Briere to Montreal?

[Deleted]

Briere has only excelled due to the hard work of his linemates. In Montreal he will fail because he does not do a lot of the hard work for himself. This will only be another Samsonov scenario. He will not work out. Drury would be a much better pick, IMHO.

[CentreHice]

mattdhf said:

Briere has only excelled due to the hard work of his linemates. In Montreal he will fail because he does not do a lot of the hard work for himself. This will only be another Samsonov scenario. He will not work out. Drury would be a much better pick, IMHO.

Today, Bill Watters said, "Good luck to Montreal if they think Briere will be their answer." Basically saying, he'll be a $6 million floater. We already have one at 4.5. Imagine 10.5 million in hovercrafts.

Watters thinks that both Briere and Drury will get around the 6 million mark....and that neither are worth it.....much like his ongoing tirade re: the Leafs overspending on McCabe and Kubina.

[Skilly]

centrehice said:

mattdhf said:

Briere has only excelled due to the hard work of his linemates. In Montreal he will fail because he does not do a lot of the hard work for himself. This will only be another Samsonov scenario. He will not work out. Drury would be a much better pick, IMHO.

Today, Bill Watters said, "Good luck to Montreal if they think Briere will be their answer." Basically saying, he'll be a $6 million floater. We already have one at 4.5. Imagine 10.5 million in hovercrafts.

Watters thinks that both Briere and Drury will get around the 6 million mark....and that neither are worth it.....much like his ongoing tirade re: the Leafs overspending on McCabe and Kubina.

And they would be our second line center. At 6 million? No bleeping way!!

[Doc Holliday]

skilly said:

And they would be our second line center. At 6 million? No bleeping way!!

Call them second line center as much as you like, I'd much rather pay 6mil for a 32g, 95pts, +17 guy, than 4.75mil for a 22g, 75pts, -21 guy.

[Douper]

Call them second line center as much as you like, I'd much rather pay 6mil for a 32g, 95pts, +17 guy, than 4.75mil for a 22g, 75pts, -21 guy.

I like the 95pts but there's no way he's +17 on our team... Not the way we play team defense. The +17 is a direct result of the Buffalo system and Ryan Miller.

If Briere is like Marc Savard and it doesn't matter where or who he plays with then yes, pay him 6+ but if not... We will be complaining about the signing for years. (Savard proved me wrong, I thought he was going to stink it up in Beantown)

[clear observer]

douper said:

The +17 is a direct result of the Buffalo system and Ryan Miller.

And by extension, so is the 95 pts. No way in hell Briere scores 95 pts as a Hab in 06-07 nor 07-08. If you ask me, Koivu's 75 pts were in many respects amazing, +/- notwithstanding.

Given that, I'd love to see Briere in a Hab jersey this fall...but no way would I expect 90+ pts with the "D" that THIS team will ice.

CO

[Disgruntled70sHab]

admin said:

douper said:

The +17 is a direct result of the Buffalo system and Ryan Miller.

And by extension, so is the 95 pts. No way in hell Briere scores 95 pts as a Hab in 06-07 nor 07-08. If you ask me, Koivu's 75 pts were in many respects amazing, +/- notwithstanding.

CO

I believe it's largely due not so much to a lack of talent, but not enough talented players on the Habs who legitimately give a hoot. Buffalo has buy-in to their coach's philosophy while some of our veterans basically sulked.

That might be the difference in Briere coming into Montreal as the saviour and him leaving a failure. Applies to any other player as a matter of fact.

Cheers.

[duster]

The more I see Briere in this playoff, the more I'm convinced he is not the solution. There is no way he can carry a team on his back the way that Koivu does so why pay him more ? Same for Drury.

The $6 million or whatever is better spent on a decent defense.

[habmeister]

duster said:

The more I see Briere in this playoff, the more I'm convinced he is not the solution. There is no way he can carry a team on his back the way that Koivu does so why pay him more ? Same for Drury.

