Go Habs Go!

[Doc Holliday]

Another loss last night....this time against San Jose.

At their current rate the habs would finish the season with 82 points and miss the playoffs again.

They're at best a .500 team.

Carey Price is still your best player although he's aging and a shadow is his once-great self. He's the highest paid player on the team and the league's top-paid goaltender. Rarely do Stanley Cup-winning teams have the goaltender as your best player. I don't remember the last time it happened.

This team can't make it into the playoffs with this defence. Surprisingly they miss Jordie Benn. But it's more than that. You still have no #1 centre. Max Domi isn't a #1 centre. On most of the good teams in the league he's a good #3 centre.

Time to try to unload some salary starting with Weber and Price. Trade them for high picks and top prospects and this team could turn the corner a couple of years from now.

Also get rid of the general manager. He's part of the problem.

 

[gaby]

Grosse victoire en début de voyage--3 games sur la route. Autre match parfait..rapidité et exécution...Weber et Price----les 2 piliers--ont bien performé.....on continue ce soir à Vegas.

 

[gaby]

,,,et pourquoi pas y aller de 3 victoires consécutives ce soir à DALLAS...

 

[jalimon]

ha ben cibolac nos gentils habitants ont battus les mechants oursons!!!

WOuhou! On s’approche de la coupe

cheers,

 

[gaby]

Toujours le fun et intense cette bonne vieille rivalité HABS--BRUINS....la 1ère étoile à JULIEN pour son guts de challenger un but des BRUINS en 3ème qui leur aurait donné l'avance et momentum BUT il a gagné son pari..et le vent a tourné.......:yo: à METE....notre nouvelle super star....lol.....avec 2 buts.....

 

[gaby]

Intéressant ce soir ce match vs les Flyers....on va se retrouver en famille.....lolll......Vigneault et Therrien vont être prêts et leur équipe bien motivé......voyons si Julien sera à la hauteur.......je mettrais un ptit 2 sur les Flyers.......enjoy......ca devrait être un bon match.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Habs lost again due to some very undisciplined hockey. Carey "the World's #1 highest paid Goalie" let in a softie which was the difference maker.

Habs still out of a playoffs spot. Weber is getting older every game yet the habs are stuck paying him a big salary until 2026. Although common sense tells me that he's literally untradeable something tells me a creative general manager could figure out a way to unload his big fat contract. But is Marc Bergevin a creative person? Okay, i'm trying not to laugh right now! :lol::lol::lol:

 

[Doc Holliday]

They at least got a point vs the Flyers......

You are very correct. The habs did get the infamous loser point for making it to OT. And yes weren't it for Carey Price the game would have been over long ago. Although he let in an easy goal he prevented many. At least he and Gallagher came to play.

I've never been a big stats guy. Not big on analytics either. What happens on the ice often fails to show up on the stats sheet. People rely on stats way too much. That's why you still have scouts travelling the continent to watch hockey games live in person.

Shea Weber may look okay on the stats sheet but let's face it: he's a player on the down side of his career and has considerably slowed down. Much ore is expected from a player getting paid that kind of money on such a long contract. But that's not his fault since his previous GM gave him that contract. You could make a case that it's not the habs' fault either for the same reason. But that thinking would be wrong since the only reason they ended up with Weber is because they wanted to get rid of an equally great & unproductive contract in PK Subban, whose career already seems to be on the downside. Were it not for the habs giving PK Subban that huge contract Shea Weber wouldn't be a hab today. The trade was basically two GMs getting together to swap two bad contracts. Adding to this was one team wanted to get rid of an attitude they didn't like while acquiring an older player while the other team didn't mind getting the attitude since they were getting the younger player with more upside. For me the trade was fairly even but habs fans were the big losers in the fact they lost an extremely well-loved, charismatic and very exciting player in favor of a rather quiet, dull and boring type of person/player. No drama. That's what they got in return.

