Montreal Canadiens

[habs83]

It's an interesting twist, but a logical move given the role he is playing in the GM search. The new GM will be on the same page as Savard from the start so the president-GM dynamic should work out just fine. It's a short-term hire regardless because Savard is getting up in age.

I would also guess that it opens the door a little bit more for the hiring of a less experienced GM (Brisebois, Bergevin).

[ericdaoust]

I would also guess that it opens the door a little bit more for the hiring of a less experienced GM (Brisebois, Bergevin).

I'd be all for that. I want the Habs to do it right and become one of those teams that keep the same GM and/or coach for 10-15 years.

[ericdaoust]

I posted several "About last night" articles from hockeyinsideout.com throughout the season. They have completed an article titled "About this season" which is worth a read.

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/boone/about-this-season

[ericdaoust]

The lottery draft is over and the Habs are drafting #3 overall. The Oilers moved up to #1 which makes things very interesting because they have a half-dozen Yakupov clones already in their lineup. There may be some movement in the two picks above the Habs. At least they didn't drop to #4.

[STONE.]

I posted several "About last night" articles from hockeyinsideout.com throughout the season. They have completed an article titled "About this season" which is worth a read.

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/boone/about-this-season

The article has Gomez as "gone" -- do you think they bury him, or does his contract suddenly become movable since the cap hit is considerably higher than the actual dollars owed.

I suppose it'll depend on the CBA.

Thanks for the read though!

[robmyatt]

The article has Gomez as "gone" -- do you think they bury him, or does his contract suddenly become movable since the cap hit is considerably higher than the actual dollars owed.

I suppose it'll depend on the CBA.

Thanks for the read though!

Yeah, we'll have to wait for the new CBA details but regardless he's gone. Preferably via trade so it doesn't have any cap penalty. He has cap hit of 7.35 mil and a salary of 5.5 mil.

5.5 is still a hefty salary so hopefully there is an amnesty buyout option.

[habs83]

The article has Gomez as "gone" -- do you think they bury him, or does his contract suddenly become movable since the cap hit is considerably higher than the actual dollars owed.

I suppose it'll depend on the CBA.

Thanks for the read though!

If the Habs want to be competitve next season, they need to get rid of Gomez's contract. If the new CBA allows a buyout period without penalty, it would be incredible. Otherwise, they need to bury his contract in the minors. Molson already opened the door for that in his press conference where he announced the firing of Gauthier. They need the money to give a raise to Price and Subban, and to get one or two more pieces (a top 6 forward and a top 4 D).

[robmyatt]

If the Habs want to be competitve next season, they need to get rid of Gomez's contract. If the new CBA allows a buyout period without penalty, it would be incredible. Otherwise, they need to bury his contract in the minors. Molson already opened the door for that in his press conference where he announced the firing of Gauthier. They need the money to give a raise to Price and Subban, and to get one or two more pieces (a top 6 forward and a top 4 D).

Agreed,
However I don't think they need a top 4 D, if they're committed to rebuild then they should be happy with where their D is headed. Markov, Subban, Georges, Emelin are looking like a nice top 4. In 2-3 years Tinordi, Beaulieu, Ellis will be staples on the blue line.

Top 6 F? Well they should be landing one with that potential in the Draft (Galchenyuk hopefully).

I see a slight improvement in montreal next year (hopefully playoffs), but the team won't be a contender for 3-4 years and fans should be fine with that if they want something sustainable.

I digress.
Need to move bad contracts to keep the young studs.

[habs83]

Agreed,
However I don't think they need a top 4 D, if they're committed to rebuild then they should be happy with where their D is headed. Markov, Subban, Georges, Emelin are looking like a nice top 4. In 2-3 years Tinordi, Beaulieu, Ellis will be staples on the blue line.

Top 6 F? Well they should be landing one with that potential in the Draft (Galchenyuk hopefully).

I see a slight improvement in montreal next year (hopefully playoffs), but the team won't be a contender for 3-4 years and fans should be fine with that if they want something sustainable.

I digress.
Need to move bad contracts to keep the young studs.

I agree about the promising blue line. but if they want to take a step forward as soon as next season, they need an upgrade over Emelin in the top 4. In 2-3 seasons, Markov won't be there anymore, so he'll need to be replaced: the D in 3 seasons would look like

Subban-Gorges
Tinordi-Beaulieu
Emelin-x

With Ellis, Diaz, Pateryn, Bennett and future draft picks battling for a depth spots...that X would ideally be a stud (like Suter) but a guy like Matt Carle could give them more options.

I agree that drafting Galchenyuk would be awesome, but he probably won't have an impact next season in the top 6. They need a stop gap, even if it's for only one season, to give time to the youngsters (Gallagher, Kristo, Galvhenyuk) to gain some valuable experience in the AHL. Signing an aging veteran like Jagr or Doan would do it, otherwise top 6 forwards in the UFA market will be few and apart. That leaves the trade route, which implies that the Habs would need to give something in return, probably some of their few picks in the next couple of drafts.

Would you put the 1st round pick of 2013 in play if it could land a very solid forward or top 2 D? What could be the return for that first packaged with Plekanec (who I love and don't necessarily want to trade)?

[robmyatt]

I agree about the promising blue line. but if they want to take a step forward as soon as next season, they need an upgrade over Emelin in the top 4. In 2-3 seasons, Markov won't be there anymore, so he'll need to be replaced: the D in 3 seasons would look like

Subban-Gorges
Tinordi-Beaulieu
Emelin-x

With Ellis, Diaz, Pateryn, Bennett and future draft picks battling for a depth spots...that X would ideally be a stud (like Suter) but a guy like Matt Carle could give them more options.

