Doubts About Perezhogin's Stronghold On Third Line.

[PB]

As anyone heard or saw something to sheer about concerning Perezhogin since the opening

of the training camp ?

All I had heard so far, till Carbo's postgame press conference tonight, was that he showed-up bigger

at 212 pounds.

According to Carbo his position on the third could be up for grab.

What's-up with Perezhogin ? why can he not be more convincing ? he's got the skills and the tools

yet his playing wavers and is too often a non-factor.

The CH will need a healthy dose of goals coming from it's depth lines this year and the third line will have to shine and deliver.......and for that to happens Perezhogin would have to be a much better player than he was last season.

I dont think the CH can afford to have a lackluster third line this year if it want to play with the big boys.

It's not like we have a Svatos like rookie ready to take his place and boost our third line to the hight

playing level we need this line to be playing in....or do we ?

Damned doubts...

Edited September 20, 2006 by PB

[KoZed]

I think Zhog could become a fine, well-rounded player in the NHL. The reason he's not "more convincing" is simply because he doesn't have a specific that really stands out. I also think his year in Russia instead of the AHL in 04-05 might have hampered his development.

[MAK]

I'm not too worried about perezhogin. I just hope that he was actually bigger, not fatter. I'm sure he'll start in montreal but he'll have to fight for playing time. now he as to check in his rearview mirror to make sure that latendresse and kostitsyn are not closer than they appear.if he is replaced, it'll be by a better player. thats the nature a things.

[HABBER-oooooKNOWS]

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

He is too sensitive to become the player you all want him to be. I've felt that if we were to trade anybody this summer, it should have been him. His stock is high as an up and coming player. He will fizzle this year and get traded for a pick and everyone is going to cry. I'm laughing at the pure fact that this thread is even going. Last year, ,if I said one bad thing about Zhogs you all wanted me off the site.

I have to say, I love the fact that Carb is calling everyone out in the media. 1. It could get the player going and 2. It shuts the media up because there is nothing left to talk about.

This team will be good, but it will take some time. Losing pre-season games will make us work harder when the season starts instead of being over confident winning games that don't mean anything.

BUT seriously folks the team to watch this year is Nashville.......

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

This is the problem with that whole fan mentality that gets all excited about young players. Most of the time, you can't really be sure how a player will work out. Whenever I read or hear a fan saying that such-and-such a rookie will really help us this season, I just laugh (unless that rookie is a Crosby).

Zhogs has elite offensive skills, from what I saw in the first third of last season. The question concerns his heart and his head, I think. He may be a guy who never maximizes his potential, or one of these tantalizing guys who shows flashes of brilliance but never really gets it together. Or if he does adjust, he might remain a second-rate finesse player a la Martin Ruscinsky - which I personally think is the most likely scenario.

That he hasn't really taken charge and made a decisive statement (the way Ryder and Higgins did in their rookie seasons) suggests that we MIGHT begin to downgrade expectations from the 'future star' label.

[shortcat1]

he has all the talent needed to do well. he just needs to put it together.

it's only his 1st 'game' this year under Carbonneau & company.

if he can work with them, the way they want him to work, then he'll be just fine.

:king: :hlogo: :king:

[kaos]

After only 1 preseason game its amazing to see how fast people turn on a player. I hope he scores 3 goals next game and watch these boards light up with praise for Perezhogin.

And if he continues to struggle then maybe it opens a door for Andrei Kostitsyn.

But I believe PErezhogin will turn things around before the end of the preseason

[Athlétique.Canadien]

With A. Kosty knocking I have been wondering for some time how long he'll cut.

Prove me wrong Perezhogin.

[JMMR]

Does Perezhogin have to clear waivers??

[alexstream]

I think there is no place for both Perez and Kost. Since IMO they will be pretty similar type of player

and I prefer Kost... his hockey sense is unique and his wrister could be the best in the organisation anytime soon.

so bye bye Perez

[huzer]

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to post Carbo's comments. I know it's been a long summer with no Habs games, but sheesh, after one game, people are scribbling Latendresse's name into the lineup and trading Perezhogin for the preverbial bag o' pucks. Others are already jumping off the Huet bandwagon and hoping Price makes the lineup. Get a grip, it's September 20th.

