The Canadiens on Wednesday acquired defenceman Brent Sopel and forward Nigel Dawes from the Atlanta Thrashers in return for forward Ben Maxwell and a fourth round draft pick.
Sopel is a veteran defenceman who won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. In 59 games this season, the 34-year-old right-hander has two goals and five assists with the Thrashers. Sopel is making $2 million this season – with a cap hit of $2.3 million – and becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Two stats of note: Sopel was leading Atlanta in penalty-killing ToI at 3:21 per game (20th in the NHL) and was second in blocked shots (10th in the league), with 130 in 59 games.
Sopel will not be in the lineup against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
Dawes has only played nine games in the NHL this season, registering only one assist. In 47 games in the American Hockey League, the 5-foot-9, 195-pound forward has 27 goals and 17 assists.
More to come.
• Thanks to video scout Jarred Friedman for Sopel mic’d up
• Sopel on Twitter: “Off to Montreal – let the games begin!!” and ”Just about to take off. Got to love this part of the game. I had like 90 mins to pack and get to the airport. Thanks to the Atlanta fans.”
The latest Sopel Tweet: “Looking forward to getting to Montreal to start the running for another Stanley Cup.”
MRibisBqjf8
The team’s release:
MONTREAL (February 24, 2011) – Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier announced today that
the team acquired defenseman Brent Sopel and forward Nigel Dawes from the Atlanta Thrashers, in return for
forward Ben Maxwell and a 4th round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Sopel will join the Canadiens tonight, while
Dawes will report to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs.
Sopel, 34, played in 59 of the Thrashers 61 games thus far this season, recording seven points (2 goals, 5
assists) while averaging 16:25 of time on ice. He totalled 40 shots on goal and 16 penalty minutes. Sopel currently
ranks second on the team, first among defensemen with a +7 plus/minus differential, and ranks second on the club,
7th in the NHL with 130 blocked shots.
The 6’2 and 205 lbs defenseman, who won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, is in his 11th
NHL season. Since he first joined the NHL back in 1998-99, Sopel amassed a total of 218 regular season points (44
goals, 174 assists) in 647 regular season games with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Los Angeles
Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta. He has a career +33 plus/minus differential and totaled 309 penalty
minutes. Sopel also played in 64 career playoff games, registering 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists). He played in all
Blackhawks 22 playoff games in 2010 recording six points (1-5-6).
A native of Calgary, Sopel was a 6th round selection, 144th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks at the 1995 NHL
Entry Draft.
Dawes, 26, played in nine games with the Thrashers in 2010-11, his fourth NHL season. The 5’09” and 200 lbs
forward recorded one assist while averaging 11:11 of time on ice. He is currently 4th in scoring with the AHL Chicago
Wolves with 44 points in 47 games (27 goals, 17 assists). He leads the team, and ranks 3rd in the AHL in goals (27).
Born in Winnipeg, Dawes was a 5th round pick, 149th selection overall, by the New York Rangers in 2003. He
played in a total of 208 career regular season games in the NHL with the Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames
and Atlanta Thrashers. He registered 84 career points (39 goals, 45 assists) and 43 penalty minutes.
Selected in the 2nd round by the Canadiens, 49th overall in 2006, Ben Maxwell was held scoreless in 20 games
with the Canadiens during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. This year with the Hamilton Bulldogs, he recorded 40
points in 47 games (11 goals, 29 assists) and 32 penalty minutes.
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No Wiz?
We went from not having a single right-handed defenseman in the lineup to too many! PK, Weber, Wiz, Sopel…
I will now pray
actually it was the centennial opening game
ya i guess it’s really for hamilton’s sake.. maybe help cunningworth out a bit..
especially if they’re taking maxwell..
however i like likehoy’s answer better
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
Argggg that one always gets me! It has nothing to do with the internet, I’ve always mixed those two up.
Sopel-Sandpapery? Maybe 3 years ago, now he can’t even play defence for the thrashers, they scratched him recently a handful of times, doesnt sound quite as good
True, but those four are the only R’s in the roster. Mara, Festerling, Nash, Picard, Gill, Hamr, Markov and Gorges are all L’s.
Steven Wright NOT Stephen Wright.
Subtract two Grammar Police points for not capitalizing English. Subtract one additional point for not capitalizing Internet.
Go Habs Go!
Markov, Hammer, Sopel all UFA’s. Weber, Gorges RFA’s
Subban and Spacek are the only signed D at this point. Though that’s not a terrible lineup, the Habs needn’t be handcuffed by feeling they can only sign current roster players, depending on the health of Markov and Gorges. I’d sign Gill to another year, maybe two for the right price. At the very least, he’s hilarious. Maybe offer Wiz a contract, though there are moments I cringe when he has the puck in his own end. I haven’t looked at the available crop. Maybe this IS the way to go.
English the language, unlike English the nationality, doesn’t require capitalization unless it begins a sentence. Nor does internet. Another misconception.
You would have come off as WAY smarter had you pointed out that the “then” part (as opposed to THAN) would indicate that he is indeed being brought here to play in the NHL. Oh well, better luck next time!
“When I was a baby I wish my first word had been “QUOTE”, then right before I die I could say “UNQUOTE” – Stephen Wright
yes and no, the ihabs app is frigging buggy
I like this trade. It signals to the team the GM is happy with what he’s got and sees potential for a lengthy playoff run. Sopel is a right-hand shot, and is finally the kind of guy we needed to take Gorges spot in the line-up. He is great in his own end, and has tons of valuable play-off experience. He and Gill on the PK should be a treat. This allows Hamr and Subban to catch their breath, and the Wiz and Weber have less pressure on them too. Dawes is insurance I guess.
Only down side is Maxwell is the featured player on my Habs calendar for the month of March (of course November it’s Markov, and December it’s Halak!)
…i guess this also means Spacek is out for the season.
cause dawes is short
- Gomez is holding down the “overpaid” button
Sopel is UFA next year.
This is why PG hasnt made any big splash for a rental D
NEXT YEAR
Markov-Subban
Gorges-Hammer
Weber-Sopel
(7th could be Brendan Nash?? Picard? Mara?)
Dawes was included more for Hamilton’s sake then for the Canadiens. Hamilton has been pretty decimated by call-ups already (Weber, Desharnais, Pacioretty, White), and they just traded another one of Hamilton’s top 6 forwards, so they got Dawes to help out in the AHL.
Stop moaning about his size when he wasn’t even brought here to play in the NHL.
FIRE GAUTHIER
Wrong!
“We will win the Cup one day only with ? in the nets “
Sopel not playing tonight, Dawes is deployed to HAM as per reports.
Next likely Bulldog to move is Mathieu Carle if they’re going to keep moving farmhands who aren’t expected to crack the lineup.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
Sopel and Dawes, certainly not hateful. If Spacek is out for the season, I believe our cap situation improves by adding Sopel and Spacek sitting out on IR. Another thought, Maxwell probably would not be playing with the A team. Dawes has some potential, maybe even trade bait with an AKos trade. We might get our 4th back in the next trade. Hopefully we pick up a sizeable gritty forward with scoring ability, please not a rental.
The calm before the storm, I do not believe PG is done, I can dream.
Great get another 5.9 forward…at least P.G. could have tried for a Eric Boulton or Jim Slater…someone with some size and sand paper…but no, we’re intent on recreating the smurfs on ice…
Crappy. I thought he might make it in.
Good trade. We needed defenseive depth, and we got a good shotblocker and PK guy.
Maxwell never seemed like an NHLer to me. Seemed like he didn’t work hard enough and was a little too soft. Really not worried about losing him.
Sopel won’t play tonight per Lavoie.
Good acquisition….I wanted to Sopel to be signed a couple years ago before he went to Chicago. As for Dawes…I think when he comes up he’ll give his line a pretty good boost of energy.
I BLEED BLEU BLANC ET ROUGE!!!
Milan Luchicken just got a little yellower and will probably have the flu on the 8th
The exodus in the nation’s capital continues as the Ottawa Senators shipped veteran forward Alex Kovalev to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday for a conditional seventh-round pick.
If Pittsburgh wins the first round of the playoffs and Kovalev plays in at least fifty percent of the games, the pick becomes a sixth-round selection.
Fire sale!!
Sopel is a UFA this summer. Cap hit M$2.2
Was that the 6-5 comeback?
“then for the Canadiens”
C’mon, man, it’s THAN not THEN. Sorry but the internet and its effect on the english language and grammar needs to be nipped in the bud.
good trade… deffinately helps out the D
i wonder what the point of aquiring Dawes is though
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
This trade brought to you by Dezzy Dezarnay Travel.
“Buttin ahead in the lineup gets you places!”
The owner is wealthy, but the team is a consistent money loser.
I suspect Kroenke didn’t get rich by wasting money. I could be wrong.
I know the Molsons got rich by inheriting money.
In any case our overpaid unwanteds for a perennial all-star isn’t a deal that Colorado has any reason to make.
reckon Spacek is just going to retire?
Sopel a solid D man and Dawes for the farm. I like this deal. PG just might know what he is doing!
Wow…
Kovalev back to Pittsburgh! Awesome!
Okay, does Gomez, Weber and Kostitsyn get Stastny out of Colorado?
Keep in mind their ownership is wealthier than ours and they have a very low cap payroll.
Dawes is RFA next year
Sopel is UFA, 2.3 cap hit.
I like this move for this reason: PG has made it clear he isnt willing to mortgage the future for a big name rental on the back-end (AKA Chris Phillips). Markov and Gorges are out for the season, not forever. Clearly PG still views these two (as im sure everyone else does) as his #1 and #2. PG is saving his big splash for the scoring power forward we obviously need. The small, inexpensive moves to pick up Mara and Sopel are likely all we will see in regard to replenishing the defence for the time being. It also tells us that he is most certainly on the hunt for a long term solution to our size and scoring deficit up front. If the right move isnt there before tuesday, this will be the team that plays in the post-season, thus making the off-season an interesting one for PG himself and the fans.
Markov and Subban together – with a side of Weber – provide PLENTY of offencee for that defence. No need for Wiz and his defensive liability.
Spacek is too old and has proven himself too soft (See Boston brawl and his “fight” against MacArthur). Thank him for his services, he played well.
As for Gill…I’ve had a serious hate on for him since he arrived. Many of his skills and intangibles can be found in a hockey player who can skate. And his size can be found in players that can use it. His humor can already be found on the current roster.
…and dont forget…Tinordi waits in the weeds
Subban-Gill
Hammer-Wiz
Sopel-Weber
Mara
You were just happy that your pants buzzed.
Good morning, sunshine.
Anyone know their contract status / cap hit?
geez PG, just sign theo fleury already!
5’9 nigel dawes…
next thing is to trade benoit pouliot for nathan gerbe cause he’s just too damn big for this team!
not a bad trade nonetheless…we have more depth, which was starting to run thin.
- Gomez is holding down the “overpaid” button
chick friend of mine from jersey, huge rangers fan… i take her to see the rags up here once a year… 2 years ago, dawes father was sitting in back of her, totally hitting on her, got her number etc
she just sent me a txt “LOL say hi to lloyd for me!”
Well now that you’ve added SERIOUS………
“When I was a baby I wish my first word had been “QUOTE”, then right before I die I could say “UNQUOTE” – Stephen Wright
Who would you pair Sopel with?
Unless you think Maxwell is a SERIOUS future top-6 forward, this is a great trade.
We get a big cup-winning, responsible, sandpapery shut-down D man.
AND we replace one small but interesting forward with another – a guy who ranks 3rd in the AHL in goals (27).
Add a 4th rounder to make it all happen… this is sweet!
(BTW, a few years ago Sopel was traded for a 2nd round pick.)
I believe they are both UFA’s come July 1. Dawes is on a two-way contract so he is certainly bound for Hamilton but can come up in an emergency.
Wasn’t Dawes placed on waivers to be sent down from Atlanta? If so, does he have to pass through waivers to come to Montreal as a call-up?
It’s a pretty fair trade. Atlanta gets a decent mid-range draft pick, a player with some potential (Maxwell is only 22) and some salary relief. Montreal gets playoff defensive help and a player with NHL experience as emergency forward depth (at a slight discount form last year’s emergency help … which was Maxwell).
Will we get to see them in action tonight >>
No Gill bro?
Gomer & Kossista plus Weberot for Stastny…..have u started drinking again?
