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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 26, 2014 12:37:28 GMT -5
Definitely a yawner of a game. But after the emotionally and physically draining whopper in Boston that was to be expected against a last place team playing out the string. The good thing is they got the two points, and nobody else got hurt. Which brings me to Marc Bergevin... can we give the guy a little credit now for providing the team with a little depth? For the first time in god knows how long we've been able to ride a series of injuries without really missing too much of a beat. We had FOUR regulars out last night, Gorges, Prust, Moen and Weise, and Therrien was able to plug in four legitimate and worthy NHL players to replace them. For all the belly-aching that was done over guys like Briere, Weise, Moen, Desharnais and just about every other signing Bergevin made those guys have all been needed at certain points this year. How many Hab seasons went off the rails in the past because of injuries? I'm not saying Bergevin signed super-stars, and for sure it would be better not to have injuries, but I'm much more comfortable putting a guy like Weise into the lineup, then say Mike Blunden. Right now we have depth on defense, and depth in goal. Obviously if Price is lost for the year we're done, but for a short time we can survive with Budaj, Tokarski and Dubnyk. On defense we have more than enough NHL bodies even without Gorges, and there is still Beaulieu, Drewiski and even Paetryn sitting in the minors. Up front we are missing our entire fourth line, and not once has there been any mention of playing a defenseman up there because we have nobody else. Remember those days? Hell, I can remember days when we had TWO defensemen playing up front. Now, we can slot three more players in and still have a very solid fourth line, if not one of the best fourth lines in the NHL. We also had four players under the age of 22 in the lineup last night (Galchenyuk, Bournival, Gallagher and Tinordi), so the "the kids are blocked" theory goes out the window too. Sure, there have been questionable decisions, and sometimes there is a logjam, but I prefer that over the spectacle of Mike Blunden and Chris Campoli both in the lineup at the same time. Kudos to Bergevin for giving Therrien too many options, as opposed to not enough. Good post BC. But I think it is the Vanek acquisition that makes all the other signings look better. Vanek hasnt put up the points, yet, but he is that threat on offense that we needed to be able to live with our defensive mistakes and play more comfortable. If we didn't sign Vanek at the deadline, I'm not sure what direction the team may have went ... just glad I didn't have to see it. Marc Bergevin showed his mettle on trade deadline day, ..., but I wonder how deep in the playoffs we have to go to make the majority of fans content with his job? If MB did not sign Vanek, we would have Bourque 24/7
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Post by habsorbed on Mar 26, 2014 12:45:34 GMT -5
Why would it need to be a "legal check"? 1) Boston doesn't injure our players on legal checks; 2) The bruins response of mauling, punching, sticking the Hab will be the same whether the check is legal or not; and 3) the bruin fans would be even more irate if the check was illegal although they will consider any check where a Bruin goes down as illegal (see Emelin hip check on Lucic). I'm not 'an eye for an eye' guy but knowing hockey culture i'm amazed that no one has taken Chara out - either check from behind, stick, or take out his knees. If you come straight at him you're going to eat some lumber or his elbow - and he says it's because he's so much taller. Seems to me if one were to take out his knee it's because the player is so much smaller. Any way, not promoting dirty play, just finding it hard to understand how Chara has survived so long. Ironically, if he played on another team, a Bruin would have taken him out a long time ago. It would be, as you said, if a small guy, let's say Gallagher, takes Chara's knee out... accidentally. The dynamic of their organisation would change, Lucic and the 4th line would not be as courageous without Lurch in the line-up Gregory Campbell's daddy and Jacobs are the reason the bruins won the cup, the reason why they hand out cheap shots with impunity. I am glad to see that Iginla has brought some class to that organisation full of hatred, contempt and jealousy. Whether it is Cam Neely, Chiarelli, Julien or the assortment of baboons in the lineup (Marchand, Lucic, Chara, the 4th line) they feel it is their right to do whatever they want whenever they want. I recall a team in the 70's that wore orange that thought the same way. Things were changed for them and they went away. I believe within the next year or 2 the same thing will happen to the Bruins. Not surprising they continue the thuggery as they were rewarded by the league with the ultimate prize when employing that tactic. What is so sad for the league is that they were within a whisper of blowing the whole team up had we beat them in 2011. I remember they were screaming for Chirella's head at that point. Now he's a legend and the goon tactics are entrenched. If I'm not mistaken, one of the main reason the Broad Street Bullies became obsolete was another team came along which could match their rough play but also had great skill - thank you Larry & Co!