Habs will spend the season struggling to be a .500 team. They will once again miss the playoffs. But i give them this: they are fun & exciting to watch. And another: they have young players with an upside. But in my opinion the big problem is that they're not patient enough with their young players. They should take their time and let them develop. This would not only help the players be better in the long run but it would keep them in the organization longer. The team hasn't made the playoffs in three years and it looks like the trend will continue. So what does the organization have to lose? Who knows maybe Marc Bergevin figures he doesn't have time to be patient so he must rush them into the NHL in order to make the team as productive as it can be. Many other organizations have made the same mistake so the habs are not alone.

Meanwhile the likes of Shea Weber, Carey Price & Brendan Gallagher continue to slowly age. Maybe it's time to consider trading them while they still have some value. For the good of the organization. Many fans will be upset if it happens but they'll be rewarded in the long run.

 

[gaby]

Back to PRICE yesterday.....sans sa performance la défaite aurait été encore plus amère...oui grâce à lui les HABS récoltent un point...et paradoxe,,,,grâce à lui aussi qu'ils en ont perdu un....lol...Agree it will b an easier game tomorrow vs KINGS.

 

[jalimon]

Doc I was one who hated Bergevin for trading Subban. But over time I must say it was the right decision. Subban's a distraction for a team. If you look player by player the Habs have a very average to weak team. But they play above that. That's because of good leadership and ambiance in the team. Something that was truly lacking in the Subban era. Subban has already been traded. And he will be traded a few more time before the end of his career if he does not personal change. He does get on the nerves of many teamates.

Cheers,

 

[Doc Holliday]

Correct me if i'm wrong but the last time the habs made the playoffs PK Subban was leading the team.

As for myself i've never said that trading Subban wasn't the right decision. What i did say is that they traded the team's most popular player and a great ambassador for the organization. I also believe that people claiming he got on the nerves of other teammates don't realize that this happens on every team. And players have to figure out a way to deal with this, especially when the accused is the team's star player. You think Brett Hull didn't get on other fellow players' nerves? You think Brad Marchand doesn't get on his teammates' nerves? Pete Mahovlich? Patrick Roy? In other words players who can't figure out a way to deal with such players should grow a pair of balls or go play elsewhere.

I can't see the habs making the playoffs with Shea Weber. But in his case it's not because of his character. It's because of his albatross contract which is (along with Carey Price's) choking the team's salary cap and preventing them from acquiring better players and allowing them to be patient in developing their young prospects. At least with PK Subban you had the talent and flamboyance which made you (and the fans) ignore his misgivings.

Subban was traded during this offseason but it had NOTHING to do with his personality. It had to do with his big contract and mostly because the Preds are loaded with top-quality defencemen and needed to free up some cap space. They were able to do this by finding a team willing to take on Subban's huge contract, bad back and all. Big risk.

Montreal would likely want to do the same thing with Weber but it'd be more difficult to find a taker due to his age. Plus you're stuck paying him until 2026 when he's way past his prime. Subban's younger and the risk is smaller.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Gotta love it...the same bitter Leaf fan coming here to bash the Habs...again and again!! ("the Habs lost again"..."Weber is too old, has a bad contract"..."Habs won't make the playoffs"..."Price let in a softie" etc, etc!). All this coming from a...Leaf fan, of course!

I love this thread also but you're wrong in thinking i'm a bitter Leafs fan. I'm absolutely not bitter and have no reason to be. They're currently tied for 7th overall in the NHL standings and if they beat the Flyers tonight they'll be tied for the 5th overall spot. Considering all the injuries they've had so far i think they're having a great start to the season, no? :eyebrows:

This Leaf fan never comes here when the Habs win...only when the Habs lose (to troll), and certainly won't come here when the Habs beat his overrated Maple-Leaves (or maybe only to make excuses like "the Leaves played the night before, so they were tired..."...or..."the Leaves were resting their no.1 goalie"...a no.1 goalie who chokes big time in playoffs is not a no.1 goalie).

You may be correct about me rarely coming here when the habs win but it's not on purpose since....the habs RARELY win.

