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Post by Habsolutely on Dec 15, 2002 23:21:14 GMT -5
at the standings..
Something kind of stunned me..
Let's look at the teams who aren't making the playoffs as for now..
NY Rangers Washington Pittsburgh Florida Buffalo Atlanta
Can you honestly say that those teams have a legit shot at being better than us ? I don't think so..
NY Rangers, for obvious reasons Washington spend money, can't get any healthy and/or chemistry Pittsburgh.. not enough talent around Lemieux.. Florida.. obvious Buffalo.. obvious Atlanta .. obvious
While our team is still over ,500 with Theodore not as his best.. I can't imagine our team slip bad in the standings.
The only team who will eliminate the Canadiens from the playoff race is the Habs themselves.
We will make the playoffs.. big time.
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Post by MPLABBE on Dec 15, 2002 23:26:35 GMT -5
Rangers are done(sorry RR). Just a mediocre team with loads of injuries. Caps...man what the hell is wrong with them? so much talent...so little results! Pens...stick a fork in them...they are done...Mario should trade himself LOL Florida...will be good real soon...just not this year Buffalo...maybe if they played us 82 times per year Atlanta...need DEFENCE You may be right dude! The locks for a playoff spot: Ottawa Boston(for now..if they keep on slipping they are in trouble) Flyers(too much talent) Devils(too good defensively...Nieuwendyk and Elias will score eventually) So basically...we are battling with the Laffs, the Bolts(I think they will be in), the Canes, the Isles for 4 spots...
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Post by Habsolutely on Dec 15, 2002 23:41:28 GMT -5
Rangers are done(sorry RR). Just a mediocre team with loads of injuries. Caps...man what the hell is wrong with them? so much talent...so little results! Pens...stick a fork in them...they are done...Mario should trade himself LOL Florida...will be good real soon...just not this year Buffalo...maybe if they played us 82 times per year Atlanta...need DEFENCE You may be right dude! The locks for a playoff spot: Ottawa Boston(for now..if they keep on slipping they are in trouble) Flyers(too much talent) Devils(too good defensively...Nieuwendyk and Elias will score eventually) So basically...we are battling with the Laffs, the Bolts(I think they will be in), the Canes, the Isles for 4 spots... I forgot about the Islanders.. and I will say that we are definitly going to be better than them.. No goaltending.. defensively fragile.. and way too unstable.. and this year, they didn't start 9-0-2... They won't be a threat.
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Post by JohnnyVerdun on Dec 16, 2002 0:14:09 GMT -5
This raises a good point. For all the critcism that Savard endures on this board (some of it justified) the fact is that the team for all its warts is doing better than teams that a year ago and even this September were considered to be certain playoff contenders, with big guns like Jagr and Yashin, Bondra and Peca, with Kolzig (in Wash) and with Millbury having the benefit of more top picks over the last six years than you can shake a stick at. And yet the Habs were there last year and they'll likely be there at the end this year too. And given how competitive the schedule is, the fact that we're battling for a spot while the quality youth ripens down in Hamilton should be pretty heartening. I mean, how many easy teams have we faced? How many teams have we played this year that were considered bottom feeders at the beginning of the season and are bottom feeders today?
And the team's starting to gel a bit, too.
So riddle me this? If this team makes the playoffs for a second straight year, giving Gillet the extra revenue and the fans the extra rush, and we offload Hackett, Gilmour, Lindsay, Petrov or Audette and one D-man, and our roster looks like this next September, what are folks going to say then? That Savard just lucked out? Or will they say he must have known what he was doing?