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Post by UberCranky on Mar 26, 2014 12:46:15 GMT -5
Definitely a yawner of a game. But after the emotionally and physically draining whopper in Boston that was to be expected against a last place team playing out the string. The good thing is they got the two points, and nobody else got hurt. Which brings me to Marc Bergevin... can we give the guy a little credit now for providing the team with a little depth? For the first time in god knows how long we've been able to ride a series of injuries without really missing too much of a beat. We had FOUR regulars out last night, Gorges, Prust, Moen and Weise, and Therrien was able to plug in four legitimate and worthy NHL players to replace them. For all the belly-aching that was done over guys like Briere, Weise, Moen, Desharnais and just about every other signing Bergevin made those guys have all been needed at certain points this year. How many Hab seasons went off the rails in the past because of injuries? I'm not saying Bergevin signed super-stars, and for sure it would be better not to have injuries, but I'm much more comfortable putting a guy like Weise into the lineup, then say Mike Blunden. Right now we have depth on defense, and depth in goal. Obviously if Price is lost for the year we're done, but for a short time we can survive with Budaj, Tokarski and Dubnyk. On defense we have more than enough NHL bodies even without Gorges, and there is still Beaulieu, Drewiski and even Paetryn sitting in the minors. Up front we are missing our entire fourth line, and not once has there been any mention of playing a defenseman up there because we have nobody else. Remember those days? Hell, I can remember days when we had TWO defensemen playing up front. Now, we can slot three more players in and still have a very solid fourth line, if not one of the best fourth lines in the NHL. We also had four players under the age of 22 in the lineup last night (Galchenyuk, Bournival, Gallagher and Tinordi), so the "the kids are blocked" theory goes out the window too. Sure, there have been questionable decisions, and sometimes there is a logjam, but I prefer that over the spectacle of Mike Blunden and Chris Campoli both in the lineup at the same time. Kudos to Bergevin for giving Therrien too many options, as opposed to not enough. Which puts cheap lipstick over the fact that ALL those positions should of been filled within out AHL kids. Where is Blunden? LL? Beaulieu? It's after 11, do you know where our kids are?
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 26, 2014 13:41:29 GMT -5
Good post BC. But I think it is the Vanek acquisition that makes all the other signings look better. Vanek hasnt put up the points, yet, but he is that threat on offense that we needed to be able to live with our defensive mistakes and play more comfortable. If we didn't sign Vanek at the deadline, I'm not sure what direction the team may have went ... just glad I didn't have to see it. Marc Bergevin showed his mettle on trade deadline day, ..., but I wonder how deep in the playoffs we have to go to make the majority of fans content with his job? I think it will depend on a number of things, Skilly. First off, I'll say the criticism Bergevin received at the beginning of the year was warranted. Granted he couldn't just snap his fingers and make a trade, but there were some decisions that made some people scratch their heads. But, here's the thing; Bergevin said that the team might be just a bit smaller, but they were better. That's right and wrong. At the time we were smaller, but as the season progressed it was nice to see some bigger players in the lineup. I thought Diaz was a good middle-pairing d-man, but the addition of Weise has made me forget about losing Raphael. But, he is right in that we are better. There's a real chance at 100 points and I think that would be a major achievement for this club. And, I mean, I would never have thought that earlier in the season. Where did this come from? Well, I heard a question on TSN 960 on whether or not Therrien would revert back to the "old Therrien" or will he remain the way he is now? At what point in the season did this transformation take place. Cheers.
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Post by franko on Mar 26, 2014 13:59:52 GMT -5
Where did this come from? Well, I heard a question on TSN 960 on whether or not Therrien would revert back to the "old Therrien" or will he remain the way he is now? At what point in the season did this transformation take place. Perhaps my wont is to jump all over MT, Dis, but I wonder if this was an actual transformation, or just a blip that goes back and forth: old man/new man. Some of his decisions drive me nuts, but right now they seem to be working, and if he brings home the Cup he will definitely be the best coach the team has had in a long time! I can't believe I'm wavering and moving over to the dark side
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Post by UberCranky on Mar 26, 2014 14:33:58 GMT -5
So much optimism, yet so much hockey to go.