Sopel & Dawes now Canadiens….a veritable Hobbitville, Quebec! Muahhhh!
nooooo year after that one
early decemberish
Put more scoring depth in HAM? Maybe Habs would like to try and pump up his value and then move him this summer.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
neither team can score on 5 on 5. both have that weakness. habs because of lack of size. leafs because of lack of skill except kessell.
another the most glaring issue! in boston game they lost 8-6 yes they scored a lot of goals but power play most of them. tonight again scored 2 power plays and the only one on 5 on 5 was a shot from the point deflected after a terrible icing call against toronto. fact is 5 on 5 habs need more size up front and gauthier had better do something because all the other teams have got habs figured out and they cant get inside the defense with those small forwards.
its also the linesmen!
I see two glaring issues. Firstly…giveaways galore in our end. Secondly…very lazy half hearted effort. Lazy waving of the stick or bg wide turns instead of battling or finishing their check.
Cammy looks so out of shape and not ready out there it’s brutal.
Wow lol
Elohim:”Let us make an Adam in our image and after our likeness.” – Genesis 1:26
”We don’t see things as they are, but as we are.” – Anais Nin
For all you Burke/ Kessell haters – Kessell has played 132 games for the Leafs his 2 seasons there with 55 goals and 42 assists or 97 points.
Isn’t it the coach’s job to prepare the team for each new opponent? Just wondering what Mr. Happy was doing since the Vancouver game, that’s all.
Our boys look like they’re in that TV show: Lost
What the f*ck was the point of that? Price needed the night off and we have important games coming up against legit teams.
Dumb move Martin, stick with the plan YOU crafted.
What the f*ck was the point of that? Price needed the night off and we have important games coming up against legit teams.
Dumb move Martin, stick with the plan YOU crafted.
How is lifting a guys stick a hooking call? That is some backwoods reffing
komisarek all fired up tonight
I wish there were no pp in this game I think we’d kill them 5 on 5
I don’t understand the moen penalty at all. The guy behind him holds him far more than he does anything to komi.
The word has come down that Leafs need to make the playoffs and we need to play along.
The payoff to us is that they keep Komisarek.
Go get a strong drink and rethink that one. Second goal was weak, we all know that. The first was a very good snipe by an all-star player (having an off year) and the third was probably stoppable but when you play such a minimal amount of games what can you expect?
Anyone still whining about the officiating? That call on Sjostrom was bs as he was shoved into Price by Mara.
Elohim:”Let us make an Adam in our image and after our likeness.” – Genesis 1:26
“We don’t see things as they are, but as we are.” – Anais Nin
jackson was born in montreal.
im watching on leafs telecast and even both their announcers said it.
Is that a question? because he pretty well covered that
really really
And now the refs try and equalize the penalties. WOW
Why is that Toronto player in that box by himself? xD jkjk
Replying to my own post but BOO YAH!
oh i feel it oh i feel it, were coming back. men vs boys!
he’s scored 55 goals with 20 games left in this season should score roughly 10 more or 65 goals for both years an average of about 32 goals per year but last year missed the much of the first 2 months of the season.
hard for little forwards to get inside big defensemen. this is the best thing that could happen – gauthier is now forced to get some size upfront!
Same story, penalties resulting in goals. No excuses. Stay out of the box.
i have that feeling too. id almost rather be down by 2 going into the second than up by 2 going into the third with this team
Not asking for much, just a level playing field when it comes to officiating. I know both teams will get penalties……. or that is the way it is suppose to be. I can”t understand how a hold by one team is a penalty and the same hold by the other team is not. What the f..king difference?
To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.
Goofy period of officiating in that period, wow!
Goofy period of officiating in that period, wow!
I agree, but this reffing job has to change. They are brutal
when they had 6 teams they had maybe 4 or 5 refs. now the have 30 teams 2 refs per game must be close to 100 refs? watered down worse than the players.
What if the Zamboni parts came in a nice bag, with a string closure? You could use it for laundry or something.
I agree, but this reffing job has to change. They are brutal
… and you have to allow that he’s not playing with the best players. He’d probably score more on a good team.
Alright boys comeback time!…what only me?
he really is?
Are you stupid? or is that the height of your intelligence.
To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.
anyone else watching sportsnet? this is the worste coverage. its all advertising and pro leaf. the 3rd will be rds and i forever give up on snont, tsn…im gonna give cbc their props though
The fix is in!
How did the NHL go from having decent officiating to the worst on the planet. It is the worst part of the NHL now. Epic Fail!
How does Colin Campbell have a job? Anyone else that creates this big a mess would have been in the unemployment line long ago. Now would be a good time for him to go there.
on sportsnet telecast right now – they are saying the same why would martin start auld in this spot. btw – last time leafs beat habs auld was also in nets.
hamrlick cant clear the zone and price miracle in last minute keeps score at 3-1. 2nd kessel goal a joke as kessell undresses hamrlick for puck. BUT this is as i said today the BEST thing because now gauthier will be forced to do something and get a or some big forwards who can score. where is kostitsyn tonight? is he invisible?
He was, statistically, the worst possible backup available. On top of that, we paid him a million, when we could have got Biron for half of that.
Martin dicided to toss away this game to give price some rest, he cant even do that right. unreal.
I guess the officiating is going to decide the game tonight. This idiot jackson, I guess trying to show he is not bias being from Montreal, calls a really weak call on Gionta. He is letting Komisarek do what he like and the Habs get nailed. Grabvosky grabs onto Gionta and nothing. Pure bullsh!t.
To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.
It’s Sportsnet Ontario so it will be pro leaf obviously but the ads are driving me nuts as well. That stupid cordless phone promotion takes up the entire bottom half of the screen when they show it , which is about every 5 minutes. The only reason I’m watching it on Sportsnet is because its HD. I wish Rogers would create a Habs Sportsnet because every other team in Canada has one
leafs announcers. but they also said gionta dint deserve penalty. and knocked those terrible icing calls.
I don’t know why but when people always use the lets trade them for “zamboni parts” or “a bag of pucks” it just sounds so stupid
Wow, I’m not sure if I’ve seen a more poorly reffed game in a while. What a joke
That prorates to a 60 point season. How is that worth two (high) first rounders and a second??? He may as well offered $12m/year for 15 years to pick up Kovalchuk and surrounded him with top players picked with his first rounders.
TWhose leg do I have to hump to get a dry martini around here?
big trade today..we’ll win the cup now..Dawes 4-teams got rid of him and Sopel 5-teams got rid of him and guess who picked them up..the Dumb get Dummer….
Can one of our coach’s tell our D that in the NBA you can’t touch a player while defending them…..but this is the NHL…… move the guys out of the way of the goalies so they can see the puck for the love of GOD. All this fronting and stick checking. Hit the son of a bitch (without the stick) and get them out of our poor goalies sight line. I can’t take anymore of this shite defending!!!
Shaker
I had to turn to RDS , Listening to Bowen and Millen made me puke. They have to be the worst in broadcasters.
So much penalties so frustrsating, we’re only the second most penalized team right? I feel so bad for whoevers first =S
Alex Auld should not play another game in a Habs uniform. Never like his signing & he just sucks. Release or trade him foa zamboni parts.
Everytime PG signs a new player, I have to spend half day to study the player’s bio.
to get a refs job all you need to do is be a good skater – knowledge of rules- not a pre-requisite.
It’s Sportsnet Ontario so it will be pro leaf obviously but the ads are driving me nuts as well. That stupid cordless phone promotion takes up the entire bottom half of the screen when they show it , which is about every 5 minutes. The only reason I’m watching it on Sportsnet is because its HD. I wish Rogers would create a Habs Sportsnet because every other team in Canada has one
Now we go after after a forward with some size & skill.
switch the o with an u, look it up on urdan dictionary.
Can I put money down on the same side?
livin on the edge is see
Finally? nah… just noting it here, as it was appropriate.
I feel like this is a huge moment in HIO history… Observer admitting he doesn’t believe in his own tripe and is just doing it to be a beeyatch…
Well played Tony, Well played…
go away please, you bring nothing to the site
id put money on him not knowing what contrary meant
27 goal to Max 11 you could be wrong
How is that racist? You do know Kane is black btw.
He seems to like being contrary
you already said this today
The problem with keeping 1st round picks instead of trading them is the Habs incredibly bad drafting for the past 30 or so years, expecially in the first round. Who is the last “star” player (other than Price), they got with a first round pick? Who is the last 30 goal scorer they’ve drafted? I hope Gauthier fares better than his recent predecessors.
What a bust Maxwell turned out to be. Too bad they took him ahead of Lucic.
then why were you bitching about him, only to now praise him?
but maybe some other big forward who can score? there are a bunch of teams in financial trouble?
mike g, great comments, I agree with you totally!
Last obscure PF they found is having a pretty good season, Max Pacosomethingorother…
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
It’s ALWAYS the friggin’ future. That’s the creedo of a losing franchise…”Wait until next year.” All NHL teams have the same salary cap and play the same number of games and if you are going to make the playoffs, you better be wanting to win The Cup or just go play golf with the Leafs. We’ve been saying “next year” for 18 years. It not like we have a deep feeder system or that free agents want to flock to Montreal. We should be going for it EVERY YEAR. Keep Pleks, Price and Subban…everyone else is tradeable [and even Subban should go for the right price...Stewart and Shattenkirk]
We are not the Leafs or the Sens that hang Division banners, we are the friggin’ Montreal Canadiens! Let’s hang a new banner that reads “Playoff Participant”.
AK under 64.5? Is that for just this year or the last two years combined? Even if it’s the latter, you’re still under!
but defense wins in the playoffs!
So we get the Wiz ,Mara ,Sopel to replace Markov, George and Spacky for a 2rd ,4rd and Lap not bad ,not bad at all
Being almost as good as Gomez in the goals department makes you the next Rocket? What are you smoking?
It’s only that Dawes may have some actual NHL value. At least he’s done a lot more than Maxwell.
dawes a 5 foot nine forward. just what habs need.
cool story bro, hes playing in hamilton
“upsets” – get richards and they’ll be one of the favorites
LOL Now THAT would be CLASSIC! Price in St.Louis with Halak, lol, watch Blues Inside/Out erupt!
I’m not as long as it isn’t Price, PK or Plex.
I open my last ’82 Bordeaux and celebrate a happy, happy day.
They are friends and former teammates.
Set for what??? Dinner.
Lol…. You just never know with Tony.
his kids live in Chicago so I doubt they’d care
set for a couple of upsets in the playoffs this year and a serious cup run next year when Marky and Georges come back and no more significant injurries bug the team all season long… all this because we live in a perfect world !
Any chance he’ll play in tonight’s game?
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
Come on Mike, would you really want Gauthier to be dealing away 1st-round draft picks to rent players that might make some decent contributions to a doomed 2011 playoff run? Sopel is a 3rd or 4th D-man, on most teams in this league. And we already have four 7th defencemen? I’m with you on Picard, and maybe Weber — though he’s really been improving — but you’re being a little harsh there. If Sopel can steady our battered D, I’m all for it, and it costs us almost nothing. Now we just need a trade for a top-six forward. If Malkin and Crosby weren’t hurt, I’d say we might be able to wrangle Jordan Staal for something like AK46, Palushaj and a 3th.
Boston and Philly are in an entirely different situation than us. Those teams see now as their shot to win. With Price, PK, and Patches just emerging now is the time to act conservatively. If PG plays it right we could have a serious contender on our hands next season with so many UFAs/RFAs.
We’re not that close to be trying to mortgage the future for the cup.
Mike, Philly’s dealing high-value picks so they maximize their chances in their Cup window, 3rd year in a row now without a 1st-round pick (and they traded their 1st-round draftee Sbisa from 2008). They don’t do it soon, it’s going to hurt them badly for their future. MTL trading their 1st-rounder right now hurts building future depth.
Kaberle has hit 55+ points twice in his 12 NHL seasons, that’s like calling Lecavalier a 40-goal scorer, something he’s only done twice in about the same number of NHL seasons. He’s soft and hasn’t shown a strong compete level in years. You really think a Maple Loaf is goinjg to be the guy who gets BOS their Cup?
Apparently the PIT deal was hush-hush and DAL was looking for a young offensive defencemen who could provide instant impact, should we have traded Subban? Weber wasn’t going to cut it.
Sopel being picked up means Spacek is likely out and he fills a need, a PK defencemen with grit and can provide solid minutes. Mara is a better 7th D than Picard (Who I suspect is getting turfed soon).
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
I guess it depends on who is left, some believe that after pick 15, it’s going to open up quite a lot and draft rankings will become much less relevant.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
If our rivals are adding offence, why not add defence? It’s easier to prevent goals than score them.
Please……Goatier and Timins will find an obscure power forward playing for an all girls prep school in New England.
They will explain that he is a “project” but there will be ongoing complications over a failed saliva test.
