The Official M.E.R.B. Hockey Thread

[joelcairo]

Colton Orr has been a good pick-up by Burke, a much better pick-up than Georges Laraque ever was. He's there to fight, protect the other players (Mtl doesn't even have that anymore) and still be able to play decent hockey. He can also skate fairly well and has decent hands, unlike Georges Laraque. Colton Orr is a decent fourth liner, which he was hired for. He's done his job & has earned the money they're paying him.

Yes" he's there to fight" but as for protecting the other players, TO already has enough thugs, goons, cheapshot artists and hatchetmen. A player of Orr's very limited skills might be useful (?) on a skilled team but he's the LAST thing the Leafs need.
And let's be honest - to say he is "able to play decent hockey" and "has decent hands" is being WAY too complimentary. For this type of player you might say John Ferguson, Bob Probert, Tie Domi, Chris Nilan,Tiger Williams or quite a few others were "able to play decent hockey" - but even compared to them, Orr is unskilled.

 

[joelcairo]

And finally, the Kessel trade was brilliant & Burke would re-do it any day. The picks he gave to Boston in that trade might never amount to much & Toronto got a quality & proven youngster who can score in return....for many years. His loss has been devastating to the Bruins, who are currently playing some of the worse hockey in the entire league & risk not making the playoffs because they can't score any goals. More and more Boston Bruins fans are realizing that Peter Chiarelli might have got hoodwinked in that trade with Toronto. What good are unproven draft picks when you won't make the playoffs?

The Kessel trade might or might not turn out to be a good one - only the future will tell. It is certainly premature to call it "brilliant" right now, especially since Kessel has done virtually nothing in the last 20 or so games. Yes, he had a good start when he firts arrived, but where is the consistency? Add that to his horrendous reputation as a selfish prima donna and a cancer in the locker room, and the conclusion is that young Phil has a long way to go before proving himself to be the superstar ("merging", as lggy would say, or otherwise!) that Leaf fans have been seeking for the past 3 decades.

As for the Bruins, yes they "risk not making the playoffs"....but Toronto, WITH Kessel, WILL not make the playoffs (yet again!).

 

[joelcairo]

Add the possible departure of coach Ron Wilson & his incompetent assistants to that list.

Yes. that would be a big step in the right direction.

 

[Special K]

It's no secret that the Bruins need to do something in order to stop their downward spiral if they don't want to miss out on the playoffs. At Saturday's game against the Senators, the Bruins were being scouted by the Lightning, Stars, Blue Jackets and Red Wings.

Of course, the Bruins desperately need to shake-up their offense & would like to obtain a scorer from any of those teams. Make your pick. But what would those teams want from the Bruins?

I'd trade Dennis Wideman for a bag of pucks!!

 

[gohabsgo]

Leafs Are Racing Toward Oblivion

Just how bad has it gotten for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Let me consider the ways.

Now, it will take a blazing streak for the Leafs to merely finish 13th in the Eastern Conference. That’s right, 13th-place ... – That’s embarrassing.

Yes, indeed… that’s how bad it has gotten for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?blogger_id=3

 

[Special K]

And finally, the Kessel trade was brilliant & Burke would re-do it any day. The picks he gave to Boston in that trade might never amount to much & Toronto got a quality & proven youngster who can score in return....for many years. His loss has been devastating to the Bruins, who are currently playing some of the worse hockey in the entire league & risk not making the playoffs because they can't score any goals. More and more Boston Bruins fans are realizing that Peter Chiarelli might have got hoodwinked in that trade with Toronto. What good are unproven draft picks when you won't make the playoffs? Marc Savard has also not been the same since Kessel's departure.

As it appears now the picks the Bruins will be getting are likely to be a possible #1 overall or #2 overall. That's not a bad deal at all. I wouldn't say Chiarelli got hoodwinked yet!! As for Savard, he hasn't been the same because he hasn't been playing for the majority of the season. He's been injured for 24 games or something like that, couple that with Sturm being out due to injury (their leading scorer) and that's the reason behind their power outage. No doubt it has hurt but praising Burke as some genius for this is a little bit premature.

 

[joelcairo]

Leafs Are Racing Toward Oblivion

Just how bad has it gotten for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Let me consider the ways.

Now, it will take a blazing streak for the Leafs to merely finish 13th in the Eastern Conference. That’s right, 13th-place ... – That’s embarrassing.

Yes, indeed… that’s how bad it has gotten for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?blogger_id=3

An excellent, balanced article well worth reading - thanks for posting the link.

 

[Doc Holliday]

1. You weren't so high on Komi BEFORE the Leafs got him, as MANY of your past posts indicate.
2. You may believe that they were "very good pick-ups" but the factual statistics strongly indicate otherwise. Just reread GHG's post for this factual proof.

