro scores, however, the problem with him is that he hasn't generated many scoring opportunities for any of his linemates this season; that's in addition to him being very weak physically, being very inconsistent, and being just plain irresponsible defensively.

As I expect. The team does not advance into the playoffs and it is so typical for people requesting that the team get a huge facelift. No faith here.

Not sure if I want Ribeiro second line center, but I'm not sure either if I'd dump him. He will get his head screwed on, just watch. (So will souray)

Just how many much more time do we have to waste on Ribeiro before people relalize that he will never get his stuff together for a very simple reason: he doesn't have that much too work with. Sure, he has some above average playmaking abilities, but he has so many other weaknesses that it just doesn't matter how well he can pass the puck. Ribeiro isn't a young prospect anymore; he's 26 years old, and a 6-season veteran; if he hasn't learned what coaches have been telling him since he was drafted, he never will. He's never spent a single season without being benched or sent back to the minors/juniors... that tells you something.

And for the people who based their opinion of Ribeiro only on his statistics (which aren't that bad on paper), I'm sorry, but a guy that struggles 5 games before he plays one great game, and gets the occasional fluke assist during his bas stretches won't get you nowhere... Montreal will never get passed the 2nd round with Ribeiro as a key forward.

[TheAussiePosse]

Thornton was traded for Sturm, Stuart and Primeau.

That's like us giving Ryder, Markov and Begin.

Would you be content to trade that? Especially with our lack of quality defensemen?

Really shows how deep SJ is.

Edited May 9, 2006 by TheAussiePosse

[kaos]

As I expect. The team does not advance into the playoffs and it is so typical for people requesting that the team get a huge facelift. No faith here.

Not sure if I want Ribeiro second line center, but I'm not sure either if I'd dump him. He will get his head screwed on, just watch. (So will souray)

I don't see anyone asking for a facelift. I think most people are either asking for a decent defensman or a quality center brought in. Thats not asking much.

Ribeiro is too slow for this NHL and will not cut it as a 2nd line center for this team. An upgrade is needed.

[CerebusClone]

Thornton was traded for Sturm, Stuart and Primeau.

That's like us giving Ryder, Markov and Begin.

Would you be content to trade that? Especially with our lack of quality defensemen?

Really shows how deep SJ is.

Would I trade for a franchise center, arguably the best player in the NHL, a player that turns average wingers into superstars , in return for an average 2nd line sniper, a 4th line grinder, and a very good defenseman (you gotta give something)? Without a single doubt (well, if my finances would allow it of course)...

Heck, even Pierre Dagenais would challenge for the Rocket Richard trophy if he had Thornton as a center; Thornton is such an amazing playmaker that all Dagenais would have to do is shoot the puck into empty nets most of the time. You stick Perezhogin on the other size, and you've got yourself one of the the league's best lines.

Sure, we would miss Markov, but nothing would prevent us from finding a replacement via a trade or the free agent market. The fact is that if you have a chance to get a player of that quality for 2-3 inferior players, you do it... especially when there is no top prospect or 1st round picks involved. Boston got royally screwed!

Edited May 9, 2006 by CerebusClone

[brboo]

Thornton was traded for Sturm, Stuart and Primeau.

That's like us giving Ryder, Markov and Begin.

Would you be content to trade that? Especially with our lack of quality defensemen?

Really shows how deep SJ is.

It wouldnt have mattered who we offered. You think The B's would have traded Thornton to us? Not in this lifetime.

But that being said they really did give him away.

Poor Glenn Murray

[kaos]

Would I trade for a franchise center, arguably the best player in the NHL, a player that turns average wingers into superstars , in return for an average 2nd line sniper, a 4th line grinder, and a very good defenseman (you gotta give something)? Without a single doubt (well, if my finances would allow it of course)...

Heck, even Pierre Dagenais would challenge for the Rocket Richard trophy if he had Thornton as a center; Thornton is such an amazing playmaker that all Dagenais would have to do is shoot the puck into empty nets most of the time. You stick Perezhogin on the other size, and you've got yourself one of the the league's best lines.

Sure, we would miss Markov, but nothing would prevent us from finding a replacement via a trade or the free agent market. The fact is that if you have a chance to get a player of that quality for 2-3 inferior players, you do it... especially when there is no top prospect or 1st round picks involved. Boston got royally screwed!

Nice try but I don't think Dagenais would challenge for the Richards trophy if Gretzky and Lemieux were his linemates.

BUt it doesn't matter because there are no teams out there like Boston to fleece for a number 1 center

[CerebusClone]

It wouldnt have mattered who we offered. You think The B's would have traded Thornton to us? Not in this lifetime.

But that being said they really did give him away.

Poor Glenn Murray

At least Murray got his 4M/year before they traded Thornton away...

[BTH]

I actually do think Dagenais could have won the Rocket Richard trophy next to Thornton. He had 17 goals in 50 games with Ribeiro as his playmaker. And I doubt a single person on this planet would argue that Ribeiro is fit to lace Thornton's skates. 96 assists. And Cheechoo isn't even that great a goalscorer. He's like Ryder but he can play defence.

But I don't believe that we need a Thornton to become a contender. We're closer than that. A solid second line center would be good enough for us. Jaosn Arnott will be a good fit, I think, but I've heard bad things about him (and his attitude). Dallas has other players (not FA though) who I would prefer like Brendan Morrow and Jere Lehtinen. That being said, if we DON'T end up with a second line center this offseason I won't be that mad. The reason being that we have Plekanec who is very underrated on these boards. He's definitely got it in him to become a second line center. If we got a little more physical then he'd be gold for us.

[kaos]

I actually do think Dagenais could have won the Rocket Richard trophy next to Thornton. He had 17 goals in 50 games with Ribeiro as his playmaker. And I doubt a single person on this planet would argue that Ribeiro

Your dellusional.

If he was capable of that, even though he wasn't playing with someone of Thornton's calibur, he'd still be in the NHL. Dagenais isn't capable of 20 goals, ever mind 50.

[CerebusClone]

Just one question for the people who voted that Mike Ribeiro should stay: Why? I would really like for people to give me some strong arguments about why Ribeiro deserves to be resigned, and how the organization would benefit from his services instead of either moving Plekanec into a more offensive 2nd line center role, or sign/acquire the services of another top 2 center such as Jason Arnott or Daniel Briere.

And please, if somebody responds, do not mention Koivu (for some reason most Ribeiro fans seem to be Koivu haters). We're talking about Ribeiro, and whether or not you like Koivu changes nothing what Ribeiro brings, or doesn't bring, to the team.

[kaos]

I would have a problem with Ribeiro coming back for less than a $1 Million dollars. But of course that won't happen.

So the idea scenario, providing Huet can be resigned, would be to package Aebischer, Riberio + others, for something that we need. The others would be determined by whats coming back in return.

[BTH]

Your dellusional.

If he was capable of that, even though he wasn't playing with someone of Thornton's calibur, he'd still be in the NHL. Dagenais isn't capable of 20 goals, ever mind 50.

17 in 50 is pretty much a 20 goal season if he plays a whole season. And I wasn't saying that Dagenais belongs in the NHL, that wasn't the meaning of my post. If yuo don't know how to read then don't try.

[CerebusClone]

17 in 50 is pretty much a 20 goal season if he plays a whole season. And I wasn't saying that Dagenais belongs in the NHL, that wasn't the meaning of my post. If yuo don't know how to read then don't try.

Yeah, but if you analyze his season a little deeper, he scored a few goals quickly, but didn't do much once other teams paid more attention to him. The guy has no hockey sense whatsoever, just a big dumb shooter.