Montreal Canadiens

[Excelsior]

Does Diaz have any offensive potential? I don't know much about him.

[ross10019]

For sure he has offensive potential, was best player in the Swiss league last year and led all Dmen in scoring. It looks like this may also translate to the NHL, he has not looked out of place during the pre-season thus far and Gorges and Subban both praised his hockey IQ and puckmoving skills. I think he'll stick this year as a 5/6/7 Dman. Hard to predict what he'll do points-wise but, likle Streit was, he's already in his mid 20s so should be productive relatively quickly. With Markov out (how long?), he may even get a shot on the 1st PP unit, although for now they're going with 4 fwds and Diaz is on the 2nd PP unit.

My prediction:
- This year, 28 pts
- 3 years down the line, 42 pts

Some might call that optimistic, and admittedly it's difficult to say given that he hasn't played a real NHL game yet, but based on what I've read and the clips from his Swiss career and the pre-season, he looks like the kind of player who can become a productive 3/4 Dman and PP contirbutor.

Does Diaz have any offensive potential? I don't know much about him.

[HockeyHobo]

By all accounts, Gomez came into camp fitter and looked better on the ice. He's got definite chemistry with MaxPac and Gionta and I think that'll carry him this season - people forget that Gomez pointed at a very decent clip last year when that MaxPac/Gionta line was together. I think he'll be back to his normal approach which is getting lots of shots on net (albeit it many of them of the low percentage variety) which will translate to scoring opportunities and a better stat line. For Gomez, I'm predicting a bounceback to 22G/36A/58pts with 225+ SOG (if that matters in your league).

Thanks for your thoughts, i like the chip on the shoulder.

[Excelsior]

For sure he has offensive potential, was best player in the Swiss league last year and led all Dmen in scoring. It looks like this may also translate to the NHL, he has not looked out of place during the pre-season thus far and Gorges and Subban both praised his hockey IQ and puckmoving skills. I think he'll stick this year as a 5/6/7 Dman. Hard to predict what he'll do points-wise but, likle Streit was, he's already in his mid 20s so should be productive relatively quickly. With Markov out (how long?), he may even get a shot on the 1st PP unit, although for now they're going with 4 fwds and Diaz is on the 2nd PP unit.

My prediction:
- This year, 28 pts
- 3 years down the line, 42 pts

Some might call that optimistic, and admittedly it's difficult to say given that he hasn't played a real NHL game yet, but based on what I've read and the clips from his Swiss career and the pre-season, he looks like the kind of player who can become a productive 3/4 Dman and PP contirbutor.

Thanks for the info. That really helps. I'll be keeping an eye on him.

[keytolife]

Hey mate,
just stepping by to ask about one of my fav. prospects. Just read an article on tsn about Gallagher making a case for a rosterspot. How good is the young gun? I own him in all my keepers and would love to hear some good news.

best wishes ktl

[ericdaoust]

Hey mate,
just stepping by to ask about one of my fav. prospects. Just read an article on tsn about Gallagher making a case for a rosterspot. How good is the young gun? I own him in all my keepers and would love to hear some good news.

best wishes ktl

The problem with Gallagher is that he won't get the best opportunity to start. Cole/Cammalleri and Pacioretty/Gionta are locked on the scoring lines. He could potentially fit on the third line but usually the coach likes to use two-way savvy vets in those roles. The upside to having a guy like Gallagher in the organization is that it gives the team options regarding expiring contracts such as Andrei Kostitsyn. I believe Gallagher would be a fine replacement for AK should the team decide to part ways and use the cap dollars elsewhere.

[ericdaoust]

How has Gomez looked so far this preseason? He was saying all the right things coming into the season and seemed to have worked hard over the summer, does it look like paying off??

I've seen Gomez play one time this preseason and to be honest his effort level was not much different from last year. Granted it was his first game coming off of an injury but nothing jumped out at me. As long as he avoids the massive slumps where he is totally going through the motions and collecting his money, he should be able to hit 50 given his opportunity (2nd line) and linemates.

In my perfect world Desharnais would bump Gomez off the second line but that's wishful thinking IMO.

[ericdaoust]

Does Diaz have any offensive potential? I don't know much about him.

Diaz in my mind has out-performed Weber. He has more poise with the puck and is more involved in the game. When speaking of long-term upside, I would think of him as the same type and calibre of prospect as Weber. They have a similar skill set and I would consider their upside and 3YP to be practically identical.

[ericdaoust]

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/boone...most-two-weeks

Very interesting note regarding the forward trios for tonight:

Cammalleri-Plekanec-Cole
Pacioretty-Gomez-Gallagher
AK46-Desharnais-Gionta
Bournival-Engqvist-Blunden

They are spreading out the scoring which is something that I like seeing.

[ericdaoust]

Habs already down 1-0. Only saw one angle of the goal but it looked like a total defensive zone breakdown (again). Habs are skating well and Gallagher is looking good again. Habs have a 5 on 3 right now.

[ericdaoust]

2-0. Desharnais tried to cover defensively and ended up screening Budaj. Slap shot top corner.

[ericdaoust]

Breaking news: Scott Gomez shows a sign of passion!!!

He did a nice job forechecking the dman and nearly set up Gallagher for a goal.

[ericdaoust]

Budaj looks rough in the 2nd. He dropped a shot from Lecavalier that rolled into the net but the refs whistled the play so no goal. He just doesn't look comfortable especially on sharp angle plays.

[ericdaoust]

Another half-game complete and still no goal from the Habs. This is very concerning at this point. They skate well but have no creativity or finish. Time for them to step up!

[ericdaoust]

3-0 Bolts. I was hoping the team would be more competitive by this point in the preseason. Lots of work to do.