I think we won't make the playoffs so I would try to get the best deals possible for Gill, Campoli, Gomez & Kaberle. Starting today until the trade deadline, I would put them in situations that make them look good. And just placing them on waivers is still an option (I'm looking at you Gomer).
Also, a decision would have to be made with Pleks, DD & Gionta. Throw into the mix that Gionta is out for the rest of the year and that Montreal's major need right now is a big, powerful 1st line centerman and you end up with a headache.
If we go with a big #1 center man that means we get rid of DD or Pleks. Personally I would also trade Gionta. So we would have to decide who do we keep between DD & Pleks.
Look for upgrades on Blunden, Nokie & Darche.
I would take back Moen & Andrei.
And I fear we may have to decide between Diaz & Weber. Keep one and trade the other. But this decision could wait until next Christmas. So my line up would look like this:
Patches **** Cole
Bourque Pleks/DD *****
Moen Eller Kostitsyn
****** White *****
Simple really..employ modern realistic Machiavellian/Sun Tzuian management tactics.
Trades? Would be mostly centered on win now approach, as a realist, only the present is of concern. A good strategy is to go for players who GMs dislike and are willing to part for at a loss, I am a bargain hunter both in trades and salary cap management.
Maximise the performance of the current roster by enforcing strict employment of tactical system that is adaptable, versatile, the key weakness I see in this roster is too many turnovers caused by hastily made passes and physical weakness/meekness this weakness would be turned now into one of our strengths.
At this point I would call up Gallagher, play Emelin much more to inspire his confidence, I would work hard to inspired confidence and morale in the entire roster. Cammy's comments was downplayed but it was the greatest sin, your job is **** and let your level of performance do the talking.
In sum, remove all weakness and flaws and focus on expanding and enforcing our strengths
your the GM what would you do? who would you trade? who would you sign?
I know everyone wants Pierre gone; who would you pick to take his job? who should be Montreal coach next year?
Boy the armchair GM's on here are gonna love this thread, this will be one of those threads that never ends......
I think no matter what happens, Habs fans have to take the emotion out of what is transpiring, and be level headed about it.
Trades, take 2 GM's not one, and PG or who ever can try and upgrade by trades left and right, but if there isn't a dance partner, then there is no deal to be had.
We need size, everyone knows it, but size isn't everything...we need some luck on the injury front ( look at the B's, almost no key guys hurt ) we need to draft players who are mentally strong, because the media and fans in Mopntreal eat their young....the list goes on and on....
For some strange reason, I think Molson will keep PG on for next year, and let him pick a new coach for next season, with our injuries and bad luck these days, I just don't see Cunnyworth making enough of a difference this year to be the guy....
If PG gets fired, I would love to see the Habs get Nill out of Detroit, working under Holland surely has made this guy a strong candidate for a GM job, and I think he can take the Detroit blueprint and bring it with him to his own team...
I would trade DD, too small and his value may never be any higher.
The way things are going we should finish in bottom five - draft Grigorenko
Get the rights to Radulov.
Patches Grigorenko Cole
Bourque Pleks Radulov
Kostitsyn Eller Gionta
Blunden White Moen
I would trade for a foward we can build on for the next 5-10 years.
It would cost a lot, but it is the right way to build a team IMO.
I agree, but then look at Anaheim, with Getzlaf,Perry and Ryan, Columbus with Nash and Carter, the Isles with Taveres, etc so there needs to a real blend of youth and vets and a bunch of players that play with sandpaper to their game, and of course ya need the luck of the Bruins on the injury front....
Simple really..employ modern realistic Machiavellian/Sun Tzuian management tactics.
Trades? Would be mostly centered on win now approach, as a realist, only the present is of concern. A good strategy is to go for players who GMs dislike and are willing to part for at a loss, I am a bargain hunter both in trades and salary cap management.
Maximise the performance of the current roster by enforcing strict employment of tactical system that is adaptable, versatile, the key weakness I see in this roster is too many turnovers caused by hastily made passes and physical weakness/meekness this weakness would be turned now into one of our strengths.
At this point I would call up Gallagher, play Emelin much more to inspire his confidence, I would work hard to inspired confidence and morale in the entire roster. Cammy's comments was downplayed but it was the greatest sin, your job is **** and let your level of performance do the talking.
