yeah, They were 4th in the east half the season by pure luck
I don't agree it was luck, you can be lucky for a game or even a 7 game series, but for 40 games. I think a lot of skill was needed for them to do that, unless you think that the majority of the conference all took a nap so that MTL could finish that high.
I agree, we do have some over priced Vets on our team that shouldn't be making what they are making. But we can't just have young players on our team and not have any veteran leadership to guide them. Sometimes you have to look beyond the stats to see what a veteran can bring to your team. Plus I think BG is pretty smart, when some of our other veterans were not contributing, (Juneau, Sundstrom for example), he let them go. We have a few very good young prospects almost ready to come up to the bigs, once they are fully ready, I think you will see even more veterans let go to make room for them.
Fine, but where has that veteran leadership gone the last 2 months? It's easy to be a leader when things are going well, but the real leaders are the one who step up before things get to an impossible situation.
Apparently, the team has been discussing their discipline problem lately, they've had meeting on it...yet what happens yesterday during a PP, our leader looses the puck and instead of skating back hard and showing the example, he takes a lazy hooking penalty. I don't understand how after 2 months of talking about discipline and effort, your captain goes out and AGAIN, does the exact opposite of what they've been talking about.
At some point there's got to be some accountability.
Wrong. There's not one true superstar/franchise player on the Habs roster and that's the problem. Until the day this franchise finds itself a TRUE franchise player to build around, you can expect these kind of results, middling 7-8-9-10 teams than might win you a round in the playoffs.
I agree, this team is missing the true superstar, we haven't really had one since Patrick. But obtaining a true superstar is very hard, unless you get lucky and you're San Jose, or you are able to draft one.
I agree...BG needs to do something to give this team a jolt if they want to make the playoffs. But I don't think dumping Kovalev, Koivu, Ryder, Rivet will bring back the players that we would need. All the players that you mentioned would only bring back draft picks or prospects. Plus with most teams being so close to the cap IMO, we would end up having to take back too much salary, which would keep us at about the same when it comes to the cap. So like I said, I agree some changes need to be made, but I don't think trading these players that you listed would truly help us make the playoffs this year.
Fine, but where has that veteran leadership gone the last 2 months? It's easy to be a leader when things are going well, but the real leaders are the one who step up before things get to an impossible situation.
Apparently, the team has been discussing their discipline problem lately, they've had meeting on it...yet what happens yesterday during a PP, our leader looses the puck and instead of skating back hard and showing the example, he takes a lazy hooking penalty. I don't understand how after 2 months of talking about discipline and effort, your captain goes out and AGAIN, does the exact opposite of what they've been talking about.
At some point there's got to be some accountability.
No arguements here 417, until this meeting was called, I was actually wondering where all the leadership had gone. I really like Koivu, definitely my favorite player, but I have no explanation why his effort is not quite what it was for the first half of the year. Maybe all the pressure is finally getting to him, maybe he's having complications with his eye...or maybe he's just gotten tired for carrying this team for so long..I don't know.
I wish I had the answers for why our leader has been playing the way he's been playing. But since I don't have locker room access....the best I can do is guess.
I don't understand how you feel I'm only looking at the small picture. The poster was talking about us making the playoffs this year. I don't see how trading the players that he suggested would help us in that aspect. Help us in the long run...absolutely as I feel would could receive top prospects and draft picks to rebuild. But as for this year, prospects and draft picks won't help us. Plus like I stated before, if we trade a Kovalev for example, because of his salary, we would have to take back an almost equal salary to help balance the cap. Same thing for any of the other players that were mentioned. So I don't see how it would give us more cap space.
I don't understand how you feel I'm only looking at the small picture. The poster was talking about us making the playoffs this year. I don't see how trading the players that he suggested would help us in that aspect. Help us in the long run...absolutely as I feel would could receive top prospects and draft picks to rebuild. But as for this year, prospects and draft picks won't help us. Plus like I stated before, if we trade a Kovalev for example, because of his salary, we would have to take back an almost equal salary to help balance the cap. Same thing for any of the other players that were mentioned. So I don't see how it would give us more cap space.
I say that because now for Habs fans, the goal seems to be just to make the playoffs. Let's be realistic here, even if the Habs make the playoffs, does anyone here think that they've got the team, the character, the committment, the desire to actually make some substancial noise in the playoffs?
Last year, 2 years ago, 3 years ago...Making the playoffs and just that was just fine for me...However, this year coming into the 07-08 season, I was expecting the Habs to take the next step, not Cup hopefull step, but contender step...but they still look like exactly the same team they've been the last 3 or 4 years.
