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Post by franko on Aug 22, 2016 17:38:23 GMT -5
Let the one-liners begin! too easy. and just in time for the dog days of summer.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 30, 2016 13:22:26 GMT -5
What would your line-up b to start the season? Here's mine, under the assumption the team will be much better by April than it is in October.
Forwards
Patches-Chucky-Gallagher/Radulov Lehkonen - Pleks - Gallagher/Radulov Carr - McCarron - Shaw Byron - Danault - Mitchell
In reserve - Ghetto and Hudon
Defense
Beaulieu/Weber Markov/ Petry Barberio / Pateryn
In reserve Emelin and Redmond
Caveat: If Sergachev is as good as I think he can be, he can replace Barberio.
Goal
Seriously, you want me to list them? Ok, Montoya over Condon.
As I said, this team may not be the strongest line-up one could put together in October, but I don't care about October. It's good enough to make the playoffs and by then, it will be a stronger team than any line-up you could put together in October. If only....crap. Forget it.
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Post by Skilly on Aug 30, 2016 15:38:15 GMT -5
Desharnais makes this team
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Aug 30, 2016 16:36:49 GMT -5
Desharnais makes this team Unless something peculiar happens between now and opening night, I suspect that will be the case, yes ... Cheers.
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Post by franko on Aug 30, 2016 17:37:01 GMT -5
Desharnais makes this team opening night, between Max and Gally
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Post by seventeen on Aug 30, 2016 18:24:40 GMT -5
Did I say it was the line-up that Therrien will pick? Huh? Did I? (sounding like a Bugs Bunny skit). I merely said it was the line-up we have available now, to be optimal by the time the playoffs start. And I like to put it in place and give them the most time to acclimate and develop. Of course, DD will be in the line-up, and come April, it will be sub-optimal. Hudon is better and has a lot more upside than DD. Hudon, nervously, scored at a 56 point clip. I rest my case .
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Post by PTH on Aug 30, 2016 18:26:47 GMT -5
Patches-Chucky-Gallagher/Radulov Lehkonen - Pleks - Gallagher/Radulov Same, though I think if Lehkonen doesn't make the team, Shaw is on the 2nd line, and this would have ripple effects. I just don't see it for McCarron, as a rookie, playing a bigger role than Danault. I expect to see Danault, Shaw and Desharnais on the 3d line, though if Lehkonen didn't make the team Shaw is replaced with Carr. In my world, it's Carr-Mitchell-Byron, with Ghetto as a hot-spare, and Hudon and McCarron are the callups. Agreed, though I just don't see Redmond ever doing much of anything. I'm still a tad miffed that we let Dietz go, I liked his skill package. No time to be wasted here.
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Post by folatre on Aug 30, 2016 20:29:38 GMT -5
Time will say. I agree with Seventeen and PTH regarding the hopeful composition of the top six. Yes, it is given Desharnais make team and it is probably reasonable to see season start with Danault-Desharnais-Shaw type line. For me the unfortunate thing is majority portion of this line could be trusted to take defensive zone starts but inevitably Desharnais profiles to avoid those assignments so the functional logic of the line perhaps is to be diluted and this increase probability that Desharnais moves up to settle in yet again with top six quality wingers.
There is no serious Stanley Cup contender in right mind who gives 16 minutes/night to both Plekanec and Desharnais. For me Plekanec is much more three zone player than Desharnais, but bottom line is one of these guys should have voted off the island a long time ago.
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Aug 30, 2016 21:22:32 GMT -5
Time will say. I agree with Seventeen and PTH regarding the hopeful composition of the top six. Yes, it is given Desharnais make team and it is probably reasonable to see season start with Danault-Desharnais-Shaw type line. For me the unfortunate thing is majority portion of this line could be trusted to take defensive zone starts but inevitably Desharnais profiles to avoid those assignments so the functional logic of the line perhaps is to be diluted and this increase probability that Desharnais moves up to settle in yet again with top six quality wingers. There is no serious Stanley Cup contender in right mind who gives 16 minutes/night to both Plekanec and Desharnais. For me Plekanec is much more three zone player than Desharnais, but bottom line is one of these guys should have voted off the island a long time ago. I'm not sure why Desharnais is a favorite of MT, is it his grit, size or physicality. it can"t be his scoring.