And you're correct saying that it doesn't mean anything if the habs beat the Leafs after the Leafs have played a back-to-back game and put in their crappy AHL goalie between the pipes. But that's NHL hockey of today where it's very hard for any team to win a back-to-back game. Just like i predicted the other day when the Bruins lost in Mtl on a back-to-back night. I was happy my 2nd favorite team beat the Bruins that given night since it netted me a cool $500 on a personal wager i made with a high-rolling friend of mine. Go habs Go! :eyebrows:

Weber will be more than fine (top 7 right now among dmen in the NHL for pts...not bad at all). If Weber were a Leaf...Leaf fans would be raving about him! (they would be saying he will last as long as Chara and Chelios...if he were a Leaf). And, one Leaf fan who constantly comes here to bash the Habs and who says he doesn't like stats...that's 'cause he just doesn't want to be reminded of the most important stat of all to every Leaf fan...0 Cups since 1967...0 playoff success since 1967...that's why this Leaf fan will say he doesn't like stats! anything to soften the blow of reality/stats!

Weber is playing like an old, slow wounded dog. He's a shadow of what he was when he played for the Preds & Team Canada. He's a shadow of what he was two years ago! But with this struggling habs team and how awful their defence is you're quite correct: he'll be more than fine, even if he costs them nearly $8 million in cap space!

By the way, the Leafs already have their Shea Weber clone and his name is Jake Muzzin (but Muzzin comes at a fraction of Weber's cost), so i doubt Weber would be such a big deal in Toronto. He'd probably end up getting booed like Larry Murphy.....a once very good defenceman who was slow, old and a shadow of his ol' self when he joined the Leafs....which is what Shea Weber is and would be if the Leafs would be forced to take over his big, fat unproductive contract. It won't happen!

And your last point about the Leafs last winning a cup in 1967 proves what i've been saying all along: HABS FANS ENJOY LIVING IN THE PAST. However i can't say i blame them considering the shitty non-playoffs teams they've had over the past few years with not much hope in sight.

Go Habs Go!!! ound:

p.s. Do you still believe that PK Subban is the second-coming of Bobby Orr? Or that Jeff Petry is the greatest acquisition in modern times? :lol:

 

[Doc Holliday]

Absolutely...from 0-2 to 2-2...and Price saved a penalty shot and kept his team in it until OT for the point (and made 40 out of 43 saves).
If you want to talk about "softies"...all you have to do is look at the "no.1" goalie from Toronto...all he does is let in "softies" especially when it counts the most...in playoffs (no.1 goalie?! what a joke! more like a playoff choker). Habs...3 pts out of 4pts is pretty good (beat Boston for 2pts...and got 1pt vs the Flyers).
They will go for 2 pts vs the Kings on Saturday.

Habs are 2-0 (4 pts out of 4pts) vs the overrated Maple-Leaves/playoff chokers/overrated team...Leaves always losing to Boston in playoffs ; I'm not a Bos fan, but they are way way more fun to watch than the overrated/sad Leaves).
Habs are 2-0 vs the Blues (4pts out of 4pts)...and the Blues don't choke in playoffs like the Maple-Leaves always do.
The Maple-Leaves might as well miss the playoffs and pick up more draft picks since they're not going anywhere (yet again!) in playoffs...when it counts!!
Maple-Leaf fans would be ecstatic if they had Shea Weber or PK Subban...Leaves haven't had a real no.1 dman since...?? (Rielly doesn't count since he's not a playoff dman).


Go Habs Go!!

Geez.....who's the most bitter hockey fan now?? :lol:

Can't say i blame ya! If i cheered for a non-playoffs, small & unproductive team year after year i'd feel the same way! Especially considering the two franchise players are about to enter their mid-30's and there's no hope in sight as long as their two big fat contracts eat up what's left of the team's cap space. :eyebrows:

p.s. PK & Sergachev send their regards.

 

[jalimon]

Correct me if i'm wrong but the last time the habs made the playoffs PK Subban was leading the team.

As for myself i've never said that trading Subban wasn't the right decision. What i did say is that they traded the team's most popular player and a great ambassador for the organization. I also believe that people claiming he got on the nerves of other teammates don't realize that this happens on every team. And players have to figure out a way to deal with this, especially when the accused is the team's star player. You think Brett Hull didn't get on other fellow players' nerves? You think Brad Marchand doesn't get on his teammates' nerves? Pete Mahovlich? Patrick Roy?

