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Post by folatre on Aug 21, 2020 21:21:52 GMT -5
The post-season makes me optimistic about the organization's strength down the middle.
There were not really any young guys on defense who opened my eyes this post-season (Mete was decent), but nevertheless I believe the organization possesses good depth on the blue line, with the reasonable chance that a couple of kids could be forces.
What troubles me about this roster construction is the winger group. In particular, I believe there were individuals (Domi, Byron, Tatar, and Gallagher) whose longish-term future with the club should be in serious doubt. In ten post-season games, these guys delivered almost nothing (Domi 0 goals, Byron 1 goal, Tatar 2 goals, and Gallagher 1 goal). And, moreover, none of them have a history of playoff scoring to fall back on.
For me, Bergevin needs to undertake a significant restructuring on the wings. These players have shown little production in their careers when the stakes are high and giving them a vote of confidence would entail investing way more cap space in them than they have actually earned. It is time be creative and build a winger group with both more size and goal.
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 21, 2020 21:26:37 GMT -5
The post-season makes me optimistic about the organization's strength down the middle. There were not really any young guys on defense who opened my eyes this post-season (Mete was decent), but nevertheless I believe the organization possesses good depth on the blue line, with the reasonable chance that a couple of kids could be forces. What troubles me about this roster construction is the winger group. In particular, I believe there were individuals (Domi, Byron, Tatar, and Gallagher) whose longish-term future with the club should be in serious doubt. In ten post-season games, these guys delivered almost nothing (Domi 0 goals, Byron 1 goal, Tatar 2 goals, and Gallagher 1 goal). And, moreover, none of them have a history of playoff scoring to fall back on. For me, Bergevin needs to undertake a significant restructuring on the wings. These players have shown little production in their careers when the stakes are high and giving them a vote of confidence would entail investing way more cap space in them than they have actually earned. It is time be creative and build a winger group with both more size and goal. MB will keep the core together... CJ will play vets over kids...
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Post by Boston_Habs on Aug 21, 2020 21:33:01 GMT -5
I’d trade Gallagher, Drouin, or Domi to get an immediate upgrade on the blue line. Unfortunately I don’t think the trade value of any of those guys is terribly high. Gally will be UFA after next year and I think his best years are behind him. Domi was great last year and lousy this year and in the playoffs but he should have value. Drouin? Ugh. His contact isn’t horrible yet but if he keeps going sideways like this then he is officially a bust.
You always want to deal surplus and we have a surplus of small forwards. We either need a true power forward (not Joel Armia) or a top 4 stud on the back end.
And I’d trade Price too.
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Post by Skilly on Aug 22, 2020 6:39:14 GMT -5
I don’t say this enough
We need offense
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Aug 22, 2020 12:20:50 GMT -5
I don’t say this enough We need offense We keep repeating the problems; we need centers, we need left/right defensemen, we need scorers. After 8 years we need changes at the top before we can address our other shortcomings. We have lots of late draft picks that might get us a mediocre third or fourth liner. That is not a shortage on this team. We need a true first liner who can put up 90 to 100 points a year and we need a builder who can make it happen. Bergevin is not that man and Molson wont fix the problem. Spinning a 24 th place finish and zero playoff series wins into improvement is not the answer.
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Post by Boston_Habs on Aug 22, 2020 12:29:12 GMT -5
I don’t say this enough We need offense Yeah, but it goes beyond that no? This is where an organization needs to be very deliberate about what kind of team or style it wants to be, what kind of talent it has in place, and then construct the roster accordingly. When a team is bad you try to accumulate as many good pieces as possible and the best thing I will say about Bergevin is he has managed to bring in some good pieces by draft and trade. But his “team building” skills and moves have always seemed haphazard and without any real vision. Now we are sitting with Domi, Drouin, Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Gallagher, Tatar. That’s our top 6. Is that the promised land crew? No and it’s not exactly a balanced mix either. This is where I just don’t trust the guy. We are 1-2 right moves away from having a contender but they are not obvious moves and will likely involve moving on from someone we like.
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Post by habsorbed on Aug 22, 2020 12:47:23 GMT -5
Nothing we can do about draft ranking now. We we're never assured of #1 and even #9 could have been a bust. Real question is what did we get out of this playoff. Only answer is an opportunity to evaluate our players. Hopefully MB can make proper assessments and make corrections (I'm not hopeful). Real challenge is to fill the holes before our veterans are too old to help.