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
its so funny how u think u r so funny
Echoed by LeBrun on ESPN.com
Sopel is a good penalty-kill man and shot blocker: two things the Habs have missed dearly since Gorges was knocked out of the lineup.
Whose leg do I have to hump to get a dry martini around here?
Sopel displays more drive, effort and intensity in a practice than some of our players (who shall remain nameless) put out in an actual game.
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
Don’t know why everyone is saying Dawes is an AHLer. His GPG is almost the same as Gomez (it’s about .19 vs, about .17). If you take away this season, which has been a stall for both, he’d be AHEAD.
That Mrs Sopel blog is something else. An excerpt:
Doing MUCH better today. Spending the day in bed helped bunches. Curled up with my blanket watching the Notebook was a great way to spend the afternoon. Hell, I even made the biggest plate of pasta and loaded it with butter and cheese!
The kids were funny when I picked them up from school. Me, being in my pajamas, telling them we had to stop at the store drew some silence. I decided to make myself some lemon meringue martinis along with a big salad for dinner.
now get rid of Gomez and try to get Brad Richards and we are set
lol easier said than done…
How did we take on too much salary? Sopel makes 2 million dollars of which roughly $500 000 counts against our cap (~20/82 games he should play with us).
if reimer stones the habs tonight, gauthier will probably offer burke , price, plek, subban and pacoretti for grabovski, komisarek and reimer.
u sound so sure… lol where did u hear that from?
bah clients got them
WOW, don’t know what the heck to think anymore….
Philly adds a 20-25 goalscorer in Versteeg to their already stacked lineup.
Boston adds a 55 point defenseman to an already solid d-group.
PIT adds a 25-30 goalscorer in Neal, and Kovy for a bag of peanuts.
And MTL adds “depth” with Mara and Sopel.
WOW…
PG finds a way to use our limited cap space to go out and get a 7th defenseman and add him to a team who already has 4 “7th defenseman”. A depth move for a team that has more depth players than gamebreakers. This trade adresses none of our needs, all it does is give Gill a rest here and there. Lateral trade, that erases our cap space.
Year after year, we see the already good teams get better, and we see the Habs go from being a decent/bubble team to adding decent/bubble players.
If you’re trying to improve your team, go out and do it. Don’t go shopping at Dollarama and pay 6$ if something isn’t worth that. Not saying we gave up much, but we took on way too much salary.
Anyways….Glad to be posting again, was hoping I could be more positive.
“These head movies make my eyes rain” -Simple Jack
I got AK at under 64.5 pts, with Triple X and Tom Nickle.
Went you consider none of them can fight yes it a good short term addition
I wouldn’t count Dawes out for making a contribution later this year or next year on the bottom-6. He can play a bit and has a history of scoring goals in the NHL.
Mara and Sopel offer a huge upgrade in depth and Pking over Picard/Rivet/Souray. I’ll steal from Boone: Montreal was 1/2 in the league at the PK when Gorges went down, today the team is tied for 9th. This team needed better penalty killing D and needs to lessen the PK load on Subban.
No idea… I believe they played together for Team Canada at Subban’s first WJC?
I see your point but in a weak draft finding a sniper is a real shot in the dark.I view the D-man as a safer bet. I would also bet that if Xavier Ouellet is still available they’ll take him with thier 2nd pick just to satisfy the locals.
Einstein’s definition of insanity – “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Gomez is gunna be traded soon..Either STL, PHO, or COL. Im just worried about what goes with him..
Right on.
He should be 2 rows behind you tonight…
They played together at the 2009 WJC.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
Sarcasm about Subban? Or are they actually friends?
definitely yes
if you are at the games
How about Zherdev for NOTHING.
leg do I have to hump to get a dry martini around here?
Well, they are trying to get Penner but I think EDM is asking for too much.
thereis no great team like there was last year! i mean washington! sopel is a shot blocker – habs price will have to do what halak did and he does on many occasions like on tuesday night. i would still like to see them get a big forward who can score. there are still 4 days to go and a bunch of teams in financial trouble.
an odd trade…seems like a bit of a wash for sopel. i hope dawes gets his career back on track. makes our back end tougher and protects price.
lets face it maxwell was going no where….
got soemething for nothing.
Some interesting tweets:
@ajcthrashers: Andrew Ladd called Brent Sopel the best shot blocker in the league.
@EKaneATL9: good luck @BrentSopel in MTL have fun with my boy Subby!
Too bad they probably won’t make it here tomorrow in the snow storm. Kids from Atlanta would be impressed!
That’s “Intangibles” people, in case you were wondering. Welcome Brent Soppel!
Anyone else remember EA’s NHL…07 or something? I remember Brent Sopel having the biggest doofus-looking photo.
Just sayin’, ’cause…
—Hope Springs Eternal—
geez, and here i always thought you were a leafs management fan and habs could never do anything right lol
PG loves getting players on the cheap. But why give up assets, even ones of modest value like a fourth, fifth and Maxwell for Dawes (rumored to be destined for the minors) and two d-men who were healthy scratches with the teams that traded them (Sopel and Mara). I can’t believe a d-corp of Sopel, Mara, Gill, PK, Hamr, Wiz and Weber is demonstrably better than Gill, PK, Hamr, Wiz, Weber, Picard/Rivet/Souray/…
Whose leg do I have to hump to get a dry martini around here?
Since we don’t know if there are more deals to come and if they will involve our 1st pick in 2011 or where we will be ranked at the draft here are three interesting possibilities. IMO we’ll be looking at D-men since it is a weak draft. Ranked at #18 is D Myles Bell 6’0″ 209 lbs , At #23 is Scott Mayfield at 6’4″ 197 lbs and at #25 Jamie Oleksiak at 6’7″ 244 lbs.
Part of me would one day like to see Lucic skating over our blue line only to see 6’7″ Tinordi and 6’7″ Oleksiak staring him down. I can’t see him getting too close to Price with those two out there.
It’s fun to dream. lol
Einstein’s definition of insanity – “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Hopefully this is a sign that PG is trying to do what he can on the backend and saving his blockbuster move for a big top six forward…
Weber has better defensive sense, doesn’t get caught out of position and makes very few mistakes. And has a good point-shot.
One problem with Picard is that he was getting trapped checking people and not playing his position.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Excellent that’s what I like to see the Habs bolster their team for the playoff run and take advantage of those teams in financial trouble. The best pre-deadline deal to help this team since 2004 when they got Kovalev off Sather.
sign of relief as i realized it was not kovalev, and that it wont be kovalev. i like sopel and have always thought he was underrated due to his hair cut, but i would rather see him lose his helmet wearing a habs jersey than kovalev again.
Yay!
This is a good deal.
I’m glad all our rumour-millers spotted this one well in advance! Everyone was like: “Brent Sopel this,” and “Ben Maxwell that…” Right on!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
My hope is that with the addition of Mara and Sopel we have seeriously increased our toughness and grit on our back end…let’s face it Gill, Hammer and Spacek are not exactly tough guys…nice additions I think
Had to laugh when I heard his team mates nick named him “Cube” as in Boullion Cube…but probably more to do with his stockiness and stature…always liked the guy…plays hard and strong.
couple of posters mentioned Bouillon. I used to love when I used Google translate for a LaPresse article and saw in come up Frank Bubbles.
I have a question. Why is Picard always a healthy scratch? I have watched him play and he does not seem to be too bad. He makes the odd mistake. He is stronger and tougher than Weber. Weber has a better shot but as a defenceman along the boards behind the net he is not strong. That is a fatal weakness for a defenceman as most scoring plays originate from battles for puck control behind the net.
I hope I don’t jinx him or our team. But, I think the addition of Sopel to our blue line is a very good addition. He brings over a little bit of grit a la The Wiz.
This is from Wikipedia, so I don’t know how accurate it is. If it is in fact correct, it says a lot about Sopel and his wife / family:
QUOTE
Brent is married to Kelly since 2001. They have 2 sons; Paul & Jacob and 2 daughters; Lyla & Jayla. Lyla has been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Like Brent. Paul was adopted in 2007, when he was 17 years old. His parents, who were family friends of the Sopels, both died in a short period of time. Brent and Kelly thought it would be best if they took care of him.
ENDQUOTE
“Hockey Night in Canada really bugs my ass.” — Mike Boone. Quote of the day.
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
Love Boones honesty
I wonder about Picard as well…I figure management thinks there is more up side potential in Weber and PK than Picard and so want to give them more ice time, especially as Weber continues to improve as does PK…earlier in the season I think Weber sat a lot in favour of Picard…so I guess things changes…
Other than that I don’t see Picard as a serious shutdown d-man so guys like GIll and now Sopel and Mara will take his spot…and what do you do with a guy like Hammer..he is huge on most every night..so I guess for Picard it becomes how doe she defien is his role in this years D.
Too bad I guess he seems to be a fairly competent depth D-man but not one of our top 6-7
Now we can plan the parade route. Dawes, Sopel and Mara…which one is the big goal scoring power forward? I forget? PG/BG better have something else up their collective sleeve!
Kovy for a 7th [not that I'm saying I wanted him back] and we had to give up a body for Dawes?
Can I come back next year with a new idensity and abbatoir? “Frankie Bubbles” that is FANTASTIC – you have first dibs, of course…
That picture of Sopels kids by the huge pile of laundry is hilarious.
Oh ya! It’s going to put us over the top LOL!
“Does the Habs/Leafs rivalry still exist?” ——- http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=355220
I have Oleksiak on my draft radar, but I think the Habs are more likely to lean towards a forward with high scoring potential since they could use more pure scorers in the system. Nicklas Jensen and Tomas Jurco are my leading candidates.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
Stats you come on here with stats….. WOW. Dawes must be the next Rocket the way you talk about him:).
Dawes will never play for the habs and I think Maxwell had more value with the dogs. So we lost a 4th round pick for someone who probably won’t be with the team next year.
I think you are smoking 420 btw. I have no clue how you can say a player in the AHL is as good as one in the NHL? I just think that statement is very silly.
Sure in a perfect world… But we won’t get Brad and so we will be setting the dinner table.
he’ll be here soon enough. actually not that bad a player. watched a lot games when he was with the rangers.
Sure, get rid of Gomer, but for what? Richards has “concussion like” symptoms
I say send Gomer to the Bruins for Lucic (hahahaha)
OOH AAH – HABS ON THE WARPATH!
re:
”
have fun with my boy Subby”
—- that sounds both perverted and racist
so you finally figured it out
Better a 4th than the 2nd round picks they sent away the previous two seasons, no?
send Pyatt with him lol
LOL
Did he come from a Prep School like Fischer? Apple Valley HS a hockey powerhouse!
No! He came from the USHL via University of Michigan! Hardly even close!
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
That is why i left that topic alone…
K, fine. I’ll bet that he copy/pastes a poorly formatted dictionary definition of contrary, and I tell him to put the vodka bottle down.
checked urbandictionary for any funny definitions
none
how is it perverted? thats the one that made me not reply out of sheer creepyness
In fairness to Tom Pyatt, he scored 13 goals and 35 points in 41 games for Hamilton last year, he’d likely tear Canadian college teams to bits without trying.
I thought Dawes was taller than 5’9, very stocky dude though.
What can i say… I like Nigel Dawes.
He is scoring more goals in the AHL than Tom Pyatt would score playing for Concordia…
Watched him play many a great game for the Rangers and Flames, I consider(ed?) him a high octane 3rd/4th line guy, and was shocked to find out he was filling AHL shoes this season.
I mean, look at the stats. He’s not the solution to our problem, but He has talent and boullionesque size. Quite frankly I’d love to see him up with the Habs, if not just to give him a few games to see if he could be a shot in the arm to our bottom 6 offence…
kovy gone to pittsburgh
Boy! did they get a lemon. Pittsgurgh is on the skids now!
for virtually nothing too.
I realize that you’re probably kidding, but please, don’t even joke about starting that here.
FOIST!
I really hope they don’t give up on Weber. I love his progress this year.
You forgot Picard.
I think you would definitely want 7 going into the playoffs.
Dawes is reporting to Hamilton. Sopel will replace Spacek on D. But this still leaves us with 7 active D in Subban, Gill, Wisniewski, Hamrlik, Mara, Weber and Sopel. Does this mean a Weber and Kostitsyn package is being put together soon?
Kovalev has won a cup. Should have gotten him, I guess?
never hurts to bring in a guy who’s won the cup. only adds to character when a guy knows how to win. i like this move.
I’m never one to complain about reffing but I won’t disagree with you there
Heres something i learned while watching leafs habs game in the first ten minutes.
You can tackle a player and no penalty, but if you lift a sick you get two mins. The refs get an F in the first 10 mins of the game
Who’s the rookie? Who’s the 2nd rate dman?
You silly
Wow talk about a garbage trade. Second rate defenceman and a rookie with next to no positives. Good job PG!! Yet Gomez still dances around on the ice contributing jack. We got a tree on defence whos gotten burned so many times I literally just close my eyes whenever he gets the puck. We got a 5mil forward,Pleky who like the year before has gone stale.
Easy Guy! Still pi–ed from Lemaire pushing you out.
rookie?
return to your mother’s womb immediately
The second one atdhenet.tv
“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” Albert Einstein
why would nashville trade weber for andre and few high draft pics?
would you do that trade if you were nashville?
Orr is out long-term with a concussion sustained during a fight.
Live by the sword …
The strong core of young talent we have – a low first-rounder from a draft year all 30 teams participated in the lottery (after the Habs finished 9th in the East)), a late-teens first rounder and a second-rounder. Mediocre scouting, development and long-term planning breed more mediocrity.
You want the Habs to draft top talent, but you’re also lamenting the loss of “small assets”. I see nothing wrong with solidifying the roster in advance of the playoffs at the cost of later-round picks or Bulldogs who play a position which five other Canadiens already play. Sopel in all likelihood isn’t the difference between the Cup and an early exit, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be Cup-or-bust. Winning one round, or two, or three IS invaluable experience; the team will learn from and be motivated by it. If the right moves are made, this team’s window should start to open when the youngest of your ‘core’ have a couple more seasons of development.
price for halak and 13 first round picks
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
I quoted from it elsewhere. It’s really hard to see the point of it. Some of it is cringeworthy. The rest is dull beyond belief.
I think we could use another head coach lol
we don’t have anyone that can fight ORR….so don’t even go there… Moen and White are great gritty players for us that i hope we keep for a long time, but we have NO heavy weight fighter at this time.
Ok, I guess that makes sense about Cammy; 25 isn’t THAT young, I guess.
And yeah that’s a very interesting point. Wasn’t Ovie in that boat too? As well as Malkin?
And it’s funny, you’d think people would learn from that: look at those examples, and now as of late even on the Habs there’s Patches, Subban, and I think now you can say Price as well that all spent time down there and it has reflected well on their careers so far.
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
Yes, and other people need English comprehension classes.
Price isn’t playing? Maybe PG is mustering up some sort of trade…
So wait, wait… lemme see if I get this:
Mediocrity: something like Scott Gomez?
Mediocracy: maybe, I dunno, the Canadian Government?
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
spacek is signed for next year. gill, markov, hamrlick, mara, wizniewski, sopel all are free agents. gorges rfa.
Chat with me after the season, then you will apologize to me.
I repeat, this team of ours will not go far in the playoffs if we do make it.
We need to get bigger up front and on the D, not obtain older players past their prime IMO.
The team does this every year, trade for a player past his prime like a Dackell, Lindsay, McKay,etc.. for short term results in hopes we can make a run in the playoffs past the 1st round.
Sopel will not be around after the season to be resigned.
If I were Gauthier. I would have put an offer for Shea Weber and ship Andre to be with his brother, along with Weber and some high draft picks, now there’s a DMan you want!
Did we really address our issues? No, a gamble by Pierre hoping he made the right decision in hopes of signing Sopel in the off season.
We must have the oldest D on record in the NHL and the shortest team up front as well.
Is this a record?
“We will win the Cup one day only with ? in the nets “
So not only did the yotes put him on waivers, but he got all the way to calgary before he was picked up; I believe calgary was doing well that year, too. Not trying to be negative, still love the trade, but you gotta ask why he was passed over so many times.
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
By that age, Cammalleri had already well-established himself. He was coming off an 80 point season.
One thing that often goes under-appreciated is the effect of the lockout on the calibre of the NHL talent from around that time period. Instead of rushing guys drafted in 2003 and 2004, the lockout ensured that many of them had a full season in the AHL to hone their crafts. Players like Cammalleri, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, Dustin Brown, Mikko Koivu, Brad Boyes, Joni Pitkanen, Patrick Sharp Patrice Bergeron, etc. all got to spend a year in the AHL to learn while playing heavy minutes against players of similar levels, an opportunity that many of today’s players aren’t afforded.
same question went through my mind
The flaw in your argument is that you picked three players who were late bloomers (hadn’t played a full season yet at age 25.
You could really use this comparison to make any 25 year old look good.
That Martin St.Louis had only scored 4 NHL goals by age 25 doesn’t tell you anything about any other 25 year old.
Really? Wow, he didn’t play there for very long then..
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
How do you feel about Auld starting? Price only sht them out their last 2 visits. What’s JM thinking?
no he didnt, and to correct myself he wasnt a ufa he was claimed by calgary that summer (yotes put him on waivers)
he was a decent player for the rangers. i think we’ll see him here soon?
yes, shutting down copywritten broadcast piracy and shutting down the internet is totally the same thing
ice- homeland security seized the other one. just a week ago obama was knocking mubarak for closing the internet in egypt!
not on cbc tonight
I’m not familiar with Sopel, but I hope you’re right about toughness. The problem is the Habs had the toughness and traded him to Colorado.
One other point, why do they keep getting defensemen? This team can’t score goals! They need goal-scorers, not d-men. The ones they have are doing fine.
looks like a throw in to not weaken the hamilton team as they also want fans to keep coming. i still think gauthier should make a move for a big forward who can score! in the next 4 days. a loss tonight might get him to do it?
WHAT ????!?!?!?!?! O’B was tough ?
Sorry your avatar seems to imply you where/are a big fan, but Sopel > O’B on the toughness scale.
Wow, thank you for this; an eye opener for sure. I’d like to see Cammy’s stats for this, actually; would probably be similar. On that note, I wonder; didn’t cammy and dawes player together in Cgy?
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
o’byrne was big.. not tough
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
no dawes signed with calgary as a UFA same summer cammi signed with us
atdhe.me
vodkasports.com
http://livetv.ru/en
Should be on the cbc site as well I would think.
wouldnt mind
thank you
give ur head a shake… Gauthier panicked???
u kidding me..
he gave up maxwell and a fourth… oh nooooooooo!!!!
and how do you know sopel is past his prime?
still an elite shot blocker and PK guy.. give it a rest RM
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
Because I had too much time on my hands (I do love reading week!):
Here are the career numbers for Nigel Dawes and three current NHL players at the start of the season when they were 25 years old:
PLAYER A
PLAYER B
PLAYER C
PLAYER D
The others are, in no particular order: Matt Moulson, Martin St. Louis and Rich Peverley.
Can you guess who is who from those numbers?
I’m not saying that Dawes is the next Martin St. Louis…in fact, I really doubt that he could become that. That being stated, I am a little amazed at how quickly people write off some guys in the league. Guys aren’t always bad players, they are sometimes in a bad fit. Dawes is speedy enough that he could fit into Martin’s system relatively well if he improves his defensive positioning.
(Oh, and the asweres, if you care, are… A = Dawes, B = St. Louis, C = Peverley and D = Moulson.)
So you have pictures of Tambellini with the goat in the square
What world do you live in where a guy that’s 200 pounds is a smurf. A guy his height with that build can be very hard to knock off the puck. Not to mention he’s put up decent numbers in the NHL already, and is outscoring Maxwell in the AHL, I fail to see a downside. He’s from Western Canada, played for Team Canada, he’s got the right pedigree
there’s also atdhenet.tv
Youre kidding me? Montreal, a classy organization that takes care of players in their time of need?!! Detroit maybe but not Montreal.
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
Wouldn’t mind??? No kidding!
Haha but seriously I think that next year that defense would be a stanley cup contender quality defense if they all had an average season, assuming Subban’s development continues. Although that still leaves you with a 2nd pp defense pairing that would have either mara or gorges on it, which sucks, unless you have maybe cammy playing the point, or AK (if he’s still here).
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
If Florida trully is shedding long-term contracts what do ou think of trading for Booth (they signed to a 6-year contract in July 2009 I think with an annual cap hit of 4.25 million and a salary of 4.5 million per year for the next 3 years, then 4.75 million)?
Send them Kostitsyn (who I think has a similar talent level but is an RFA this July so Florida has options there) and either a series of draft picks, or someone like Weber or Desharnais. I like both of those youngsters but can’t see Florida trading Booth straight up for a similar level player and certainly not in a 1-to-1 deal. I’d figure they would want some youth/draft picks.
Keeping Kostitsyn next year would likley entail a similar cap hit in the range of 4 million I would guess.
not my words… this was just a convo i had with ian on here a while back…
its just weird because it seems mr. cobb has completly changed his tune in regards to the markov situation
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
FYI: it’s mediocrity, not mediocracy.
http://www.channelsurf.eu/
Which one is the legit one ???
Because the one you mention says to not use ANY other version of atdhe….
Well said.
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
for short term results it is an EXCELLENT trade… SOPEL brings SOURAYS toughness and respect back to our sweater, and that means nothing? the guy is a beast!!… we need to welcome anyone with some cahones… switch SOPEL with SPACEK during the Boston Masacre…. see what i’m talking about…
I agree … Sopel is way too tall and gritty for Habs too resign him, they will probly try to see if Desharnais has a younger brother !!!
Or conversely – An overpriced, underperforming RFA, the rights to two players who likely will never play in the NHL and a mid round 1st for one of the best RWs in the game.
What if Edm threw in a 3rd?
(of course my suggestion was completely in jest. Would love Hemsky though)
you’re not keeping em all, this is assuming you let spatch go and trade hamrlik. If you wish, put Mara in Gill’s spot and say we didn’t sign gill. Besides, then we can call Markov & Mara ‘M&M’ or something.
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
or maybe Sopoliscious
well assuming you are talking about next seasons d core with the inclusion of markov, thats a lot of free agents to sign, yes im aware that we need to sign some regardless, not sure if we can keep em all
ian this does not sound like you at all…
what’s up man… you usually post about the classiness of the canadiens organization and how they take care of their players in thier times of need…
markov has given it all to this team.. he is a class act who brings a whole new dimension to the team…
now i am ready to accept the fact that markov post knee surgery is not the same markov..
however… i think markov is aware of that as well… a player of his caliber knows his limitations and i would gladly take him in with open arms… and hopefully the habs brass sees the same way as i do…
think about this d corp
the veterans:
markov, spacek, gill (maybe)
young guys:
subban webber
young veteran:
gorges
maybe:
Wiz, Emeling (for that piece of nasty)
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
We get another over the hill DMan in Brent Sopel who is past his prime,
Why did we not go after him years ago when he was in his prime in Vancouver?
And picking up another smurf in Dawes.
Gauthier panicked just as Bobby did and gambled these 2 will help us in the playoffs, a terrible trade for short term results.
“We will win the Cup one day only with ? in the nets “
Nah – I will not bother “talking to you” then…
I will remind you, that NOT LONG ago you said similar things about Halak being traded and Price being supported by the Habs.
Your freaking signature serves as a reminder to this very position you took.
How’s that prediction working out Mighty Kreskin ?
For example:
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
Steve Tambellini has pictures of you performing unspeakable acts with a goat in Nathan Philips square? A former first rounder, the best goalie in the KHL, a first round pick and a mature prospect rumoured to have the potential to be a top-2 shut-down d-man for one asset not named Crosby or Datsyuk?
I don’t think that trade gets made…
hmmm, do you actually know anything about the NHL as a league and hockey in general? I am a fan of Gauthier, but if he were to do this I would like him to be fired immediately.
I say this while still hoping you are kidding. If we get JF Jacques and a 4th or 5th rd pick back as well, I am on board. Throw in Pyatt, move us up to a third or fourth
soaps
ya but Wiess,s salary is like 4-5 mil less than Gomer?????thats tuff to adjust unless the Habs take on a dead weight salary of Florida,s
Florida is dumping all long term contracts. Take a look at their capgeek page. They’re clearly keeping salaries as short term as possible – if they move Weiss, the only players they have signed beyond next season are Booth and Olesz. Expect to be hearing about them as the next team in financial trouble and likely to move.
Safe to say that Gomez is not part of their plans
When he scores or fights….Soporific!
That makes a really short stint for Mara
It’s like you’re seeing into the future!
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
apparantly his wife has a blog
http://lifeofahockeywidow.typepad.com/life-of-a-hockey-widow/2011/02/off-to-montreal-he-goes.html
i think PG is busy atm
I have faith that Markov will want to stay in MTL but the fact that he won’t be coming back this season and PG isn’t talking contracts with him, worries me. It’s not like it will distract Markov from playing well….