[Dutch_Habs_Fan]

I'm laughing out loud how people can judge on guys after a couple of days on the ice, and 1 game. Some people just take longer to get to the season level again. You can judge after all the pre-games of someone should make the line-up. And still youngsters have very ups and downs, dumping Perez. after one silly game, hilarious!

[simonus]

certainly perezhogin's value can not be fully assessed on the basis of this one game, but concerns about him are hardly new.

[Athlétique.Canadien]

I've actually held the opinion about Perezhogin since last year.

[shortcat1]

After only 1 preseason game its amazing to see how fast people turn on a player. I hope he scores 3 goals next game and watch these boards light up with praise for Perezhogin.

And if he continues to struggle then maybe it opens a door for Andrei Kostitsyn.

But I believe PErezhogin will turn things around before the end of the preseason

Amen, Kaos, amen. Tell it like it is.

:king: :hlogo: :king:

[Athlétique.Canadien]

I'm not saying Perezhogin won't cut it. I'm saying that when all is said and done he'll probably be the odd guy out in the depth dept.

And hey, don't get me wrong on another point. I hope I am wrong about this. I like the guy. But, if a prospect/young player is requested in a trade by a rival GM is Bob going to dump Higgins, Plekanec or Perezhogin out of the bunch? I'm just adding all the elements up together and this is what is creating the opinion that he may be the guy.

I agree on another point. Just because Lats plays well and Perezhogin gets called out by Carbo, there's still no tangible evidence that Lats is in and Perez out.

[lazy26]

I've actually held the opinion about Perezhogin since last year.

I thought Zhogs was one of our better players at the end of the playoffs last year... He couldn't finish, but then again, neither could anyone... and his presence was always known... in a good way

[HABBER-oooooKNOWS]

certainly perezhogin's value can not be fully assessed on the basis of this one game, but concerns about him are hardly new.

Thiat's what I'm saying, but concerns are something that I feel will grow bigger and he won't be worth anything in the trade market. Get something we need now!!! Defense?

It's a good time to take a chance with all the other motivated kids scratching at his back.

As far as jumping all over him after one pre season game? Well ... that's how it should be, considering his development last year took a step backwards. He is a professional hockey player and it's time to show it,right now, on the very first shift.

Hell.....If Carbo can already be on his case then so can we. We want more right now! and there is nothing wrong with that. KAPEESH!!!

That goes to Kaos too .......although I expect his obvious response to a predictable reaction from Habs fans in these fourms .

Oh yes .....let the Games begin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hockey is BACK!!!!!!!!!

[huzer]

Hell.....If Carbo can already be on his case then so can we. We want more right now! and there is nothing wrong with that. KAPEESH!!!

The difference is, Carbonneau is more than likely using this as more of a motivational tool, and people are misinterpreting them his comments as saying that Perezhogin needs to be cut.

EDIT: Not only that, but other than Carbo, who on this forum has seen Zhog in person this fall? Armchair GMs, armchair scouts, etc....

Edited September 20, 2006 by huzer

[HABBER-oooooKNOWS]

The difference is, Carbonneau is more than likely using this as more of a motivational tool, and people are misinterpreting them his comments as saying that Perezhogin needs to be cut.

EDIT: Not only that, but other than Carbo, who on this forum has seen Zhog in person this fall? Armchair GMs, armchair scouts, etc....

Armchair nothing, Win some friggin games this year. Play some outstanding hockey for a season. It's been way to long since the Habs have been a machine. As a fan I've spent a lot of time and money on this club and I'm tierd of getting excited about players that fizzle away because they don't have the tools upstairs(mind). For once I want to see one of these hyped kids become more then just media hype.

[BTH]

EDIT: Not only that, but other than Carbo, who on this forum has seen Zhog in person this fall? Armchair GMs, armchair scouts, etc....

I have!

But he didn't stand out. Meh, I like him but I prefer Kostitsyn, and I've always had a bad feeling about Zhog. No need to trade him yet though.

[markierung]

it's been only 1 game!!!!!!!

you guys are crazy

this is the guy who was forced to play on the third line with sometime bulis, sometimes murray sometimes bonk. He had no time to develop any chemistry with anyone

not only that, but did u see the hit he landed on primeau? No way kosti can do that. Plus he's not as reliable defensively.

give him time on a line with Johnson and plekanec and i can assure you he'll be fine

[C-Love]

I think people are forgetting the obvious here. Perezhogin is not that well hyped. The only people that thought/think he can be a future superstar is Habs scouting and fans. This guy dropped drastically in the draft, because of all the things we are talking about here, his D is weak and his head is not strong enough. I will guarantee right now he will never be a star in the NHL, stars play with a special awarness that he doesn't have. You see it when you watch Crosby and Ovechkin, and we haven't had an even potential star prospect in 25 years, and we don't have any now. I know that everybody says, "we're grooming our kids to be the future of the team, but each year we will check one of them off that list as duds and we will just keep continuing on with this Stanley Cup drought, because we are always so optimistic. We have done nothing in the last 13 years, but for some reason we think we're still better than the Leafs. I used to be such a proud fan as a kid because we were a machine and noone could argue it, now we have to rely on old stories while our kids cheer for the Senators and Avalanche.

We will undoubtly have another subpar year, because BG didn't bring in any veteren players, then we will go into the preseason next year saying the same crap we said this year and last and the year before that. If we don't start making some trades while our prospects still have value we are going to go another 13 years without a cup.

I find it remarkably funny how according to Habs forums, every player we draft is going to one day make the club, look at the history, it's a little over 10% of players ever play a regular shift in the NHL.

[Mont Royale]

C-Love, your solution is to trade our prospects for veterans? Sounds like the Leafs formula for success...

It can't be denied that the Habs record over the last 13 years is miserable, especially relative to the expectations of Habs fans. However, Gainey hasn't been around that long, and has clearly committed to building through the draft. If you look at the dominant teams from yesteryear, the foundation was built through the draft. Sure, there were some components added through trades, but it was mostly the draft. This is the same way the Avs and Senators built their clubs. Montreal benefitted from excellent drafting at times when they were a good team back then, which brought long term success. Patience is required for this to work (good thing we didn't trade away Lafleur after his first 3 seasons of failing to meet expectations). It could be argued that the demands to "win now" that are always paramount in Toronto are at the heart of their long term futility.

The poor draft record of the 90s is still costing us today. It takes a lot longer to recover from bad to great when you do it through the draft, but drafting well can bring us sustainable success. Some prospects along the way won't work out, but that will always happen. That doesn't mean the whole plan should be tossed out the window.

Yes, there is a time to cut your losses with a prospect. I don't think we've reached that point with Perezhogin. Whether he becomes a superstar or not is irrelevant to me, because I don't expect that of him. He could become an effective 2nd or 3rd line player - but again, patience may be required for that to happen.

[brobin]

You definitely need a mix of grooming your youth and trading some of them for vets with proven track records. To date, Gainey has done that. He got Kovalev for Balaj. Good move.

Of course, whenever you do that you risk the young gun blossoming on another team and you look stupid. For example, he let Beauchemin go which in retrospect, was a shame.

I do think people have to realize that we don't have any true superstars in the waiting, except perhaps for Price. That said, several prospect might have great careers ahead of them. it is somewhat of a crapshoot.

People on this board constantly praise our youth and assign some pretty high expectations on them. That will only lead to dissappointment since only a few of them are going to make it. Even of the ones that do, I am not sure any of them are going to replace Markov, Koivu, or Kovalev. Gainey will have to trade some of them to get replacements for them eventually.