It took about half a season, but finally the coaching staff put a #1 line together. Our best center with our 2 best wingers on the same line. Yes, the other lines look a little unbalanced, but this whole "role 4 lines" system we were using was really not working.
Lines at practice yesterday were (according to HIO):
Send Blunden down to the fourth line, keep Leblanc with Eller and Kostitsyn and have Moen add some size and grit with DD and Cammalleri. With Moen, battles in corners will be won more often and he'll create some more room and space for those two.
Also, I heard Gionta was practicing with a contact jersey on. Expect him back in the line-up soon then.
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"CS is one of my favorite people on this entire site." - ColePens
And I don't know why Blunden is on the third and Leblanc on the fourth....
Those are better, but still terrible.
Cammy starts producing.. why take him AWAY from Desharnais?! Sersiously?!
I still have no idea why Leblanc got scratched last game either. And good message to keep sending Weber. He gets points and he gets scratched the next game anyway. He's got 4 points in 7 games as a forward - what more do you want from him?
Seriously, I'm starting to think that ErikaKostitsyn or whatever her name was could coach the team better than than our last FOUR coaches. That's how bad it's been.
As a person who people know always believes in this team and in making the post-season, this is the worst I've felt this year. Management says they are going to try to save the season.. by what? Playing so poorly that the team will get moved to Texas?
also noteworthy is Gill and Kaberle paired together.. Gill only played 4 min at even strength last game, looks like he'll be using them mostly for special teams
also noteworthy is Gill and Kaberle paired together.. Gill only played 4 min at even strength last game, looks like he'll be using them mostly for special teams
And I don't know why Blunden is on the third and Leblanc on the fourth....
Wow!!!
I don't get it. Did the lines last night not perform in RC's dreams or something? Why the hell do you think this team is lost. His line combos from yesterdays practice stayed together as long as my ass and my underwear did
Leblanc has 2 points in 2 games with Cammy/DD? **** it, let's put Bluden there.
Weber plays with DD and gets an assist. **** it, put Bluden there.
I'm so stick of ****ing retarded coaches. Can we not keep the same lines for 4 periods in a row? Is it too much to ****ing ask?
Those are better, but still terrible.
Cammy starts producing.. why take him AWAY from Desharnais?! Sersiously?!
I still have no idea why Leblanc got scratched last game either. And good message to keep sending Weber. He gets points and he gets scratched the next game anyway. He's got 4 points in 7 games as a forward - what more do you want from him?
Seriously, I'm starting to think that ErikaKostitsyn or whatever her name was could coach the team better than than our last FOUR coaches. That's how bad it's been.
As a person who people know always believes in this team and in making the post-season, this is the worst I've felt this year. Management says they are going to try to save the season.. by what? Playing so poorly that the team will get moved to Texas?
Leblanc has 2 points in 2 games with Cammy/DD? **** it, let's put Bluden there.
Weber plays with DD and gets an assist. **** it, put Bluden there.
I'm so stick of ****ing retarded coaches. Can we not keep the same lines for 4 periods in a row? Is it too much to ****ing ask?
Those are better, but still terrible.
Cammy starts producing.. why take him AWAY from Desharnais?! Sersiously?!
I still have no idea why Leblanc got scratched last game either. And good message to keep sending Weber. He gets points and he gets scratched the next game anyway. He's got 4 points in 7 games as a forward - what more do you want from him?
Seriously, I'm starting to think that ErikaKostitsyn or whatever her name was could coach the team better than than our last FOUR coaches. That's how bad it's been.
As a person who people know always believes in this team and in making the post-season, this is the worst I've felt this year. Management says they are going to try to save the season.. by what? Playing so poorly that the team will get moved to Texas?
Natey, I don't agree with you often but to you. Agreed with everything you said there!
Wow!!!
I don't get it. Did the lines last night not perform in RC's dreams or something? Why the hell do you think this team is lost. His line combos from yesterdays practice stayed together as long as my ass and my underwear did
Exactly. And our 4th line of Darche-Noke-Blunden is actually pretty good.
If you want to shake the lines up a bit, make them make sense at least. And if you want to split Patches and Cole (Patches has been cold lately), try something else.
Is it me or Cunneyworth seems to like Blunden a lot.
I love Blunden. So much so that I'd keep him over Darche. And so much so that one of my favourite prospects back in the day (White) would have to seriously outplay him for his spot.
But he's a 4th liner. He's not a 2nd or 3rd liner. It's Mike ****ing Blunden.
We think Darche has no hands, Blunden makes Darche look like a Sidney Crosby / Alexander Ovechkin hybrid.
Exactly. And our 4th line of Darche-Noke-Blunden is actually pretty good.
If you want to shake the lines up a bit, make them make sense at least. And if you want to split Patches and Cole (Patches has been cold lately), try something else.
I love Blunden. So much so that I'd keep him over Darche. And so much so that one of my favourite prospects back in the day (White) would have to seriously outplay him for his spot.
But he's a 4th liner. He's not a 2nd or 3rd liner. It's Mike ****ing Blunden.
We think Darche has no hands, Blunden makes Darche look like a Sidney Crosby / Alexander Ovechkin hybrid.
Wtf is with Montreal coaches and putting the few gritty players we have in offensive roles all the time? Blunden is not a scoring threat, Lebalnc is a 1st round offensive forward, seems logical we're they should play, no? Stop trying to recreate the ******* game! The trend works.
All 8 teams in the Eastern conference have a real 4th line that brings energy with real 4th line players. I don't see Thornton, Barch or Thorbun playing on the top 6...
I remember when Martin was still coach he had Blunden or Weber playing with Eller at practice and everyone was flipping out that he wasn't with LL or AK (I forgot the exact players but the situation was similar to this).
Well, once the game started Eller played 1 shift with Blunden and than played the rest of the game with LL.
This is just practice. Clearly RC has a hard on for Blunden but I would not be surprised if LL found his way back onto the Cammy line. I agree with everyone here that is where he should be playing. He should have never been benched in the first place.
And cmon Natey, we know you love your "underdogs" but Ryan White hits harder, fights and can even kill penalties. I don't think Blunden is on the same level as White.
Yeah, I'm serious. Blunden hits more than any player on the team and it's an aspect that is nice to have on the 4th line. He gives some energy to the other lines by laying hits and forechecking hard. I like Darche, but he's redundant on this team. White would have to outplay him too, obviously, to get his spot but I'd love to have a fourth line that hits everything that moves.
If we could pick up a guy like Derek MacKenzie or Paul Gaustad to center Ryan White and Michael Blunden, teams would hate playing against them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by holyhabs87
And cmon Natey, we know you love your "underdogs" but Ryan White hits harder, fights and can even kill penalties. I don't think Blunden is on the same level as White.
Who said Blunden was better than White? No one knows how White will play this season when he comes back. He might not be himself until next year, who knows. He's missed a lot of time.
White is one of my favourite players. Dig back through the threads. I was one of the only ones pimping Ryan White because everyone else was too busy making love to Ben Maxwell (who I never really cared for).
to you. Agreed with everything you said there!
