Montreal Canadiens

[thatbirdguy]

How many defencemen do one team need to draft?

[ericdaoust]

I guess they are anticipating to continue the trend of using dmen up front... they have no other choice now!

In fairness they may have been following the BPA method and simply picking players they had ranked high on their list. Not everyone that is drafted is meant to play for that team. The Sabres were able to move Byron and Butler for Regehr, while the Kings were able to include Wayne Simmonds in the deal to get Mike Richards. Developing good players gives the team options.

On the other hand, I am not a guru with great knowledge of this draft class so these picks may turn out to be primarily busts. Who knows.

[LeTrefle]

From RDS,
Habs won't qualify Pouliot, Pyatt and Picard.
They did, however, qualify White, Weber and Gorges.

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/321899.html

Eric, I'd like to read your thoughts on this.
Pouliot : what a bust!

[ericdaoust]

From RDS,
Habs won't qualify Pouliot, Pyatt and Picard.
They did, however, qualify White, Weber and Gorges.

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/321899.html

Eric, I'd like to read your thoughts on this.
Pouliot : what a bust!

Pouliot: I still think he can bring something to the team. As a depth forward he can still heat up and get 15 goals which is a nice added bonus considering the lack of offensive production from most depth players throughout the league. But on most nights he is so clueless on the ice that overall it's tough for a coach to put up with. And with today's stat-driven NHL the slumps get him in the doghouse. He will for sure get work elsewhere in the league but he might suffer from the same issues as Zherdev in Philadelphia. Too inconsistent, so back to the press box!

Pyatt: He is a nice defensive forward. I was careful to call him "defensive" and not "two-way" because he has no offensive abilities. I think he'll sign a two-way contract with another team and go back to the scratching and clawing that he did to get to the NHL in the first place. He can play, but he is perfectly replaceable.

Picard: He is a victim of the numbers game with Markov and Gorges returning and Yemelin arriving. Picard is probably seeking a one-way deal and the Habs would never offer him that. He might get his wish elsewhere though, and he could be a nice #6 dman in the right situation.

Gorges: The QO is a formality and I believe he will sign a new contract. I would guess it's a two-year pact with a salary similar to what Hal Gill is earning right now. That's just my guess though. He should help stabilize the defence and help balance the minutes of other players so that we don't see situations like this season when Spacek and Hamrlik burned out.

Weber: He may replace Pyatt on the wing while receiving PP minutes on the point. I liked what I saw from him as a winger, especially on the forecheck. It won't be a completely smooth transition though, because he is not a natural winger so there will be a learning curve in some situations. But overall I like the idea of basically using 7 dmen on the roster.

White: I like what he brings. He is Maxim Lapierre with a better head on his shoulders. He is a good scrapper and with Pyatt gone he could start seeing minutes on the PK. He had 5 points and 37 PIM in 28 games last season which scales up to 15 points and 115 penalty minutes over 82 games. I like it!

[ericdaoust]

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/321924.html

Hamrlik has been sent an offer, and I know he wants to stay in town. I believe his girlfriend/wife lives there and he does not want to leave. My hunch is they will agree to terms with a cap hit between 3 and 3.5 million. This leaves a defence of:

Markov-Subban
Hamrlik-Gill
Spacek-Yemelin
Weber

This raises the odds of us seeing Weber transition into the Mark Streit role as a hybrid winger/dman.

BTW I fully expect to see Wisniewski, Sopel and Mara walk. Mara could return as 7th dman but my guess is there is a market for a big physical dman and he will land a spot as a 3rd pair guy.

[donions]

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/321924.html

Hamrlik has been sent an offer, and I know he wants to stay in town. I believe his girlfriend/wife lives there and he does not want to leave. My hunch is they will agree to terms with a cap hit between 3 and 3.5 million. This leaves a defence of:

Markov-Subban
Hamrlik-Gill
Spacek-Yemelin
Weber

This raises the odds of us seeing Weber transition into the Mark Streit role as a hybrid winger/dman.

BTW I fully expect to see Wisniewski, Sopel and Mara walk. Mara could return as 7th dman but my guess is there is a market for a big physical dman and he will land a spot as a 3rd pair guy.

Where's Gorges??

[ericdaoust]

Where's Gorges??

I knew I was missing someone but then the dog wanted a treat so I just clicked the submit button...

I wonder if Spacek's job is safe then. Maybe a trade to a cap floor team? Buyout? Waivers/demotion? Healthy scratch as 7th dman? Anyone have thoughts?

[donions]

I think they are just stuck with Spacek(35+ with NTC). Unless they pull a move like the Flames did with Kotalik where you are giving a team a 2nd rnd'er to relieve your cap. I dont think thats necessary for the Habs. Never bad to have depth, especially with Markov's history.

Markov-Gorges
Gill-Subban
Hamrlik-Yemelin
Spacek

Weber can dress as a 12th forward/7th D on some nights. It surprises me more teams dont dress 7 dmen, considering how little some teams play there 4th lines.
We also cant assume Yemelin will be ready for the NHL, tho I think he is.

All that said, im not happy to see Sopel and Mara go, they provided size and a stable presence. There just simply isnt room for them tho.

[ericdaoust]

All that said, im not happy to see Sopel and Mara go, they provided size and a stable presence. There just simply isnt room for them tho.

I liked what Mara brought. He still skates well and plays very physical. Sopel was alright but he's a slug and he wore down big time by the time the playoffs started. I'm worried he's running out of gas.

[LeTrefle]

My guess is Hamrlik will sign for 2 years/7 M$.
That would make 8 Dmen signed to 1 way contract (is Yemelin 1 or 2 ways?).
I like the idea of dressing 7 D.
Markov-Gorges
Gill-Subban
Hamrlik-Spacek
Weber
Yemelin
With Price and a cheap vet backup, that leaves 13 spots for the forwards.
Top 6
Cammy-Plekanec-AK
Pacioretty-Richards... I mean Gomez-Gionta
Bottom 6 (or 7)
Moen-Darche-White-Eller-Desharnais-UFA-UFA
Personnally, I would like to see Gagne (instead of AK) and Talbot signing with the Habs, but it's wishful thinking. And I don't know for the cap space...
Who do you see filling the 2 remaining spots?
Who's on your wishlist?
Who you think will land in Mtl?

[ericdaoust]

Two news items today:

-Hamrlik says no to the team's contract offer.
-Wisniewski's negotiating rights have been traded to Columbus.

Personally I thought Wisniewski would sign in Columbus anyway...

[ericdaoust]

Habs re-sign Yannick Weber 2 years with a cap hit of 850k. Good job getting so many guys signed before July 1st!

[mister_mcgoo]

-Hamrlik says no to the team's contract offer.

best Habs news I've heard in awhile, let him walk we really don't need him anymore, its time to build the youngsters and preach defensive responsibility

[ross10019]

[QUOTE=LeTrefle;734168]My guess is Hamrlik will sign for 2 years/7 M$.
QUOTE]


Did you really make this prediction on June 28th? Holy moly le Trefle, bang on, only signed with Caps not Habs. T'es bon en hosti toi!

[ericdaoust]

[QUOTE=ross10019;738783]

My guess is Hamrlik will sign for 2 years/7 M$.
QUOTE]


Did you really make this prediction on June 28th? Holy moly le Trefle, bang on, only signed with Caps not Habs. T'es bon en hosti toi!

The one-year deal offered by the Habs was probably for the same price. Hamrlik received a two-year offer for 3.5 per so he is off to Washington!