Correct that many players get on the nerves of some of their team mates. Still I think Subban's a different breed. I know Markov despised him. But Markov was not the reason because he was also out anyway. Time will tell us the real reason...

Where I do not agree is writting Webber has a dull boring player. Webber is one of the most respected player in the whole league. Most probably a future GM you will see.

Cheers,

 

[jalimon]

p.s. PK & Sergachev send their regards.

PK is not doing extremely well to tell the truth. Sergachez is hot this year indeed. He admitted 2 weeks ago Webber is his idol player who he watches videos to get inspiration. And besides Drouin is important for the Habs so it's not a negative deal.

Cheers,

 

[Doc Holliday]

Correct that many players get on the nerves of some of their team mates. Still I think Subban's a different breed. I know Markov despised him. But Markov was not the reason because he was also out anyway. Time will tell us the real reason...

Where I do not agree is writting Webber has a dull boring player. Webber is one of the most respected player in the whole league. Most probably a future GM you will see.

Being a dull, boring player to watch has nothing to do with being a respected player. I have no doubt that Shea Weber is a respected person. Heck he was one of my favorite defencemen when he played for Nashville and Team Canada. But he's a shadow of his old self and he's slowed down considerably. His booming shot no longer finds the net. He's slow. But he's a veteran and when the defence you're playing on is as crappy as it is then he still has value with that team. Plus let's face it: THE HABS ARE STUCK WITH HIM. No one would dare touch that big foolish contract considering his age! So whatever talk about Weber is pointless considering he's going nowhere for at least the next few years. He's likely to retire as a hab.

 

[Doc Holliday]

PK is not doing extremely well to tell the truth. Sergachez is hot this year indeed. He admitted 2 weeks ago Webber is his idol player who he watches videos to get inspiration. And besides Drouin is important for the Habs so it's not a negative deal.

PK has slowed down but it has more to do with his herniated disk (in his back) than anything else. It also must be tough to play in Jersey as compared to Montreal when you seek attention. PK thrived under pressure and in front of a full capacity crowd at the Bell Centre!

I still say that the trade was a wash and who knows maybe PK will bounce back and become a Norris trophy-type of defenceman again one of these days. But i'm not holding my breath on it. Unless he gets traded to a team with the atmosphere of a NYC, Montreal or Toronto.

 

[gaby]

PK is only one step of playing for the Rangers------probablement son rêve----i don't know if he would b a good fit there---probably yes---BUT for him it would b a strong boost......wish it will happen....

 

[Doc Holliday]

PK is only one step of playing for the Rangers------probablement son rêve----i don't know if he would b a good fit there---probably yes---BUT for him it would b a strong boost......wish it will happen....

Actually PK's dream since he was a child has been to play for his hometown Maple Leafs. But it likely will never happen considering the size and lenght of his contract. That's the reality of the NHL today: players don't often get to play for their dream team because of the salary cap.

 

[Doc Holliday]

And, Toronto's Nylander...is he the most overpaid/overrated forward in the NHL? Probably. Worst contract in the NHL? Most probably. And, those Mathews/Marner contracts...overpaid/overrated? Most probably. And, that Kadri for Barrie trade...bad bad trade for Toronto. Great for Colorado! Huge huge mistake made by the Toronto GM. Huge. Go Leaves Go? Sure...for the regular season only...'cause Leaves have to win now since the victories won't be there when it counts the most (playoffs). Easy prediction: another Leaf season, another CUPless playoff season. More false hope as usual.

Obsessed with the Leafs again?? :lol:

Come on, man! Enjoy your win & concentrate on your team's successes! Sure it came against one of the league's worst teams but still....a win's a win, right? And old man Shea Weber even got to score two goals against that terrible team! So enjoy! :lol:

Seriously, congrats on your team's win, buddy. The habs need every single point they can get in order not to miss the playoffs for 4 consecutive years. The playoffs are always better when the habs are in them so i'm pulling for them to make it, even if it's likely they'll only last one round. The habs are my second favorite team to watch and although i can only watch them on weekends (due to the nation-wide blackout during the week) they're still a fun team to follow!

Go Habs Go!! :lol: