The first team to 60 points, the New York Rangers play at the Bell Centre Sunday having blanked the Maple Leafs 3-0 in Toronto on Saturday. Marty Biron got the shutout, which likely means “King” Henrik Lundqvist — who many people considered the league’s top goalie in the first half of the season — will face Montreal.
Against the Leafs, the Rangers got secondary scoring, as they have lately, with big Mike Rupp and bigger Brian Boyle getting goals in the second period. Derek Stepan, who has been a linchpin in the Rangers offence this season, scored in the third.
The six-foot-five, 23 pound Rupp, who missed 22 games during the first half with a knee injury, also scored twice against the Flyers in the Winter Classic (taunting Philadelphia with a Jaromir Jagr salute after the first) and has a knack for big goals (including a Stanley Cup winner for the Devils in 2003).
For the six-foot-seven, 244 pound Boyle, who had 21 goals last year, it was only his third of the season and his first in 23 games. But he’s been an effective checking centre this season. Even when someone on this team isn’t scoring, they are doing something to help the team win. It’s a club with good chemistry and a determined attitude. They have lots of offensive balance — seven players with 20 or more points and six more in double digits.
It was a typical Rangers outing Saturday, displaying one of the NHL’s most effective forechecks, something you can expect to see on Sunday if the they bring their “A” game. The Leafs defencemen had almost no time to move the puck all evening as nearly every shoot-in was fiercely contested, nearly every play was made under pressure. According to the stats sheet, the Leafs committed 26 giveaways and the Rangers stole the puck four more times; that’s 30 turnovers compared to the 17 the other way.
The stats also show the Rangers out-hit the Leafs 48 to 39. They are credited with the most hits in the NHL this season, 1219. That’s about 200 more than the Canadiens. They are a team with good size and they use it.
“That’s a big part of our game,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said after the Leafs game of New York’s physical game. “That’s the way we have to play; we’re not talented enough, we’re not a good enough team if we don’t play the way we’re supposed to play. We’ve defined that as a team, we’ve developed an identity as a team and now it’s our responsibility to try and continue to play that way.”
But, other than Marian Gaborik and Michael Del Zotto, they are not an especially fast team, which was evident in the Canadiens’ 4-0 defeat of New York the last time they visited in November.
Although he had uncharacteristically kept his forward units together for weeks, an amazingly long stretch of games for him, Tortorella mixed up his lines at the start of the Leafs game, partly by necessity and partly to change things up after the Rangers lost to Ottawa on Thursday. Brandon Dubinsky missed his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury on Saturday and Carl Hagelin, a late-November call-up from the AHL who was a collegiate star for Michigan, was moved to that spot with Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan.
Tortorella also fiddled with his second line, promoting John Mitchell from the bottom six and slotting him between Stepan (who leads the Rangers with 19 assists) and Gaborik (who leads the Rangers with 23 goals). Stepan has had excellent chemistry with Gaborik and centred for him and Artem Anisimov. But he was bumped to wing and Anisimov was moved to the fourth line as a centre between Rupp and Wojtek Wolski.
As the game went on, Tortorella juggled things even more, and some of that was because Ruslan Fedotenko left that game with back spasms. It’s unclear who will take his spot if he can’t go on Sunday. Regardless, don’t get used to seeing any set combinations from New York.
But like so many moves Tortorella has made this year, it all worked out for him and his club, especially once they got motoring in the middle frame and forced Toronto into numerous errors, like on the first goal, caused by a bad pass from Mike Komisarek (video) that turned into a great three-way passing play between Wolski and Stepan that was finished off by Rupp early in the period.
The Rangers ability to defend has been one of the bigger surprises of the season. They have become very stingy in their own zone, the product of good positional play that blocks shooting and passing lanes. They’re third in the league in blocked shots with 692 (the Habs lead with 717) led by Dan Girardi, whose 106 blocked shots are fourth in the league (Josh Gorges 122 are tops). Emerging as a top defenceman, Girardi averages over 27 minutes a game.
His partner, Ryan McDonagh (yes, him) is second, averaging 25 minutes a night. He’s also second among Rangers defencemen in plus/minus with a plus-11.
Another big surprise has been the play of blueliner Del Zotto, team leader at plus-24 and a power play quarterback with a big shot. He wa a turnover machine in his first two NHL seasons, but he has matured and gained confidence this season and has Tortorella’s confidence as well.
With former All-Star Marc Staal back and regaining his form after missing most of the season with post-concussion symptoms, they are becoming even better defensively. They’re 5-1 since his return and have given up only nine goals. Staal is being used more than when he started out at the Winter Classic playing under 13 minutes. He’s now up to around 19.
The Rangers power play is no great shakes for a team first overall. They’re 23rd, clicking at only a 14.6 rate. The penalty kill is better, sixth in the league, negating 86.4 percent of opponents’ man advantage chances. They also have six shorthanded goals. They have to be good on the PK — they are among the most penalized team in the NHL, averaging almost 14 minutes a game. They also are tied with the Bruins for most major penalties, 33.
Here’s how the Rangers might start the game on Sunday (assuming Fedotenko can play). Then again maybe not. And even if they do, don’t expect it to stay that way.
Carl Hagelin-Brad Richards-Ryan Callahan
Derek Stepan-John Mitchell-Marian Gaborik
Ruslan Fedotenko-Brian Boyle-Brandon Prust
Mike Rupp-Artem Anisimov-Wojtek Wolski
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto-Anton Stralman
Marc Staal-Anton Stralman
Henrik Lundqvist
Marty Biron
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Anyone got an online site to watch the game guys? thanks.
price doesnt deserve 7 mill. look at his numbers this season so far. pice is not playing like its a contract year.he is soft very soft on the glove hand up high and every team knows it.his avg is 2.44 below avg.we should have kept kari ramo who was having a good season, he could have been a solid back up to price.
GO HABS GO
Some thoughts on The Trade, how it pertains to AK46…..and some interesting speculation:
I’d LOVE to get people’s thoughts on this so if you’re patient enough to read what will be a lengthy post, please share your thoughts.
A few weeks ago I wrote a long post on AK’s situation and how important it is for PG to:
1) Decide whether or not he wants to retain AK, and;
2) If PG does want to retain him, to negotiate with him NOW to see if AK is interested in staying here and willing to sign a reasonable contract. If AK isn’t then we MUST move him by the deadline because he’s too much of an asset to lose for nothing.
So what’s a reasonable contract for AK46?
Great question. Looking at production and style of play, I think our very own Cole and Bourque are actually decent comparables. Points-wise over their careers, the numbers are very close. Style-wise AK is more finesse than those two and not as much power-forward, but does play physical. At the time, I stated a reasonable contract for AK46 would be 3-4 years at around 4mil per. I still think that’s correct and it happens to fall between Bourque’s and Cole’s cap hits. Nice and tidy IMO.
I have no idea if PG has contacted AK’s agent to discuss an extension, or if he’s even decided whether or not he wants to keep him around any longer, but I do hope he’s made headway on the matter in some form.
Does AK46 want to stay with the Habs?
I think that’s anybody’s guess. He said he wanted more than a 1 year contract when asked at training camp, but did he mean it or was he just avoiding a media sh!tstorm by not saying he’s unhappy here. I remember him saying that his agent’s advice was to just play hockey and shut up – take from that what you will. How much merit does that interview he did in Belarus in the summer hold? Was he misquoted? Even if he said what was reported, with JM now gone have his concerns disappeared? I honestly have NO idea.
Leaving AK alone for a moment, let’s look at The Trade:
Basically it was Bourque+futures+cap space for Cammy. Ramo wasn’t coming to play for us, and the 5th round pick – while potentially valuable if you draft a guy like Gallagher – is not likely to turn into much. The 2nd rounder is much more valuable than the 5th and Holland might be an NHL quality player.
Under the circumstances (Cammy’s production and play this season plus his recent comments to the media – misquoted, misread, or not), I think PG actually did pretty good. Especially considering he was in a position where getting fleeced was a possibility. A small player with a 6mil cap hit for 2.5 more years, and an actual salary of 7mil starting next season can be very difficult to move even with ‘okay’ production, let alone bad production. A big physical player with a 3.33mil cap hit is MUCH easier to move if things don’t work out or if he doesn’t meet expectations with his production. That’s a huge plus.
Lack of size has been an issue on this team for a while and by directly trading a small player for a big physical one, the impact is two-fold; sort of like how playing a divisional rival close to you in the standings is a 4-point game. Bourque’s regular season numbers have been better than Cammy’s over the past 2.5 years, but Cammy has the higher ceiling of potential and IS a proven playoff performer.
No clear-cut winner in this trade, or at least not yet. If that 2nd round pick we acquired turns into something good then we definitely win hands down. If not, then it’s likely even as long as Bourque can achieve similar production with us and be the physical presence we need while not being a defensive liability. Even if Cammy lights it up in Calgary, I saw no evidence that would happen here any time soon (although it was possible I suppose).
My issue with Bourque is his reputation that he doesn’t bring it every night, despite being a quality player who obviously can put up good numbers. Strangely enough, our very own AK46 has had the same knocks against him his whole career. Having two of those guys in your top 6 is not good. I truly hope a change of scenery for Bourque will shake that inconsistency out of his game. If not, he might get eaten alive.
My other issue with Bourque is his age. He’s only a few months older than Cammy so it’s not that we added another 30 year old, it’s that we didn’t get younger.
Tying it all together, and how AK fits in – speculation.
My biggest issue with The Trade was that I believe it was done in haste. I realize both GM’s said they have discussed it for a while but that’s an easy story to come up with while you’re discussing trading millions in players salaries. Not to mention PG said Dec. 1 and Feaster said mid-November. Add in the recent comments Cammy had made and the coincidence is far too great for me to believe this was in the works for more than 48 hours.
I don’t think PG examined the market as well as he could have, nor did he try to create a market to the extent that was possible. Basically what I’m saying is I think PG could have got more or done better overall for the long-term in this trade with a different partner than Calgary. That also would have likely included different or better pieces on our end, but also better pieces coming back.
I’m looking at Anaheim. To summarize, of their big 3 they consider Bobby Ryan their most trade-able and want roster players in return. Perry is almost untouchable and they want A LOT for Getzlaf which isn’t surprising as he’s that big elusive #1 C that so many teams are lacking and has a complete game.
Okay, let’s look at Bobby Ryan. Big (6’2″, 210lbs.), young (will be 25 in March), fast, skilled, physical, and defensively responsible. Three straight 30+ goal seasons and on pace for 30 again this year despite having a bit of an off-year. Usually plays LW but has NHL experience playing Center as well. Being a RH-shot, he can likely also play RW if need be. If you’ve seen him play, you know he can stick-handle and dangle very well, and though he’s not a pure sniper like a Stamkos, he has an excellent shot and is at the very least a partial sniper. His point distribution over the past 3 seasons has been pretty 50/50 between goals and assists which is also nice.
On the other side of that coin, he’s able to achieve that production at least partially because spends a lot of ice time with elite line-mates in Perry and Getzlaf, and often with Teemu and Saku. Saku might not be elite like Perry, Getzlaf, and Teemu, but he’s still very good and Ryan gets at least one elite player on either line. Despite all this, his career year so far is 71 points and has averaged only 64 points over the past 3 seasons (on pace for only 49 this year). Far from a point-per-game player, but given his youth has time to develop and be even better. With lesser line-mates one could assume he wouldn’t do as well, but also consider he doesn’t get as many looks because there’s so many other options on his lines. Also keep in mind the Ducks have done poorly as a team despite having so many excellent players so something must be wrong there somewhere.
He’s signed until the end of the 2014-2015 season at a cap hit of 5.1mil which is pretty reasonable given his youth, skills, and potential.
What I’m getting to (finally) is this:
Why didn’t we trade Cammy and AK46 to Anaheim for Ryan?
Cammy was getting traded regardless. If AK doesn’t want to re-sign with us, or re-sign at a reasonable price and term, or if PG decides he doesn’t want to retain AK, then why not get a young star player to build around and one who will help attract other desirable FA’s? Heck, even if AK does want to stay and will sign a reasonable deal and PG wants him, this would be a good move. I realize Ryan isn’t Sid, Ovie, Stamkos, etc. but he’s a better player and a lot more desirable a teammate to FA’s than any of our other forwards (and no offense to those guys b/c I really like them and we have a lot of quality players).
Is that deal fair to both sides? Very tough call. Some might say we’d have to include more, some might say we’re overpaying.
If we have to include more, then maybe throw in Ramo since ANA might want some depth at goalie given Hiller’s health issues and play this year. We also have a plethora of offensive Dmen (young, seasoned, and right in between) that we can part with and they may have interest because other than Fowler they don’t have much. Vishnovsky is good but is already 35 and often injured. If they want one or two of St. Denis, Weber, maybe Diaz, Campoli, Kaberle, Bennet, Pateryn, we can afford to part with them. If they want a draft pick, fine as long as it’s not a 1st or 2nd rounder. Maybe a forward prospect like Palushaj or Engqvist. I’m not saying ALL of the above, but maybe Cammy, AK, and Ramo. Or Cammy, AK, Weber, and a 3rd rounder. Something like that.
For those thinking that we’d actually be overpaying with just Cammy and AK (and there’s some legit reasons to think that), then they can throw in a decent pick or okay prospect.
I don’t know what would have been required by either side but Ryan, Cammy, and AK as the centerpieces and some other stuff to balance it out was doable IMO and I don’t think it was even considered which is an absolute shame.
ANA would have to be intrigued by it. It’s conceivable that either player could replace Ryan’s production alone playing with Getz, and Perry, but both together certainly would and then some. AK’s contract is up this year, but they have plenty of room to re-sign him looking at their situation on capgeek and I don’t think it would take much to convince him with a decent offer, sunny California, and quality line-mates. Plus there’s Saku and Cammy as familiar faces for a guy who seems shy/quiet to help integrate him if that’s a concern.
For us, we get a better overall player who’s younger, and clear some cap space as well. Plus I like the idea of having Bobby Ryan as opposed to Bourque and AK46. With the cap space , we could easily acquire another player who would replace either’s production.
Imagine a line of Ryan-Eller-Cole?
Of course this is all fantasy and the deal that was made is done, but the point of all this is why didn’t we do something along those lines instead of acquiring a 30 year old with consistency/effort issues?
BTW, I like AK46 and now that Cammy’s gone I think he should be kept. Power forwards are good but you can’t have all those types in your line up. You also need skilled guys to balance things and create different opportunities. AK actually brings both which I like a lot, but if we lose him for nothing in the summer or trade him and end up with less than what could have been compared to the trade I proposed above, I will be pissed.
- Honestly yours
or the reader’s digest version:
I ♥ AK
btw Mike D, I love your work with the Beastie Boys (especially the shorter songs)
Cammy had a clause in his contract in which he selected 7 teams he could be traded to. It’s likely he didn’t select the Ducks. We know the Flames were on that list. You think there are 6 other cup-contending teams he would choose over the Ducks? I do.
I heard today that Price has been offered 7M/yr for 7 years. He countered with 7M/yr for a 10 year contract
That’s very fair, 7y/49M is exactly what Rinne got and that’s exactly what I said down further, comparable goalies, they’ll get comparable salaries.
Except Rinne got his deal as a UFA, while Price is an RFA. He does not have the same bargaining power.
And there is also the fact that Rinne is better than Price.
See that’s where I disagree, would you not agree Nashville has a better d-corps than Montreal? Would you not agree Nashville has better goal scorers than Montreal? Rinne constantly struggles to get out of the first round even when he does manage to make the playoffs, he made it to the second round once, last year, Price made it to the second round in his rookie year, Rinne has no vezina and no one-ups on Price, both are unproven playoff goalies who lost to the Championship teams from last year.
I love Price but there is no way in hell I’d sign him for 10 years. Goalies can regress really quick and Montreal has a habit of chewing up and spitting out goalies.
“Player Contribution is a method for allocating credit for a team’s performance to the individual contributors on a hockey team. More precisely, it is a way of allocating a team’s wins to individual players. It puts offense, defense and goaltending performance on the same page, in the same currency.”
Last post about this because it doesn’t go over well with everyone:
Player Contribution is a method for allocating credit for a team’s performance to the individual contributors on a hockey team. More precisely, it is a way of allocating a team’s wins to individual players. It puts offense, defense and goaltending performance on the same page, in the same currency.
http://hockeyanalytics.com/2004/03/player-contribution/
Last post about this, as it doesn’t go over well with some:
” “Player Contribution is a method for allocating credit for a team’s performance to the individual contributors on a hockey team. More precisely, it is a way of allocating a team’s wins to individual players. It puts offense, defense and goaltending performance on the same page, in the same currency.”
http://hockeyanalytics.com/2004/03/player-contribution/
http://andyfroncioni.com
Ooh, another jam from Calgary Herald. It’s a poll question.
“Do you think Michael Cammalleri’s return means that Flames will have a shot at the Stanley Cup?”
Seriously? It’s like asking the same question upon Gomer’s return.
Boone or some other reporter….why not watch how the Habs practice and compare with successful teams. I maintain that they are NOT IN SHAPE. I read that at practice Price often works on his stick-handling and shooting!!!! What is that about? Perhaps he could work harder on his positioning and his abililty to stay on his feet. 2nd goal…on his knees waving glove at puck. Had he stood up and actually been on the correct side of the net…even a deflection doesn’t go in.
As for Cammy…not in shape. Boasted in training camp that he had done NO cardio training in the off-season. He said it was overated. I coach and even great players can suck if not in shape.
Finally…do not sign Price, or AK, and why not go with youth..LeBlanc, Gallagher, Tinordi, Kristo(?)…let youth be served.
If Price works on his stick handling and shooting in practice, then why not let him take a shot in a shootout?
Couldn’t possibly get any worse result than popgun offence we have now.
Can goalies actually shoot in a shootout? Also, Price could have dressed as a forward instead of Gomez or Darche tonight, since Boodaay is in nets.
That’s a good question to ask Boone or Stu Hackel. How about it? Is a goalie eligible,without his goalie equipment of course, to take a shot in the shootout?
I don’t think they can…
A goalie is not allowed to handle the puck past the red line….
And if he would have went into the butterfly on the first goal he would have stopped that too.
NEXT!
Instead of Price working on ANYTHING at all, maybe he should work on scoring goals with his goalie stick.
I cannot believe someone would pick points out about the only player on the team that can be considered a Franchise player.
Shane Oliver
http://www.Sholi2000.com Inc.
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The problem with today’s salaries is that the agents are smarter than the GMs.
When a team signs insane contracts like:
Bryzgalov – $10MM/year x 9 years
Lecavalier – $10MM/yr x 11 yrs
Heatly – $8MM/yr x 6 yrs
E. Staal – $7.75MM/yr x 7 yrs
Wisniewski – $7MM/yr x 6 yrs
Phaneuf – $6.5MM/yr x 6 yrs
and disasters, like Redden – $6.5MM x 6 yrs
these teams create precedents that the agents use as barometers.
The agent doesn’t care about team chemistry or longevity or compromising money for the sake of the team.
All they care about is getting as much money for their guy, and for themselves by extension; regardless of which team will be the taker.
Yes, some players will only chose to play for certain teams, but at the end of the day, teams like the Rangers, the Kings and the Red Wings will be on that list, and some are willing to give away the bank.
So if anyone wearing rose-colored glasses thinks that they can produce a well-balanced and exciting team while keeping salaries down, there is only one way of doing that: through the draft and keeping them within the organization, convincing them that it is all for the good of the team.
Then the players have to believe in this system.
I know of only one team that fits the description, the Red Wings.
And as someone pointed out earlier, we’re not the Detroit Red Wings.
So you pay the price (no pun intended) or lose the player.
Bryzgalov – $10MM/year x 9 years
-> 213.9 / 10 = 21.39 PC per $1M
Lecavalier – $10MM/yr x 11 yrs
-> 51/10 = 5.0 PC per $1M
Heatly – $8MM/yr x 6 yrs
-> 56/8 = 7.0 PC per $1M
E. Staal – $7.75MM/yr x 7 yrs
-> 62/7.75 = 8.0 PC per $1M
Wisniewski – $7MM/yr x 6 yrs
-> 39/7 = 5.57 PC per $1M
Phaneuf – $6.5MM/yr x 6 yrs
-> 54/6.5 = 8.3 PC per $1M
And using the same metrics, Price would have:
-> 245/7 = 35 PC per $1M
That would probably be one of the highest player contribution scores per $1M in the league, except for Ward, Thomas, and Rinne.
http://andyfroncioni.com
The best offence is a good defence. – Jacqueoleon Martinparte
Pittsburgh 3 Tampa 1. How many still want Boucher as coach?
Getting out shot by 20! Boucher and Stevie Y are looking real bad this year.
Edit: Outstanding, Tampa gets the game tied, only to give up two goals the Malkin within minutes. When does Guy get fired?
Given the limitations on acceptable canadates, oh nevermind. I am sick of that debate.
Another good article about the draft by Alan Ryder.
http://hockeyanalytics.com/2009/06/the-real-draft-lottery/
(Edited)
Tldr; Draft picks in the first round are worth it. Beyond the first round, they level out considerably. To make the best of it, have more picks.
http://andyfroncioni.com
I’d like to know what Alan Ryder thought of the Phil Kessel trade : )
“Max Pacioretty could be our Phil Kessel”
- Sean Bonjovi
LOL, great comment in Calgary Herald:
“Wow! Talk about a trade having an immediate impact. Instead of losing 4-0, we lost 4-1.”
There’s no doubt it’s a bad trade for Calgary. The question is whether it’ll be a good trade for the Habs
The Montreal Canadiens: sporting the best AND worst fans since 1909!
Let’s get budaj the majority of the rest of the starts, since the season is over now, and if price does want that type of deal (rinne like) let him walk and go after Schneider in vancouver. Price should get no more than 5.75mill per over 6 years. He’s not as good of a tender as Rinne. That’s a doable contract for both parties.
Shaker
Wonder where Price would be with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter playing in front of him.
probably still struggling if the offense can’t score….. if weber and suter could play the whole game, he’d be fine, but as soon as D’s 3-6 came on the ice with the same offense, he’d be in troube again.
Shaker
He has two defensemen in their first NHL seasons, one young player who is struggling mightily in his own end, a large player and a small player who can’t clear the crease.
You’ve always had a problem with Price and a love affair with Halak Jimmy. I didn’t see you all over Price last season. Funny how you kick him when he’s down.
And facts are facts, this team doesn’t have a defenseman, not one, that can log big minutes effectively and even slightly lighten the burden on a goaltender.
What goalie in the upper tier of the league in terms of stats right now is in a similar situation?
Just one would suffice.
+ 1 Good point Tom.
To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.
