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Post by blny on Mar 24, 2018 20:22:35 GMT -5
Not exactly overwhelming numbers.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 24, 2018 20:46:34 GMT -5
Smaller guy who has not even put up a PPG in his fifth season.
Really?
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Post by blny on Mar 24, 2018 20:48:26 GMT -5
Smaller guy who has not even put up a PPG in his fifth season. Really? CHaracter? |
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Post by blny on Mar 24, 2018 20:52:49 GMT -5
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Post by folatre on Mar 24, 2018 20:54:07 GMT -5
Nothing about his age, size, speed, or productivity with the Soo screams legitimate NHL prospect but who knows. His uncle obviously was feisty and had soft hands and high hockey IQ. Maybe Muller put in a good word with management on behalf of former mate.
Kind of odd given the lad's uncle works for Yzerman that Tampa would not use a professional contract on the kid.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 24, 2018 23:29:36 GMT -5
Hard working, young, small, skill is overrated...checks all of Berg’s boxes.
I will give the guy a chance, we have tons of contract room, but for love of all things important...give contracts to some skill too please.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 25, 2018 1:23:44 GMT -5
Bergevin is usually behind the times so I can only think he believes he’s signed Pat Vebeek, along with drafting Keith Primeau rather than Cayden and Larry Carriere rather than Nic Carriere. If Hans Einstein was available Berg would sign him too.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 25, 2018 10:57:22 GMT -5
The kid does have some wheels. Will add some speed and depth to Laval.
The Habs are also linked to a couple of forwards from the Q. We shall see who else they add. The big NCAA free agent is LHD Connor Brinkley who is close to picking his team. He has had a lot of suitors. Jimmy Schuldt is another LHD and team mate of Poehling.
Verbeek and SSM are on Sportsnet today at 3:00 EDT. Will have to watch him for the first time,
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Post by blny on Mar 25, 2018 11:11:35 GMT -5
Hard working, young, small, skill is overrated...checks all of Berg’s boxes. I will give the guy a chance, we have tons of contract room, but for love of all things important...give contracts to some skill too please. The Lightning recently signed Q league overage standout Alex Barre-Boulet. He's small, but scored 116 points for Blainville this season, while his closest teammate was 30 pints behind. Undrafted, Tampa gave him a 3 year contract. That's across the river from Laval, and in Montreal's backyard. Sure, there would be critics who'd say Berg signed the next Desharnais, and that may be all he is. I just see a guy with a shot at being more of an impact. The following scouting report says foot speed is an issue, which lends my Desharnais comparable. But, if skate faster than you can think you're not much good. dobberprospects.com/alex-barre-boulet/ |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 25, 2018 12:15:50 GMT -5
Hard working, young, small, skill is overrated...checks all of Berg’s boxes. I will give the guy a chance, we have tons of contract room, but for love of all things important...give contracts to some skill too please. The Lightning recently signed Q league overage standout Alex Barre-Boulet. He's small, but scored 116 points for Blainville this season, while his closest teammate was 30 pints behind. Undrafted, Tampa gave him a 3 year contract. That's across the river from Laval, and in Montreal's backyard. Sure, there would be critics who'd say Berg signed the next Desharnais, and that may be all he is. I just see a guy with a shot at being more of an impact. The following scouting report says foot speed is an issue, which lends my Desharnais comparable. But, if skate faster than you can think you're not much good. dobberprospects.com/alex-barre-boulet/I read somewhere this week that the Habs were in on him, but he picked Tampa. The Habs are linked to Alexandre Alain, who is second in team scoring to Barre-Boulet. Alain was at the Habs development camp as well. 6’2” Centre. |
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Post by PTH on Mar 25, 2018 13:10:32 GMT -5
The Lightning recently signed Q league overage standout Alex Barre-Boulet. He's small, but scored 116 points for Blainville this season, while his closest teammate was 30 pints behind. Undrafted, Tampa gave him a 3 year contract. That's across the river from Laval, and in Montreal's backyard. Sure, there would be critics who'd say Berg signed the next Desharnais, and that may be all he is. I just see a guy with a shot at being more of an impact. The following scouting report says foot speed is an issue, which lends my Desharnais comparable. But, if skate faster than you can think you're not much good. dobberprospects.com/alex-barre-boulet/I read somewhere this week that the Habs were in on him, but he picked Tampa. The Habs are linked to Alexandre Alain, who is second in team scoring to Barre-Boulet. Alain was at the Habs development camp as well. 6’2” Centre. And I can tell you, these guys are the kind of signings that show local fans if their team is "dialled-into" local talent and pays attention to the market it's in. Of course, they can't sign everyone out of the Quebec league, but they should usually be the team at the top of the list for most Q players signed and drafted. They aren't. I've come to think that's why Timmins should be fired - not for his overall drafting record, but for his inability to detect local talent. |