Kilger/Koivu/Zednick Bulis/Perreault/Petrov Hossa/Juneau/Dackell Ward/Plekanec/Mckay
Ribeiro, Blouin, Czerkawski
Markov/Rivet Souray/Brisebois Hainsey/Quintal
Komisarek (by December)
Theodore/Garon
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Post by habwest on Dec 16, 2002 0:38:19 GMT -5
When you're old and retired you don't have to worry about being wrong anymore so I might as well jump in. My sure things in the East, not in any order: 1. Boston- Thornton, new guys on D, coaching 2. Ottawa- all around good 3. Phili- Hitchcock will keep them playing well enough (if Primeau makes any public complaints he will never be seen or heard from again) 4. New Jersey- Brodeur, Burns, team D 5. TO- Sundin, Mogilny, Belfour, couple good guys on D, Quinn can't be that bad, Team Canada won a Gold medal 6. One of Tampa, Carolina or Washington - Tampa- some great forwards, D in bottom 3rd, goaltending average - Carolina- been there before, clutch leadership, excellent goal tending in Weekes, middling D play, worse scoring. - Washington- some top talent if it delivers, just might after a trade which probably is coming, poor D play, coach unproven. That leaves two spots over which the following will fight it out: - two teams from #6 - NYR- scoring, Dunham rises up from the ashes big time, Dunham doesn't rise from the ashes big time, D bad, scoring drops off badly with loss of Bure. Rookie head coach. - Pitts- scoring, mediocre D and goaltending. - Florida- one good goalie (Hurme), good coach, bottom 3rd in scoring and defence - NYI- middling scoring, poor D play which might improve with Peca, bad goaltending. - Habs- decent scoring, poor D play or will recent improvements last, great and rotten or great (which Theo shows up for rest of season?) tending, and mediocre coaching. Looking at this last list I'm inclined to think of, not of so much of who'll win their way in, as who'll make the fewest number of mistakes or who might have that one big strength. Right now I just might go with Tampa winning their division (big strength in forwards), Carolina taking a 7th spot (fewest mistakes) and the rest fighting it out for the last spot, with the Habs and Washington having the best chances. I would feel a lot more comfortable with the Habs team as it stands if we had a better coach. What do I win if I'm right?
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Post by habwest on Dec 16, 2002 0:54:52 GMT -5
Well JV, I'd say that things are going pretty well and reasonably according to plan, despite AS suffering from bad luck on Audette and perhaps out finnessing himself on Czerkawski.
I really don't think that we'll be able to off load Audette though. And if he stays it will have to be either Petrov or Czerkawski that goes if that's possible.
When are the contracts up on
- Audette (2 more years?)
- Czerkawski (1 yr?)
- Lindsay ?
- Petrov ?
- Dykhuis (at least 1 more year?)
- Quintal (1 more yr?)
I know Gilmour is at our option next year and Hackett is of course an UFA.
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Post by Rhiessan on Dec 16, 2002 2:01:26 GMT -5
I moved up a thread from a few of weeks ago- UFA list
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Post by JohnnyVerdun on Dec 16, 2002 2:01:43 GMT -5
- Audette (2 more years?)Yup. 3 million each
- Czerkawski (1 yr?) Yup. 2.6 or thereabouts
- Lindsay ?UFA july 1st
- Petrov? He has an option but won't exercise it. UFA july 1st
- Dykhuis (at least 1 more year?) Not sure. But he's tradeable
- Quintal (1 more yr?) Next year is his last
I know Gilmour is at our option next year and Hackett is of course an UFA. Right. Savard won't renew Gilmour if Koivu's still good to go.
To me, the only true and real problem is Audette. Czerkawski can be moved, if we eat a portion of his salary, though if we didn't have Audette we could find a spot for Czerk more easily. Quintal is here until Komisarek is good and really ready. Quintal looked terrible early on but has seemed to come around. It's weird, but he's actually settled down lately. Might have been trying to do too much.
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Post by montreal on Dec 16, 2002 2:41:01 GMT -5
It's too early to say, IMO. Caps might get better, should get better, but will they? NYR have a lot of weapons, but poor on defense. NYI have a decent team, but not getting good tending at all. Can it improve? Can TB keep up their good play, they have some real holes on defense, but lots of offence. Pens are in trouble, maybe they should move Kovy and rebuild.