1. Why should i be 'high' about any Habs player? I hate the Habs!

2. The so-called 'pick=ups' have performed according to what the team expected of them. Komisarek is the same Komisarek that played in Mtl, except that he's not playing next to Andrei Markov. Same goes with the others. I don't give a fuck about statistics. For example, almost anyone who plays in New Jersey will have great stats. It depends how a certain player fits into a certain system. Stats are the worse thing to ever happen to professional 'team' sports & it's simply a tool used by both players & teams when it comes to deciding how much a player should get. It can be both a reliable & also an unreliable comparison tool.

For example, do you honestly think that Tomas Plekanec will have the same type of season elsewhere that he's currently having with Mtl? The same could be said about other players that have departed the Habs organization (e.g. Guillaume Latendresse, Mike Ribeiro, etc) who've thrived in other systems.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yes, he's a rookie - but he's not exactly having a rookie season like Sawchuk, Brodeur, Tony Esposito.

Even Saint Patrick didn't have the same type of rookie season as the players you've mentionned. So what's your point?

 

[Doc Holliday]

As it appears now the picks the Bruins will be getting are likely to be a possible #1 overall or #2 overall. That's not a bad deal at all. I wouldn't say Chiarelli got hoodwinked yet!! As for Savard, he hasn't been the same because he hasn't been playing for the majority of the season.

Oh well. I guess one hockey expert doesn't agree with many of the so-called other Boston 'hockey experts'. What an i say? It's all subjective. The Bruins have sucked big time without Kessel and who gives a fuck if they get draft picks in return when, as most true hockey fans know, draft picks often don't mean much since many of them don't fullfill their potential and are often years away from regular employment in the NHL. Oh, the Bruins lost AGAIN yesterday. They suck as much as the Leafs!! Except that the Leafs don't suck as much offensively than the Bruins, who wouldn't be able to score three goals against Mark Recchi's grandma!

If you know your hockey (which i now seriously question), how can you claim that the Bruins are LIKELY going to possibly get a #1 or #2 overall? This has to be one of the most ridiculous comments i've read in this thread since it's been created! Are you referring to the pick they got from Toronto? C'mon! You can't be serious! Toronto will not finish at the bottom of the basement & the other teams that are likekly to miss the playoffs are likely to tank the final month of the regular season in order to improve their drafting position, as it's been done so often in past years.

Savard struggles without Kessel & most knowledgeable hockey people know it. It's got nothing to do with the fact he's been hurt. He was struggling even before the injuries. Their best player is by far Patrice Bergeron & Savard isn't even close. Even before he got hurt, Savard was on his way to a very average 70+ point season. He was on his way to a possible 23-25 goal season. Some may blame this on the fact the Bruins rewarded his past accomplishments with a big fat multiyear contract, but the experts following the team know full well it's because he's lot his top wing man who helped him rack up all those points.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I'd trade Dennis Wideman for a bag of pucks!!

Right now, if i were Peter Chiarelli, i'd trade the whole team other than Patrice Bergeron for anything i could get! They all pretty much suck!!

p.s. What the hell is Mark Recchi still doing playing hockey? I remember him playing for the Penguins when i was in kindergarten!

 

[Doc Holliday]

An excellent, balanced article well worth reading - thanks for posting the link.

Who is he? Your new bum buddy now?

(And you were the one who was making insinuations about Iggy & I? LOL!!!!)

 

[Doc Holliday]

Today's rumors around the NHL

-Washington is rumored to be offering Alexander Semin in order to obtain Ilya Kovalchuk.

-Leafs are supposedly scouting LA's Jack Johnson.

-The Phoenix Coyotes might be interested in Toronto's Matt Stajan.

-Word out of Edmonton is that Sheldon Souray is about to be traded.

-New Jersey is interested in obtaining Mike Modano of the Stars.

-Toronto has made it known around the league that they're ready to take on any big contracts in return for draft picks; they are one of the few teams in the league with that luxury.

-Word out of Boston is that a big trade is imminent.

 

[Special K]

Oh well. I guess one hockey expert doesn't agree with many of the so-called other Boston 'hockey experts'. What an i say? It's all subjective. The Bruins have sucked big time without Kessel and who gives a fuck if they get draft picks in return when, as most true hockey fans know, draft picks often don't mean much since many of them don't fullfill their potential and are often years away from regular employment in the NHL. Oh, the Bruins lost AGAIN yesterday. They suck as much as the Leafs!! Except that the Leafs don't suck as much offensively than the Bruins, who wouldn't be able to score three goals against Mark Recchi's grandma!

If you know your hockey (which i now seriously question), how can you claim that the Bruins are LIKELY going to possibly get a #1 or #2 overall? This has to be one of the most ridiculous comments i've read in this thread since it's been created! Are you referring to the pick they got from Toronto? C'mon! You can't be serious! Toronto will not finish at the bottom of the basement & the other teams that are likekly to miss the playoffs are likely to tank the final month of the regular season in order to improve their drafting position, as it's been done so often in past years.