My assessment:
Carey and Shea are elite leaders/players. Only concern is their window. Carey, as a goalie, can play top notch for another 3-4 years easy. Shea is more of a concern as he is slowing and seems to struggle with the long grind. I hope he can age like Chara but I fear he's on the slide downward, maybe useful for another year or two.
Thought our Trident of Weber, Chiarot and Petry were among the best in the tourney, and Kulak wasn't bad. In fact our d was not the problem this series. With Romanov, Juulsen, and Fleury i think we're OK on D going forward but one of these has to develop fast before Shea is a liability. Just gotta sort out Petry's contract (and what to do with Weber ,long term). Mete looked better but I'm suspect of him ever being a top 4, too small.
Up front, Suze and KK are the future. Gally is a keeper. I'd keep Danny and Lecky as they are both great defensive 3rd line players and PKers. The rest of the forwards couldn't care less. Hopefully MB took note that Domi, Tatar, and Armia were largely absent for the playoffs - they are not competitive winners. Domi was a bust. If we do keep him he should not be paid more than he is currently getting. Drouin had his moments but way too few and is clearly not an impact player, and remains disengaged for the most part. Does he ever play a game where one says "Wow, that guy can play!"? Seems KK and Suze did that regularly through these playoffs.
Bottom line: MB needs to package these wingers and get an elite scorer or two decent scorers who will compete and fill the net when served up by KK and Suze..
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Aug 22, 2020 13:38:01 GMT -5
I don’t say this enough We need offense Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette, agrees with you, Skilly ... "He has to make some upgrades — especially when it comes to scoring goals." ... I left his article elsewhere on the boards, but here's the link ... Cheers.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 22, 2020 15:59:12 GMT -5
Next year may tell us more about our defense. A quick glance at the 8 survivors shows us these guys.....Heiskanen, Makar, Hughes, Theodore, McAvoy, Hedman, Provorov, Pulock.
Difference makers and puck movers on defense. We have no one in that class and it needs to be a priority if we are become real contenders. While I like Romanov, I'm not sure he'll be in the same class as Heiskanen or Makar or Hughes. There may be hope with Norlinder and Struble and we'll have a better idea of those 2 next year. KK and Suzuki will look after the centre issues and I'd love to see Poehling and Evans round it out in time. Caufield should help in the goal scoring area, but we need more good wingers. Ylonen?
If Management can see to moving some existing more mature players to shore up these weaker areas, we can be more hopeful than we've been in ages.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 22, 2020 17:38:17 GMT -5
It's obvious that I'm not a Shea Weber fan for reasons I've enumerated before. Was reading on Twitter today, after Bergevin's press conference where he praised Weber to high heaven and there were a number of complimentary replies. Bergevins quote - "I don't think there's a single player in the NHL who thinks, 'Great, four playoff games to play against Shea Weber. It's not fun playing against hem at all'". My thought was ok, you're going to get cross checked constantly, but is it really no fun playing against Weber? My reply, before checking any facts out, was "Why not, you're practically guaranteed a win". Then, of course, I had to check out my facts. Weber has been in 13 playoff rounds and has won 3. If I was playing against Weber, Id tell my team to relax, we're practically in the next round. And then, of course I had to check out Subban's record. Sixteen playoff rounds, 9 wins. Just the facts, ma'am. PS. I also found Bergevin's use of four games as an example as very odd. Does he expect his team to be swept every time?
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Post by folatre on Aug 22, 2020 19:22:33 GMT -5
Thanks for that link Dis. I agree with Stu Cowan.
People can say well Montreal on balance outplayed Philadelphia. But that kind of analysis, based on shots and CF%, has to be taken with a grain of salt. Over the six games, the Flyers were generally playing with the lead. Game 6 is case in point. Philly led for 59 minutes and 30 seconds. For a defensive oriented coach like Vigneault, he does not really care if his team gets outshot or outcorsied if they are holding the lead and have the players to thwart the predictable rushes coming at them.
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Post by jkr on Aug 22, 2020 19:37:36 GMT -5
Is Bergevin serious? "We have a team we can be proud of". This is the same team that was going to miss the playoffs dor the 3rd straight year.
He's set the bar so low that winning a best of 5 series is cause for celebration & somehow is proof that he's on the right track.