In sum, remove all weakness and flaws and focus on expanding and enforcing our strengths
You can't "call up" Gallagher, he is playing in Junior. The only way he can be called up is on emergency basis for X days if you have x forwards out. I'm not sure on the specific rules but it's not a long term thing.
If Montrea wants to go back to their days of yore than it must start with Molson deciding he wants to build a winning franchise over appeasing the Francophone fans. Quite simply, he can't have it both ways. The team on the ice is a direct reflection of its ownership and this is true in Montreal. If Molson is serious about building a perennial championship he can not be side tracked by the linguistics of its staff. It's hard enough building a winner as it is, to add handcuffs makes it an impossible task.
The fact of the matter is that all the best teams in the NHL are and have been built by anglophone GMs. This is where a team is built and the identity is formed. Barring a miracle or successive 1st overall picks, the GM is the man in any organization. For an organization such as the Habs, an original 6 team with the winningest history in the NHL the tradition was built on winning, not being French. In a time when teams had the rights to players who were born within 100 klm of the city it was much easier to build a team of French players. Imagine the same rules today. The Habs would have have Giroux, Briere, Stastney, st. Louis, etc. without having to break a sweat. Today's game and rules don't allow this kind of distribution of wealth any more and the days of getting our pick of the litter of Quebec born players.
What we need at GM is a person who knows the game, knows the players and. Ost importantly, has experience building a winner. Yes these people are few a far apart and harder yet to convince to come to your team. But someone of this yolk is imparitive to the building of a new franchise and new image. When Bob took the team over there was a collective sigh of relief in the city. Finally, we had an experienced and respected hockey person to come here and bring us back to glory. After tweaking and retooling for a couple of years and seeing the team needed to be blown up and start again, he did just that. Building a team that fit the mold of a "New NHL" he went about his business and build a small, skilled fast team that was to be the model of the new look league. Several years later and the league reverting back to its clutch and grab ways and the Canadiens are completely unable to compete against larger, more physical competition. Alas, they are in need of another rebuild. For this new edition of the Habs the experience is needed to build a winner because we've been flopping around like fish out of water for decades and the time has come to right the ship. Handing an inexperienced GM the reins is not an option as it was when Rejean Houle was handed to keys to the Kingdom. Geoff Molson needs to make a clear and decisive Deion as to who will build the future of the franchise and language can't be a determinant for a GM.
The next step in what the Habs need to do to become relevant again is a new coach. Same as the prerequisite as the GM but this time, the French can come into the picture. There are many very capable French speaking coaches out there. Much more the coach is a motivator and can win if they have the right pieces eveif they're not the best coach in the league. That being saidw, I'd still prefer taking the best candidate available regardless of language but if a compromise needs to be struck, this is where it should be.
Once you have those two people in place, it should be a matter of time before the team turns around and a new winning attitude permeates the franchise and the Habs can be viewed as a contender each and every year. I won't talk about adding individual players because we're too far gone to worry about individual pieces. We need a complete overhaul and that can only be decided by ownership and upper management. At the end of the day, this team needs to be blown up and start again by building on the young core we have. Outside of Price, PK, Patches and Pax, I'd say no one is safe and in most cases, most everyone should be trade bait to a rebuild.
As a follow up to my post I went to NHL.com and looked at some stats that quite literately astounded me.
Pleks is 30th in points for a centerman and DD is 35th. maybe I'm wrong. maybe we have our first and second centermen. We just need to isolate them with big fast gritty players. So i would revise my line up to
Bourque Pleks ******
Patches DD Cole
Moen Eller Andrei
**** White *****
Markov Emelin
Subban Gorges
Diaz/Weber *****
So that means we need a big gritty fast right winger and two 4th line wingers and a 3rd pairing bruising d-man.
One of the problems with the Habs is that they have tried to remain competitive from year to year without having the infrastructure in place to support that noble goal. The result has been patchwork trades and panic moves that have sometimes worked in the short term but have jeopardized the long term viability of the franchise. All of this is complicated by a language/culture issue which must be taken into consideration.
I don't want the Habs to make into the playoffs as an underdog yet again. I want them to be competitive every year, year after year.
We can suggest getting bigger, meaner and faster by adding a power forward or a number one center but those suggestions can only be implemented if you can identify, acquire and develop those kinds of players.
At the same time, the Canadiens are at a perceived disadvantage with both language and tax issues. That means ownership needs to spend more time and money on scouting, recruiting, public relations and so on. They also need to learn to sell the positives. The past glory of the team is a dim memory for most so efforts should be concentrated on other areas like the passion of the fans, the cosmopolitan nature of the city. All that is good about playing and living in Montreal.
In the interim, I would suggest the team do the best it can with innovative and daring moves. Ownership needs to develop a vision for what they want the team to look like and by this, I don't simply mean the players. I mean the players, the coaching staff and management. Communicate that to the long suffering plans.
It might mean another season of pain but with a plan and a focus, the results should start to come.
One thing I would explore is the development of French speaking players and I am not a Francophone. I am not even from Quebec but the team needs to at least show its making an effort in this area. And when it does, it should communicate these efforts to the fans.
That might mean something innovative, like having the Molson family establish an ECHL team in a place like Sherbrooke or Plattsburgh. While the association with the Canadiens would be informal, everyone could connect the dots. I would focus on trying to identify Francophone players who had been overlooked for one reason or another.
Who knows, with an opportunity close to home, it may generate a renewed in hockey among young Quebecers.
The mandate of this kind of team would be to act as a training ground for aspiring young players, coaches and managers. This would be differ from many teams whose focus would be on winning with veterans.
A bad idea, you say? Well Michael Ryder, David Desharnais and Francois Beauchemin all cut their teeth in the ECHL. If the Canadiens could develop one legitimate NHL player every five years with this kind of move, it would pay for itself in spades. If it happened to be a Francophone player, then the pay-off is unimaginable.
The entire team could be run for less than the salary of Scott Gomez.
That's just one idea. The list of things that could be done to improve the organization can't be summed up in one post. The team needs to begin with a clean sheet of paper. No idea should be dismissed offhand. Everything needs to be examined in detail before being implemented or eliminated.
Just my thoughts. But I want to see this team returned to the higher echelons of the league. In today's world, the glory of the 50's, 60's and 70's is virtually impossible but chronic mediocrity should not be accepted by anyone.
I would trade for a foward we can build on for the next 5-10 years.
It would cost a lot, but it is the right way to build a team IMO.
This year's first round pick is actually worth something, so this might be possible.
For example: a package of Pleks, Kristo, and the 2012 1st round pick might net a major upgrade at center.
If the 1st isn't in play, then they can forget about landing the type of player you're looking for on the trade market... Is it a price you'd be willing to pay?
Well, Gomez definitely has to go. Gionta is an interesting possibility to move if you believe that the new Habs will value size. Kostitsyn should probably stay over him by that standard.
Honestly, on paper the club looks a lot better just from having Markov back. But his return and his play upon are not a sure thing, so getting another top-pairing defender should be a priority.
I think Bourque was a start. Now they need to add even more toughness. Get a 4th liner like Boll and someone like Clarkston and this team becomes very gritty. Gionta Pleks Clarkston
Gionta Plekanec Clarkston
Paccioretty DDH Cole
Bourque Eller Kostitsyn
Moen White Boll
Gorges Subban
Markov Diaz
Emelin Kaberle
Trade Gomez Campoli Gill etc if you can. This is not this year but next year I think they should tank. If they can get a top notch center prospect then he might be able to replace DDH or Leblanc will also be ready next year I believe so one of Moen or AK might be gone.
Philly did it in one year, trading to franchise players. They had Giroux to build around , so we are lacking this type of forward right now...
I think moving Pleks, with a package, could get us this type of player.
Well, if we continue to suck, then we will have a great prospect to draft.
I'd re-sign Blunden and try to acquire Stalberg, though with his season he may be expensive. Have two big guys who can hit and score while skating fast (especially Stalberg)
If Montrea wants to go back to their days of yore than it must start with Molson deciding he wants to build a winning franchise over appeasing the Francophone fans. Quite simply, he can't have it both ways. The team on the ice is a direct reflection of its ownership and this is true in Montreal. If Molson is serious about building a perennial championship he can not be side tracked by the linguistics of its staff. It's hard enough building a winner as it is, to add handcuffs makes it an impossible task.