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Post by seventeen on Mar 25, 2018 13:11:44 GMT -5
Hard working, young, small, skill is overrated...checks all of Berg’s boxes. I will give the guy a chance, we have tons of contract room, but for love of all things important...give contracts to some skill too please. The Lightning recently signed Q league overage standout Alex Barre-Boulet. He's small, but scored 116 points for Blainville this season, while his closest teammate was 30 pints behind. Undrafted, Tampa gave him a 3 year contract. That's across the river from Laval, and in Montreal's backyard. Sure, there would be critics who'd say Berg signed the next Desharnais, and that may be all he is. I just see a guy with a shot at being more of an impact. The following scouting report says foot speed is an issue, which lends my Desharnais comparable. But, if skate faster than you can think you're not much good. dobberprospects.com/alex-barre-boulet/After Barre-Boulet was signed I believe there was an article in a Montreal paper which might have been critical of the Habs avoiding QMJHL talent. I'm not sure that's the case given Bergevin's focus on local guys, but it is interesting that there now 'appears' to be more interest in Q league players than before the article. Or it's just coincidence. Who knows? |
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Post by PTH on Mar 25, 2018 13:12:01 GMT -5
I figured they saw him as a Shaw/Gallagher type, though in fairness, if he becomes a Daniel Carr we'll be coming out ahead already. |
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Post by seventeen on Mar 25, 2018 13:18:57 GMT -5
I've come to think that's why Timmins should be fired - not for his overall drafting record, but for his inability to detect local talent. I'm not sure one should blame the head scout for picking the guys at the top of his list, regardless of where they come from. I wouldn't want my head scout recommend Swedish kids just because they're Swedish (though in the last few decade, Sweden has done a better job than most at developing NHL talent and one could have been successful with that strategy). I believe the Habs were very intent on Dubois and Comtois in the last 2 drafts but obviously didn't have a high enough pick to get them. Comtois was not as good a choice as Poehling at #25. No one would trade Poehling for Comtois right now, so it was the right choice. Gotta go with best player available unless they're equal in talent and potential. |
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Post by seventeen on Mar 25, 2018 13:44:38 GMT -5
Hard working, young, small, skill is overrated...checks all of Berg’s boxes. I will give the guy a chance, we have tons of contract room, but for love of all things important...give contracts to some skill too please. There's a formula out there for equating Juniour performance to how the players have done after leaving juniour to extrapolate the odds of them making the NHL. I can't recall the details, but I think not scoring 1 ppg in your final year is not good at all. Not doing it in your overage year is pretty well a washout. Now, one can never say never, but for example, DD's ppg in his last normal juniour year was 1.87 and in his overage year was 1.77. Verbeek's equivalent numbers were .48 and .91, about half as much at best. That's not a good indicator. |
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Post by blny on Mar 25, 2018 13:54:42 GMT -5
I've come to think that's why Timmins should be fired - not for his overall drafting record, but for his inability to detect local talent. It would depend, for me, on how the amateur scouting department works. When you're preparing for a draft your pool is the entire hockey world. It's been a long time since Quebec produced the best players in the world. You can't be blind to local talent, but it shouldn't be your driving principle. As the link I shared re ABB points out, there was a reason he was passed over by everyone through 3 drafts. However, if your amateur scouting department continues to mine for overage talent that falls into the 'late bloomer' category I think it's doing its job. NWT claims they were in on him, which would at the very least suggest they saw him and thought enough to inquire. I can certainly see why he'd choose Tampa - for a plethora of reasons. Not drafting him shouldn't fall on Timmins anymore than the other GMs. Had they completely ignored his final season and not reached out, that would be a negative. It's not like ABB is a sure thing, but he is talented and it would be an infusion of skill at the AHL level with a shot of becoming a usable NHLer. |
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Post by Anardil1 on Mar 25, 2018 14:36:47 GMT -5
Just typical Montreal French media. And if Barré-Boulet amounts to nothing, like most, we won't hear a peep from them saying that they were wrong.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 25, 2018 15:43:07 GMT -5
The reality is that most undrafted free agents are undrafted for a reason.