I liked halak better yes, but he ‘s gone and price is the man, bottom line. I believe in price as the teams number 1 tender, and just like last year, if price was down too early or too deep in the paint or swimming on his knees I called it out as my opinion just like this year…….and like two years ago, he’s not getting the bounces and the soft ones are adding up a lot quicker. I think another short contract would do both he and the club alot of good or like I said before 5.75 over six years, what’s wrong with that? Also, nashville does have weber and suter back there for renne, but who do they have up front scoring the goals?
The Habs brass chose to spend money up top with Gomez, cam my, gio, Cole while Nashville has spent it on there back end…..maybe Bobby should’ve spent the money on the d. Coulda, woulda……u need to get results with what u have
and right now the Habs are not getting it done, that’s why the lower contract for
price in my opinion. I even think they overpayed for gorges but what’s done is done!
Shaker
Price is worth more than what some of his supporting cast are getting. Get him signed to whatever it takes and clean up the supporting cast. It all starts from the goal line out to be successful.
“take your time and hurry up”
I realize that many think the Habs are just having a bad luck season and are really close given that they went to the ECF 2 season ago and took the eventual Cup winners to game 7 OT in the 1st round last play-offs. That is certainly a cup half full perspective. As for the cup half empty view, the Habs snuck into the play-offs with 88 points, getting that last point in a OT loss to Toronto on the last game. Last season Price had an true MVP season carrying the Habs to 96 points. They still blew a 2-0 lead in the series, coming home at that and lost game 4 after they were leading 3-1 and letting the Bruins even the series. Are they close or are they far?
The new parity league has proven that both can be true. This team could become very good in a year or two or could become even worse. The difference now between being elite and a draft lottery team is often a bounce or two here or there and that extra pound of effort that makes the slightest of differences in a scrum along the boards or in front of the net.
To swing between the bi-polar states of tanking to being elite is a far more enjoyable ride than spinning ones wheels going nowhere. Get ready for the roller-coaster ride Habs fans. Tears will turn to joy and the joy will be sorrow as happiness follows once again. Better to sink to unfathomable depths and rise to dizzying heights than to stolidly stumble year after year in middling mediocrity.
Hello! Hooray! Let the show begin I’ve been ready!
Pens,Leafs,Caps and Sabres are all 4 pointers so hopefully Mr.Bourque is in full swing by then,
“take your time and hurry up”
Better to think of Mr. Bourque as a good foot soldier than a messiah.
For those of you who wonder in public what Carey Price has done to earn big numbers, then have a look at Alan Ryder’s “Player Contribution” index from HockeyAnalytics:
http://hockeyanalytics.com/2011/12/2011-nhl-review/
Yup, that’s a 4th-place best overall player contribution index, using more information than most of us could swallow. And very similar to Rinne, btw.
Enjoy!
http://andyfroncioni.com
Numbers, formulas, blah, blah, blah…
Carey Price is a great young goaltender, but if he wants to be close to the highest paid players in this league, then let him get it elsewhere..We are not in a position to commit so much money to a guy that can’t even get his team into a playoff position..He’s a RFA, FFS..He has next to no leverage..His numbers wouldn’t be in his favor if it was to go to arbitration…That contract offer would be dumb on our part..He hasn’t proven anything, yet..
——————
Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
Exactly. Price was drafted by GAINEY,who referred to him as a thoroughbred.
‘Nuff said.
Have a look at the mess the Flyers have put themselves in year after year by not ante’ing up for a proper goalie. You can have a great team, but like it or not, goaltending will involve the highest player contribution of all. It’s the troll you have to pay to get across the bridge.
Dollars are numbers, too, by the way. And running your team by looking at raw dollars without the use of a proper denominator for assessing player quality is complete folly in modern sports management.
So before you write off Alan Ryder’s analysis, you might at least be prepared to have a look at some shift charts, and try to come up with a better argument than just “blah, blah, blah…”.
http://andyfroncioni.com
OK, fine..You want me to analyze this? Fine..What I can see on that list is all but 2 of the top 10 players (goalies) have either a) won a cup or b)been either nominated for a Vezina or won one…Has Price accomplished any of this?
It also has Reimer higher than Claude Giroux..So, would you think Reimer deserves just as much as a Giroux? get a grip..Its numbers, that’s it..
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
Guess what? Ascribing a number (1 or 0) to having a Cup or not… is also numbers. Binary.
http://andyfroncioni.com
Then PC is a good predictor of Cups and Vezinas, now, isn’t it? This is about crystal balls, not about rear view mirrors, deuce6. People pay a lot of money for good predictors of success, and very little for MacGuire-style “told-you-so” analysis.
It might be stacked in favour of goalies, but that’s because a goalie has much more potential to contribute to his team than a right winger.
http://andyfroncioni.com
How good is this team?
WHERE DO YOU STAND?
a) We’re closer than it looks. We just need to move a bad contract or two and open up space to put in somebody better (younger and not over-paid).
b) We need to ship out a few guys, but if we replace them with some size and grit, and one more good top 6 forward, we’ll have a team.
c) Markov and Gomez have us hog-tied. If Markov doesn’t come back and Gomez isn’t taken off the books, we’re in bad shape not just for this year but for the next two.
d) The air needs to be changed and the team needs to be practically gutted. Keep our younger core but have a fire sale on almost anyone over 26.
e) This team relies on too many guys who are unreliable. Almost everyone is overpaid (or will be when Price and Subban re-up).
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!
They say that answers to multiple-choice questions are usually C so that’s what I’m going with.
I’m with you. To me it’s just simple math. It’s not that our team is BAD, it’s that we have too many holes. No-one to dominate in the face-off circle. No-one to score shoout-out goals. Our Power Play is faltering… we need several new parts, and as long as we’re paying Markov to not play and Gomez to either not play or play, but like a 3rd line guy, we’ve just got huge baggage to carry.
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!
I geuss Im with a. I think we need to be sellers. Moving guys like kabele and gill. Hopefully there is an amnesty clause in the new cba so we can get rid of gomez penalty free. See what the summer brings and most importantly our gm needs to listen to every trade offer on every player. and if he decides to shop a player, offer him to everyone in the leauge.
My opinion, we need four players for next season. A top 6 forward (winger), a shutdown centreman for the fourth line, a veteran gritty defenceman, and Grigorenko (a superstar rookie). We can do well with just the first three. I have complete faith that Markov will be able to return healthy and that our youth (Subban, Eller, DD, White, Emelin, Diaz, Weber) will be even better.
Shutdown centreman like Gaustad, a vet dman like Sarich. If we could get Parise (or someone of that nature) that would be pretty dope too.
solidly in the (a) camp
I kind of think b,c and d are variants of each other. I am not in the a or e camp.
I believe we aren’t that far either
we should form 2 true top lines
a shut down line
and an energy line
we have several elements for the top 2 lines but they have to be completed
Pacioretty, Cole, Eller, AK and Bourque are 5 guys we can rely on for 5 of those top 6 spots. We need a big solid center to complete it.
Plekanek and Leblanc would be ideal for that shut down line and they can contribute offensively
For the energy line the only guy that realy fits the spot is White. I guy like Gautsad would be ideal here
On defense within 2 years we will have our 3 movers in Markov, Subban and Bealieu and 3 stay homes in Gorges, Tinordi and Yemelin
We have our goalie
I know a lot of people won’t be happy but to get bigger Desharnais, Gionta and Diaz will have to go.
So what missing
A top centerman for teh top 6
a left winger for the shut down line, Could Bournival be the guy? Or do we drop Bourque there, Bournival to the 4th and Gallagher to the top 6
last but not least we have to complete the energy line
To finish off January next up are Rangers, Capitals, Penguins, Leafs, Red Wings, Sabres. How many points can be gained?
“take your time and hurry up”
Oh boy. Would you be mad at me if I said 2?
C’mon. Where are we gonna get two points?
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!
