Yannick Weber
 

I think its fair at this point to say Weber will play somewhere when the NHL resumes unless he has a monster camp and shows a drastic progression in his game, what is very unprobable IMO.. Weber is in direct competition with Diaz (who just signed a 2 years deal) and St-Denis for the 7th defenseman spot.. Diaz showed a real progression last year, some real puckmoving skills, a quick release, an ability to hit the net with regularity with his shot and looked way more overall consistent defensively than Weber.. I also liked Diaz's phisicality for his size, its never gonna be one of his strenghts cause he remains undersized for a defenseman but thats at least way more convincing than anything Weber ever showed.. I think Weber isnt a good puckmover enough to crack this D squad and certainly not good enough defensively to be a guy we can rely on.. With Subban Markov Kaberle Diaz and even Emelin (who still has alot of potential to develop his puckmoving abilities), we wont lack puckmovers at the blueline, I would rather have a more steady and realible defensive defenseman such as St-Denis as callup in case of injuries, the guy was surprisingly effective when called up last year, he is a Quebecer playing with alot of heart and poise (kind of reminds me Gorges), and I just dont see where a guy like Weber fits in the picture anymore, especially when you take in consideration the quality of our future in Hamilton at this position.. I expect Bergevin to move him quick enough for a late draft pick or future consideration..

I still think Weber will be a solid defenseman in this league, he's shown at times he can look like a top 4 defenseman then other games he looks like an AHLer.. once he gains some confidence I think he can be a solid #5 defenseman who is above average on the PP. I don't like giving up on guys at their lowest value but there isn't really anywhere for him to play on this team and I like Diaz more than him.

Weber is a guy that will benefit from the lockout. He has the opportunity to play a key role in Europe instead of being a depth player with us so he'll be able to show what he can do. Its good for the Habs as well, wether we keep him (if he's good enough that we clear a spot for him), trade him (if he's good enough to return value) and if he fails well we know we won't lose much by waiving him.

My bet (if Markov is healthy) is that Kaberle is moved, and Weber and St Denis will be the 7th and 8th D.

Kaberle isn't going anywhere unless he starts being good again.

He's still better than Foster, Barker and Campoli, the remaining UFA options who played on the PP last season. There aren't too many teams with a surplus of experienced offensive dmen to trade. I think there will be someone willing to take on Kaberle's salary.

I don't thinl "solid" and "Weber" belong in thse same sentence. He scares me when he's manning the point on the PP and the puck isn't on a Hab stick.

I think Weber should get cut if he's outplayed by Diaz and St-Denis. Might have potential, but there's like 6 guys with more potential than him in the AHL.

Weber is basically a one trick pony. He has a big shot. If he was big and tough, or if he could skate real well, or if he was an amazing passer I'd like his chances a whole lot better.

I have mixed feelings with Weber. He had some very good games, he has talent and he has determination, but last year he was absolutely terrible. The one thing he did show however, is a willingness to do what it takes - he definitely strengthened up and has tried to play physical. He will never be good at that part of the game, but the willingness is there.

The biggest problem is his decision making. Part of that can be excused with how irregular his usage has been, moved around from the defense and forward line. The offensive potential is there - he was able to get off plenty of shots last year, and at the AHL level he showed how potent his shot can be.

The biggest problem is with so many other defenders in the pipeline - including a similar prospect in Nygren who might have taken steps forward this year to be more than a shot, I'm not sure if the Habs can afford to be patient with him. Diaz is significantly better than him right now - he's also two years older, and two years ago Diaz wasn't even considered an NHL worthy prospect, but Weber himself isn't high end enough a talent to go out of the way to accommodate. I think he has a future in the NHL, I'm not sure he has a future in Montreal. A change of scenery might be the best bet for everyone.

You guy's all forget his 10-11 Playoffs. He was great.

I really want to see him get one last shot before we throw the towel. I want to see him with Markov on the Powerplay. He has a good shot and Markov would set him up perfectly. Defensivly he can be really good, but as soon as he loses confidence, he's horrible so we have to give him a steady role on the team and not play him as a forward for 1/4 of the season

he showed so much progression, you think he's competing for the 7th spo -> at 26 years old... :nod:

Can he find a spot in Europe to play realistically?