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 22, 2020 20:34:28 GMT -5
Is Bergevin serious? "We have a team we can be proud of". This is the same team that was going to miss the playoffs dor the 3rd straight year. He's set the bar so low that winning a best of 5 series is cause for celebration & somehow is proof that he's on the right track. Hes saying what he has to to keep his job...
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Aug 23, 2020 18:36:13 GMT -5
Is Bergevin serious? "We have a team we can be proud of". This is the same team that was going to miss the playoffs dor the 3rd straight year. He's set the bar so low that winning a best of 5 series is cause for celebration & somehow is proof that he's on the right track. The Montreal English media aren't giving Marc Bergevin any leeway on this at all ... at least the journalists I've read/heard the past few days, anyway ... I follow Stu Cowen on Twitter, and he's fed up with the lip service ... Andrew Zadarnowski says that, while the team had a better system than the Flyers, they lacked the talent to put them away ... one of the positives that came out of the series is that, the Habs may have finally sorted out their centre issue and it only took a couple of decades to do it ... not sure I have any concerns about the future of the defence corps, either, but other than that, as someone already said, the playoffs aren't guaranteed next season ... they'll have to get better and there are a lot of teams getting better out there, too ... Cheers.
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Post by GNick99 on Aug 24, 2020 6:13:23 GMT -5
Is Bergevin serious? "We have a team we can be proud of". This is the same team that was going to miss the playoffs dor the 3rd straight year. He's set the bar so low that winning a best of 5 series is cause for celebration & somehow is proof that he's on the right track. Start to see parts come together. Never before we had offensive stars at center this young. Bouchard since he took over been uptick in Laval. Rockets were starting to come together in 2nd half if season. Some of that was passed onto Habs in playoffs. Our farm system is among best in league and starting to produce. Trade department since we moved away from Rick Dudley been upgrade. Pacioretty, Galcehrnyuk. Armia last year, Chiarot, Scandella, Kovalchik this. Since we revamped draft in '16, been much better. With 14 picks in this one I think we can add another Suzuki. In first round, 2nd round with 3 picks I am positive add another solid player. In cap front, we played on average 8 million under for 3 years. Before covid team was making tons of money. Canadiens have best local tv contract in NHL. There's not even close 2nd. I am satisfied with how team is doing. Parity in league right. We no longer have advantage. Getting in playoffs and 1 cup every 30 years fact of life now. If Q players all belong to us again we would be annual cup winner though. Pierre Luc Dubuois, Bergeron, Couturier, Danault down the middle. Huberdeau, Gaudreau, Giroux scoring wingers. Chabot and Letang anchor defense. Powerful team. Fleury in net. Lafreniere be in our system. Not hard to dynasty like that.
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Post by BadCompany on Aug 24, 2020 9:57:42 GMT -5
I think we are closer to being the 96 point team of 2018-19, than the team we saw for most of 2019-20. In my opinion our downfall wasn’t lack of talent, but lack of depth. When the injuries hit, we just couldn’t maintain the torrid pace we had coming out of the gate.
“But every team has injuries, it’s no excuse.”
Of course. Which is why I think lack of depth was our main problem. There was NOBODY in Laval ready to play a top 9 or top 4 role, even if only for 10-15 games.
Think of our depth over the last few years. Behind Price we had Tokarski, Niemi, Kinkaid, and Lindgren. On defense our callups were Reilly, Schlemko, Folin, and a 19 year old Victor Mete. Up front, Chaput, Weise, Agostino, Peca… Most of those guys aren’t even NHL players, let alone temporary top four defensemen or top 9 forwards.
So we had no depth. It’s normal that a callup would be over their heads in a top role, but some of these guys were over their heads just being in the NHL. No wonder we faltered once injuries hit.
So… what to do?
(breaking this up into multiple posts, for readability)
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Post by BadCompany on Aug 24, 2020 10:04:14 GMT -5
Center
We have some strong depth here, but still not enough.
Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Danault, Evans, Poehling. Pretty good… except you don’t want Evans and Poehling in a 4th line rotation. One of them should be in Laval, playing top minutes.
Solution: Sign somebody like Nate Thompson. Or you know, Nate Thompson. He would come cheap, and he’d take one year only. He’ll play 4th line minutes when needed, and could help mentor guys like Evans and Poehling. Show them that just making it isn’t enough, you have to work hard to stay as well. Once injuries hit you can move Evans/Poehling up in the lineup, and not really embarrass yourself in a way you would by moving up say, Jordan Weal.