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Post by UberCranky on Mar 26, 2014 14:47:01 GMT -5
Not surprising they continue the thuggery as they were rewarded by the league with the ultimate prize when employing that tactic. What is so sad for the league is that they were within a whisper of blowing the whole team up had we beat them in 2011. I remember they were screaming for Chirella's head at that point. Now he's a legend and the goon tactics are entrenched. If I'm not mistaken, one of the main reason the Broad Street Bullies became obsolete was another team came along which could match their rough play but also had great skill - thank you Larry & Co!That is why I don't go for the victimhood meme. If the change the goal posts, then rather then whining about it, match and beat them at their game. Have we forgotten all the "goons are running the NHL, poor us" that we went through early 70's ...until we got the weapons to shut it down. Funny how we stopped complaining when we had the means to put heads on platters. Lambert, Bouchard, Tremblay. Chartraw and company put a stop to that.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 26, 2014 14:53:40 GMT -5
Where did this come from? Well, I heard a question on TSN 960 on whether or not Therrien would revert back to the "old Therrien" or will he remain the way he is now? At what point in the season did this transformation take place. Perhaps my wont is to jump all over MT, Dis, but I wonder if this was an actual transformation, or just a blip that goes back and forth: old man/new man. Some of his decisions drive me nuts, but right now they seem to be working, and if he brings home the Cup he will definitely be the best coach the team has had in a long time! I can't believe I'm wavering and moving over to the dark side Franco, I honestly thought the guys had given up on Therrien. Just on the way the season went, I really didn't think to see us where we are right now. I can give credit where credit is due. Not only is he not benching Subban any more, he's actually relying on him now. I don't know where the change in philosophy came from, but it's nice to see. Mind you, landing Vanek, Weaver and Weise have paid off, too. Each of these guys gives Therrien more options. Cheers.
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Post by CentreHice on Mar 26, 2014 15:20:06 GMT -5
Anybody else think PK is loving all the hate? Just the way in which he kept goading Boychuk. A game in itself.
It's not all unfounded when you look through the subjective, irrational lenses of opposing fans.
So glad he's on our side!
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Post by blny on Mar 26, 2014 18:50:52 GMT -5
Sure, PK can agitate. He can use his mouth to sling crap with the best of them. It's the sheepish grin too. Same with Gallagher.
PK doesn't go around like Ott does, or Tucker did, etc. He's not constantly in your face yapping. How often does he engage a scrum? Hardly ever. In the end, what I think frustrates the opposition the most is the fact he lets their crap wash off. He never seems visibly unnerved by their attempts to get under his skin.
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Post by Bigstar on Mar 26, 2014 19:59:44 GMT -5
Is that avatar & signature for the Habs or the Red Devils? Sorry about yesterday's game. Not a huge Man United fan but there's something about Man City I can't stand. Haha busted, yup Manu fan. But the signature is X-files related Yesterday's game was over 1min in wow. How about a week or so ago when Manu played Olympiakos, both my teams and my head almost exploded. Habs #1 in my heart, hope they get healthy and be ready to fight come playoffs.
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Post by franko on Mar 26, 2014 20:29:39 GMT -5
Haha busted, yup Manu fan. not that there's anything wrong with it . . .
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 26, 2014 20:42:56 GMT -5
Haha busted, yup Manu fan. not that there's anything wrong with it . . . ... Chelsea ... since the early 70's ...
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Post by duster on Mar 26, 2014 22:37:22 GMT -5
not that there's anything wrong with it . . . ... Chelsea ... since the early 70's ... Same here. Dating from when they became European Cup Winners in the early 70s. Can't stand Man U.
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Post by franko on Mar 27, 2014 4:57:32 GMT -5
... Chelsea ... since the early 70's ... Same here. Dating from when they became European Cup Winners in the early 70s. Can't stand Man U. oh oh. trouble brewing
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Post by jkr on Mar 27, 2014 16:16:14 GMT -5
Same here. Dating from when they became European Cup Winners in the early 70s. Can't stand Man U. oh oh. trouble brewing Maybe we need a new thread.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 27, 2014 17:32:32 GMT -5
oh oh. trouble brewing Maybe we need a new thread. Or a new forum.
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Post by franko on Mar 27, 2014 17:59:40 GMT -5
oh oh. trouble brewing Maybe we need a new thread. maybe you need new threads gotta say, I hate the advertising . . . and it'll be coming to an NHL jersey near you as soon as the owners can get away with it!
