From what I've read it actually seems like the opposite. The veterans are being given their last chance to prove they can perform and if they don't Julien will go with youth. In particular I think this means that Dackell, Juneau, Audette, and, to a lesser extent, Perrault better work their butts off out there or they'll be replaced quite quickly.
Imo, the reverse will happen. The young players/rookies will receive less of the blame, with the vets receiving the bigger share regardless of who is deserving or not.
I think we are going to find that BG has alot of patience with the rookies.
as i'm sure Ryder and Ward aren't game breaker by any means but will they get blame for teams lack of success, I hope BG keeps his patince.
NO!
Watching the game last night, those guys looked good... lots of energy and Ryder was shooting from everywhere, something we've missed for a long time. I thought they were the best line, or at least the most fun to watch.
The team will get blamed, Julien will be blamed, and Gainey will get blamed, but even the press have to see that these guys are young, and these guys are the future... hard to make a scapegoat out of a 23 and 24 year old player when players with LOTS more experience play worse or with less enthusiasm night-in and night-out.
To me players like Riberio, Ward and Ryder deserve to be there over players like Dackell, Perreault, Jurneau and Audette, the youth movement is happening whether the media or the fans like it or not! I for one like it and would love to see the Habs go with kids over old vets on their last leg, Gainey and Co. know what they are doing...there isn't a panic attack happening here.
The kids learn the system and develop into the player the team wants, old vets are not as teachable and have lost a step...which would you rather have?
Old players on their last year in contracts are gone next year, kids like Kats, Perezoghtin, Higgins and Plekanec and maybe even Balej are in Montreal before anyone old higher priced players.
After what we've seen, it would befuddle me to see people who believe veterans are the key. Hey, look. If we can sprinkle a young one or two on the top 2 lines and a couple on defense, it'll be much approved. There's still other veterans. We just need to cut down our average age from the 29 or so it hovers at to 26 or 27.
Guys I want to see a lot of this year over a tiresome vet in brackets (). It doesn't matter if we miss the post-season because with our young blood I can say confidently that we can make the playoffs the next year once those guys have had some experience. Gainey knows and he'll do the right thing instead of filling in gaps with vets that create more problems (ala Savard):
Higgins (Perreault)
Ryder (Audette)
Ward (Juneau-just sick of him, Dackell I can stand)
As for D:
Komisarek (Quintal)
Hainsey (Brisebois)
I'm sure of all the vets, maybe one or two will make to next year (I'm guessing Dackell and Quintal)
Then we can see in about 2 years down the road, guys like Perezhogin, Katsitsyn, Ferland, Locke and Beauchemin getting to overtake our other useless vets like Quintal, Dackell, maybe Sundstrom, Dwyer and I don't see Begin being around. Lots of competition for those open spots. And by then, the team can decide which projects have failed and can be moved; that's Ryder, Ribeiro, Ward, Hossa.
And BTW, watching this Bruins game-their defense is even worse than ours. T. Bay is all over them and they're no Ottawa.
Gainey knows the only way the Habs will improve will be under a youth movement within, he learnt from his mistake in adding old vets like Turgeon, Audette and Kamensky in Dallas...he won't do that in Montreal. The kids stay, the old guys are playing for spots now!
I guess one thing to look forward too is a bigger team when Langdon Kilger and Begin get back along with Souray, Ward, Ryder, we got 6 big bodies and if Dwyer plays. Maybe we can scare the opposition we can become a goon team
Only two of those players are legit goons, Ryder, Ward, Souray, Begin and Kilger can all play hockey...Langdon and Dwyer can to to a degree.
Why not? If they make the team, it's because they are considered to be legit NHL players, and should be treated on the same bases than the other Habs.
If they don't produce, that is. If they exceed our expectations, improve themselves and work hard, they are not going to be blamed. It works like that for all NHLers.
the youth movement is happening whether the media or the fans like it or not!
I would like it, but I don't see it happening. Players like Quintal and Juneau and Dackell are playing over our top two prospects Komisarek and Higgins. Whether you like it or not, the Habs' brass doesn't seem intent on turning to their youth.
Gainey and Julien have the perspective of constant observation of all the players, veterans and prospects, from the very first preseason camp through all the practices to the present. They play the ones they think are most ready. They have noticed all the shortcomings of the prospects and apparently believe the Habs would give away too many easy goals if they went too far all at once in the direction of youth. Let the prospects learn how to eliminate their mistakes in Hamilton.
Gainey and Julien have the perspective of constant observation of all the players, veterans and prospects, from the very first preseason camp through all the practices to the present. They play the ones they think are most ready. They have noticed all the shortcomings of the prospects and apparently believe the Habs would give away too many easy goals if they went too far all at once in the direction of youth. Let the prospects learn how to eliminate their mistakes in Hamilton.
What about the mistakes made by veterans, shouldn't they be sent to Hamilton also? Isn't the most important thing to try to ice the best possible lineup? How many people in the Canadiens organization right now believe that Mike Komisarek isn't a top 6 (heck, top 5 even) defenseman on this team? If there are too many right d-men, then somebody has to go, it's that simple...and that someone should NOT be Komisarek. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I think the easy part was dropping the likes of Czerkawski, McKay, Traverse and Dykhuis. NOW, will they have the cajones to move out a Brisebois, bench a Quintal, get rid of the likes of Juneau and Dackell, etc.
Juneau and Dackell remind me of a non-playoff team in baseball with an all-star closer. He's great at what he does but completely useless to an also-ran team. Two checking-line players on a team going nowhere, making over $1.5 Million each, both well past their prime, is not forward thinking.
We are all preaching patience but it seems to me it would be easier to preach patience with more players with upside in the lineup, no?