They don’t cost anything, so worth a shot. Everyone wants to find that rare late bloomer though.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 25, 2018 18:25:21 GMT -5
Wow, did SSM dominate that game. 8-0 final with the last two goals seriously filthy highlight reel material.
Verbeek seemed to be as advertised. Very quick and always engaged, forechecking, chasing the puck down. Saw some nice vision with some good passes. Always buzzing out there. Not the top end skill for sure but a guy who plays hard.
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Post by PTH on Mar 25, 2018 19:34:10 GMT -5
Just typical Montreal French media. And if Barré-Boulet amounts to nothing, like most, we won't hear a peep from them saying that they were wrong. Well, if they drafted and signed more than their fair share of local talent, someone else giving a chance to a guy from the Q would be under the radar. If, as it is now, we seem to have a management group that doesn't care about the local content aspect until it becomes a problem, then it's going to be an ongoing problem. With the 1993 cup team, for example, we could probably swing an anglo coach - because it had Daigneault, Brisebois, Desjardins, Damphousse, Lebeau, Roy, Racicot, Brunet and maybe others. But if you don't consider the local content aspect and then trade high picks for local guys, feel forced to draft local kids (Leblanc) or are forced to recycle coaches because it's the only available option, then you know you have an incompetent management group, since this is the reality of the local market. To people here it's "the French media", to most of the Habs fanbase (people who actually buy tickets), it's just, reality. |
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Post by The Habitual Fan on Mar 25, 2018 19:57:56 GMT -5
I figured they saw him as a Shaw/Gallagher type, though in fairness, if he becomes a Daniel Carr we'll be coming out ahead already. A fast skater and hard worker who is relentless on the forecheck and does a good job on the defensive side separating players from the puck plus he is a center. Sounds like he could possibly be a potential 3rd line center whose main role would be killing penalties. Sure you are not going to find the next Lafleur being undrafted and playing in college but every team needs depth players and no harm in seeing the kid in Laval for a couple of years to see how he works out. The Habs have signed a few kids from ex-NHLers in Thomas, Audette and Samulesson and haven't found one to stick yet so maybe a nephew will have more luck. I prefer they look at players that may help out the future rather than where they were born. It is bad enough they limit themselves to coaches and GM's without adding players to the list. |
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Post by PTH on Mar 25, 2018 20:06:45 GMT -5
I've come to think that's why Timmins should be fired - not for his overall drafting record, but for his inability to detect local talent. I'm not sure one should blame the head scout for picking the guys at the top of his list, regardless of where they come from. I wouldn't want my head scout recommend Swedish kids just because they're Swedish (though in the last few decade, Sweden has done a better job than most at developing NHL talent and one could have been successful with that strategy). I believe the Habs were very intent on Dubois and Comtois in the last 2 drafts but obviously didn't have a high enough pick to get them. Comtois was not as good a choice as Poehling at #25. No one would trade Poehling for Comtois right now, so it was the right choice. Gotta go with best player available unless they're equal in talent and potential. In a way I agree, but every team has draft preferences. It makes no sense that the Q isn't by far the Habs go-to league, by default, rather than US High school and college players, as Timmins likes to go for. |
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Post by Cranky on Mar 25, 2018 20:35:27 GMT -5
The Q league is easy to scout so there it's highly unlikely that the Habs will find hidden gems. If anything, all those eyes would have outliers who may see more then there is.....while a kid in Siberia may have a couple of eyeballs and never get the attention.
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