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Post by Doc Holliday on Mar 31, 2014 11:47:42 GMT -5
Definitely a yawner of a game. But after the emotionally and physically draining whopper in Boston that was to be expected against a last place team playing out the string. The good thing is they got the two points, and nobody else got hurt. Which brings me to Marc Bergevin... can we give the guy a little credit now for providing the team with a little depth? For the first time in god knows how long we've been able to ride a series of injuries without really missing too much of a beat. We had FOUR regulars out last night, Gorges, Prust, Moen and Weise, and Therrien was able to plug in four legitimate and worthy NHL players to replace them. For all the belly-aching that was done over guys like Briere, Weise, Moen, Desharnais and just about every other signing Bergevin made those guys have all been needed at certain points this year. How many Hab seasons went off the rails in the past because of injuries? I'm not saying Bergevin signed super-stars, and for sure it would be better not to have injuries, but I'm much more comfortable putting a guy like Weise into the lineup, then say Mike Blunden. Right now we have depth on defense, and depth in goal. Obviously if Price is lost for the year we're done, but for a short time we can survive with Budaj, Tokarski and Dubnyk. On defense we have more than enough NHL bodies even without Gorges, and there is still Beaulieu, Drewiski and even Paetryn sitting in the minors. Up front we are missing our entire fourth line, and not once has there been any mention of playing a defenseman up there because we have nobody else. Remember those days? Hell, I can remember days when we had TWO defensemen playing up front. Now, we can slot three more players in and still have a very solid fourth line, if not one of the best fourth lines in the NHL. We also had four players under the age of 22 in the lineup last night (Galchenyuk, Bournival, Gallagher and Tinordi), so the "the kids are blocked" theory goes out the window too. Sure, there have been questionable decisions, and sometimes there is a logjam, but I prefer that over the spectacle of Mike Blunden and Chris Campoli both in the lineup at the same time. Kudos to Bergevin for giving Therrien too many options, as opposed to not enough. Of course credit to MB where credit is due but IMO, often one acquisition can put under a different light a lot of things. For Bergevin that acquisition is Vanek. Sure enough the DD line itself didn’t necessarily need that upgrade as they were doing really good with Gallagher but the team as a whole needed that upgrade. It gave a much needed offensive boost, created quality depth, pushing Gionta off the top 6. No other depth player Weise, Weaver, White, etc… could have created this no matter how truly better options they are over Blunder or Drewiski. All this to say, if Bergevin doesn’t acquire Vanek, where was this team going? HABS were on a steady long descending slope since December and while they might not have missed the playoffs, the possibility of “pulling a Leafs” kind of season finish was a high possibility in my book. In which case all the moves Bergevin made and can now be looked at under a favorable light that all seem to make sense, would have been looked at as a bunch of mediocre side steps that lead the team nowhere…which they were right up to the Vanek acquisition. …so yes Kudos to Berg for making the finishing move.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 31, 2014 13:03:21 GMT -5
I agree Doc, that getting that one guy not only adds that skill set to a team, but improves the whole team as now a lot of players slip down a slot and are playing against slightly less skilled opponents than they were the week before the acquisition. Suddenly, everyone from line 2 on has more time and space than before. It's fortunate too, that Vanek has fit in so well with DD and Patches. That chemistry is making them tougher to defend. It showed against Detroit, which is a very disciplined defensive team, but were caught running around several times against that line. If Patches had scored on that one shot from the slot, it's a definite highlight of the night. I enjoy using the term "tic-tac-toe" again.