Well he's playing in Swiss now.

Lockout is good for him, he gets to play his natural position for a change. Not only does he season his skills vs weaker competition, he gets to actually play! Hopefully it helps him.

Well, take a look at the guys under contract.. Markov Gorges Kaberle Bouillon Subban Emelin.. You have there established 4 vets and 2 highly touted kids that can both bring alot to the table.. So unless Kaberle sucks as much as last season, Diaz will probably see a couple of games from the pressbox, especially early in the season.. And there is nothing wrong to have quality depth, when you have a guy like Diaz starting as 7th defenseman, thats a good sign..

doesnt say much, 7th D means you dont play a lot of game and/or minutes... and by the time there's an opening on the top 4, IF he improves enough that is, he'll be what, 30?... meh might as well give the opportunity to a younger D...

It was his first season in the league and he was on the worst team in the East with a dysfunctional powerplay. Diaz was fine, it was Kaberle and Weber who underperformed.

edit: And Campoli. Christ he was brutal.

That was a while ago and it might just have been a lucky streak. He shot a couple times and it actually went in. He could have hit the post or missed just one more time and you wouldn't be here making that comment.

I'll grant that he looked poised that one time but otherwise he's failed to established himself on the team even if he had opportunities. With a depleted defense like we had last season he should have been able to show us he belonged.

Of our entire defense only Gorges and Subban were really untouchable. Gill, great as he was on the PK, was dangerously over the hill and got traded halfway trough. Spacek&Kaberle couldn't be seriously relied upon. Markov was at the hospital. Campoli was so bad it was embarassing. Then you had a pair of rookies (Diaz&Emelin) who had to adjust to north american hockey.

Weber should have been able to prove the org that Campoli wasn't necessary. That one of Diaz or Emelin could have started the year in Hamilton. He should have earned more PP time instead of wasting it (sure he scored a few goal but there was no chemistry within the unit).

Sometimes the coaches are wrong in not having more confidence in young players and end up giving them less ice time than they deserved but Weber never proved that this was the case with him. He had a great opportunity and blew it. It doesn't mean his career is over of course, its just not looking that great atm.

Amazing comments !!

I love when one speaks about established players ... and like saying that all posts are filled up by the exact elements that are needed .... and the team having this perfect elements finished last of the conference.

... change nothing ... sure ... !!

Adding Markov and 1 year of experience to Gorges, Subban and Emelin is going to make a big difference. If everyone is healthy (which won't happen often) then Diaz and especially Weber are going to be benched once in a while. I suspect they'll rotate with Bouillon.

Diaz will compete for the 7th D spot but he was fine...

pretty much every D who played in the league last season gained a year of experience... you know.

To be fair Emelin and Diaz were pretty much rookies and weber isn't established. A year of experience for them is more useful than it is for say Willie Mitchell. Same with subban adding another year. While every dman gets a year of experience many have plateaued.

Not this again. Have we learned nothing about sacking our defensive depth?

First off, St-Denis belongs in Hamilton. If we need to call him up, fine, but don't pencil him in as a # 7 or even a # 8. If he plays significant games in Montreal again this year, the team is in massive amounts of trouble.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having 8 defensemen on the roster. Nothing at all. Room for everyone. It means two guys have to get scratched each night on the rare occasion that everyone is healthy. Big deal. Weber, Diaz and Bouillon can take turns in the pressbox, and I wouldn't be shocked if Emelin earns a few nights off with sophomore mistakes.

Diaz and Weber are the same size and weight and had nearly identical stats last year. Diaz is 26, Weber is 24. Why everyone is willing to just write off the 24 year old and trade him for scraps is mind boggling to me. No one knows who will end up better or have the better career. Keep them both.

And Weber brings something that Diaz doesn't have (yet). A shot. Only 15 defensemen in the entire league scored more PP goals than Weber last year. That means 20 teams in the league who didn't have anyone on their roster who could score more from the blueline than Weber.

You don't give up on that. Keep him. Why is it such a strange concept to think that a 24 year old with only 109 games of NHL experience might actually get better?