Ball is in the Brass’s corner I believe, I can very well see it being left like that until July 1.
Which is it.? Is Sopel in the line up tonight?? Some reports say yes and some say no.!!??
Markov-Gorges
Subban-Gill
Wiz-Sopel
WOW. I LIKE.
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
They are both right hand shots but maybe Sopel has played on the left side…
Hamrlik – Weber
Gill – Subban
Sopel – Wiz
Sobel and Gill stay-at-home defencemen in order for Subban and Wiz to pinch, I like it…
I dont come cheap mister!
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
Markov’s been injured all year…
By the time we get to the dead line we should be down to coaches, Martin for Boucher thrown in Pearn and keep Muller
Haven’t seen it here yet so I’m throwing it out there for your review:
Soapy.
***Subbang!!!***
what an EXCELLENT move by PG….. SOPEL brings GRIT, he is a pure NAG player… come to think of it, PG has been consistent in his moves to bring in more gritty players, keep it up PG, soon we will reach that 80:20 ratio of success… 80%Grit+20%Finesse=CUP
1:The N.A.G.S. (North American Grit Speed) Youth Movement will bring us respect. 2: 02/09/11 never forget the masacre 3. ..call up WHITE/SHULTZ/HENRY/PAX now.
As long as he plays alright in the playoffs I can deal with the rest.
Did Wiz and Sopel play together in Chicago? Could they become a pairing?
There are teams that tank every year and never move forward (NYI) and there are teams that finish at or near top of the standings and compete for a Cup every year and do very well drafting late in the 1st round (Detroit) and beyond.
Montreal was one series away from competing for the Cup last year. Tweaking the roster slightly to shore up a banged up D with more experience is the right call. This was Maxwell’s last year in the AHL from a waiver perspective and he would have been worthless as an asset by next Tuesday. Good low cost move by PG once again.
BTW, the Habs are building through the draft. The cupboard is not bare – check out Hockey’s Future or read SeriousFan09′s weekly prospect update (Habs Future) here on HIO to get a perspective. Having the ability to move Maxwell with no significant hit to the org depth speaks well.
Last point - having 8 or 9 (Spacek) available Dman has PG dealing from a position of strenght over the next several days if one believes there may be another move to support the top six forwards..
I’m tempted to agree with you.
Only fly in the ointment will be how much of a pay-cut are we talking? Does he take a one-year deal to prove he can stay healthy, a longer-term contract at lower coin, or does he walk off to the highest bidder (somebody will offer him a decent contract with both term and $$$)?
I hope you’re right fbkj, we could have (one of?) the sickest blueline corps in the NHL when healthy next year
markov signed in montreal last time when he knew he could have gotten more on the market, im just gonna pin my faith on his attitude and behaviour that points to him wanting to stay with the habs
LOVE this move. How can you not. Forget about Dawes… but Sopel being a shotblocker, good on PKs is EXACTLY what this team needs for their style of play. If 2 years ago you would of told me Maxwell would be passed by little DD on the depth chart I would of laughed in your face. Great trade by PG. Now lol like I seen someone write on another blog.
“We’ll trade Gomez for free.. plus you get a free cat”
DO IT PG!
I don’t know why this trade is eliciting such a negative reaction from some quarters. In a few months time, everyone will be comparing this deal with the Dominic Moore trade PG made last year. The Habs have never aspired to load up for a short-term run at the cup. They’re positioning the team to be competitive in the post season this year (but we know they have the ability to do even better than that), and among the league’s top squads for the next few years. I’m fine with that. The team has added more grit and depth at D. Sopel has lots of playoff experience and is a good teammate.
markov has a relationship with the team and the city
i see him resigning, hes aware of his knee… and he knows he wont command the same contract this time
AK-Plek-Cam
Pac-Gomez-Gio
Pouliot-Desharnais-Eller
Moen-Halpern-White
Although these seem like logical lines, there come times when they really don’t work and so JM has to split them up to come up with balanced scoring, which he does effectively (except when he puts Moen on the top 6). I love Moen, i think he’s a great asset to the team (although he can be better), great shot blocker, role-player, as was seen against Vancouver. He was a beast on the PK
Pyatt, Darche (let him rest that groin injury that’s been bothering him so he’ll be ready to go come playoffs time)
Don’t we have a Hershey affiliate that we can ‘Loan’ Gomez to?..
this trade i am ok with.its a stop gap measure for sur…but as it stands now this team will finnish the year without one 30 goal scoarer…..wow that awfull
Nobody is going to take Gomer this year or next and this team refuses to find a 30 plus scoarer who is over 6ft …i only hope that all the scouting changes this year finally start to pay dividents..beacause i cant stand to hear these anecdotes of how the habs took Maxwell way before Lucic etc etc etc
Sopel is J. Martins kind of player, stay at home D, solid around his own net and reads the ice well. Less goals against to match our goals for.
Markov will sign elsewhere for money that we won’t pay to him for his damaged knees.
Nice trade.
Dawes (who has NHL experience) for Maxwell (who has fallen pretty far down our depth chart) = Win for us.
Sopel (rugged D man with tons of playoff experience) for a 4th = Huge win for us.
These kinds of trades, and not the flashy big ticket ones, are usually the kind that make a significant impact during the playoffs.
Response seems generally positive to me.
My prediction. Sopel will play great for the Habs in the play-offs. Every-one will love him but he wont be resigned. The Habs will then pick up another defenseman over the summer that everyone thinks is worthless but who will in fact be better and younger and cheaper than Sopel. Tony will complain about the lost 4th rounder.
Yeah I was gonna say…People need trolls so it seems.
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
whats sad is thats EXACTLY what will happen
Thats manly!
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
Last move? Hemsky for AK, the rights to Yemelin, Ramo and a 1st.
yeehaw, found a pic on my rangers fan/friends fb, this was taken by lloyd dawes, nigels father, who was sitting behind us
http://twitpic.com/43d6zk
he started promising her tickets to the garden and stuff, what a playa, trying to score based on your sons name ^_^
few problems with this lineup
anyone with a link to watch the game online? overtime at work
“Defense first brings you offense” – Sopel
He’s going to fit perfectly in JM’s system and will be good for the locker-room and morale. Kinda like Gill.
Is he strong/Physical? Can he fight?
…
wow.
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
Legit? They are both against the law.
ATDHE.net now ATDHE.ME – Watch Free Live Sports TV
he can be sneaky gettin out of the PB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US9SJSopOWg
Look, I like the move we made today, with our D as depleted as it was, we needed depth and Sopel will bring that experience, shot blocking ability and PK minute eating that we desperately need to ease our others but you have to wonder what direction our franchise is going in.
Mediocracy breeds mediocracy and although we remain “contenders” for the Cup, we will always end up around 5-8th in the conference because of where we finish in the standings every year. Then, drafting 12-15+ in the draft it is not letting us net top talent, as in Top 4 defenseman or 30+ goal scorers, we are in a vicious cycle.
In the new NHL teams build through the draft, then use their excess assets to build around a solid core and add parts through free agency, just look at the standings, teams in the top 4 of each conference have built through the draft. Our cupboard is bare, and although we have a very very strong core of young talent (Price, Subban and MaxPac) I don’t see it being strong enough to carry our team to a title, especially with aging pieces (Gio, Gomez, Spacek) on this roster for at least another year.
Pleks, Cammy, Gorges all have to be accountable, but you have to wonder what we are doing here…as we give up more pieces (albeit small assets) for another rental player that probably won’t fit into the plans come next year
The European players have a built-in advantage/disadvantage in that they can play professionally much younger than Canadian players.
Ovechkin and Malkin had already seeing some time in the highest Russian league, albeit spotty, when they were 18. Adam Larsson has been playing against professionals in the Swedish Elite League as a 17 year old, as did Victor Hedman before him. So they are probably seeing a higher calibre of player (in terms of strength, speed and experience) than players in Canada’s junior system at a younger age. Players from the CHL can’t play in the AHL until they turn 20, meaning it is the NHL or European leagues if they want to play professionally for the first couple of years after being drafted.
I have a STRONG feeling tonight will be filled with fights and scrambles. The Leafs are going to take runs at PK, just like every other NHL team (at the exception of a few classy ones) but we won’t have it. They have Orr. I wonder who’ll fight him besides Moen who probably can’t match up to him. White!!! (Kid has balls!!!)
I used to somewhat respect you – now all I see in your posts is Tony242 stamped all over it.
Not to mention, as indicated by EVERYONE who has replied to you so far…. YOU ARE OUT TO LUNCH in your opinion.
i was 100% against the OBRYNE trade, but that is history…. all i’m saying is SOPEL instantly becomes our biggest toughest most veteran defenseman when all those elements are combined, SIZE/TOUGHNESS/VETERAN. Gill may be taller but not tougher, Hamr may be older but not more experienced… its a good move for an element we could use, he brings respect that we haven’t had since SOURAY.
There are 30 – 40 responses to this on HIO today. The most common is that Price can’t play every game.
Not attacking as many on here do, buttt…. who did we trade Spacek to in the off-season? What did we get for him? who did we trade Weber to? What did we get for him?
Who are the 7th and 8th Dmen? We will definitely need 7 as all teams do and should probably have 8 available with Markov and Gorge’s knees.
Otherwise, yes, I like the player combos.
he said freedom of the internet is a must and at the same time the democrats introduced a bill for the government to control the internet and to trace every site anyone visits! you cant have it both ways! dems already want talk radio controlled. maybe that and other reasons are why they took that beating last november which will be repeated in 2012.
freedom of the internet does not mean theft
it means access to information and bandwidth
for someone caught up in the whole left/right diatribe you didnt put much thought into this did you?
stealing content is not very conservative on any level
as for controlling talk radio, im a sirius kinda guy
stern rules, bababooey
The fact that I picked three late bloomers was exactly my point. The issue with Dawes is that he has already played 200 NHL games and people are therefore quick to write him off as a bust. Yet there is nothing saying that Dawes might not be a late bloomer himself. I’m not saying he will become a scoring winger, but I do disagree with any assertions that he can’t contribute as a third or fourth line player. And I disagree that you could use this as a modified Galileo Gambit (Player X hasn’t done anything at age 25, but neither did Martin St. Louis and he is a superstar, so Player X will be a superstar too!)…Dawes has proven in the AHL that he is a point-per-game player at that level. Even in the AHL, that is not such a common feat.
He has already proven in his career that he can contribute as a third or fourth line role player, and he remains young. I used Martin St. Louis as an example because his career really didn’t take off in a meaningful way until 2002-03. Going into that season as a 27 year old, he had already played 200 NHL games and had compiled 38 goals and 95 points. He was viewed as an undersized checker that was destined to be a journeyman player. Yet somewhere along the way, he blossomed into one of the league’s elite offensive players.
Through 208 games, Nigel Dawes’ numbers are not so far off those of St. Louis: 39 goals and 84 points. Nobody could have predicted what St. Louis would become…he found the right fit at the right time. I feel pretty safe in saying Dawes will never match St. Louis’ progress, as the odds are pretty heavily stacked against him. The majority of players don’t suddenly kick it up a gear when they are 27. But a guy whose early career numbers correspond to an average of 15 goals and 33 points per 82 games can be a contributor to the Habs, who can use all the scoring they can get.
Nigel Dawes has a much better chance of being another Martin St. Pierre than another Martin St. Louis: a guy with good AHL numbers that struggles to make an impact in the NHL. But that shouldn’t preclude the Habs from giving him a shot…he can’t be any more useless offensively than guys like Moen, Pyatt or even Eller for that matter.
If I were you…I wouldn’t drop the BENGAY.
“The sh*t is CHESS!NOT CHECKERS.” Denzel W.(Training Day)
I’ve always liked Dawes, always liked Boyd too
maxwell is so far down the chart ya cannot even see him..
ZING!
That wouldn’t be a bad idea
Saw that also,would be well worth it imo. I would be very surprised if we get the chance to claim him. I say he ends up in ottawa or the islanders.
Id pick him up. Hes moved around but Im convinced hes a good player.
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
DO WANT
DO WANT
Formerly known as Camel_Larry.. ‘Sub-BAM! What a hit!’ ..”No more Looser on this teams!!” – Canadienboy
Pouliot is from Ontario
Not to split hairs but Pouliot is from Alfred, Ont. Sad, I know…
Steve Bernier on waivers. Big dude that can score. Pouliot-Desharnais-Bernier could be a nice line! The Quebecer line
Wouldnt be so bad, I doubt it though.
yes
I’m no scout, but I would say a good comparable for Bernier’s hands would be Travis Moen.
If they want some cancer in the dressing room I’ll buy them a pack of smokes instead.