2 shoutout loses.
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☞ I can’t really hear what Jeremy says, because I’ve got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears.☜
LOL
Shootout… but yah.
And Deuce6 had the same idea.
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!
2 OTL
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
Please be against the leafs. Living in the GTA sucks right now
No sh*t
4 … make that 3 …. 2 against the Pens, and another one against either the Caps or Sabres.
Bring em on ! Hate to be in between.My heart says what if …but my head says ah well…Might as well get it done sooner than later. I would say 6 but i live in my wildest dreams…Leafs ,Sabres and Pens… You asked for it so don`t throw me rotten tomatoes …
12 can be, if you’re asking how many will be, that’s a different story.
Each game will go to a shootout. Price won’t stop a single shot.
Let Cunneyworth worry about that and hope we tank and make a good trade or two. But if you really want a guess… 5pts…one solid win, one that Price steals and one OT loss.
We will get our two points with Gill in the shoot out instead of Kaberle.!
Tampa down 2-0 and getting out shot 2-to-1 against Pittsburgh. What a disaster that team has become. Apparently, they still want everything Montreal, this time their angling to “steal” a draft choice in front of Montreal.
when are these losers gonna start winning again, what can we do to help them LOL?
Imagine if Yzerman decides to can Boucher, what happens next? Do we go pick up Boucher who couldn’t do it with a team that has Stamkos, Lecavalier and St Louis? Do we become a boring 1-2-2 team a-la-JM again?
Well he’s french uggghhhh
If Gauthier has any brains whatsoever (and I think he really does), we are entering into a very good shopping market with some experienced vets and skill guys to sell/dump for youth and picks. Gill, Kaberle, Moen, Weber… maybe even Gomez if he can prove to someone else he still wants it…this could be the beginning of something exciting.
Unless Bob Gainey gets a GM job elsewhere, Gomez is untradable. Agree with the rest of your post though.
I know. But I have worked with unmotivated, down and out kids for many years and have trouble giving up on him because I can’t understand how a guy with his skill (skating)and grit (playoffs) has gone so sour. Maybe a strong coach on a big team with problems down the middle has it figured out and will take a huge risk on him that is tempered by some contract clause-sharing with Montreal…or maybe we should just take him out back and….
LOL Gomez is our Old Yeller.
Lol. I like where you were headed with that.
That’s what everyone and his uncle has been saying here for weeks and weeks derfab, led by our ringmaster HardHeadedHabits and his uncle.
Edit: Oh, except for the part where you say Gauthier has brains …
5 million dollar contracts only going forward. Spread the bucks out a little more and you can build a TEAM that will play for each other. If they want anything over that, move them out for 1st round picks.
I want team players, not wallet players.
Excellent post Ian – The best one I,ve read on this site – good on you.
+1
Sorry to disagree Ian, but you have to go with market value, and Price is comparable to Pekka Rinne’s 7-year $49MM contract.
I know it’s a sick amount of money, but if they don’t pay it, someone else will.
Let them! you cannot buy a cup, it takes a team to win it.
Look at Washington, when they signed the big OV to 100 million contract, I said right then that they would never win with all your cap into 3 players like that.
You can’t expect price to stay for 5 mil or less. on top of that, say hello to last place if you get rid of Price and dont pay to keep your stars. You have to pay the players market value. Even Nashville, a team that works on a budget below the cap, knows you have to pay the top players. see weber and rinne.
What has Price done to warrant such a lucrative contract? Sure, his services are essential to our team moving forward, but not at that price..Has he won a Vezina or even been nominated for one? Has he won a cup? If that is the cost of his services, then I say trade him..As much as I love having him on the team, team’s with such cap anchoring contracts rarely move forward..
We have enough bad contracts, we don’t need another..
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
We are in last place now my friend!
if someone else pays that we get a TON of draft picks in return (RFA), that is if we don’t match it. I hope we get price for around 5 Million, he has proven himself, but not passed the first round in the playoffs…
The most important position on any team is goaltending.
Everybody knows that. Weak goaltending and your chances are low of taking it all in the playoffs. Just ask the Flyers.
And as Price evolves, and the D in front of him develops, he will be in the Marty Brodeur category. Brodeur has said it himself. He’s one three goalies he likes to watch.
There’s a price to pay for that, and it’s a level equal (or close to) the best paid goaltender in the league.
That’s $7MM/yr, and I’m convinced that’s what the Habs will pay.
If you are convinced that you have the best long term player that fits your club, like Price, sign him for 8 or 10 years for 5 million per. If he wants more, see ya.
As much as I agree with your sentiment Ian, I have to say that’s wishful thinking. Players are mercenaries now who want to maximize their earnings, and given how the team would dump a player at the drop of a hat now I can’t blame them. There is no loyalty from players to teams or from teams towards players anymore.
Great management can find quality players that want to stick together and win together. If they want to be hero’s and be paid more that their team mates in the room, then earn it up to a max of 5 million. If not see ya later on a losing team, like the one in Montreal today..
Detriot is one of the best teams in the league and players often take less to play there. They have 3 players making over 6 mil per. Datsyuk lidstrum and zetterburg. But you would trade them off your team. Thank god you aren’t gm
We don’t have a Datsyuk, Zetterberg, or anything even remote to a Lidstrom..
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
deuce6 – We don’t have players like those 3. But what Ian is saying is that he wouldn’t resign players if they asked for more than 5 mil. So if we had players of that quality, Ian would let them walk and try and replace them. Find me a recent cup winning team with all the players on the team making 5 mil or less. Better yet, find be a star player not on an entry level deal making under 5mil
The idea is not so crazy. Detroit has had a Lidstrom salary cap for quite a while.
But the players have a lot more to deal with in Montreal, plus I pretty sure there are more taxes. I don’t think it will work. Right now the Habs are a circus and no one is going to take a pay cut to be here.
We all might not agree with the goons in Toronto but there is no way to deny their ability to alter people’s perception. Right now they are carving the Habs rep up pretty good.
Agree that balance is neccesary but the recent cup winners had a legit first line. Unless they’re homegrown, going to be tough finding those in your proposed budget. Ian, I think the Habs problem is we spent like drunken sailors. Now we have too many bad contracts. Careful spending in the future is my recommendation.
Exactly Ian.
Rene Bourque is a good example. $3.3 mill for the next 4 years isn’t bad at all.
Hopefully Kostitsyn will resign for somewhere in the same ballpark.
$5 mill is a bit high for Gionta and Plekanec but not brutal like Gomez or the departed Cammalleri’s contracts.
It’s too bad the UFA market is so bare this summer because once we get Gomez off the books this summer we could easily retool without blowing things for the future.
HH – I don’t think it’s too far fetched to assume that some team (maybe even Montreal) will give AK46 a Leino/Fleishmann type contract, both in terms of coin and term.
I appreciate what Ian is trying to say but the reality is that most franchises that win the Cup usually spend up to the cap. All of the teams that are favoured to win this year are near the cap max.
As for retooling with new found cap space, isn’t that what got us into this predicament in the first place? Not many teams ever win the Cup by just going the UFA route. That was Gainey’s big mistake, thinking he could go down that road.
We can be a better team Steve if we had most of the team getting 3,4,5 million each. Much better talent for the max cap. overall. When a 5 million guy goes down, you have better players for replacement. If you lose two 6 or 7 million dollar guys, your season is over.
This is a reasonable and IMO the best way to build out a team. The problem and trouble with the formula is that it works well with rookie and RFA contract years i.e. under 25 yrs old.
In truth once a player hits UFA status their next contract will be market value and that runs the risk of blowing past the $5m/yr.
– HABS INSIDE/OUT R.I.P. –
Then they have a choice, that is! leave for a loser for more money or stay with security at a top of 5 million, and be on a winner.