The $6 million or whatever is better spent on a decent defense.

or ryan smyth...he shows up big time in the playoffs. i think we need a warrior on the forward lines that can score. maybe lats will become, hopefully sooner, but i think we need a hard working whl leader type on our club big time.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Well, the Toronto Star seems to think Gainey is interested in Briere. Wonder if there is enough cap space to sign he, Drury and Vanek.

Briere shuffling out of Buffalo?

Sabres star a free agent with Drury
May 20, 2007 04:30 AM
Paul Hunter
Sports Reporter

BUFFALO–Daniel Briere, his Sabres just eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, seemed reluctant to leave the HSBC Arena ice yesterday, taking a long, last look around before departing.

The speculation has been lingering too and the thought is that this loss in the Eastern Conference final may have been Briere's last twirl on the ice in Buffalo uniform.

The 29-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and there are rumours that both Philadelphia, where his close friend and former roommate Martin Biron now plays, and Montreal will be among the teams making a substantial pitch for him.

In the salary-cap world, it will be difficult for Buffalo to keep both Briere and Chris Drury, the team's two biggest stars and co-captains, who both hit the marketplace this summer. Thomas Vanek will also add pressure to the payroll when he becomes a restricted free agent.

"It wasn't about one last look," said Briere of his final moments on the ice. "You don't want to leave. You want to keep playing. You want to take that next step. I had the feeling that this year was our year. It was tough to swallow."

Briere said he is "hoping" to be back with the Sabres to continue building towards a championship "but, at this point, the last of my worries is what will happen in the next few weeks."

One of the reasons Briere said he'd like to remain in Buffalo is the fan support. Apart from yesterday's being the team's 59th consecutive home sellout, there were another 10,000 fans partying in the plaza outside the rink, watching the game live on a giant screen.

He said the players saw the scene on the TV in the dressing room.

"It felt like the city was there, that the whole city was behind us," he said. "Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps. It was something special we shared with the fans this year. That's part of what hurts the most. The feeling that we let them down."

As much as Briere would like to stay, economic realities might dictate otherwise. Certainly, the Sabres, a team deep with young talent, will have a new look. Teppo Numminen and Adam Mair are also unrestricted free agents.

"The tough part is that this team will probably not play another game together," said forward Jason Pominville. "We all meant well. We all battled to the end. It's disappointing. It's painful. It hurts."

I'm kind of skeptical about this though, guys. As much as I'd like to see Briere in Montreal the whole scenario is developing the same way the hype around Lecavalier did last year. I do want him in Montreal but I'm not holding my breath.

And as someone also said earlier in the thread, Philadelphia is also rumoured to be in the running too. Can't disregard the Sabres either. Briere does like it there.

Cheers.

the scoop

[Doc Holliday]

Reading the article, Briere seem to enjoy playing in a city where hockey is important and the fans are behind the team. That's good.

I do agree with Duster that Briere can't carry a team on his back like a Levavalier can, but neither can Koivu. Briere would be our best offensive player and before focusing on guys that shows up big for the playoff, I think we need to focus on guys that shows up big all season long in order to get us in the playoffs. If Gainey wants to keep Koivu, than having another center who can get 90pts will help a lot, even Koivu himself.

[seventeen]

It helps the whole team if there are two quality offensive centres on a team. Who does the opposition key on?

I also wouldn't make too big a deal out of Briere's lack of playoff production. Datsyuk had the same 'rap' on him and he's been a force this year.

[Anardil1]

While Briere would be a nice signing, I would prefer Drury. Briere is another 1 trick pony. (Yes his 1 trick is damned impressive). Drury just brings more to the table. Yes we lose about 25 points, but IMO Drury kills penalties, plays more physically, blocks shots. He's also a good leader and winner. By signing Drury, (highly unlikely IMO) the Habs only lose some offense and local star presence. Hell, I'd even like Zubrus. He is a better player now than when he was traded, plus he has mentioned that he would like to return to Montreal, something that I haven't heard Briere mention.