I agree that drafting Galchenyuk would be awesome, but he probably won't have an impact next season in the top 6. They need a stop gap, even if it's for only one season, to give time to the youngsters (Gallagher, Kristo, Galvhenyuk) to gain some valuable experience in the AHL. Signing an aging veteran like Jagr or Doan would do it, otherwise top 6 forwards in the UFA market will be few and apart. That leaves the trade route, which implies that the Habs would need to give something in return, probably some of their few picks in the next couple of drafts.

Would you put the 1st round pick of 2013 in play if it could land a very solid forward or top 2 D? What could be the return for that first packaged with Plekanec (who I love and don't necessarily want to trade)?

I personally don't expect or even desire much of an improvement for next year. If the team had of been healthy this year and won half of the shootouts they lost they could have made the playoffs. The margin for error in the NHL is very small.

That said, finishing last in the east put them in an excellent position to aquire a top talent like Galchenyuk and if they draft him, I feel he should still spend at least another full year in Sarnia.

The D will be fine for the forseeable future. No point in paying for a guy like Suter who will cost an arm and a leg when the prospect cupboard is full and the current blue line is decent.

Cole will need to be replaced in 2-3 years. Kristo/Gallagher might not be top 6 players.

I'm fine if they finish near the bottom again next year. It's the right move for the organization even if they get booood all year long.

MacKinnon = Star.

This team is where it is because for years they traded 2nd round picks for guys like Lang, Tanguay, etc. The cupboards are bare and they now have a chance to restock them.

I'm ranting now.

[habs83]

I personally don't expect or even desire much of an improvement for next year. If the team had of been healthy this year and won half of the shootouts they lost they could have made the playoffs. The margin for error in the NHL is very small.

That said, finishing last in the east put them in an excellent position to aquire a top talent like Galchenyuk and if they draft him, I feel he should still spend at least another full year in Sarnia.

The D will be fine for the forseeable future. No point in paying for a guy like Suter who will cost an arm and a leg when the prospect cupboard is full and the current blue line is decent.

Cole will need to be replaced in 2-3 years. Kristo/Gallagher might not be top 6 players.

I'm fine if they finish near the bottom again next year. It's the right move for the organization even if they get booood all year long.

MacKinnon = Star.

This team is where it is because for years they traded 2nd round picks for guys like Lang, Tanguay, etc. The cupboards are bare and they now have a chance to restock them.

I'm ranting now.

I'm not begging for a quick patching job, far from it. I also think that there is nothing wrong with another lottery pick next season. I only think that the new management will be looking for an improvement sooner rather than later.

I already stated in this thread that I love what the pipeline has to offer on th edefensive side. Nevertheless, they will have to replace Markov soon, and we saw what happened this season when they don't have a true #1 D on the team to play tough minutes, QB the PP and helping the coach manage the ice time of the bottom pairing. That's why I would listen carefully if a true #1 D becomes available as a UFA or via trade. They are so tough to acquire... Guys like Suter and Schultz this summer and Weber and Edler the year after that would be on the top of my list. I know, they'll be on the top of every team list, but I mean by that that I would be open to the idea to overpay a little to get them.

[ericdaoust]

I didn't have time to read everything, but I will say that Gomez's contract will not be traded. The Panthers showed that it's a far better alternative to just spend the money intelligently rather than trying to cut corners to get to the cap floor. A better team sells more tickets which will compensate for whatever extra actual dollars are spent to bring in competitive players.

I'm not sure about a NMC in Gomez's contract, but I don't know if the Molsons are that excited about spending 10 million over 2 years to bury a guy in the minors. My guess is he will be bought out because I'm almost certain there will be a free buyout period after the new CBA is signed as there will no doubt be some hefty rule changes to allow the two sides to agree.

[habs83]

I didn't have time to read everything, but I will say that Gomez's contract will not be traded. The Panthers showed that it's a far better alternative to just spend the money intelligently rather than trying to cut corners to get to the cap floor. A better team sells more tickets which will compensate for whatever extra actual dollars are spent to bring in competitive players.

I'm not sure about a NMC in Gomez's contract, but I don't know if the Molsons are that excited about spending 10 million over 2 years to bury a guy in the minors. My guess is he will be bought out because I'm almost certain there will be a free buyout period after the new CBA is signed as there will no doubt be some hefty rule changes to allow the two sides to agree.

Gomez has a NTC, not a NMC. I'm not cetain that the new CBA will allow the free buyout period, even if I hope it will. The players lost so much in the last CBA, and they know that their share of the total revenues will be lower again, they'll hang to everything else (buyouts, schedule, free agency age, etc.). If there is no free buyout period, I absolutely do not want the team to buy out Gomez under the actual rules. The cap will likely go down a little bit, so every million saved is extremely valuable. Molson can afford to pay Gomer to play in the AHL, and he admitted that he was ready to explore every option to give chance to the new GM concerning cap management.

[ericdaoust]

Molson can afford to pay Gomer to play in the AHL, and he admitted that he was ready to explore every option to give chance to the new GM concerning cap management.

I see what you mean, and I hope he does whatever it takes to help the salary cap situation. I just don't know if many owners are actually willing to spend that much hard cash on players that are not at the highest level. Rich or not, 10 million over 2 years is still a lot of money. I really hope you are right, but from my eyes seeing is believing. I just want Gomez out of town.

[Akkei]

Re Gomez: the problem I can see however is that (if I am not mistaken) the buyout window under the current CBA opens after the Stanley Cup finals are over and closes on June 30th. The Habs will therefore have to decide what they want to do with Gomez before there is an agreement on the new CBA. They may take their chances that the new CBA will have a free buyout period and bury Gomez in Hamilton if it does not happen.