- Offensively challenged
- Relying on almost super human peformances of their goalies to win
- small and mostly soft
When is this recipe going to change?? It's not working
Unless the reporters have an hidden camera in the dressing room or they'r very friendly with Kovy's jersey hanger in the room there is NO way we will know what happened there.
Unless the reporters have an hidden camera in the dressing room or they'r very friendly with Kovy's jersey hanger in the room there is NO way we will know what happened there.
/Thread.
if it's true that Kovalev got beaten up will you cry?
Kovalev is on his way out - my take on what has happend in the dressing room and during the past few days since is this - Souray wanted to start a discussion in the room on why they were losing and who needs to stand up and mentions Kovalev by name, Kovalev told him he needs to look to himself before he starts calling out anyone else, Rivet told Kovalev he needs to hear this, Kovalev turned to Koivu and made some remark that he's lost control of this room, Koivu got in Kovalev's space and a pushing match started, Rivet and Souray got in the middle and broke it up, no punches thrown but there's definitely tension in the room and Kovalev is at the centre of it. Carbo identified Kovalev as a trouble spot in the room and relayed the message to Gainey, Gainey has an intersting offer for him, so Kovalev has been asked to stay clear of the team and get a medical for clearance on a trade.
Kovalev is on his way out - my take on what has happend in the dressing room and during the past few days since is this - Souray wanted to start a discussion in the room on why they were losing and who needs to stand up and mentions Kovalev by name, Kovalev told him he needs to look to himself before he starts calling out anyone else, Rivet told Kovalev he needs to hear this, Kovalev turned to Koivu and made some remark that he's lost control of this room, Koivu got in Kovalev's space and a pushing match started, Rivet and Souray got in the middle and broke it up, no punches thrown but there's definitely tension in the room and Kovalev is at the centre of it. Carbo identified Kovalev as a trouble spot in the room and relayed the message to Gainey, Gainey has an intersting offer for him, so Kovalev has been asked to stay clear of the team and get a medical for clearance on a trade.
Fights happen quite often in sports teams' dressing room. And it is perfectly normal when things don't go well. It is a sign that players care.
We don't know what happened, Maybe a bit of shouting and shoving. Not a fisticuf.
Maybe it was between Kovalev and Souray. And it is possible that Souray has twisted Kovy's arm and elbow a bit...
One of these two players or both will be gone before next training camp, maybe before the end of this season.
Anyway, this season is such a mess. Another soap in the life of the CH !
Carbo should resign. He has his fault, but his players are not listening, are taking stupid penalties, and so on. Yeah Carbo should just resign and give the wheel back to Gainey. BG deserves that for his bad moves.
according to another board...it was actually a fight between Souray and Kovy...lol
That's who I imagined when I read the topic... He's the only one with the balls to tell players they suck. Not to mention he seems to be one of the only ones taking these loses personally... I think if Kovalev and Samsonov are still on the team come next season, Souray won't re-sign. I don't think he likes the direction the team is heading in. We've been an average team (at best) since he's been here and there are no signs of us getting better, so why stay?
If this is indeed the reason why Kovy got hurt, I would like to thank Souray for the last two game results. Nothing like idiotic penalty filled games(none of which involved Perezhogin, which is why no one is crying for the culprits to be sat).
I agree...BG needs to do something to give this team a jolt if they want to make the playoffs. But I don't think dumping Kovalev, Koivu, Ryder, Rivet will bring back the players that we would need. All the players that you mentioned would only bring back draft picks or prospects. Plus with most teams being so close to the cap IMO, we would end up having to take back too much salary, which would keep us at about the same when it comes to the cap. So like I said, I agree some changes need to be made, but I don't think trading these players that you listed would truly help us make the playoffs this year.
Well I would totally be fine with only getting draft picks and prospects in return for getting rid of Kovalev, Koivu, Ryder, Rivet and others.....the main objective is to get rid of their contracts so we have money to sign decent players in the off season. This years playoffs is the least of my worries, because they would only make it to the second round at the best and then get put out. I would rather rebuild the team so it is a cup contender.
I know we couldn't trade any of those players and get equal value back because right now, none of them have ANY value. I just want to get whatever we possibly can for them to get rid of paying their contracts and then we can spend the money wisely on younger players who will make a difference and a couple up and coming stars.
Next year we have 10 players under contract for $22.45 million, leaving $21.55 to re-sign 12 or 13 players. If we could get rid of Koivu and Kovalev, we would have an additional $9.25 million taking the total to $30.8 Million and only have to replace 15 players. I would like to keep Koivu as a 2nd center, but $4.75 mil is a lot of money to be paying a 2nd line center.