The fact of the matter is that all the best teams in the NHL are and have been built by anglophone GMs. This is where a team is built and the identity is formed. Barring a miracle or successive 1st overall picks, the GM is the man in any organization. For an organization such as the Habs, an original 6 team with the winningest history in the NHL the tradition was built on winning, not being French. In a time when teams had the rights to players who were born within 100 klm of the city it was much easier to build a team of French players. Imagine the same rules today. The Habs would have have Giroux, Briere, Stastney, st. Louis, etc. without having to break a sweat. Today's game and rules don't allow this kind of distribution of wealth any more and the days of getting our pick of the litter of Quebec born players.
What we need at GM is a person who knows the game, knows the players and. Ost importantly, has experience building a winner. Yes these people are few a far apart and harder yet to convince to come to your team. But someone of this yolk is imparitive to the building of a new franchise and new image. When Bob took the team over there was a collective sigh of relief in the city. Finally, we had an experienced and respected hockey person to come here and bring us back to glory. After tweaking and retooling for a couple of years and seeing the team needed to be blown up and start again, he did just that. Building a team that fit the mold of a "New NHL" he went about his business and build a small, skilled fast team that was to be the model of the new look league. Several years later and the league reverting back to its clutch and grab ways and the Canadiens are completely unable to compete against larger, more physical competition. Alas, they are in need of another rebuild. For this new edition of the Habs the experience is needed to build a winner because we've been flopping around like fish out of water for decades and the time has come to right the ship. Handing an inexperienced GM the reins is not an option as it was when Rejean Houle was handed to keys to the Kingdom. Geoff Molson needs to make a clear and decisive Deion as to who will build the future of the franchise and language can't be a determinant for a GM.
The next step in what the Habs need to do to become relevant again is a new coach. Same as the prerequisite as the GM but this time, the French can come into the picture. There are many very capable French speaking coaches out there. Much more the coach is a motivator and can win if they have the right pieces eveif they're not the best coach in the league. That being saidw, I'd still prefer taking the best candidate available regardless of language but if a compromise needs to be struck, this is where it should be.
Once you have those two people in place, it should be a matter of time before the team turns around and a new winning attitude permeates the franchise and the Habs can be viewed as a contender each and every year. I won't talk about adding individual players because we're too far gone to worry about individual pieces. We need a complete overhaul and that can only be decided by ownership and upper management. At the end of the day, this team needs to be blown up and start again by building on the young core we have. Outside of Price, PK, Patches and Pax, I'd say no one is safe and in most cases, most everyone should be trade bait to a rebuild.
Become sellers at the trade deadline. Its supposed to be a deep draft and we have proven playoff performers like Gill and Moen who should generate interest. Try to move AK46 for a 1st rounder or equivalent prospect. If you can't get it, try to resign him. Focus on adding some high quality prospects to our prospect pool. Next year, the lineup should look like:
Bourque - Plekanec - Gionta
Pacioretty - Desharnais - Cole
Leblanc - Eller - XXXXX
White - Nokelainen - XXXXX
This lineup won't really compete next year, but should generate youthful competition. Look at signing college FAs and generally focus on a youth movement, with guys like Gio and Cole to serve as mentors. Accrue draft picks and hope we are a lottery team this year. That's the extent of what should be done in the short term. I dislike trying to force players into roles in a mock lineup, but there needs to be a culture shift in the organization, on that promotes transparency and mutual respect on all levels.
Become sellers at the trade deadline. Its supposed to be a deep draft and we have proven playoff performers like Gill and Moen who should generate interest. Try to move AK46 for a 1st rounder or equivalent prospect. If you can't get it, try to resign him. Focus on adding some high quality prospects to our prospect pool. Next year, the lineup should look like:
Bourque - Plekanec - Gionta
Pacioretty - Desharnais - Cole
Leblanc - Eller - XXXXX
White - Nokelainen - XXXXX
This lineup won't really compete next year, but should generate youthful competition. Look at signing college FAs and generally focus on a youth movement, with guys like Gio and Cole to serve as mentors. Accrue draft picks and hope we are a lottery team this year. That's the extent of what should be done in the short term. I dislike trying to force players into roles in a mock lineup, but there needs to be a culture shift in the organization, on that promotes transparency and mutual respect on all levels.
I still hope A.K. and Moen wll fill your XXXX in your line up