Defense
Left: Chiarot, Kulak, Mete, Romanov, Ouellet, Leskinen. On the left we are 4-5 deep to cover injuries. Not as bad as claimed. More so if Kulak is the real deal. There is more coming from recent draft picks, but they are few years away.
Right: Petry, Weber, Juulsen, Fleury, Brook. We have depth here as well, in Juulsen and Fleury, but it’s untested.
Solution: I don’t believe offer sheets work, so I’m not counting on a Sergachev or Dunn to come to the rescue, and since I think our main problem is depth I don’t want to make any 3 for 1 deals to acquire them. MAYBE sign a depth defenseman for Laval, who can also play as a 6th or 7th in the NHL. Yannic Weber perhaps.
Goalies
Who will backup Price? I think everybody agrees that Primeau should be #1 in Laval, so he’s out … but not for long. Which means that we don’t want to sign a backup for longer than one year. So no Lehner or Halak types. But if we go with somebody willing to take a one year deal (Talbot?), then we run the risk of being back in Niemi/Kinkaid territory – trying to force a veteran reclamation project into a role they can no longer play.
Trade? Again, we don’t really want somebody longer than a year, so we’re hamstrung by that. Worth exploring, but we don’t want to overpay for a one year backup.
The wildcard in all this is Vasily Demchenko, the 26 year old they signed out of the KHL. I don’t think a veteran KHL player would sign with Montreal just to play backup in the AHL.
Solution: I have none.
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Post by BadCompany on Aug 24, 2020 10:04:25 GMT -5
Wingers
THIS is our area of big concern, if you ask me. Once we started losing wingers we had nobody to replace them. Hudon was the closest thing we had, and he’s an AHL tweener. This year doesn’t look much better. Ylonen is the only prospect in Laval and he’s probably at least a year away. Caufield is coming, but unless something happens with the NCAA season (and it might) he won’t be available next year at all.
UFAs are a long shot, so I’m not going to consider them.
Solution: Strategic trades. Obviously the goal would be to pull off another Pacioretty type deal. Where we get a player AND a prospect who can step in when needed. But the only player we have who could bring us back that kind of return is Gallagher, and despite me saying we should do it, it’s not going to happen. I wouldn’t trade Domi (or Drouin) because we’re unlikely to get a top 10 pick for them, and I don’t particularly care for a low first rounder, or multiple seconds. Any deal involving those two would probably be a 1 for 1, which is just shuffling the deck (Jesse Puljujarvi?). Not saying we can’t get a good deal out of that (as we did with Galchenyuk), but it’s not going to address our depth problem.
Our best option is another Armia deal. Use the cap space. There are a LOT of possibilities here. Turris, Lucic, Eriksson… heck, a Tyler Bozak deal could solve both our 4th line center AND our winger depth problem. This is the year to really weaponize our cap space (and then worry about the ramifications it has on next year, next year).
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 24, 2020 11:38:43 GMT -5
Sorry boys, but scaredy-Berg will shuffle the deck chairs and pick up someone off of waivers... He'll keep the cap space for a playoff run... Anything can happen!!!
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Post by seventeen on Aug 24, 2020 13:26:53 GMT -5
CenterGoaliesWho will backup Price? I think everybody agrees that Primeau should be #1 in Laval, so he’s out … but not for long. Which means that we don’t want to sign a backup for longer than one year. So no Lehner or Halak types. But if we go with somebody willing to take a one year deal (Talbot?), then we run the risk of being back in Niemi/Kinkaid territory – trying to force a veteran reclamation project into a role they can no longer play. Trade? Again, we don’t really want somebody longer than a year, so we’re hamstrung by that. Worth exploring, but we don’t want to overpay for a one year backup. The wildcard in all this is Vasily Demchenko, the 26 year old they signed out of the KHL. I don’t think a veteran KHL player would sign with Montreal just to play backup in the AHL. Solution: I have none. I think I brought this up after they signed Demchenko. ONe year he split the duties with Francouz, who is now with the Avs. Francouz's numbers were slightly better but not a whoel bunch (.946 vs .931). He could be a very adequate solution.
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Post by UberCranky on Aug 24, 2020 14:15:43 GMT -5
What about them Russkies? Me hear there could be some that are better then AHL cat food.
Bbinz, buddy, prove to us that you aren't an expensive lawn ornament and try out some of them Russkies...