Back to your point, we aren't certain MB hadn't been trying to get that guy (not necessarily Vanek, but someone of that level) earlier. It's just expensive to do so and I am confident MB is not crazy about paying the prices required. Vanek turned out to be cheap, and was obtained through being cheap, having patience and having CAP space. Those aren't bad characteristics to have in a GM (though there's a fine line between being patient and being afraid to pull the trigger). Anyway, the Habs have gone from a marginal team to one that requires more attention to beat, and if the chips fall the right way, maybe even a contender. We have to avoid injuries to key players (The top line, PK, Markov, maybe Pleks, and Price
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 31, 2014 13:26:21 GMT -5
I agree Doc, that getting that one guy not only adds that skill set to a team, but improves the whole team as now a lot of players slip down a slot and are playing against slightly less skilled opponents than they were the week before the acquisition. Suddenly, everyone from line 2 on has more time and space than before. It's fortunate too, that Vanek has fit in so well with DD and Patches. That chemistry is making them tougher to defend. It showed against Detroit, which is a very disciplined defensive team, but were caught running around several times against that line. If Patches had scored on that one shot from the slot, it's a definite highlight of the night. I enjoy using the term "tic-tac-toe" again. Back to your point, we aren't certain MB hadn't been trying to get that guy (not necessarily Vanek, but someone of that level) earlier. It's just expensive to do so and I am confident MB is not crazy about paying the prices required. Vanek turned out to be cheap, and was obtained through being cheap, having patience and having CAP space. Those aren't bad characteristics to have in a GM (though there's a fine line between being patient and being afraid to pull the trigger). Anyway, the Habs have gone from a marginal team to one that requires more attention to beat, and if the chips fall the right way, maybe even a contender. We have to avoid injuries to key players (The top line, PK, Markov, maybe Pleks, and Price I think the cap space was a huge thing for Snow. This was a salary dump. He did not want to retain any of salary (probably from Charles Wang himself). Other teams made better offers, MB was probably the only one to take on Vanek and his entire salary. That to me is why MB landed Vanek. I was not a fan of Vanek with DD&Patches, but they have developed a real good chemistry together. My concern is if that line gets shutdown, we really have no other scoring. I still think Vanek with Agal and Patches with DD give a 1-2 punch.
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Post by Doc Holliday on Mar 31, 2014 14:31:14 GMT -5
My concern is if that line gets shutdown, we really have no other scoring. I still think Vanek with Agal and Patches with DD give a 1-2 punch. I'd like to see this in a near future (next season?) as well.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 31, 2014 14:35:01 GMT -5
Definitely a yawner of a game. But after the emotionally and physically draining whopper in Boston that was to be expected against a last place team playing out the string. The good thing is they got the two points, and nobody else got hurt. Which brings me to Marc Bergevin... can we give the guy a little credit now for providing the team with a little depth? For the first time in god knows how long we've been able to ride a series of injuries without really missing too much of a beat. We had FOUR regulars out last night, Gorges, Prust, Moen and Weise, and Therrien was able to plug in four legitimate and worthy NHL players to replace them. For all the belly-aching that was done over guys like Briere, Weise, Moen, Desharnais and just about every other signing Bergevin made those guys have all been needed at certain points this year. How many Hab seasons went off the rails in the past because of injuries? I'm not saying Bergevin signed super-stars, and for sure it would be better not to have injuries, but I'm much more comfortable putting a guy like Weise into the lineup, then say Mike Blunden. Right now we have depth on defense, and depth in goal. Obviously if Price is lost for the year we're done, but for a short time we can survive with Budaj, Tokarski and Dubnyk. On defense we have more than enough NHL bodies even without Gorges, and there is still Beaulieu, Drewiski and even Paetryn sitting in the minors. Up front we are missing our entire fourth line, and not once has there been any mention of playing a defenseman up there because we have nobody else. Remember those days? Hell, I can remember days when we had TWO defensemen playing up front. Now, we can slot three more players in and still have a very solid fourth line, if not one of the best fourth lines in the NHL. We also had four players under the age of 22 in the lineup last night (Galchenyuk, Bournival, Gallagher and Tinordi), so the "the kids are blocked" theory goes out the window too. Sure, there have been questionable decisions, and sometimes there is a logjam, but I prefer that over the spectacle of Mike Blunden and Chris Campoli both in the lineup at the same time. Kudos to Bergevin for giving Therrien too many options, as opposed to not enough. Of course credit to MB where credit is due but IMO, often one acquisition can put under a different light a lot of things. For Bergevin that acquisition is Vanek. Sure enough the DD line itself didn’t necessarily need that upgrade as they were doing really good with Gallagher but the team as a whole needed that upgrade. It gave a much needed offensive boost, created quality depth, pushing Gionta off the top 6. No other depth player Weise, Weaver, White, etc… could have created this no matter how truly better options they are over Blunder or Drewiski. All this to say, if Bergevin doesn’t acquire Vanek, where was this team going? HABS were on a steady long descending slope since December and while they might not have missed the playoffs, the possibility of “pulling a Leafs” kind of season finish was a high possibility in my book. In which case all the moves Bergevin made and can now be looked at under a favorable light that all seem to make sense, would have been looked at as a bunch of mediocre side steps that lead the team nowhere…which they were right up to the Vanek acquisition. …so yes Kudos to Berg for making the finishing move. The cap is going up, but Subban will be commanding mega-bucks and rightly so. If it came down to either Vanek or Markov, who would you want Bergevin to sign? Me? Vanek ... I'm extremely grateful to Markov for his longevity and dedication to the club, so focusing my attention to Vanek would be a slight to him. He's also one of the very few players, let alone d-men, in the league who can pull off a backhanded, tape-to-tape pass on the fly. I've seen Subban do it more, but I honestly believe he learned how to do that well under Markov. Yet, as gifted as he is, I don't think I've seen Markov get caught out at the blue line more than I have this year. Brutal. Does that offset what he brings to the table, though? I'd target Vanek. As Franko pointed out, it's nice having a top line that performs like one. Obtaining Vanek not only gives Therrien a bonafide top line, but also four very good lines and when was the last time we've had that in Montreal? Well ... Weise helps too ... okay ... Markov or Vanek, mate? Cheers.
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Post by blny on Mar 31, 2014 15:08:58 GMT -5
Money is there for all three.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 31, 2014 15:14:15 GMT -5
Money is there for all three. That's not what I'm asking, though. I'm asking "if" it came down to a choice, which one would it be? Cheers.
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Post by Polarice on Mar 31, 2014 15:21:19 GMT -5
Money is there for all three. That's not what I'm asking, though. I'm asking "if" it came down to a choice, which one would it be? Cheers. I'd have to sign Vanek over Markov, we have lots of prospect dman that can step up....can't say the same for top end forward prospects!!
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Post by Skilly on Mar 31, 2014 15:26:34 GMT -5
Money is there for all three. I don't think there is ... I never sat down to speculate who signs for what, but MB likes to keep cap space so he won't go to the limit, and I still think we need to shed Bourque's contract somehow
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Post by seventeen on Mar 31, 2014 15:36:15 GMT -5
Money is there for all three. I don't think there is ... I never sat down to speculate who signs for what, but MB likes to keep cap space so he won't go to the limit, and I still think we need to shed Bourque's contract somehow A timely run away bus?
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Post by blny on Mar 31, 2014 15:38:14 GMT -5
Money is there for all three. That's not what I'm asking, though. I'm asking "if" it came down to a choice, which one would it be? Cheers. Why choose if you don't have to? It's not an easy choice. Vanek is a clear upgrade to the forward group. It's one we need. Losing Markov, without there being a clear replacement via UFA, creates a hole easily as big as the one Vanek fills. Markov has 42 points. That's second behind Subban. Markov is a +9. That leads the defense. Gorges is a +7. Par for the course is the fact that since Markov has been paired with Emelin we've seen Emelin improve. Some of that improvement has translated into good play when they're not together (the power play for example). I'm not saying let's throw a long term deal at Andrei, but at this point there's no clear replacement. Beaulieu isn't ready for that many minutes. The UFA market is full of aging defenders when you scan the list for play makers that can log tough minutes and be responsible. Dan Boyle is 2 years older, and he won't come cheaper. Gorges-Subban Markov-Emelin Tinordi-Weaver-Beaulieu That group gets a lot weaker without Andrei. So much so, that if chips were down, I think I'd have to chose Andrei and look for a cheaper forward to fill the Vanek role. It's hard though. Ask me next week and I might think differently.
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Post by Doc Holliday on Mar 31, 2014 16:01:25 GMT -5
Markov or Vanek, mate? Cheers. Vanek. We remain a team that struggles to score goals right now. And when we look over our shoulder to see if any help is about to come from the farm....that situation becomes even more bleak. Defensively we're not great at all, but we have Beaulieu and Tinordi breaking in who should end up in the top4 eventually. Finally for similar money I'd much rather put it on a 30yr old player at the peak of his carreer than on a 36yr old player at the twilight of it. Quite frankly Vanek or not, I wouldn't resign Markov at all. He wanted 3-4 years at about 7. He didn't give us the "I want to finish my career here" discount when faced with the possibility of being traded at the deadline, the demands won't go down once he has free agency in sight. As for signing the 2 of them, it doesn’t fit. For next year HABS currently stand at about 50mil of committed salary. Let's optimistically place the cap at 70 for next year (some say 68). That gives us 20mil of cap space. Subban doesn’t get a token less than 7.5 and still, it will be an uphill battle. So that leaves 12.5mil. Let’s say we bring up Beaulieu for good, that’s 1.3mil, Eller gets 2.5. We now stand with less than 9mil… no way we can afford both on that. Heck we’ll have to be creative to afford ONE of them and have enough left to finish filling up the roster.
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