What will you do if he starts spellchecking?
and Gomez….just saying….
We also traded Laps and OB……it should’ve offset couple of those names above. Not to mention DD, MaxPac and Weber must be near the minimum.
“I kind of feel sorry for players who never got a chance to be a Montreal Canadien” – Cammalleri
A guy could be 5′ 9″ and weight 600 lbs, but people here would still get upset with his size.
A decade’s worth of hair farmer metal bands and hockey players cannot be wrong about the power of the poodle head.
A man’s attitude… a man’s attitude goes some ways. The way his life will be. Is that somethin’ you agree with?
We are really missing a player with a mullet… look at what it did for Jagr!
Chances are the hair chromosomes and the beard chromosomes will get spliced and we’ll get Ron Duguay. Although that might not be a bad thing either……. .
A man’s attitude… a man’s attitude goes some ways. The way his life will be. Is that somethin’ you agree with?
I will close my account if Penner comes here… Will you do the same when he does not?
Where did you go to school for math? The team has 1.8 Mil in cap space as of today.
He hasn’t been on yet, for those of you just reading this – sounds like he’s on in the next few minutes…
Boone still hasn’t been on. Must be out walking his dog.
Well, Sopel is a good inexpensive move, a rental and probably a good signing for next year. Like you guys posted, there is no such thing as too much depth on defense.
If we were planning anything big before Monday Spacek would go on IR, don’t you think, to free cap space?
As for another 5’9 guy? Aside from the fact he’s from Winnipeg, which is good for at least another inch, I am not impressed. Cannon fodder for Hamilton. I guess they have to field a minimum number of players.
We will stagger into the playoffs and expect to win a few games 1-0, 2-1. Doesn’t even matter who we play, we can’t score.
Another hockey player junkie ala Elisha Cuthbert.
Sopel will definetly help out on D, hope he is a nice fit in MTL..Dawes may never play up this season so…whatever. Good trade. Any one think there will be more or thats it? Thought we might want a forward of good caliber.
Komisarek should be playing pond hockey. He plays like a lil’ scaredy-cat ever since Lucic took away his manhood.
beat me to the punch – mrs penner’s facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150394512000082&set=a.10150264518890082.497969.619910081&theater
AK and someone else, not Weber.
But yeah, I’d love Penner here. Show the midgets how it’s done.
Damn … wanted to see Kovalev back (for the rest of this season) and it seems he would have been cheap.
Love the deal. Sopel will lighten PK’s shorthanded load and makes for a far, far better depth defenceman than Picard/Mara/Nash/whomever.
Atlanta is not an easy team on which to hold down a positive +/-, and our shotblocking has suffered mightily with the recent injuries. Just hope we don’t give Sopel any PP time… I remember when he played here in Vancouver, his slapper was Jiri Slegr-esque. Even those in the upper deck weren’t safe.
In my eyes it’s a fourth rounder for him, since both Maxwell and Dawes seem destined to spend their careers playing junior varsity. I think the jury remains out on Gauthier’s ‘larger’ moves, but he continues to prove himself a master of tinkering. Well done.
AGreed, Although also believe Dawes is a significant upgrade to Pyatt
Or they’ll move Picard because he’s an unreliable 7th D, play Sopel and leave Mara as the depth man.
Penner IMO is the latest version of “Frolov to Montreal”
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
so because a young defense men made a mistake they will ship him out??
wow at this rate guys like schenn and komisarek would be playing pond hockey
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
Can we combine them, like putting them in those teleporters from The Fly, to get last year’s Scott Hartnell?
Seriously, Dawes plays big for his size and has much more of a scoring touch than your typical fourth liner.
tx for the heads up dude
Re Spachek
Has not been announced but it looks like he will miss the remainder of the season and most likely the playoffs. It would be nice to have him back. His pay is inflated by 25% but he has done what has been asked of him for the last 2 yrs.
Dawes is 5’9″. On the Habs, that makes him a giant.
If Sopel come to the Habs and Dawes goes to Hamilton, do we need to send someone else down for roster reasons? Assuming Spacek isn’t on IR?
“Start the season with a clean equipment bag and a freah bucket of febreze!”-CharlieHodgeFan
Good attitude I guess?
Boullion-esque.
I like Sopel’s size and mobility. Very good pick up at next to nothing. Dawes is probably going to Hamilton but can be a good call up. He is not scared to go to the net or corners and at 5’9 and 200 lbs makes Pyatt abit of a press box canidate. Over all a good day at the trade table for PG.
For those people who notice & make comments about Jacques Martin taking/writing notes after certain plays etc - Watch the Toronto bench tonight Ron Wilson gets his assistant coach Keith Acton to take his notes etc (maybe Acton’s penmanship is better than Wilson’s)…………
As per Brent Sopel’s official Twitter account, @BrentSopel:
“Off to Montreal – let the games begin!!”
thanks for the heads up
——————-
”If you’ve only got one day to live, come see the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’ll seem like forever. ” Pat Foley (Blackhawks broadcaster)
“It’s true that we have a lot of d-men now, but you can’t have enough of them.”
At the rate we go through them, we can use a few spares!
First of all, the fact that Nigel is from Winnipeg is a definite plus for this cowboy, and Sopel totally rocks the hockey hair. We now have his hair to go with Mara’s beard. We are UNBEATABLE!
A man’s attitude… a man’s attitude goes some ways. The way his life will be. Is that somethin’ you agree with?
Dawes, Boyd…move the Bulldogs to Winnipeg
I would welcome Penner. Not the most consistent but good offensively. Still, Edmonton isn’t going to give him away. They are looking to rip someone off. Its going to cost at least a 1st + a young roster player (ala Eller or Weber) IMO.
Boone’s on the Fan 590 to talk to Bob McCown in about 5 minutes for those interested. Maybe he discusses the new deal.
http://www.fan590.com/
How do you get that number?
——————-
”If you’ve only got one day to live, come see the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’ll seem like forever. ” Pat Foley (Blackhawks broadcaster)
I like the acquisition(s). Sopel is an experienced defenceman who would be a good partner for lots of our young guys. We sure have a pile of right-handed shots back there now – Wiz, Weber, PK and Sopel. I don’t want to see Weber moved – he’s coming along – most defencemen take awhile to come into their own.
It’s true that we have a lot of d-men now, but you can’t have enough of them.
If we go longer than Hamilton this year we can bring up some guys with some snot in their games – Boyd and now dawes – could be a nice injection of energy in a long playoff run.
His missus is another Hollywood wannbe actress; from Outremont.
She is also ex Mrs. Richard Zednick for another Montreal connection.
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
Don’t get me wrong, I’d absolutely love to be proven wrong there. He had a decent season with the Rangers a year or two ago, from what I remember, which is more than can be said of Maxwell. I haven’t seen as many Dogs games as I’d like this year, but from our SeriousFan updates it seems that Maxwell simply ran out of chances.
Who cares if he can fight or not, we’d be trading for his hands to put the puck in the net, and to park his big arse in front of the net haha
Even if he’s done, that still leaves 8 defensemen. I just don’t see them carrying 8. The whole season I’ve had a feeling the Habs were going to aquire Penner. I could be wrong, but I see something like AK-Weber-Pyatt for Penner and J.F. Jaques
Weber isn’t going to be traded because of one mistake when he’s been the most consistent defender at even strength since the new year. The kid has made massive progress and is only going to get better.
I like the idea of getting Penner, always have. I watched him play last night and I don’t hink he is as lazy as people think. He got a nice hustle-type goal. Really good hands for a big man. Don’t sell the farm for him though
oops. Not so important that I needed to say it twice.
Yes!
I split my time in Edmonton but mostly now in Calgary, and get to see alot of the Oilers and Flames
the only knock against Penner, is many say he is not tough enough on the fighting side etc.
Although when battling for puck or position, no question he is very tough.
and he’s got great hands and very durable,
for sure, make that trade PG!
Malkin being out for the season gives them more room than we get for Markov and Spacek combined.
Good trade !! Sopel likes to block shots….he will be welcome here.
A couple years ago Dawes was playing quite well with Calgary. His centre was a fella named Dustin Boyd. Bit of an angle there. They were both sent down eventually but there may be something to build on.
The Habs now have the shut-down d-men from the last 2 Cup winners. Weber’s “Ole” Tuesday night instead of blocking the shot may have punched his ticket out of town
Do you work for the Montreal Candiens or something? Why would you think the Habs want to trade Pyatt, Kostistyn and a high draft pick for a top six forward, Penner in particular? Do you have a crystal ball, or do you just pretend you can see the future? I’m confused.
Especially when Pyatt is thrown into another move!
Dawes can shoot and actually hit the net! Unlike Pyatt!
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
Sopel effectively replaces Gorges for the PK, which has been struggling since he went down. Dawes replaces Maxwell on a short term basis in Hamilton until players like Leblanc and hopefully Kristo get there next season. This is a pretty solid trade, basically giving away a player who’d lost his opportunity here in Montreal and fallen down the depth chart to about the 8th spot at center alone, maybe even 9th if you covet Engqvist.
Yes… HI/O should be fairly entertaining tonight.
I hear you…Personally I wanted MTL to be sellers this year…LOL so much for that (I think Canadiens DO have the team to win the CUP next year….)
Done done, or done might come back next season?? I want the details of those suspicions!
First off, good deal. Our D is complete for the run, so don’t expect any Regher’s or Phillips’. Dawes should be called up asap IMO. A young, gritty guy with a lot of punch…something we could use…something that would gel nicely with Ryan White maybe?
Aside from that, not sure if this has been discussed (I’m sure it has), but Marinaro claimed on Antichambre yesterday that Penner just married a Montrealer and is very familiar with the city.
This morning, he said he thinks PG can and should make a push for him, and that it “wouldn’t take too much”.
Penner has 1 more year after this one, with a $4+ million cap hit. If this deal can be done for AK and a pick or prospect (or Pyatt or Weber as has been discussed), would you do it?
How do you guys feel about Penner in a Habs uniform?
Better check again!
Last 6 home games avg attendance is 12.6K per game.
Way up since the end of NFL and College football seasons.
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
What is the word on Spacek. Has the team come up with a time line on him?
+ 1 my friend…However Dawes is good enough to be on MTL
I like the deal in a half-hearted sort of way but your idea of trade with Edmonton is way too much to give up for Penner.
nice post Mr. Racicot
Tony/observer is gonna have a conniption.
***Subbang!!!***
FYI – before Mara trade Canadiens had the equivalent of 12mil open in cap space…The now have 8mil (so we can go get Richards and still be under…)
agree, i would have rather a D prospect a la gorges than what we got
Whether we win or lose tonight it is AK46′s . Also Ak46 is to balame for Markov’s and Gorges injuries which in turn forced us to get rid Maxwell.
mjames
Looming suspicions are that Spacek is done.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
Sopel is a good pick-up for the stretch and playoffs, very comparable to Gorges. More experience and probably a little tougher. Don’t get what the point of Mara was then. Without Spacek the team now has 8 Defenseman. If Spacek returns that’s 9. Somethings got to give. Looks to me like a D another D is going to be traded. Probably Weber.
EXCELLENT POST ON TSN BOARD RELATED TO BRUINS RAISING TICKET PRICES
LOL!
i still believe that if you want to go see a game, wait for your team to play in phoenix, buy an upper bowl ticket for $15, and then take an empty seat in the lower bowl and watch the game. even after the air fare and accomadations its still cheaper than going to vancouver to watch a game
Don’t we get relief for Markov and Gorges being out for the season???
“I kind of feel sorry for players who never got a chance to be a Montreal Canadien” – Cammalleri
Yes we do. And also Sopel for Spacek.
What does Montreal currently have an over-abundance of?
1) Middle aged (old, tired) defenseman
2) Smurfs – pint sized forwards who scare no one on the forcheck
What’s PG’s big move? Bring in another mid 30s d-man, and another smurf sized forward.
Ridiculous.
Yes, but we’ve spent it on Wisnwieski, Mara, Sopel, Desharnais, Weber and Pacioretty.
