hey there fellow hab fans...
i'm fairly new to the board and am just bored so i'm gonna post some random thoughts floating thru my mind......with all the possible retiries and let goes (perrault, juneau, dackell,quintal) thats four spots to fill hopefully with a buyout of audette or sundstrum(maybe) that makes 6......who will fill all those holes......and i don't expect all those to be filled with rookies ......do you think it would be a good idea to maybe trade or sign a quality vet to help show them the ropes and a good work ethic? to me a guy like ethan moreau is a good fit, he's 28 a young vet with a good ethic who would look good on a 3rd line with a young centre like plekenc or a higgins to ease and the transition to the nhl....i don't pretend to know how to aquire such players but would rather hear your opinions on what kind of vets or young vets to help surround of youngers players for the future.....thanks for the read if u took the time to
hey there fellow hab fans...
i'm fairly new to the board and am just bored so i'm gonna post some random thoughts floating thru my mind......with all the possible retiries and let goes (perrault, juneau, dackell,quintal) thats four spots to fill hopefully with a buyout of audette or sundstrum(maybe) that makes 6......who will fill all those holes......and i don't expect all those to be filled with rookies ......do you think it would be a good idea to maybe trade or sign a quality vet to help show them the ropes and a good work ethic? to me a guy like ethan moreau is a good fit, he's 28 a young vet with a good ethic who would look good on a 3rd line with a young centre like plekenc or a higgins to ease and the transition to the nhl....i don't pretend to know how to aquire such players but would rather hear your opinions on what kind of vets or young vets to help surround of youngers players for the future.....thanks for the read if u took the time to
It all depends what happens with the lock-out. Can't really say before it happens. After maybe we`ll be able to afford a great player for not that much money.. so you never know.
It all depends what happens with the lock-out. Can't really say before it happens. After maybe we`ll be able to afford a great player for not that much money.. so you never know.
first off thanks for a constructive reply but lets assume a lockout is not on the way....so based on players from this season is there any that would interest the habs that are actually attainable
first off thanks for a constructive reply but lets assume a lockout is not on the way....so based on players from this season is there any that would interest the habs that are actually attainable
The majority of those spots will be taken by rookies like Hainsey, Komo, Hossa, Balej, Higgins, Perezhogin, Dagenais, etc. probably. And Begin will probably have his spot for good on the 3rd line
I don't think Bob will try to sign some FA but we never know. It's a youth mouvement so we must not stop what we are starting to do.
The majority of those spots will be taken by rookies like Hainsey, Komo, Hossa, Balej, Higgins, Perezhogin, Dagenais, etc. probably. And Begin will probably have his spot for good on the 3rd line
I don't think Bob will try to sign some FA but we never know. It's a youth mouvement so we must not stop what we are starting to do.
I think you're right. I don't see Bob sign any free agent but I think he will resign Sundstrom. Don't blast me with this one because he's a good player! And for the others available spot, I see Hossa, Plekanec, Higgins and maybe Perezhogin/Kastsistyn takin it.
I think you're right. I don't see Bob sign any free agent but I think he will resign Sundstrom. Don't blast me with this one because he's a good player! And for the others available spot, I see Hossa, Plekanec, Higgins and maybe Perezhogin/Kastsistyn takin it.
Yeah I kinda agree with Sunny. When playing with Dackell and Begin, he's doing a pretty good job so I don't mind if Bob resigns him! And I won't "blast" you for this hehe! We are in a free country where everyone has his own opinions and that's fine with me
There's no doubt in my mind BG is gonna be looking for another top 6 forward this summer(or maybe even this season). We have the goaltending, our defence is improving and our biggest problem is scoring goals. It's what is preventing us from being a solid playoff team. There is so much talent available on the UFA market this summer, Habs with all kinds of cash available from the end of the bad contracts(Perreault, Juneau, Dackell, Quintal, Traverse, Blouin, the end of the Chow and McKay payments,etc) should be able to snatch a quality top 6 forward.