Over the next month or so, we'll start to see how the playoffs are shaping up. Remember last year at this time we were not thought of as a playoff team, and we had a horrid december, but came back strong in the 2nd half, thanks to Theodore and Gilmor.
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Post by AH on Dec 16, 2002 9:38:26 GMT -5
The only way to unload Audette is to buy him out at the end of the year. With 6 million remaining, it will cost $4 million to buy him out. To offset that expense we may be looking at someone like Quintal and his 2.2 million salary being dumped to an expansion team or someone looking for an experienced defenseman.
As for Dykhuis, I don't why people are so quick to dump him. I know he is struggling right now, but you just don't get rid of an asset that has played reasonably well over the last 3 years (ever since he got here really) just because he has had a bad 1/3 of a season. Savard made a 3 year commitment to him, and he is not about to get rid of him just yet, because that's just not how Savard operates (whether you think that is good or bad is a different thread). He has 2 years remaining on his contract after this one at a very reasonable 1.6 million per year.
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Post by MPLABBE on Dec 16, 2002 10:16:00 GMT -5
I forgot about the Islanders.. and I will say that we are definitly going to be better than them.. No goaltending.. defensively fragile.. and way too unstable.. and this year, they didn't start 9-0-2... They won't be a threat. I disagree. Ever since Peca has returned they have been playing much better hockey. I think they will be in the race but won't make it...but they will be in it
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Post by MPLABBE on Dec 16, 2002 10:18:51 GMT -5
how many easy teams have we faced? How many teams have we played this year that were considered bottom feeders at the beginning of the season and are bottom feeders today? Atlanta for one...The Islanders when we faced them...aside from that? Well, that looks pretty good(I doubt they would keep Pleks up just to be a 4th line center)...if we do look like that by October '03..some ''people'' will have to do some confessing.... ;D
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Post by MPLABBE on Dec 16, 2002 10:23:29 GMT -5
- Petrov? He has an option but won't exercise it. UFA july 1st Not so sure about that...the guy loves Montreal and if he thinks making 1+ million in MTL is better than 2 million somewhere else...he may stay He signed a 3 year deal during last year...so 2 years left after this year Gilmour it's a ''mutual'' option for well over 2 million [/b] [/quote] Agreed...now we only need to get rid of Dykhuis so Hainsey can replace him...dear good can you imagine next year if Hainsey is ready but they send him down because Souray is healthy and because they are still paying Dyk and Trav......argggg.....
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Post by Habsolutely on Dec 16, 2002 11:04:31 GMT -5
We don't have to worry about the Isles.
Yes Peca is back... and ? They don't even have a winning record with him since his come back and I wouldn't expect them to do any better.. they can't win consistantly.
Washington may be the biggest threat.. but hey, even the owner doesn't know what to do with this team which his lacking leadership and chemistry severelly. It is gonna be like last year.. they'll make a big push, but because of their start, they won't deserve to make it.
It may be early, but remember.. it's a prediction and I'm pretty confident.
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Post by MPLABBE on Dec 16, 2002 11:37:38 GMT -5
The Caps sort of scare me...but even then...getting Jagr has been bad for them...they used to be a hard working defensive minded hockey team...now it's like they have lost their identity..they don't know if they should be run and gun or defensive minded..
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Post by JohnnyVerdun on Dec 16, 2002 12:21:04 GMT -5
On PetrovNot so sure about that...the guy loves Montreal and if he thinks making 1+ million in MTL is better than 2 million somewhere else...he may stay On GilmourGilmour it's a ''mutual'' option for well over 2 million He'll get 2 million for two years as a UFA. I think so, anyway. And 2 million outside of Quebec is worth a lot more than 1.2 in Quebec. Unless Savard's willing to extend the deal for at least two years at closer to 2 million each, I expect he'll take his chances with free agency. He certainly won't do worse. As for Gilmour, are you sure it's a mutual option for next year? The guy's freaking fourty years old.
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Post by MPLABBE on Dec 16, 2002 12:46:14 GMT -5
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