Coming from a very knowledgeable HOCKEY FAN this deal makes!!! *without sounding cocky* WHY this deal makes sense…(Now again without being demeaning in anyway, I know many of you are “habs fans” well I’m a “habs fan/hockey fan” so I know a little about theses guys (not just their report via “Google or YouTube search”)
Ok so what we get: In Sopel – A shut-down defense that makes an excellent first pass (think of Gorges with a mean streak). He is not flashy by any means but he is one nasty MOFO. **Our D of 2011 in playoffs will be greater than 2010 (minus Markov)** In Dawes – A skilled forward with small size HOWEVER he has a nasty side (plays with an edge) he is EXTREMELY FAST…
WHAT this deal means…PG is smart simply put….He is done with our D corpse (and I’m happy with it) Getting Dawes to me means two roster players on forward are on their way out (Dawes can fill the role of Pyatt + Eller and be more effective FYI) …Personally I think PG is looking to move Pyatt + Kostitsyn + High pick to pick up a top 6 forward (I think it’s Penner) What I’m predicting…(If we land Penner – PG won’t be done) This is what our roster WOULD look like if PG gets his way IMO
Penner – Pleks – Cammi
Gionta – Gomez – Max
Pouliot – DD – Chris Neil
Moen – Halpern – Dawes/White *depending on team we face
Gill – Subban
Hammer – Wiz
Mara/Weber – Sopel *depending on team we face
**Sopel will ride more minutes on PK giving Subban a break and fresher legs for PP and 5 on 5…
Mark my words this deal is SOLID
Penguins have relief from Malkin being out for the season.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
I like the deal, Sopel brings some size, some grit and a bunch of experience, not Gorges by any means but a similar type of D-man, gives us another solid defenceman to play on the PK perhaps keeping Subban from logging so many minutes. I don’t recall seeing Dawes play much but if I remember he certainly isn’t shy about being in the dirty areas despite his size.
Not a blockbuster deal but those come at a much higher price, Maxwell has promise too but the Habs can’t keep everyone and still ice a competitive team today.
How is that even after Markov, Gorges and maybe even Spacek are done for the season, we are still up against the cap???
Meanwhile the Pens add AK27 and his $5mill for nothing??? Not that I wanted him but just can’t figure the math.
“I kind of feel sorry for players who never got a chance to be a Montreal Canadien” – Cammalleri
Just for the fact it would piss off brian birk, I’d like to see penner join the Habs.
he is not in talks with any player about a new deal. gainey says it is the way the habs in 1924 operated dont negotiate during the season. so after everyone bashed the concussed gainey and gauthier took over gauthier said he would negotiate with plek but of course did not offer him a contract he could sign during the season so habs still did it the same way. what gauthier did say last week was he wouldnt even negotiate with gorges a rfa until season is over. so this dinosaur process started before there was free agency continues with this team. ufa d-men – in july- markov, gill, wizniewski, hamrlick, mara, sopel — gorges rfa.
oh well maybe i misundesrstood your message ian.. my apologies
just seemed like you did a total 180.. a kind of : lets give up on markov cuz he’s not worth it type attitude…
doesn’t sound like u
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
this team doesnt have a history of early talks
one just has to point to pleks last signing
or the last time markov signed
Ooder. I was not very clear about Markov below. I hope he fully recovers and plays for us for many years. But I was thinking that the club must know more now than the public knows, about the situation with Markovs knees.
It does not sound like Gauthier is in talks with him and I think if he was going to be signed here , they would at least be talking. So I am having my doubts.
A true carry over from the Gainey Era… I can understand how it could be a distraction during the season but… In a case like Gorges for the life of me I can’t understand why they wouldnt try to lock him up now…
Except when they signed Brisebois to an extension after a hot start.
Then he went to Europe when rehabbing an injury!
Must have set the present protocol on not negotiating during the season.
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
I get your point, but I’d rather they see how his rehab comes along a bit before they throw unknown amounts of monies around anyway.
actually it wasnt heavilly practiced under either of the savard’s or houle
ohhh yeah
how can you say “price was minimal”? — he’s been having a pretty darn good season.
I like it…Sopel plays with grit and the price was minimal. Dawe is a decent utility guy to fill in for injuries.
Maxwell has been playing himself into the ECHL anyway, so no big loss there.
It’ll be interesting to see what our defense looks like next year, with all the UFA’s…
XXIV…and counting
I know, Smiler, that was a typo. He might be Hamilton-bound but I could see him getting called up before the end of the season.
Great stat. Probably the one that matters most.
Sopel was the number one PK d-man during the Hawks cup run with almost 4 min/game on the PK.
Something is up with this team. Either they are absolutely exhausted, or most are playing hurt. I have never seen so many guys skate half speed, wave their sticks, half-ass battle for the puck, not move their feet, constant giveaways, foolishg mental erros etc.
This is not the team that we saw in the first half of the season.
I’m not one to complain about the refs, but they sure didn’t help the cause…they were awful. BUT the Habs made their own fate…just a terrible, terrible effort.
Gomez and 150 air miles reward miles to Atlant Moscow for the hat guy
done deal!
——————
GWG = game winning gionta!
I like the pick-up. Sopel is a solid d-man.
I’m a wee bit concerned about the posters who are upset because he isn’t the magic solution to absolutely everything.
I always liked Sopel when he was with Vancouver, but I was under the impression that he dropped the gloves from time to time, but his PIM stats don’t reflect that.
His 2.3 mil cap hit suggests that there may not be any more additions at d-day, unless of course PG can shed some salary.
Dawes not Dawe, Nigel Dawes is not Jason Dawe and he’s Hamilton bound I bet
As posted on the game blog:
I like the acquisition of Dawe. Every time I’ve seen him play he has been involved and making things difficult for the other team. He’ll be back in the bigs soon, I think. He also is a deadly shootout guy, I believe.
Sopel – As a 5th/6th D he’ll be nice. Does this spell the end of Spacek?
Maxwell was given a great shot last year and never made it happen. Desharnais ate his lunch. Good luck to Ben – hopefully he can turn it around in Atl.
shot blocker = sopel
Don’t be grumpy just because your boy Halak got yanked more this season than Charlie Sheen on a Saturday night…
Every team could use another defensive shot blocking mannequin. Subban too much of a sissy in that regard? hehe
Elohim:”Let us make an Adam in our image and after our likeness.” – Genesis 1:26
“We don’t see things as they are, but as we are.” – Anais Nin
I’d agree with you if he had moer than one year left on his contract, but $3.8M isn’t crazy for a defenceman who’s really very reliable when he plays reasonable minutes. I’m sure we could get a 2nd and a 5th for him.
i like. but where did Spacek’s $3.8M cap hit and physical presence magically disappear to? he’s pretty much untradable at that price. sadly…
http://www.vodkasports.com
No one mentions goalies and you say this? Makes sense.
Have a link to the Leafs game tonight?
Elohim:”Let us make an Adam in our image and after our likeness.” – Genesis 1:26
“We don’t see things as they are, but as we are.” – Anais Nin
You make great points – and I would be fine with a defensive counter-punch kind of style if we had the COUNTER PUNCH part of it and our system didn’t just depend on turtling in our own zone and letting our goalie face 40 shots.
To me that’s not a system, sorry.
However I’m happy to see our defense beefed up with some experience and that should help Price and cut down the shots.
management realizes that the main roster we have had since the beginning of last year will not be a scoring machine..we have been basically in the mid 20 slot in the nhl in scoring for 160 plus games..the team is set up to play tight games and win tight games…to change the teams philosophy will take more than one forward turnover…with only 21 games to go the best bet is to build on the teams strengths…to become a scoring team in the future there has to be at least 4-5 players changes and a different coaching strategy…right now this line up will win because of goaltending,team d,pk and scoring key goals at key times
also lilies is 5′ 10” and 180lbs noooooooooooo thanks..
“After 13 years, I couldn’t accept to be number two.“ Guy Lafleur.
According to Dreger on twitter, the Avs are asking a 2nd round pick for Liles… Sopel isn’t looking so hot right now. I would take that, at least Liles has another year on his contract
we dont have a 2nd to give
At $4.2. No thanks. Over-rated.
I’ve often thought of it as the Ronald Corey curse… first Chelios (though certainly Chelios bears some responsibility for that one) and Roy and Mike Keane.
If Corey had dropped Mario and Houle (with all respect due to them as players) and brought in a proper management team we’d have another cup or two already instead of these years in the wilderness.
I think 2013, though, the 20th anniversary of our last cup, could be it if we can just get rid of Gomer and Mr. Happy (JM) and bring in some male hockey players.
Some good moves though, I like Wiz A LOT and even more since he dressed for Calgary and Sopel is a good Craig Ludwig type, though probably he has better shin pads
Markov is too young for performance bonuses (either entry level or plus-35, Markov is 32). My thought is it would be either a one-year deal to prove he can still play or a six year declining deal (ie 5-5-5-4-4-3) that lowers his cap hit overall.
We might sign him with performance bonuses.
his agent wont have much leverage
Jim, don’t get me wrong. I love what Markov brings to our club, but his agent will try to sell him at a huge price and we won’t sign him for huge bucks.
pathetic last 2 and a half minutes by habs
Two WHL grads!
Not pushovers!
“I only like to watch and takes notes” JM
The last “blockbuster” trade we made is when we sent our captain Mike Keane and superstar Patrick Roy to the Colorado Nordiques. UNFORTUNATELY, we were on the very wrong end of that giveaway. oops, I meant trade.
Sopel is a shot blocking stay at home defensemen, Price has dealt alone of odd man rushes as of late and that killed us at the Heritage Classic game. Dawes will probably just play in AHL, but if you look at his points stats compared to Maxwell, Dawes can find the back of the net better. So this maybe not a blockbuster trade we have been waiting for but exactly when was the last “blockbuster” trade the Habs made?
Maybe this trade opens something up for a bigger trade in the works.
Gauthier the “Ghost” strikes again…Interesting modus opperendai.
This deal once again shows that any Habs trade, you won’t hear about on Habs rumour sites.
(e4)
I remember watching Dawes in the dub – he was a beast – I’m thinking a DD – Pouliot – Dawes third line could add some scoring punch.
Soap on a rope. Interesting trade. Possibly getting some vveteran Leadership for the run.
Support your local indian – Price 31
because if one of Hammer or Gill’s aching bones breaks sometime after the deadline, we’re back to Picard or Nash (presuming Spacek is out, which i do)
” I like Spacek, but he wasn’t doing anything special.”
so i guess shutting down the oppositions top line every night doesn’t account for anything.
It’s reallty kind of a nothing trade. If Sopel is meant to replace Spacek … well, I like Spacek, but he wasn’t doing anything special. I thought Weber was doing okay. In fact, if they felt like they needed to get Sopel because Weber isn’t up to it … it’s not a great comment on Weber.
Dawes will do nice things for Hamilton and I don’t think Maxwell was going to make it in Montreal, so that’s a wash. Basically we get Sopel for a 4th. Those draft picks start to add up for a while, but it’s more than reasonable.
I just don’t see the necessity. I don’t hate the trade, and I don’t love the trade … I do not get the trade. Add a million bucks of cap space for the year and send Weber to the press box so Sopel can be our 5th-6th D-man. Alright. Whatever.
It’s a tread-water trade. And unless a trade is going to improve your team, why do you make it?
Full Breezer 4 Life
PG might be using Weber as trade bait to try to land an impact forward. Maybe not – but I like our defense a lot more with Sopel in it than with the possibility of Picard.
I don’t think we’re going to pay $7.3M to our 6th and 7th D-men. : ) My guess would be something like: Markov $5M – Subban $0.9M | Wiz $3.75M – Sopel $2.5M | Gorges $2.5M – Gill $2.25M | Extra: Weber $0.9M.
All these trades recently: Mara, Sopel, Wisniewski, Dawes are a result of injuries.
So far we have traded a 2nd (from Fischer) and a 5th for Wiz
A 6th for Mara
Maxwell and a 4th for Dawes and Sopel
My opionion on 2012 D.
Markov (5.5 mil) Georges (2.75)
Gill (2) PK (entry level approx 900k?)
Wizniewski ($3.75) Hammer ($3.5)
Depth: Spachek (3.8), Weber (900k)
That seems like alot of money for a D corps! Think any moves will be made?
they probably have to chose between Gill and Hammer. you don’t want $3.8M (Spacek) in the press box and Spacek is still a solid 3rd pair dman. my guess is they resign Gill – cheaper, huge leadership factor, one of the league’s best PK specialists, has chemistry with PK.
i doubt they pay to re-sign Wiz, a top-10 point producing UFA dman, for less than $4M. Plus, i don’t like trading off his defensive liabilities for his offense. but i am open to him coming back if Weber is traded.
either they are going to trade Weber, or he will have a shot at an affordable regular spot on the bottom pair next season. depending on how they do this season maybe Mara or Sopel get an offer to come back at #7. #8 is Nash/Carle.
that makes:
Markov ($5.5M)-Georges ($3M)
Gill ($2M) – PK ($1M)
Weber ($850K) – Spacek ($3.8M)
Mara, Sopel, or another UFA ($1-2M) + Nash or Carle
everything changes if Emelin can be brought over.