I could see the habs adding a vet for a 3rd/4th line role.
Maybe a hard working type. Ian Laperriere makes sense.
You can bet all your money that Laperrière will be a Habs next year. It's "written in the sky". He wants to come here and we want him too. He's a bigger Steve Bégin!
You cant bet all your money that Laperrière will be a Habs next year. It's "written in the sky". He wants to come here and we want him too. He's a bigger Steve Bégin!
Ya I'd love to see him and Begin on a line together!!!
The lock-out will probably see very big changes in the NHL. My guess is that the talent might be more evenly spread out after the lock-out, which means that Montreal would be going after bigger fish.
Laperriere sounds like a nice addition, but I haven't heard about his willingness to play for Montreal. Moreau also sounds nice. We'll just have to wait and see, and hope that the situation is resolved quickly.
You can't just integrate several rookies into the line-up. It is hockey suicide. Not only do you probably not make the playoffs, but you may shatter the confidence of those young players and hurt their future
You need to slowly integrate rookies into the line-up. Everyone thought that Hossa, Ryder, Hainsey, Komisarek would all be in the line-up this year but basically, it is only Ryder. These things take time.
I can almost guarantee that Gainey will trade some young players before next season (just my hunch)...not to get 35 year olds on the way outers but to get some veteran players to be on the team to integrate in the young players that Gainey wants to keep.
When I look at the team today, I see the following forwards being a lock for next year:
Koivu
Zednik
Bulis
Ryder
Sundstrom
That is just 5 forwards, meaning I see many openings on this team.
Who knows?
Begin - I think he gets kept as he makes a good #4 centre
Kilger - I think the Habs should keep him as well as a #4 LW
Dagenais - Jury is still out
Ward - Jury is still out
Ribiero - All world talent, but still small and slow, which concerns BG and myself. I think he is the forward most likely traded away
So..now I see 5 open spots at forward, 4 if you consider the player received for Ribs is a forward
I see 4-5 spots open at forward, and I would be shocked if we saw a line-up that fills these spots only with players like Ward, Hossa, Higgins, Perezhogin, Plekanec, Balej. I see only 1-2 of these players being on the team next year. In fact, while I like Plekanec and Balej (esp. Plekanec), it would not surprise me to see both of them involved in a trade
As for the blueline, same sorta thing:
I see Souray, Brisebois, Markov and Rivet as around next year. My guess is that either Komisarek or Hainsey will get a chance with the other traded. Will Quintal be around? Who knows. Bouillion probably sticks as a #7.
I think that the trading deadline and off-season will be an interesting time for us Habs fans...after assessing the talent level at the NHL, AHL and junior level, I think we will see BG jump into action.
No more McKay pleeeesseeee . Ward , Begin , Gratton , Higgins , Sundstrom , Langdon , Kilger , Bulis are all player that could play on our 3rd or 4th lines next year .
No more McKay pleeeesseeee . Ward , Begin , Gratton , Higgins , Sundstrom , Langdon , Kilger , Bulis are all player that could play on our 3rd or 4th lines next year .
There's no doubt in my mind BG is gonna be looking for another top 6 forward this summer(or maybe even this season). We have the goaltending, our defence is improving and our biggest problem is scoring goals. It's what is preventing us from being a solid playoff team. There is so much talent available on the UFA market this summer, Habs with all kinds of cash available from the end of the bad contracts(Perreault, Juneau, Dackell, Quintal, Traverse, Blouin, the end of the Chow and McKay payments,etc) should be able to snatch a quality top 6 forward.
Agreed.
There's going to be plenty of high-end talent available and I think BG will be shopping. We're going to shed a ton salary so we'll easily be able to afford a big ticket player. Gilette has been willing to spend the money as we’ve seen over the past couple of years. He signed Theo and has gone after the likes of Hull, Yashin, Selanne, etc.
This team is in desperate need of quality first line forwards, not more 3rd or 4th liners. IMO the rookies can fill the 3rd and 4th line spots and hopefully BG can land a big fish or two for the top 6.