[seventeen]

I'd be happier with the one trick pony. We have guys who'll throw themselves in front of shots, kill penalties etc. I want someone who'll have defensemen leaving a trail of ammonia as they chase him.

[MC Habber]

seventeen said:

I'd be happier with the one trick pony. We have guys who'll throw themselves in front of shots, kill penalties etc. I want someone who'll have defensemen leaving a trail of ammonia as they chase him.

I might agree, but is Briere really that one trick pony? Prior to this season, his best season was 65 points. As it happens, Mike Ribeiro got 65 points that same year (and Ribeiro's +/- was 22 better than Briere's). Briere has only had 1 and a half really good years, so I'd be reluctant to pay him what he's likely to get, and I'd be reluctant to choose him over a complete player and clutch performer like Drury.

[insomnius]

I also would be a bit gunshy about Briere due to his lack of size.

[HFTO]

Would Briere get 90 points here?.........although capable I get that sinking feeling he'd be in that 65 -75 point range.
Definitely that production would help but it wouldn't be enough to take this team to the level it needs to be(and that's not just making the playoffs or winning a round).
I do think we need Briere but also don't believe he is the one player to put us over the top,which begs......... is his price tag going to be worth it?
HFTO

[Deleted]

Drury's leadership is unmatched. He works hard, carries the team on his back and as already mentioned, is all about the team. There have been several complaints on this board that the Habs lack leadership severely. Will we get that with 90 points from Briere for regular season success? We already have players who are ready to take the next step offensively. We need leaders. I want Drury.

[HABSLAND]

I am skeptical about Briere, and the fact that the Montreal media is ready to crucify Gainey if he doesn't sign him scares me. I like Briere but 6 million for a 4-5 year contract scares me alot. He doesn't have the support team like he did in Buffalo for sure here, plus the fact the Habs need size, grit, toughness, especially in the playoffs where they might get pushed around, I don't see Briere as our guy. Anyways its not like I will be disapointed if he lands here, its the price we pay him, I don't consider he is a superstar for him to get 6 mil.

[HABsurd]

habsland said:

I am skeptical about Briere, and the fact that the Montreal media is ready to crucify Gainey if he doesn't sign him scares me. I like Briere but 6 million for a 4-5 year contract scares me alot. He doesn't have the support team like he did in Buffalo for sure here, plus the fact the Habs need size, grit, toughness, especially in the playoffs where they might get pushed around, I don't see Briere as our guy. Anyways its not like I will be disapointed if he lands here, its the price we pay him, I don't consider he is a superstar for him to get 6 mil.

I tend to agree with you. While I do like Briere we already have a perfectly serviceable 2nd line centre. Before you malign plekanec consider that he is ranked 4th of all forwards in the bang per buck category, tinyurl.com/2oabg3 , amongst some impressive company.

Perhaps I am biased as I tend to think that we are in more need of a top defenseman.

Here is a question: if the choice is between briere or souray who do you take?

[jimmyjazz]

habsland said:

I am skeptical about Briere, and the fact that the Montreal media is ready to crucify Gainey if he doesn't sign him scares me. I like Briere but 6 million for a 4-5 year contract scares me alot. He doesn't have the support team like he did in Buffalo for sure here, plus the fact the Habs need size, grit, toughness, especially in the playoffs where they might get pushed around, I don't see Briere as our guy. Anyways its not like I will be disapointed if he lands here, its the price we pay him, I don't consider he is a superstar for him to get 6 mil.

Most of them are saying Brière will either sign in Buffalo or Philadelphia, so I don't think they'd crucify Gainey if he dosen't sign him.

Personally I don't think the guy will end up here, nor that he'd perform as good here as he did in Buffalo.

Priority should be resigning Markov. I still think Gainey will make changes via trade, not the UFA market.

[Skilly]

habdomen said:

habsland said:

I am skeptical about Briere, and the fact that the Montreal media is ready to crucify Gainey if he doesn't sign him scares me. I like Briere but 6 million for a 4-5 year contract scares me alot. He doesn't have the support team like he did in Buffalo for sure here, plus the fact the Habs need size, grit, toughness, especially in the playoffs where they might get pushed around, I don't see Briere as our guy. Anyways its not like I will be disapointed if he lands here, its the price we pay him, I don't consider he is a superstar for him to get 6 mil.

I tend to agree with you. While I do like Briere we already have a perfectly serviceable 2nd line centre. Before you malign plekanec consider that he is ranked 4th of all forwards in the bang per buck category, tinyurl.com/2oabg3 , amongst some impressive company.

Perhaps I am biased as I tend to think that we are in more need of a top defenseman.

Here is a question: if the choice is between briere or souray who do you take?

Pleky is going to end up on the third line next year. The only way Gainey can land a top six forward is to unload Bonk, Abby, and one of Markov and Souray.

The available centermen this year is scarce..... but we need one.

And to respond to another post ... there is no way Briere get 90+ points in Montreal. I thought we learned our lesson giving UFA's big huge contracts for one year of mild success. (Theo, Ribeiro, Bouillon .... now we want to add Briere to that list?)

Briere won't get 70 points on Montreal, and with out current line-up I'll even go so far as to say he'll miss about 10-15 games with injury.

[HABSLAND]

Briere would be a great addition at like 3.5-4 mil, I would be pleased to have him on the team. He has had one 90 pts season if im correct, 6 million for 5 years is telling us that we expect him him to be in the top 10 scorers in the league. I dont see it happening with Montreal. I really think trades are the way to improve this year for the Habs, maybe get a ufa d-man because our blue line is thin. What bugs me the most is if we don't get Briere the french media will bust our balls all summer. Now Drury on the other hand i like, i like alot. Sign Drury for 3 years not more, hes clutch, good pk, block shots, he was awesome in the playoffs. He never got more than 70 pts a year, but he brings alot more to the table. Anyways i guess the coming months will heat up and we will see what will happen with this sad bunch.

Seriously guys I was watching the Wings Ducks game on Sunday afternoon, I was telling myself if the Canadiens were playing either team, we would get crushed, outhit, humiliated big time. I can imagine Pronger scaring away Kovalev and many of the Habs smallish forwards. We really are somewhat far from reaching that level, even Ottawa would hand it to us in a embarassing way. No way we can still rely on Kovalev, Samsonov , Bonk to get us there, we really need to get character guys. Hopefully our team will be more exciting in October and have more grit like Anaheim.

[Rimmer]

from TSN:

"My first, my probably biggest wish right now would be to be a part of this team," Briere said. "The Sabres, if they're interested, they're going to have the first chance. They're going to have the best chance. And if that doesn't work out, then we'll start looking at different options."

Briere, coming off a career season, said he'd be willing to sign for less than what he might be worth on the open market to stay in Buffalo.

--the complete article--

one more thing I found interesting:

Both Drury and Briere have expressed disappointment regarding the Sabres' policy of not negotiating contracts during the season. Drury was open to negotiations in January.

I guess Bob is not the only one...

R.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

rimmer said:

Briere, coming off a career season, said he'd be willing to sign for less than what he might be worth on the open market to stay in Buffalo.

[/i][/quote]
There you go. He sincerely wants to stay. Could be for some of the reasons BC stated earlier; family established in the community and that sort of thing. Buffalo having strong hockey roots can't hurt either.

one more thing I found interesting:

Both Drury and Briere have expressed disappointment regarding the Sabres' policy of not negotiating contracts during the season. Drury was open to negotiations in January.

I guess Bob is not the only one...

R.

Well, he'd be going to a similar system of doing business. Not much incentive if he's looking something different.

Like I said, I'm not holding my breath.

Cheers.

[Doc Holliday]

hfto said:

Would Briere get 90 points here?.........

He could. On his last 2 seasons Briere got his points without the luxury of star linesmates playing within a rigid system. He'd be in a similar setup in Montreal (with arguably more proven linesmates if he would play with Kovalev or Ryder or Higgins). There is nothing to suggest his production would go down, if anything he could get a 100 points if he clicked well with one of our top 4 wingers.