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Post by Lord Bebop on Sept 4, 2016 12:46:07 GMT -5
What would your line-up b to start the season? Here's mine, under the assumption the team will be much better by April than it is in October. Forwards Patches-Chucky-Gallagher/Radulov Lehkonen - Pleks - Gallagher/Radulov Carr - McCarron - Shaw Byron - Danault - Mitchell In reserve - Ghetto and Hudon Defense Beaulieu/Weber Markov/ Petry Barberio / Pateryn In reserve Emelin and Redmond Caveat: If Sergachev is as good as I think he can be, he can replace Barberio. Goal Seriously, you want me to list them? Ok, Montoya over Condon. I thinking pretty similar top 6..bottom 6 is a tough call as so many players and I'm thinking they could and want to add toughness...I put Farnham there as I think he can become a Therrien favorite Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher Carr-Plekanec-Radulov Lehkonen-Desharnais- Shaw Farnham-Danault-Byron Andrighetto Beaulieu-Weber Markov-Petry Emelin-Barberio Pateryn Price Montoya
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Post by Doc Holliday on Sept 5, 2016 7:58:25 GMT -5
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher Shaw-Plekanec-Radulov Danault-Desharnais-Carr Farnham-Mitchell-Byron Andrighetto
Beaulieu-Weber Markov-Petry Emelin-Pateryn Barberio
Price Montoya
Some thoughts on that:
I don't think Bergevin signed Shaw to this kind of money to have him on the bottom 6, he should provide some much needed jam in the top 6 and score his share of goals there as well.
Despite all the Lehkonen talk, I think making the jump at only 21 from a European league straight to the NHL is a tall order. He'll play against guys 30-40lbs heavier than him on a much smaller rink. He has the talent but does he have the gusto? It is very unfortunate that he can't go in the AHL to adapt to NA hockey. If he stays I can see him becoming a bit of hot potatoe in the coach's hand.
Desharnais in the bottom 6 provides very good offensive backup and proved he can make his linesmates produce. I think having a capable offensive player in the bottom 6 is a real plus.
Like Jay, I can see Therrien liking Farnham a lot.
I really hope we see Beaulieu with Weber. Shae needs this type of mobile puck moving dmen with him and at 23 Beaulieu is ready to take a next step. Weber could be a really good mentor for him.
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Post by seventeen on Sept 5, 2016 12:26:43 GMT -5
Doc, I read some stuff on a Hawks board about Shaw after the trade. Their fans absolutely love him, but there was a series of comments that expressed he spent too much time on the top lines for his skill set. The sentiment was that Toews might have had more points with a better finisher. Looking at Shaw's history, it would appear that sentiment is more likely right than wrong. He isn't a big scorer, but contributes in many other ways. Putting him on one of the top lines would add jam, but take away from the ultimate goal, (pun intended).
Countering that is the fact he's had a 20 goal year in the NHL and if you're happy with about 16 goals a year (his average the last 3 years) from your second line winger, he'd work out well. He wasn't a good scorer in juniour though, and those stats usually translate to how good a scorer he'll be in the NHL. Despite that, I think they'll try him out on the second line for sure.
PS. The Swedish top League is probably as good the AHL, though the ice surface may be a factor. In Finland, where Lehkonen grew up, the ice surface is something in between NHL size and IIHF size.
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Post by stoat on Sept 5, 2016 12:52:04 GMT -5
Doc, I read some stuff on a Hawks board about Shaw after the trade. Their fans absolutely love him, but there was a series of comments that expressed he spent too much time on the top lines for his skill set. The sentiment was that Toews might have had more points with a better finisher. Looking at Shaw's history, it would appear that sentiment is more likely right than wrong. He isn't a big scorer, but contributes in many other ways. Putting him on one of the top lines would add jam, but take away from the ultimate goal, (pun intended). Countering that is the fact he's had a 20 goal year in the NHL and if you're happy with about 16 goals a year (his average the last 3 years) from your second line winger, he'd work out well. He wasn't a good scorer in juniour though, and those stats usually translate to how good a scorer he'll be in the NHL. Despite that, I think they'll try him out on the second line for sure. PS. The Swedish top League is probably as good the AHL, though the ice surface may be a factor. In Finland, where Lehkonen grew up, the ice surface is something in between NHL size and IIHF size. Since I didn't pay attention to Shaw before the trade I can't fully answer the comment. However, given his style, I suspect he added to overall puck possession time.
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Post by folatre on Sept 5, 2016 14:08:33 GMT -5
Shaw is not a big even strength scorer, 30 percent of his NHL career goals are power play. Of course this is not a bad thing since Montreal needs to quickly go from bottom third in league power play efficiency to top third or this season may fall short of expectations. I do not mean to say Shaw is not good enough hockey player to play second line wing, but for me he is not unique across a number of offensive dimensions (skating, handle, vision, puck distribution, shot).
Unless Plekanec is kicked off second power play unit, then Deharnais power play privileges should finally be revoked and after futility 2015-16 it is overdue.
First unit: Markov, Weber, Galchenyuk, Pacioretty, Gallagher Second unit: Beaulieu, Petry, Radulov, Plekanec, Shaw
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Post by Skilly on Sept 6, 2016 12:27:16 GMT -5
Therrien puts set lines on the PP. it's usually the first line and then the second line. It's rare to have third line players out on the PP and then back to the third line .. For that reason alone, You can mark Shaw on the second line with a Sharpie. No more moves will be made ...
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Post by seventeen on Sept 6, 2016 12:59:49 GMT -5
Trees which are flexible give way to the wind and survive. Trees that are stiff and inflexible are blown down and die.
See you tomorrow, Grasshopper.
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Post by stoat on Sept 10, 2016 20:46:03 GMT -5
I can't foresee and major trades in the next few months. Nor do I believe any trade would enable the Habs to win the 2017 Cup. They don't have the personnel right now.
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Post by seventeen on Sept 16, 2016 0:16:53 GMT -5
Is part of the plan for next year to go without Nathan Beaulieu? Does Bergevin think Sergachev will make the team?
I ran it through the Google Translator, but it didn't come out terribly well. TORONTO - En plus d’avoir à l’œil Carey Price, Shea Weber et les autres membres du Canadien qui amorceront samedi le tournoi à la ronde de la Coupe du monde, le directeur général Marc Bergevin doit parallèlement préparer la rentrée du Tricolore.
Une rentrée qui s’amorce vendredi avec le camp réservé aux recrues de l’organisation. Des recrues qui prendront part, en fin de semaine, à London dans le sud-ouest de l’Ontario, à un tournoi les opposant aux espoirs des Sénateurs d’Ottawa, des Maple Leafs de Toronto et des Penguins de Pittsburgh.
Ce tournoi revêt une certaine importance pour le grand club. Car la tenue des espoirs à la ligne bleue pourrait avoir des conséquences immédiates sur l’avenir de Nathan Beaulieu avec le Canadien. S’il n’est pas ouvertement offert aux 30 formations de la LNH, Beaulieu suscite de l’intérêt alors que plusieurs formations sont venues sonder le terrain. Un intérêt que la direction du Tricolore ne fait rien pour dissiper comme l’a confirmé Marc Bergevin en entrevue avec RDS.ca jeudi à Toronto.
« Mon travail consiste à améliorer l’équipe. Nathan (Beaulieu) n’est pas dans la vitrine pour employer une expression de hockey, mais j’ai reçu des appels et oui j’écoute ce que les autres clubs ont à offrir. C’est ma job d’écouter, d’analyser. Nathan est un bon jeune défenseur. On ne sait pas encore quelle sera sa niche précise dans la LNH. Si je veux améliorer mon équipe, je dois bouger des joueurs qui ont de la valeur. C’est exactement ce que j’ai fait en échangeant P.K. (Subban) pour mettre la main sur un gars comme Shea Weber. On n’a rien pour rien dans la LNH », a insisté Bergevin.
Avant de passer du mode écoute au mode décision, Marc Bergevin doit attendre de voir ce que ses jeunes candidats défenseurs lui offriront. Nathan Beaulieu n’a peut-être pas encore donné au Canadien ce que le Canadien espérait obtenir de ce premier choix en 2011, mais il est encore jeune. Son départ mettrait de la pression sur un gars comme Alexeï Emelin qui deviendrait du coup le candidat pour évoluer en compagnie de Jeff Petry au sein du deuxième duo. À moins que la direction du Canadien ait un vétéran joueur autonome dans la mire.
Et s’il est clair que le nom de Mikhail Sergachev – choix de première ronde (9e sélection) l’été dernier à Buffalo – revient sans cesse à titre de candidat pour se tailler une place au sein de la brigade défensive dès cette année, il devra en mettre plein la vue à l’état-major pour y arriver. Pas juste au camp des recrues, mais lors du vrai camp, lors des matchs préparatoires et lors des matchs réguliers du début de saison. Sergachev évoluait sur le flanc droit l’an dernier à Windsor dans la Ligue de l’Ontario. Mais on semble convaincu dans le camp du Canadien qu’il peut également jouer à gauche.
« Il y a un monde de différence entre le hockey qui sera joué en fin de semaine et celui qui se jouera en début de saison régulière. Et il y aura autant de différence entre le hockey du début de la saison et celui qu’on jouera à Noël. Il faudra donc être prudent dans nos analyses. On espère que nos jeunes vont nous forcer la main en frappant à la porte du grand club. Mais je ne sais pas ce que l’avenir nous réserve», a prudemment commenté le DG du Canadien.
Mince à l’aile gauche
Si le Canadien décide d’utiliser Nathan Beaulieu comme appât, il sera intéressant de voir si cette acquisition viendra simplement le remplacer à la défensive ou servira à renflouer un flanc gauche un brin suspect à l’attaque. Car malgré l’embauche d’Alexander Radulov à titre de joueur autonome et les transactions qui ont permis de remplacer Lars Eller par Andrew Shaw, le Canadien manque de punch derrière Max Pacioretty. Le capitaine pourrait amorcer la saison en compagnie d’Alex Galchenyuk et Brendan Gallagher avec qui il a connu du succès l’an dernier. Derrière, on pourrait retrouver Andrew Shaw en compagnie de Tomas Plekanec et Alexander Radulov.
Ensuite ça se complique.
Est-ce que Michael McCarron sera en mesure de piloter le troisième trio? Si oui, David Desharnais sera-t-il muté à l’aile gauche où il a déjà joué dans le passé? Si McCarron n’est pas en mesure d’assumer ce rôle dès cette année, est-ce que le Finlandais Artturi Lehkonen pourrait causer une surprise et se tailler une place avec le grand club dès sa première tentative? Est-ce que le Canadien complétera son attaque avec les Phillip Danault, Torrey Mitchell, Paul Byron, Sven Andrighetto, Charles Hudon, Brian Flynn ou Stefan Matteau?
Les réponses à ces questions viendront au cours des prochaines semaines. Et elles devraient dicter l’avenir de Nathan Beaulieu à Montréal.
Âgé de 23 ans, Beaulieu a marqué deux buts et récolté 17 passes en 64 matchs l’an dernier. En 151 parties en carrière dans la LNH, Beaulieu revendique trois buts et 32 points. Il amorcera en octobre la dernière année d’un contrat de deux ans qui lui rapporte un million $ par saison.
Price rassurant
À titre de membre de l’état-major d’Équipe Canada, Marc Bergevin est fébrile à quelques heures de l’ouverture de la Coupe du monde.
Si le défenseur Shea Weber a démontré lors des matchs préparatoires l’aplomb qui le caractérise, Carey Price a rassuré son patron avec le Canadien. « J’aime ce que Carey nous offre sur la patinoire depuis le début du camp, mais j’aime davantage l’entendre me dire et vous dire qu’il est prêt. Qu’il se sent bien. Qu’il est complètement remis de sa blessure. Et ça, c’est une très bonne nouvelle et pour l’équipe canadienne et pour le Canadien », a conclu Marc Bergevin.
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