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Of the Group IIIs that were on that list (Laperriere is Group II RFA) the two that stood out to me were Mike Rathje of the Sharks and Dallas Drake of the Blues.
Neither would be obscenely expensive I don't think, Rathje is everything that the defense needs, stability and smart, low-risk plays with the puck, plus some size and the smarts to handle himself in front of the net. Drake is a guy who can provide grit and chip in some scoring too. He is a better forechecker and hitter than Kilger and can take care of his man. Plus he will fight too.
Other names that jump out that would help and yet wouldn't be ridiculously expensive are guys like Brian Rolston, Steve Konowalchuk (if he didn't already sign an extension with the Avs), Scott Mellanby and Scott Thornton. Hell even Chris Simon.
Offensively the Habs have young guys who can score, but as rookies they don't know how to create open ice for themselves and big guys who crash the net like Mellanby, Drake and Thornton create open ice by taking d-men with them.
Defensively, the boys are an easy team to play right now, they're pretty soft; any of those guys can make life difficult for opposing teams and until the kids come of age and learn to play NHL defense best give them the support of linemates who know what they are doing.
No more McKay pleeeesseeee . Ward , Begin , Gratton , Higgins , Sundstrom , Langdon , Kilger , Bulis are all player that could play on our 3rd or 4th lines next year .
Dwyer seems to fallen off everyone's radar, but I wouldn't mind seeing him on the 4th line while Begin's out. He could even play some shifts on the 3rd line against a big team like the Broons to move people out of the crease.
He's high energy and gritty, though not much of a goon. Would complement Langdon...we could use him to run the other side's goalie if they run Jose...
This is something I hear from a friend who heard it from a friend, but Laperriere has stated a willingness to play in Montreal.
*shrugs*
That said...
Mike8 wrote up a wonderful piece on how to build a good team from the ground up. I don't have the link here, but if someone could find it, that would be great. It nothing innovative or amazingly different, but common sense that I think the better GM's around the league already understand. In fact, I'm sure there are many hockey-knowledgeable people out there who've also thought of it, but Mike put the whole thing into words very elegantly, and with little left to the imagination.
To paraphrase as I recall what he wrote:
The examply given was Ryder and that he was put on a line with Koivu and (then) Zednik. The argument made was that it was the perfect environment for a rookie to learn the game. You put him next to a leader or two and a couple of vets who will teach him where to go, what to do, and will hold him accountable for his game.
To answer the original question simply, there will be no filling the roster with rookies, that would be foolhardy. What needs to happen, and with Gainey what will probably happen, is that he'll get at least one, if not two solid vets (one a character player) for each line, and on each of those he'll give a rookie an opportunity to succeed. Many of the best teams have three or four rookies in their lineups each year, and there's a reason for that, and a reason those rookies grow up to be very good players.
Laperriere is a player I've personally coveted for a long time. Put he and Begin on a line with a Higgins or more likely, a Plekanec, and you have surrounded a very solid prospect with two work-a-holics who will teach him how to expand and improve his game. Ryder would remain with Koivu and would either have Bulis or Zed on the other side, or (depending on how Ryder's game came along) perhaps another rookie.
The fourth line is less problematic, though dumping scoring players there for long periods of time is counter-productive in my mind.
Our major problem is the second line, because one will have to probably be built from scratch if Zed or Bulis stays up on the first line. Leaving out Laperriere for now, you could have Bulis as the 'man' on the third with Begin, add in Pleks and I think you have a start. The first is as I mentioned. The second is Zed and....? Will Ribs be here? If he is, is he the kind of player you want a rookie learning from? At this point, my answer is a definitive no.
Defensively, I think we're already moving in the right direction. Komi is being worked in, and I have a feeling that before the year ends, Hainsey will get another shot, and the two are going to be solid on the back line next year.
Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how it all washes out. At least Gainey knows what he's doing and has vision, though.
but lets assume a lockout is not on the way....so based on players from this season is there any that would interest the habs that are actually attainable