If you don’t pay players to stay. You won’t have a winning team. They will go somewhere and win and get there money
Can’t think of a single team in recent memory that has won a cup with no players earning more than $5 mil.
One or two contracts at $6 mill is fine or even higher if the player is a slam dunk.
But Gomez and Cammalleri are not those players!!
How many cups can be won with 6 players at 5 million. And the rest trying to get there starting at 1million. 1 goal tender, 3 top forwards, and 2 top D. the rest of the team at 5million and below. You know this coming in for the long term.
What this team needs is a GM like Billy Beane.
Why !! Does he have common sense.?
Some thoughts:
- ON THE RANGERS (& GOALTENDING). For years the Rangers have had one of the best goalies in the league but it’s taken them a long time to assemble the other pieces. This may be the Habs situation. Dont’ judge Price by the sucking team in front of him.
- BUDAJ? Why not start Budaj? If we lose at least it doesn’t hurt PRICE’s confidence.
- ON OUR CAPTAIN. Even though he’s been injured a lot, I think Brian Gionta should take more responsibility for our suckitude. Even when he was playing we saw little in the way of leadership from him. I’ve seen nothing this year (or last for that matter) that inspires any great sense of respect or confidence. I hope he’s traded to shed his contract and let the Habs make Gorges or Cole Captain. These two guys DO inspire, and both have more interesting and meaningful things to say when they speak.
- PLEKS. Haven’t seen Plekanec smile like that for awhile. Nice to get the monkey off his back, but could it be he’s also happy that Cami is gone. Seems possible.
- CAMI. Sure he scored but he was also -2. Just call him “Mr Backcheck”. Or is it “Mr. Paycheck”?
- GOMEZ. New game, same crap from this guy last night. The best I can say about him is seemed invisible.
- CAMPOLI. I’m hoping we’re shopping this guy, otherwise I don’t get how much ice time he got last night.
- KABERLE. I like that Cunneyworth is trying to make Kaberle earn his keep. He’s looked decent enough so far.
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!
When is something major going to get done? Doing nothing and hoping for things to change is insane. Not suggesting a panic move but make a fn move. Everyone knows we need more size and toughness, how hard is it to go get someone who can crash and bang and fight?
pipes
if PG is going to take a run at the playoffs this year , his next move will be the decider. i assume it will be sooner than later if we go for it , and i expect it to be a big move.
a win or lose will probaly make the descion going forward, as it puts the team at the 45 game mark , and the allstar break coming up
Ummm, do you live in a cave?
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
My thought exactly. Or maybe someone who neglect to follow the depressing Habs for 1 week suddenly decides to check in here.
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☞ I can’t really hear what Jeremy says, because I’ve got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears.☜
Uh, did you not hear about the Cammalleri trade?
I think you copy & pasted the wrong paragraph there buddy.
if we bring everyone back except gomez next year i believe we will be in the bottom third in scoring for a 4th year in a row…ak46 dd and moen are okay on a team where you have 2 players able to produce 75-80 points but not on a team where your top scorer is somewhere in the fifties…
I really like Blumden and his hitting, and I think he has talent. I would love to see him in front of the net on the PP, screening the goalie. I like his work ethic, and it shows he wants to be an NHL player, he will do what it takes. Blumden with some good ice time would lead this team in hits, and get some dirty goals.
I share your enthusiasm, but it’s BLUNDEN, not Blumden. He is the only Hab forward that consistently finishes his checks. If Rene Bourque does the same and plays tough for us, which I think he will, he would be a better choice for crowding the net on the PP — he has better hands than Blunden.
All these extra points lost in the shootout this year, are basically the difference with this team being on the bubble as opposed to getting ready for a lottery pick, which actually might be a blessing in disguise. Anyhow, since this team has been losing in the shootout so much, pg should’ve made his ballsiest move and bring back ak27, he would’ve helped in that area, and be a better pick up than campoli, the man who gave game seven away for the hawks last year. Just sayin!
shaker
To all those guys who question the shootout line-up last night, some interesting numbers from NHL.com’s lifetime statistics for active players on the shootout:
The best career shootout percentage among current Canadiens? A tie between Andrei Markov and David Desharnais at 40% (though with only five attempts lifetime, DD’s sample size, like his stature, is small – 2/5). Second place? Also a tie: Brian Gionta and, ahem, Tomas Kaberle at 38.5% (5/13).
Oh and that sniper now playing for the Flames? Mr. Cammalleri’s lifetime shootout success rate is 23%.
I did not know Markov was a current Canadien.
Why is everyone single out Gill again?
Everyone wants to see Emelin I get that. But if someone has to sit I don’t look at Gill and say he brings nothing. He is a big part of the PK and he also brings leadership to a very young d core. He also helped in the development of Georges and Subban’s defensive play. If someone has to sit I would rather see Campoli, Kaberle, Weber or Diaz.. 4 middle tier offensive defenseman all in the line-up at once.
Has anyone else heard or read about this? Personally, i think 7 years at 6 million per would be fair. What do everyone think he is worth and for how long?
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Kamal-Panesar/Are-Montreal-Canadiens-about-to-sign-Carey-Price-to-a-long-term-extension/137/41353
Holy batman contract! Price wants 10 yrs 70 million!
Ask Vancouver Canuck fans if they’re happy with Roberto Luongo’s contract.
Carey Price is cut from the same mold.
He and Luongo are very good to great regular season goalies, ALWAYS folding under pressure..ie, not MONEY goalies.
That’s just plain stupid. Price has won a pro championship (AHL), price has won a WJHC, Luongo won a gold friggin medal in the olympics and went to game 7 in last year’s SC finals with his team scoring only 8 goals in the entire 7 game series…. but ya, neither of them can play in big games.
You live up to your avatar at least.
Winning in the minors or in junior is not a precursor to any level of success in the NHL.
Team Canada won the gold medal IN SPITE of Luongo,not because of him.(Remember how US tied game late in 3rd period of gold medal game?)
The Canucks will NEVER win the Stanley Cup with Luongo as their MAIN goalie.
Roberto Luongo,Curtis Joseph,Carey Price…ALL cut from the same mold…all excellent REGULAR SEASON goalies who never perform well in the postseason..i.e. not MONEY GOALIES…unlike someone like Patrick Roy, who absolutely shone the bigger the game.
I have no issue going 7 or 10 years for Price. You and the Panesar are right, Montreal deserves a break on Price’s 2 or 3? RFA years based on the market rate for goalies. $5.5-$6.5 AAV seems right for Price.
Why not, it has worked out well for the Islanders with DiPietro.
i say give it to him , at least for 10 years you know you have a chance each game , and he can only get better
You actually believe Price has earned a 6 million per year salary?
If that is what he wants, then deal him..I can imagine that we could get a heck of a lot for him on the trade market…
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
Isn’t hockey buzz – the Eklund website ? Ten years for a goalie is
too long – See Luongo, DiPietro (15) & Brysolov (9) as I would think the teams who signed those long term contracts would like to get out of them via trade etc with no takers…….
Why does Hal Gill get ice time instead of Emilen? Why is our only physical d-man a healthy scratch? Management comments that they need to get bigger but bench the only physical dman. Seriously, time to get rid of Skillsie. Let Emilen develop by getting ice time not press box time.
C’est le but!
Oh Boy! Not much to say about last night except that we must be shopping Kaberle to get an early draft pick this year. I am surprised we did not put Gill in the shoot out.
Anyway, here is where we place in the league compared to last week.
Goals Against 122. We are in 13th place. Last week 12th with 114
Total points— 40. We are in 24th place. Last week 24th with 39
Goals For——112. We are in 24th place. Last week 20th with 109
Our last win against the Rangers was a Nov. 19th 4 to 0 shutout the weekend of our 2011 Fan Summit in Mtl. 135 of us from HIO were there enjoying. Who would have know at the time, what we were going to be in for the rest of the season.
I sure hope we can unload cap space before the trade deadline for first round picks this year. It will be the first time in a 100 years that we will have a chance of top draft picks overall. We had better get a few of them in the first round, if we are ever going to make a noise in this league.
3 goals in a week! Now that’s impressive.
Hey Ian I have an idea.
Why don’t we hold a summit get-together for every game?
The way they played that night, the team would be first overall.
Ya, but lets have it in Tampa and Miami. At least we could have a tail gate party before the game and no parka on.
We went a couple years ago. It was like going to the morgue in Tampa compared to the Bell Center,.
That sounds like a great idea. I’m up for it.
And even if the atmosphere isn’t the same, we can make our section lively anyhow.
Maybe the west coast next time…
The Habs are starting Budaj? Looks like strategic stance: TankCon Alpha has just been assumed. May Gawd have mercy on us all…
So, uhhh, been away for a bit. Had to know:
What’s the deal with Kaberle? What was THAT all about?
I mean, you could MAYBE explain Eller being in the shootout…maybe (even though I thought it was totally Mickey Mouse), cuz usually, you want to get SCORERS in the shootout and one Jan Bulis night does not a scorer make; that’s just my opinion of course.
But Kaberle. I like the guy. Good pickup. Has played better here than in Bos and Car combined. But…but…but, I mean, what’s goin ON here? What POSSIBLE sense was there in putting him in the shootout? Does he have a HISTORY at any time in any team of poppin’em in during shootouts? What the hell??
Who’s mindin the goddang store?! Are we dealing in BEADS now? Have we somehow AGREED to call it a season and no one sent me the memo? The trying-to-WIN-games scenario has officially been taken off the table, that it? Are they shutting the team down before the international sovereign debt fiat bubble bursts? What the HELL, man? Wh…, I mean…th…the…I…I…ub…up…guh…I mean, there ARE NO WORDS, man!
(long sigh and pause, steepled-hands under chin to collect one’s thoughts, rocking back on forth in front of the screen)
The draft choice management has its eye on better be friggin Gretzky.
Back from the Brink’s boasts L. B. Potter, esq.
I believe Kaberle is a career 40% in the shootout. Better than most of our “scorers”…
That could mean 2 out of 5, all told. Have the numbers?
Back from the Brink’s boasts L. B. Potter, esq.
He came in 5-12, now 13.
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Welcome to the newer NHL: The National Headshot League.
Bugs! my thoughts exactly! Maybe if he scores we can trade him for someones pick.???
hey rabbit!
missed you ’round here man.
Always amazed by articulate attempts at alliteration!
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Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.
– Augustine of Hippo
Been busy building better ones…aw, nuts!
See? Got more work to do, I suppose.
Back from the Brink’s boasts L. B. Potter, esq.
If the team does play well enough to make it to the playoffs, and have some success once there, and everyone is happy, praises from media etc… it will still leave a huge sour taste to the current players, and to a certain extent, all players in the rest of the league as to what it is to be a Montreal Canadien. Who’s gonna be sincere in their playing effort anymore when you know there’ll be a François Gagnon lurking to hit you one below the belt at your first misstep, and management too sensitive to what image they project instead of instilling winning attitude (ⓒCammalleri)? They’ll just play for their contract year, get signed elsewhere and have a happier life.
Or, if you’re a Francophone player who managed to avoid playing in Montreal your entire career, after your retirement you can always come back here and get a talking head job at TVA Sport, RDS, FM 98.5 to add more fuel to denigrate the currents Habs in order to create more contents for the media conglomerate who hired you.
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☞ I can’t really hear what Jeremy says, because I’ve got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears.☜
Cammalleri’s winning attitude?
You mean the same Cammalleri who was traded, scored in his first game of his new (old) team, and still ended up a -2?
It was a ironic pun.
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☞ I can’t really hear what Jeremy says, because I’ve got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears.☜
I hate those. : )
Did anyone hear the selfish stuff about cammi before his outburst?
I googled cammalleri and selfish earlier and all the posts were since his comments to the media about a bottom third team playing like losers. In fact, the only thing about being selfish upon his arrival was this,
http://www.operationsports.com/forums/hockey-dynasties/451319-les-glorieux-les-canadiens-de-montreal.html. Which says, “Gone were the days of selfishness, and a new era was ushered in”
People were impressed when Patches said he prefer to stay in Hamilton than be wasted on a fourth line… A clear knock on then well-entrenched coach Martin.
Airing dirty laundry stinks. But, sometimes, for people without the power to change personnel or systems, who feel like their skills are being wasted, it’s the only way to shed light on a (perceived) problem. And, when you’re 24th in the league, they are problems.
I think that the way to persuade players to want to come and stay here is to have a good and consistent vision of the style our team is to play, build a plan to realize that vision, and then execute that plan. It takes great leadership to assemble a team of scouts, coaches and players with the aptitude and character necessary to succeed.
The current benchmark for this kind of organization is the Detroit Red Wings. The last time we had this kind of leadership was when Sam Pollock was our GM; this is what our team’s reputation is based on. That’s more than 30 years ago.
I don’t know who the best candidate is to replace Pierre Gauthier as the leader to get us back to greatness but that is Molson’s primary responsibility. Until this happens, I have no confidence that the Canadiens will once again become the organization it once was.
Before you can get money-oriented players to come and play here, first and foremost, is by negotiating a tax deferral plan with the Qc. Gov’t.
Othewise, losing 40%+ on every dollar is not much incentive.
That leadership has to stay the course through good AND bad seasons.
When Detroit was going through a rough patch 1 or 2 season ago I cannot remember well, going below the 8th spot, people started going they’re too old, time to change guard etc.. but management stuck with the same team. Players felt the loyalty, and now they’re still among the elite.
In Montreal, that would mean a GM that sticks to his team, his vision no matter what the media and fans say, especially during hard times. We may be crying for JM’s dismissal, but what if Gauthier sticks with him, and whether the team improves in the short term or not, the coach and the players will sense the loyalty and return the favor next season.
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☞ I can’t really hear what Jeremy says, because I’ve got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears.☜
9 sleeps till all star break, then according to Montreal Folklore the Fairy Godmother will deliver us a Norris trophy candidate dman and a pugnacious 4th line center/winger. WooHoo!
LOL. Is that the fairy godmother in your dreams Gerry?
Pretty sad what my dreams involve eh?
As we get older, yes.
I liked my dreams when I was a teenager though.
Is that an ironic pun too?
No, I was just cir-cum-locuting around my dream matter.
If rumour are right and they signing Price that be the right way to go about it ,than PK and then u now what u got left for AK and Moen as they are part of the solution to get bigger and better
I heard that Budaj is playing for the Habs. I just don’t get this. This is at least the 2nd time recently where the Habs have faced teams in the top 5 in the league where they have chosen to play Budaj. Not only does it give us less chance to win, but it has to have Price wondering wtf….?
Comments?
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
Price needs to be saved for next season.
Haven’t you got the memo HR1. Tanking is for losers. Habs are losers. Habs are tanking.
Even if you were right, this still does not make a lot of sense because saving Price for the bad teams means we have a better chance of beating them anyway.
Anyone have a real answer?
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
Price is dressing as extra dman and will partipate in shootout if we get in one.
Not a bad idea, that is one way to make the defense bigger. He’d probably have a better outlet pass then some of the current d-man too.
Budaj has to play sometime and given there are very few teams below the Habs in the standings league-wide, well you end up playing him against the Rangers.
Because teams have back up tenders for a reason……to give the starter a rest, and since the season is a write off anyways, budaj should be playing more period. He’s on pace to play less than auld did last year, but ironically was brought into the team as a more stable alternative to auld. Another chink in the armor with this great organization…….and lastly, how do some on here think price can play every game for this team? He almost did that last year and look how that turned out!
Shaker
why not rest price v.s. a team we shouldn’t beat anyways?
- Next week on Habs Shore: Cammi Sweetheart is jealous of the attention G-Love is getting for his FHO philosophy (Fishing, Hockey, Overpaid)
Mario Tremblay suggested on antichambre last night that at one point during the season if things look bad enough it is time to start thinking about plummeting down the standings for a better draft pick. That it would crazy not to. He even did the turning the finger around the temple thing with crazy eyes.
Hopefully the Habs trade players by the deadline and land another 2nd and possibly even a 1st for 2012′s apparently deep draft.
If there’s one thing Mario knows, it’s how to tank properly.
If there is one more thing that Mario knows, it is crazy ( does the turning the finger around the temple thing)
“Et le but!”
And some people want Roy to come coach the Habs. Imagine?
Of course Montreal will unload UFAs for assets at the deadline, all teams that are out of it do this. They already started by unloading Cammalleri and getting a 2nd for a 5th. Who do you think could bring a 1st rounder?
Gomez. PG will negotiate to get a first rounder for 2009.
Mario Tremblay?? Ex-Hab, Ex Hab Coach? Guy that helped run Patrick out of town? Your using him for back-up. Him and Houle might as well have done that, then they could pick Micheal Ryan and Turner Stevenson even higher than they did.
Using Mario’s statements to strengthen your arguement is almost as crazy as doubleH’s new bi-polar avatar
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Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.
– Augustine of Hippo
The Birth of Tragedy: Nietzsche discusses the intellectual dichotomy between the Dionysian and the Apollonian. He claims life always involves a struggle between these two elements, each battling for control over the existence of humanity. In Nietzsche’s words, “Wherever the Dionysian prevailed, the Apollonian was checked and destroyed…. wherever the first Dionysian onslaught was successfully withstood, the authority and majesty of the Delphic god Apollo exhibited itself as more rigid and menacing than ever.” Yet neither side ever prevails due to each containing the other in an eternal, natural check, or balance.
nice.
I knew there was an explanation to your new Manichean visuals.
Appropriately enough, it’s over-man.
@derfab:
Before you use Tremblay, HH, call up Ronald Corey and ask for a reference.
I am beginning to think that if MT is on board maybe I am going to change from Tanking™ to merely being Sellers.
Yeah because guaranteed he screws up the draft selections.
I’d like to know what criteria they use in selecting who will take the shoot-out.
I like Maxx Pac, but he’s not a stick handler. And very predictable.
Kaberle? Has he ever taken a penalty or shoot-out shot? Not that I know of.
Eller, fine. The kid has hands and I could understand the selection.
But we need to go with players who have hands.
I would pick DD first, because he seems to have the moves. Eller? OK.
And I think Koivu would…..oh yeah, never mind.
I’d like to see Subban take a penalty shot.
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Don’t let the wultures getcha.
Absolutely! He has moves, that’s for sure.
He has been given a few chances, and is 0 for.
Kaberle actually was i think 5 for 12 lifetime in shootout prior to last night. But i was one of 13 posters who immediately posted
KABERLE? when we saw him preparing to shoot.
Yeah, and one of over half a million who voiced it out loud.
Only 3 players all time have scored more goals on the SO than Kaberle. Gionta and Bourque who were both N/A, and Gomez who was not used. Only Markov and David Desharnais (40%) have better averages than Kaberle. Maybe next time he should use Desharnais, Gomez and Bourque until Gionta and Markov come back! I did like giving Eller a shot for obvious reasons!!
Subban BTW is 0 for 3 on his career….just saying!!!
The Rangers are the first place team, so they are a good measuring stick. They are similar to the Habs in that they play a conservative (dare I say boring) style, avoiding mistakes, getting pucks deep, and wait for the other team to make a mistake. They both rely on good goaltending. Neither team has a great power play. They both have a good PK. I would give a slight edge to New York with their top two lines, but I think Montreal’s third line is more of a scoring threat. Neither team scores a lot of goals; the Rangers have only scored 8 more goals than the Habs, not a lot for the difference between 1st and 12th.
The biggest differences between the two teams I see is that the Rangers’ defense is much better. They have been relying heavily on Girardi and McDonagh who have been consistent. Only Gorges on the Habs can match that consistency, although Subban has been better lately. The Ranger’s second paring is much better with Staal returning and Del Zotto a +24 so far. The Habs’ number 3 guy is Diaz (-2) and take your pick of Gill, Kaberle, Emelin or Campoli for the fourth. That makes for a huge advantage to New York on the 2nd D pairing.
And because Montreal has to play 7 defensemen to cover up individual deficiencies on D and to carry special teams specialists, they can’t roll four lines like the Rangers can. I see this as a disadvantage in back-to-back games.
When compared to the 1st place team, the Habs seem to need the most help on defense.
“measuring stick”?
You don’t bring a 6″ ruler to a long-jump competition.
I was at the Leafs vs. Rangers game last night, four rows behind the Rangers net for the first and thrid periods. As such, I had a great view of McDonagh and Girardi’s play. Girardi is excellent! Watching McDonagh play underscores how poor the trade for Gomez was. It is also another piece of evidence that Timmins (Timmons?) has some ability to gauge talent. Unfortunately, our General Managers have not and do not know what they are doing.
Nice, those were great seats for watching the D. Having McDonagh on Montreal would make a big difference this year, IMO. It doesn’t help that Gomez’s game has deteriorated beyond what even the most dour pessimist would have predicted.
UGH… Newest Habs prospect Patrick Holland injures Brendan Gallagher…
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Giants+will+sorely+miss+hurting+Gallagher+Morrison/5998590/story.html
“Let’s be clear on the facts…”
It has to be contagious.
When Kaberle first arrived, he wasn’t too bad for a couple of games.
The team scored PP goals in two consecutive games, then….nada.
Gomez, who’s been out how long now?, came out like a bat out of hell, then as the game wore on, he whittled under pressure, tried a diagonal clearing pass that never left the zone, and then gets the puck back and what does he do?…he lifts it right into Spezza who almost scored on the play.
I’m so depressed…
Carey Price in shootouts through his career:
2011-12: 1-6, .500 SV% (10 goals on 20 shots)
2010-11: 3-2, .750 SV% (6 goals on 24 shots)
2009-10: 2-3, 0.706 SV% (5 goals on 17 shots)
2008-09: 5-6, 0.629 SV% (13 goals on 35 shots)
2007-08: 3-2, 0.818 SV% (4 goals on 22 shots)
Over his career, Price is 14-19 with a 0.678 SV% in shootouts. So this year is anomalously bad (he was 13-13 with a 0.714 SV% entering this season).
The active leaders in shootout save percentage over their career (minimum 30 shot attempts) are:
Pekka Rinne – 78.4%
Corey Crawford – 77.8%
Johan Hedberg – 77.5%
Marc-Andre Fleury – 76.8%
Semyon Varlamov – 76.7%
Henrik Lundqvist – 76.4%
Brent Johnson – 76.4%
Mathieu Garon – 75.2%
Antti Niemi – 74.7%
Dany Sabourin – 73.5%
Its hard for Price to win a shootout, when his mates dont score. Price has come such a long way from when I first seen him, he no longer glares at his Dmen, he is calm and collected when he talks to the press, and talks team in his success. I would love a couple of big Dmen, who would clear and knock heads in front of him. I find him one of the brighter young men in the league, and I dont think the team would be very much without him.
No excuse for a .500 save percentage.
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“You have to be this tall to ride on this ride”
-as posted in amusement parks across North America
anyone know if Emelin will play tonight!!!!!