Montreal Canadiens

[ericdaoust]

Do you ever feel like Montreal is just going through the motions of seasons without really doing anything to improve themselves? They've had some decent success the last couple of years but it always felt more shocking than expected.

I don't know what they need to push them into that bracket where people assume they are going to make the playoffs but it sure would be nice to have that feeling of pride again.

Rant Over.

I've felt that way before. "We're making money so whatever." Kinda like the Maple Leafs. This year they picked up Cole which is a major get but they did nothing to replace Hamrlik. Now they're stuck scrambling for Campoli to plug a hole.

Plus it doesn't help that the Habs re-signed Markov and three months later he's still not ready to play.

[Killer67]

I've felt that way before. "We're making money so whatever." Kinda like the Maple Leafs. This year they picked up Cole which is a major get but they did nothing to replace Hamrlik. Now they're stuck scrambling for Campoli to plug a hole.

Plus it doesn't help that the Habs re-signed Markov and three months later he's still not ready to play.

I was going to mention the Campoli thing in my rant, really aggravated me. And how is it that we could all see that Markov wasn't going to make it but they didn't? I don't know, frustrating is all I can think of.

[ericdaoust]

I was going to mention the Campoli thing in my rant, really aggravated me. And how is it that we could all see that Markov wasn't going to make it but they didn't? I don't know, frustrating is all I can think of.

Markov has always been a mysterious guy and I think that has to come in play when negotiating with a UFA-to-be. If he's not giving full details about his rehab then the team should do business elsewhere. It's frustrating but I guess we should take the wait-and-see approach and see where we are when the puck drops.

[Killer67]

Markov has always been a mysterious guy and I think that has to come in play when negotiating with a UFA-to-be. If he's not giving full details about his rehab then the team should do business elsewhere. It's frustrating but I guess we should take the wait-and-see approach and see where we are when the puck drops.

Very true. I don't mind the squeaking into the playoffs approach because anything can happen then, but that thought of missing and getting a 11th or 12th pick is maddening. Just lose if you're going to lose, lol.

[ericdaoust]

Very true. I don't mind the squeaking into the playoffs approach because anything can happen then, but that thought of missing and getting a 11th or 12th pick is maddening. Just lose if you're going to lose, lol.

It's going to be an up-and-down next three years IMO but by that point the team will look very different. That's when most of the big contracts end. Add in the Subban/Price superstar duo along with Leblanc, Tinordi and Beaulieu and things could be looking up.

[ddp]

It's going to be an up-and-down next three years IMO but by that point the team will look very different. That's when most of the big contracts end. Add in the Subban/Price superstar duo along with Leblanc, Tinordi and Beaulieu and things could be looking up.

My bet is that Leblanc ends up worse than Letandresse.
This year, everyone is counting the habs out again...sorry...don't see it. Max P will be a beast. (how many freaking times do I have to say this) I didn't like Max P 2 years ago, thought he was another higgins on our hands but this guy can SKATE...he's big, takes lots of shots ad wants to win. Gonna be fun. Subban and Price will always make us a contender for the playoffs...Gomez can't get any worse...we can only hope he puts up 60pts...40 assissts of 55 go to max p goals!
Campoli...didn't like it but I'm getting more used to them overpaying for players...5.75 for markov?!!! coming off that surgery wtf? campoli 1.75 for someone out of a job?! where is the negotiating?

[ericdaoust]

Habs got a big win tonight 5-1 vs the Lightning in Quebec city. It's a bigger win than the normal preseason game because the team was so awful in prior games. It's difficult to look for standout performers because almost everyone played well.

Carey Price was in top form. Everything was hitting him in the body and he wasn't giving an inch.

The Gomez/Gionta duo was outstanding. Each had a goal tonight.

The Diaz/Spacek pair did some good work handling the puck leading to a Darche deflection into the goal.

Erik Cole is an awesome forechecker who should make his mark in so many ways this season. He picked Brett Clark's pocket twice - once for a goal and once to draw a penalty.

Kostitsyn played with Cammalleri and Plekanec tonight. AK was awful as usual while the latter two played a strong game.

The Malone hit on Campoli was dirty. Looks like Shanny will have to release another video. Campoli was already engaged trying to skate away from Purcell (I think) with the puck and Malone came in for a hit directly to the head. He had plenty of time to change his mind if he didn't want to injure the guy.

[thorbs]

The best part was Malone's "What did I do?" gesture after the hit...looks like the Habs run of injured D-men is going to continue

[ericdaoust]

Malone gets zero games for the hit. I'm not surprised and a lot of what Shanny said is true. However, if a guy is head-down in a vulnerable spot that doesn't mean charge in and strike his head. Anyone who watched the game could see that Malone was looking for trouble all night.

[ddp]

Its bloody ridiculous, the NHL has turned into a circus. If they remove fighting from the game I swear I will sh#t the bed.

It was a beautiful thing seeing Georges go to his partners defense.

[ericdaoust]

Its bloody ridiculous, the NHL has turned into a circus. If they remove fighting from the game I swear I will sh#t the bed.

It was a beautiful thing seeing Georges go to his partners defense.

The NFL is doing just fine without fighting. That's because the league takes care of the players and hurts the team when players do the wrong thing. Their season is just 16 games so if a team gets a 15 yard penalty in an ultra-important game it can really cost the team big time.

In other news, the Habs have claimed Blair Betts on waivers from the Flyers. This is a very good move that fits the coach's philosophy like a glove. He is good at faceoffs and an effective penalty-killer. He is very similar to Dave Steckel except the Habs didn't have to give up a draft pick to acquire him.

In terms of his overall production this year, think Jeff Halpern but with less scoring.

[ross10019]

I'm pretty pumped about Diaz making the team, and his D partner Spacek was raving about him. I'm more confident than ever in my prediction below.

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.

[ericdaoust]

I'm pretty pumped about Diaz making the team, and his D partner Spacek was raving about him. I'm more confident than ever in my prediction below.

The upside is certainly there. To me his prospect value is similar to Weber. Both are good puck movers with flaws in their games (size, defensive awareness) and it's all about translating that to the NHL. So far Weber has not been able to do it.

One concern that I have is that once Markov returns, there is a bit of a redundancy in terms of puck movers on the team. Markov/Subban are locks for the top unit but after that there's Campoli, Weber, Spacek and Diaz. My hunch is that Diaz would be demoted to the farm, although in-season injuries are inevitable and could force him to stay up longer than I think.

[ddp]

Habs will finish no worse than 6th in the east.
Thats right.
They are better than last year.
bank it.

[ross10019]

The upside is certainly there. To me his prospect value is similar to Weber. Both are good puck movers with flaws in their games (size, defensive awareness) and it's all about translating that to the NHL. So far Weber has not been able to do it.

One concern that I have is that once Markov returns, there is a bit of a redundancy in terms of puck movers on the team. Markov/Subban are locks for the top unit but after that there's Campoli, Weber, Spacek and Diaz. My hunch is that Diaz would be demoted to the farm, although in-season injuries are inevitable and could force him to stay up longer than I think.

Yeah, once Markov returns, you have to imagine Yemelin is a much better fit than either Diaz or Weber. I could see Diaz moving down to the 7th spot, rather than being sent down, and Yemelin breaking into the top 6 with Spacek.