… and remember you have to stagger the contracts as yeah PK is cheap like Borscht right now but he will hopefully deserve big bucks down the road, as probably will Weber. Yeah it’s a high class problem but it has to be planned out.
Do you think Markov and Gorges will be that high $ given their severe injuries?
You should do some research before making such a rediculous post
Sopel was good enough to be a key factor in the SC Finals for CHI and they had about the best defence in the NHL that year.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
The guy played 59 of 61 games.
In mathland that works out to 2 games on the bench.
———————————————————————— “Young people have seen that a team can play electrifying, fascinating hockey while still behaving like gentlemen.” ~Serge Savard~
Other teams turn our trash into players. Whose to say we can’t do the same with theirs.
I understand the frustration to a degree, but Sopel instantly becomes our leading shotblocker (tied with Hammer) and thats with under 17 minutes of ice time. Needless to say it isn’t a sexy trade but it fills our needs.
Plus, sometimes one teams “trash” can turn out to be quite useful for another team (ie. Metropolit, Draper, Maltby) either in the playoffs or regular season.
Disagree…..Sopel is solid. And it’s not like Maxwell was a sure thing.
“I kind of feel sorry for players who never got a chance to be a Montreal Canadien” – Cammalleri
Dear Pierre Gauthier,
would you please stop picking up everyones trash. Yes we aren’t giving up much, but guys who are routined scratched by other teams and arent even good enough to make teams like Atlanta and Anaheim better, will not make us better. These guys are castoffs! We don’t want other peoples garbage! Make a real trade that will help us either short term or long term, not guys you wanna sit in the pressbox once you realize why other teams didnt want them.
Yeesh! Signed,
Nick
Habs have 13 players who were drafted/signed as centres in their system. If anything, they need new prospects at LW and D where they’re short of anyone who’s potential blue-chip.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
Dustin Boyd is our center depth!
I like the trade. Giving up Maxwell really underlines who bare how prospect pool is now without him, but for this playoff run I think it is worth it.
Sopel is a good blue liner who played well last spring, and really helps to stabalize our blue line. Improves the PK, improves the toughnes…all in all, a solid rental.
Nigel Dawes is an interesting pickup. He’ll start on the 4th line, but this guy has got hands. He’s gritty, solid 3rd line with upside – and will replace Darche and push Pyatt for the time being.
I like these pickups: for the cost, it really helps solidify this team for the run.
At 5’9″ but 200 pounds, I would not call Dawes “small”. Packing 200 pounds on that frame means he must be a pretty powerful guy.
By contrast, Martin St. Louis is 5’9″ and 177 pounds while Mark Recchi is 5’10″ and 195 pounds.
Easy move for Sopel, he’s been living in a hotel all season. He flies home to Chicago when he has a few days off.
Someone just reminded me of another intangible benefit to Sopel on the Habs blue-line: he can handle the Flyers. Instant psychological barrier lifted for entire Habs D.
Is he THAT physical? Being an east coast fan I’ve never really been all that aware of his game.
“When I was a baby I wish my first word had been “QUOTE”, then right before I die I could say “UNQUOTE” – Stephen Wright
Now? He had 16 goals and 32 points while getting 14:32 in ice time in 66 games just last year. That is great production given his role and ice time. He’s third in goals in the AHL. There is no reason to think that he can’t be a valuable bottom-6 player next year.
sopel is an insomniac
Sopel for a 4th and Dawes for Maxwell…not exactly a “blockbuster” deadline deal, but I think it helps out back end and I think this may mean we have seen the last of Spacek for this season…I hope not but he has injured his he may be done for a while at least…us older guys don’t heal quite as fast as we used too.
Sopel sounds like a good responsibel d-man with a bit of grit and for sure some play-off experience..so I think he will help us down the final run.
Dawes is a bit of a mystery why Pierre went out for him…I knew the name but never paid much attention to his career before today…so he is 5′ 9″…not exactly the moose we thought we might get for the drive, but his number is the AHL look pretty strong so maybe he can bring something there and maybe make a injury recall later if needed…he is 200 Lbs…so even though is is short he seems to be build like Boullion was…like a box tough to move off the even though he is small.
Time will tell, I hope we see Sopel tonight…
Shouldn’t we have seen a “These two geniuses” rant from Tony by now?
Wiz was brought in to replace Markov, Mara was to replace Georges, Sopel is for Spacek.
We need 6 quality dmen on the roster to play out the season and the young guns weren’t doing it in gauthiers eyes.
——————-
”If you’ve only got one day to live, come see the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’ll seem like forever. ” Pat Foley (Blackhawks broadcaster)
part of the problem is picking up BOTH Mara and Sopel, 1 im fine with, both? Stupid since theyre playing the same role (6th-7th D man), why would Gauthier do that
They started talks with Pleks before the end of last season. Komisarek the year before that.
Whoops.
I guess it’s not too bad for the Guins, but the Habs didnt have all that space to fit him.
With Malkin gone its not bad, I don’t think Mario is too worried about the 1.2 million. If he helps you win a game or series they’d make it back from playoff revenue. I didn’t realize before he also had a NTC.
Oh totally, I wasn’t trying to say they should have, I see how it could be taken that way though
You get what you pay for.
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
They still have to take on his salary on the cap.
I meant last year in the NHL…
Dawes actually score goals 27 to max 11
I know I know, I think the point was more Pyatt has shown literally zero offensive output in the NHL compared to Dawes scoring in the teens last season in limited action…
Smaller contract, with bonuses, might be a way to keep him.
We will only offer him a contract if it is much less than the last one.
I could see a large portion,if not all, of Hammer’s current contract going to Markov. Hammer has been great but I cannot see signing a 38 yr old d-man to another deal, especially at the expense of Markov
i think everyone is aware of this
I agree.
I foresee two scenarios wrt his contract – either he signs a one year deal for roughly the same money (maybe a bit less) in hopes of a strong season which he can parlay into a big, long term deal. Or he signs a 3 or 4 year deal at a bit of a discount, say $5m/yr.
Anyone who’s spent half of the last 2 years recovering from twin ACL surgeries on his knee is likely not going to be demanding a big-figure deal, it’s likely going to be a 1-2 year contract at less than he what he was getting last time.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
I think you can only include bonuses in an entry level and over 35 contracts.
how does this sound? if stastny really is being moved out of colorado
gomez, ak, weber, and a 1st for stastny
colorado has about 16 million $ in cap space, stastny makes 6.6 million $, this trade would make colorado take on about 4.9 million $ more in salary, still leaving them with over 11 million $
they get a center in gomez to replace stastny in the short term (can always send him to the minors if they decide to), plus ak and weber, two younger players with potential, and a first round pick… obviously if stastny does not really want out it wouldn’t work but if colorado is being pressured a little given the circumstances it could be something they would consider
Wow…that’s generous.
XXIV…and counting
I disagree Ian. Sopel and Mara are not replacements for Markov’s skill set. And given a choice between Markov vs Hammer or Spacek, most here would take Markov. And I don’t think Markov will be looking for a raise when he’s missed most of two consecutive seasons. Even IF he is “damaged goods” I think Markov is still the bridge until PK hits his full potential.
I don’t think Markov’s story is quite done in Montreal. He’s a leader, an elite defencemen with a tremendous hockey sense who effectively leads the defence when he’s on and can play in any situation. Having him for a couple more years would be great for mentoring PK in the finer parts of offensive play in the NHL. He likely won’t recieve a monster contract but he and team are on good terms, I doubt he became a Canadian citizen for nothing.
Montreal learned to win without him, but they can win more often with him. I doubt he’s going to be getting a huge $ value on his new deal either.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. Habs and Hockey.
Something tells me that UFA Markov is done in Montreal.!! Don’t think we are going to pay huge bucks for damaged goods. To bad ,so sad.!
well they would also be generously taking on a player that most of the fans here would be willing to give away for nothing in return…
On the Team 990 a few minutes ago Pierre Mcguire just said he hasn’t been traded yet.
And it was first reported by RDS Renaud Lavoie.
Hmm…
what is the source? dregger just said lots of speculation, nothing confirmed
You jumped the gun…… He has not been traded yet.
Weiss traded
Done!
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
I say was all visit his wife’s blog (pretty cool btw) and give Sopel and official MTL welcoming. Love to see him around next year!
I don’t know about that part of his game, but as someone below pointed out, Sopel was the go-to shut-down guy on the PK in the finals, and that means he got in their heads. He and Gill both hoisted the Stanley Cup during the current Obama administration, and they will likely make up the first pairing on the PK. I like that.
Pouliot might be from Ontario but he’s definately got Quebecer blood with that name…
pat lafontaine
mark messier
etc
that team was stacked, we are not
Well I like the trade for the short-term, this season but if they don’t resign Sopel (he is a ufa) then we gave up a 22 year old prospect for a rental which I hate.
Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.
Way to lead the way Rocket!
So the reason the Hawks are hurtin’ this year is because they gave up Byfuglien and Sopel?
“The sh*t is CHESS!NOT CHECKERS.” Denzel W.(Training Day)
he’s a career AHLer now, sorry. Way too ambitious of you to expect a guy who cant make the thrashers to suddenly come in and play a solid bottom six role
I think Dawes has some long-term value to this team. He is small but he plays a somewhat gritty game, is willing to go to the dirty areas, and is a good overall defensive player. He has score 14 goals twice and 10 goals once in the NHL all in 66 games or less. He could provide some secondary score on the bottom-6 next season.
That’s more than…. Gomez
I believe Andrew Berkshire had it right to say that Sopel is the right fill for Gorges being lost for the year.
Sopel gives flexibility and balance for defensive pairings and when (and it is a question of when) another D goes down. Also, he just might move guys like Kesler away from the net.
Pairings:
Subban-Gill
Hamrlik – Spacek (and until he gets health Weber/Picard)
Sopel – Wiz
PP:
Subban-Wiz
Hamrlik-Weber
PK:
Subban-Gill
Sopel-Hamrlik
For all those slagging PG, this guy is showing some skills in hunting for depth players without giving sacrificing anyone of significance. Imagine if we had traded Subban for Neal? Exactly, it’s not our year. If we make any noise in the playoffs this year, we’ll have to do it like we did last year…solid team play, capitalizing on chances and our game-breaker goalie stealing some games.
We’re building around these three players: Pleks, Subban, Price and PG is doing a good job of picking up value without subtracting. He’s also the same GM who signed Price after Halak couldn’t see above the towering Philly team last year (and nobody agreed with him then).
Well if you tell everyone that he won’t develope and that the organization has given up on him it makes it a little harder to find a trade partner no?
“When I was a baby I wish my first word had been “QUOTE”, then right before I die I could say “UNQUOTE” – Stephen Wright
Our depth at center has increased a lot over the last year, (Leblanc, Eller, DD proving himself) and with how Maxwell has never been able to crack the Habs lineup, he became expendable.
Plekanec, Gomez, Desharnais, Eller, and this season at least Halpern.
He was a bit down on our depth chart as we have alot of centers.
I thought Maxwell was a valuable long term future player for us? I thought he was highly regarded in the organization?
Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.
Bob McKenzie reports that Florida’s trading Cory Stillman to Carolina.
He also says that: Stephen Weiss has not waived his NTC to go anywhere at this point in time. If that changes, will let you know.
Maxwell no longer fit into the plans so good on PG for getting something (Sopel) needed considering our sudden lack of depth in the back. Soap should fit in well.
A very solid deal for Gauthier…sure, not the blockbuster everyone dreams about, but gives us some solid depth on D (which we desperately need right now).
IMO, Maxwell and Dawes are a wash…two players who currently look decent in the AHL, but are a longshot to make an impact in the NHL right now. So that leaves a 4th round pick for Sopel, which I think is a very nice exchange for the Habs. I know some people are behind Weber, but I really don’t think he’s ready at this point. He gets shoved off the puck way too easy, and he’s just not strong enough to move anyone from in front of the net.
If I were you… I wouldn’t drop that BENGAY.
“The sh*t is CHESS!NOT CHECKERS.” Denzel W.(Training Day)
Good post. I think PG is going to do the smart thing with the team this year and plan for the future ie next sesaon still.
Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.
The first star of the game Phil Kessell who has now played 132 games for the Leafs his 2 seasons there with 55 goals and 44 assists or 99 points. As Burke says “a bird in hand is worth more than 2 birds in the bush.”
If Spacek is out for the season this deal does not affect our cap space.
Good trade as far as I’m concerned.
I was never one to criticize refs either. Then this hockey season came along and it all went downhill
I woner how Kovlev will fare back with the Pens?