[Doc Holliday]

skilly said:

I thought we learned our lesson giving UFA's big huge contracts for one year of mild success. (Theo, Ribeiro, Bouillon .... now we want to add Briere to that list?).

...I guess you should throw Smyth in the same Matrix then: Prior to this year, Smyth averaged 27g/57 pts per year. His 36g/66pts are definitely not the norm for him.

By signing Smyth you'd be paying through the nose for a guy that won't even give us Ryder's production. People would expect star like numbers which, unlike Briere, Smyth never reached. Can you say Trevor Linden all over again.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

docholliday said:

skilly said:

I thought we learned our lesson giving UFA's big huge contracts for one year of mild success. (Theo, Ribeiro, Bouillon .... now we want to add Briere to that list?).

...I guess you should throw Smyth in the same Matrix then: Prior to this year, Smyth averaged 27g/57 pts per year. His 36g/66pts are definitely not the norm for him.

By signing Smyth you'd be paying through the nose for a guy that won't even give us Ryder's production. People would expect star like numbers which, unlike Briere, Smyth never reached. Can you say Trevor Linden all over again.

You might be right about Smyth, Doc. However, I think any proven player coming into Montreal will have that tag. Honestly, we're so hungry for a 40/50-goal superstar that any big name player coming in risks being show to the outskirts of town for not bring Lord Stanley with them.

Smyth/Linden. Similar players that help in different ways. I think Smyth has proven more than Linden only because he's played on mediocre Oilers teams for the most part of this career. That would be little change for him by coming to Montreal. He'd probably go about his business the way he did out west. No doubt he'd be injured because of the way he plays and it's possible he'd be run out of town, labelled a failure, if he didn't deliver The Holiest of Holies.

But, like I was saying, I think that also applies to any bona fide UFA coming into town. We're all hungry for that big name to save the franchise. I'd like to see Briere in Montreal, don't get me wrong. But, I think he might be staying put if Buffalo can work it out.

Cheers.

[Doc Holliday]

disgruntled70shab said:

docholliday said:

...I guess you should throw Smyth in the same Matrix then: Prior to this year, Smyth averaged 27g/57 pts per year. His 36g/66pts are definitely not the norm for him.

By signing Smyth you'd be paying through the nose for a guy that won't even give us Ryder's production. People would expect star like numbers which, unlike Briere, Smyth never reached. Can you say Trevor Linden all over again.

You might be right about Smyth, Doc. However, I think any proven player coming into Montreal will have that tag.

I agree DIS. I was merely pointing out to Skilly that if he felt Briere's good season should be a deterant than so should Smyth's and all other free agents who very often do have great years on their UFA years.

Frankly, IMO, either player would help, especially in the leadership/character department, but IMO what we need is uprades on center and defense, not on the wing. I definitely see Higgins getting similar numbers to Smyth next year but I certainly don't see Plekanec getting a 90pts season.

As for Briere, while his #1 choice is Buffallo, I wonder if he's Buffallo's #1 choice...

[clear observer]

docholliday said:

hfto said:

Would Briere get 90 points here?.........

He could. On his last 2 seasons Briere got his points without the luxury of star linesmates playing within a rigid system. He'd be in a similar setup in Montreal (with arguably more proven linesmates if he would play with Kovalev or Ryder or Higgins). There is nothing to suggest his production would go down, if anything he could get a 100 points if he clicked well with one of our top 4 wingers.

Good Lord, he couldn't even do it on the best team in the league, how's he gonna do it on our Habs? With the "defence" THIS team will ice for the '07 - '08 campaign, Gretzky and Lemieux in their respective prime years would struggle to crack 100 pts. I'd LOVE to see Briere on our squad and score 100 pts, but I fear it impossible...the ESSENTIAL support from the rear-guard isn't and won't be there to facilitate those kinds of offensive numbers.

CO