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Post by BadCompany on Aug 24, 2020 15:44:13 GMT -5
I think I brought this up after they signed Demchenko. ONe year he split the duties with Francouz, who is now with the Avs. Francouz's numbers were slightly better but not a whoel bunch (.946 vs .931). He could be a very adequate solution. Our pro scouting department has done a pretty good job of late, with the exception of goalie evaluation. Where they continue to suck. So it remains to be seen whether or not they hit one out with Demchenko. Normally Bergevin isn't shy to come right out and name drop a player, but he made no mention of Demchenko when asked about a possible backup for Price. So I guess we'll find out.
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Post by Skilly on Aug 24, 2020 17:00:15 GMT -5
I think I brought this up after they signed Demchenko. ONe year he split the duties with Francouz, who is now with the Avs. Francouz's numbers were slightly better but not a whoel bunch (.946 vs .931). He could be a very adequate solution. Our pro scouting department has done a pretty good job of late, with the exception of goalie evaluation. Where they continue to suck. So it remains to be seen whether or not they hit one out with Demchenko. Normally Bergevin isn't shy to come right out and name drop a player, but he made no mention of Demchenko when asked about a possible backup for Price. So I guess we'll find out. What’s wrong with the playoff back up , you know Lindgren
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Post by Boston_Habs on Aug 24, 2020 17:04:14 GMT -5
BC, so your solution is a Nate Thompson type at center, a depth dman, and another Armia type deal for a winger?
You must REALLY think this team is close.
Bergevin probably shares your view. Some tinkering around the edges, but nothing too drastic. Certainly nothing with any risk (real or reputation) such as dealing Price or Weber or Drouin. And I'm not saying he HAS to trade one of those guys, but I'm not convinced we so close where it's just a matter of filling a few holes.
Personally, I think the left side of the D needs work. Ben Chiarot looks great for a couple of weeks and all of a sudden people forget that he's basically a depth dman. Same with Kulak. It's way harder to hide flaws over 82 games than it is over a few weeks. Is Kulak really a top 4 guy?
I think he needs to find a way to deal with the repetition up front with Gionta and Cammalleri... sorry, Domi and Drouin. Just too much of the same kind of player. I'd explore moving Gallagher, Tatar, Domi, or Drouin for either a rugged scoring winger or a top 4 dman. I'd also deal Price or Weber, but I suspect their trade value isn't that high unless it involves taking an equally onerous contract back. I keep thinking Price or Weber would look great in Toronto if we could pry one of their big forwards. I'd even take Nylander and then use him as part of another deal if we had to.
Berg plays it too safe. After 8 years I've had enough of that, but honestly I don't trust him to make the tough move, the hard choices. I don't think he's bright enough, strategic enough, and I don't think he listens to anyone who really challenges him and his preconceived notions. His inner circle has always struck me as a bunch of ex-player/jocks and old school coaches like Therrien and Julien. He wouldn't know what to do with a guy like Kyle Dubas or a Jon Cooper in Tampa.
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Post by UberCranky on Aug 24, 2020 18:40:15 GMT -5
Letz ma be cleer...unnaturally clear....
Bbinz ain't spending a single peso. His excuse is that he has to re-sign Gally, Tatar and Petry, so the next 8 million are going to the exact same place the other 24 million went. Deep into his pocket.....laughing all the way.
Seriously people, we got Ballard Jr and there is absolutely NOTHING we can do about it.
I'm resigned to the reality that i will not see a cup in my lifetime.
The only thing i suggest is that you work on detaching yourself from the ups and DOWNS.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 24, 2020 23:19:18 GMT -5
BC, so your solution is a Nate Thompson type at center, a depth dman, and another Armia type deal for a winger? You must REALLY think this team is close. Bergevin probably shares your view. Some tinkering around the edges, but nothing too drastic. Certainly nothing with any risk (real or reputation) such as dealing Price or Weber or Drouin. And I'm not saying he HAS to trade one of those guys, but I'm not convinced we so close where it's just a matter of filling a few holes. Personally, I think the left side of the D needs work. Ben Chiarot looks great for a couple of weeks and all of a sudden people forget that he's basically a depth dman. Same with Kulak. It's way harder to hide flaws over 82 games than it is over a few weeks. Is Kulak really a top 4 guy? I think he needs to find a way to deal with the repetition up front with Gionta and Cammalleri... sorry, Domi and Drouin. Just too much of the same kind of player. I'd explore moving Gallagher, Tatar, Domi, or Drouin for either a rugged scoring winger or a top 4 dman. I'd also deal Price or Weber, but I suspect their trade value isn't that high unless it involves taking an equally onerous contract back. I keep thinking Price or Weber would look great in Toronto if we could pry one of their big forwards. I'd even take Nylander and then use him as part of another deal if we had to. Berg plays it too safe. After 8 years I've had enough of that, but honestly I don't trust him to make the tough move, the hard choices. I don't think he's bright enough, strategic enough, and I don't think he listens to anyone who really challenges him and his preconceived notions. His inner circle has always struck me as a bunch of ex-player/jocks and old school coaches like Therrien and Julien. He wouldn't know what to do with a guy like Kyle Dubas or a Jon Cooper in Tampa. This is my take as well. Stu Cowan's article in the Gazette quoted Bergevin on a couple of the above points. Weber and Price are untouchable. They are THE CORE and are needed for success in the future. Hm. I can go along with Price if he's motivated), but I don't have the same opinion as Berg about Weber's longevity. People want to compare him to Chara, but there are noticable signs that late in the season, Weber's game goes south. While he may be the Man Mountain, Chara is the whole Himalayan range. I also think recency bias is affecting our judgment right now. A decent performance against Pittsburgh and outplaying Philly for portions has given us a an impression the team has a certain amount of talent. Has seeing the Islanders handle the Flyers like they did in Game 1 changed your opinion at all? KK and Suzuki looked great and (because they're young and improving) their performance can be repeated, but what about Kulak? Drouin? Armia? Joel looked like Jamie Benn at some points of the season and then tailed off. The points BH brought up above are real concerns. For example I'm just not sure what kind of player Chiarot is. He wasn't that solid in Winnipeg and at his age the odds of real improvement aren't high, though it's happened before. In that same interview, Bergevin downplayed his CAP space, citing the need for using it 'wisely'. I gather he means not using it, because that fits the 'playing it safe' MO we've become accustomed to seeing from him. He doesn't have CAP problems this coming year. The next? absolutely, but that's part of a much bigger picture. UFA's coming up are Tatar, Danault, Gallagher, Petry and Armia. I'm not counting Weal. Unfortunately that's not a well structured contract schedule, but at least it forces his hand to make some decisions. If he had moved a couple of those guys in February, we'd be no worse off this year (maybe even with a higher pick) and there'd be more CAP space available. I still find it frustrating that teams like Carolina can use their cap space to pick up a Terevainen and the Leafs #1 pick, which will be better than #16, while we celebrate acquiring Joel Armia. Armia is a decent player and getting him was fine, but it was yet another 'safe' move by Bergevin. For the amount of money invested (Mason's salary plus Armia's salary = $4MM) could we just have gotten some other UFA for 3 years? Cowan makes the point that there are some critical decisions coming up for Bergevin. I have little confidence that when he's finished making them, we'll be better off.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 24, 2020 23:31:50 GMT -5
?
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 25, 2020 7:25:23 GMT -5
? Domi must still be pissed about 4th line duty, it would explain his uninspired play... As for Drouin, I have no idea why he plays uninspired.. fear? Lack of Desire? Golden Child syndrome?
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Post by Skilly on Aug 25, 2020 7:46:01 GMT -5
? Where is this "MTL" suppose to have been on his pages?
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Post by CentreHice on Aug 25, 2020 8:29:21 GMT -5
Berg plays it too safe. After 8 years I've had enough of that, but honestly I don't trust him to make the tough move, the hard choices. I don't think he's bright enough, strategic enough, and I don't think he listens to anyone who really challenges him and his preconceived notions. Some forwards are career bottom 6ers. Some dmen are career 3rd pairings. Some goalies are career backups. It would follow that some GMs are career bottom tier. Doesn't matter how many years they put in. There's a hard CAP on their talent/competency. The problem in Montreal is REAL pressure. Not from the media or fans. I'm talking pressure from a line of competent candidates champing at the bit. Who's next in our line? IS there a line? If the answers are respectively "NO ONE" and "NO"...there's our problem. Unearned job security in the top office. Instead, little victories and improvements are spun into optimism...like an Armia hat-trick. End result is always the same. Anomalous mirages. One can only imagine Berg's record without a pistol-hot Price for most of it.
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