Savard struggles without Kessel & most knowledgeable hockey people know it. It's got nothing to do with the fact he's been hurt. He was struggling even before the injuries. Their best player is by far Patrice Bergeron & Savard isn't even close. Even before he got hurt, Savard was on his way to a very average 70+ point season. He was on his way to a possible 23-25 goal season. Some may blame this on the fact the Bruins rewarded his past accomplishments with a big fat multiyear contract, but the experts following the team know full well it's because he's lot his top wing man who helped him rack up all those points.

How can I claim the B's will get a likely #1 or #2, hmmm...the Leafs are barely hanging onto the 3rd to last in the league and there's no team even close to them for 4th, there's a great chance they continue their same horrendous play they've had all year and maybe Edmonton or Carolina go on a win streak, it's very possible my humbled amigo.

The rest of what you said, the majority I don't disagree with but your analysis that Savard sucks without Kessel is completely asinine but no surprise coming from you, Did Savard suck in 05-06 (100pts), how about 06-07(96pts). Who are these experts you speak of, pond hockey players from Upper Ontario somewhere? The B's as a team have sucked this year, however, they haven't sucked as bad as your pathetic team! Sucks to be a B's fan now, sucks 100X worse to be a Leafs fan!

 

[Techman]

Looking at the Leafs upcoming games, the future doesn't look very bright. In the next five games they play L.A., Vancouver and THREE games against the Devils. Then they finish the pre-Olympic schedule against Ottawa, San Jose and St.Louis. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see them dead last going into the break.

Hopefully the Habs will decide to run with Halak for as long as he performs well and not switch back to Price if he has a loss. Let's see how far he can take us because he really deserves the chance.

I think it's safe to say that the Leafs have no chance to catch the Habs in the standings and that the only race they're in is the race for last place.

 

[Special K]

I think it's safe to say that the Leafs have no chance to catch the Habs in the standings and that the only race they're in is the race for last place.

Realists know this Tech, it's the disillusioned that don't.

 

[Doc Holliday]

How can I claim the B's will get a likely #1 or #2, hmmm...the Leafs are barely hanging onto the 3rd to last in the league and there's no team even close to them for 4th, there's a great chance they continue their same horrendous play they've had all year and maybe Edmonton or Carolina go on a win streak, it's very possible my humbled amigo.

There are over 30 games left to play in the season. Anything's possible, of course. But that's not what you said. You said it was likely that the Bruins would get either the first or second pick overrall. But you have to remember that in the final 15 games or so, the Leafs will likely continue to improve, while other teams in the league's basement will likely want to tank the season. The Leafs will likely be picking up a few expensive players during the next couple of months (in order to help other teams free up some cap space in order for them to make a run in the playoffs) and the only players i see leaving the Leafs are the upcoming unrestricted free agents, Ponikarovski & Stajan. Maybe Stempniak also.

But seriously, what Boston is lacking is a sniper. They've got no more snipers!! Who can they count on to put the puck in the net? Who can they count on to feed off Savard's magnificient passing skills? Recchi? Ryder? There's no one! I actually feel bad for Marc Savard. He's one of the most prolific passers in the league, yet he's got no one to pass the puck to anymore!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Realists know this Tech, it's the disillusioned that don't.

Look who's talking!

You should instead be worrying about your terrible team who can't score any goals!

 

[gohabsgo]

ass clown

Komisarek & Beauchemin were very good pick-ups by Burke,

Yet here is what you had to say about Komi:

Komisarek is an ordinary defenceman & he's another free agent at the end of the season. I'm sure some team will overpay him.

As for Toronto, you forgot to mention Kubina, who in my books is as good as Kaberle. Anton Stralman is a top prospect & Jeff Finger is a solid #3 or 4 defenceman. In my books he's better than Komisarek.

That bum Kostitsyn & the lousy Komisarek are supposed to be benched for tomorrow's game against the Toronto Marlies.

Mike Komisarek??? Not only shouldn't he be on the starting lineup, but he shouldn't even be on the all-star team, PERIOD!!!


Komisarek will likely be gone to free agency....very overrated

Komi's rumoured to be heading to Boston. I hope it's true, since i don't want him with the Leafs.

 

[lgna69xxx]

heres the thing with that tho K, the B's a year ago were a top team in the NHL, this year, their doing their best to be one of the worst teams by seasons end, at least thats the path their taking the last few weeks, meanwhile the Leafs are building for the next several years after 5 years of horrible gm decisions, and if the bruins do not get a pic in the top 3, they most likely will be looking at a "hit and miss" type of talent as this and next years draft are 2 of the weakest in years, after the top 3 picks... my only hope for the USA Olympic team is that Ryan Miller plays every game and not Tim Thomas

The B's as a team have sucked this year, however, they haven't sucked as bad as your pathetic team! Sucks to be a B's fan now, sucks 100X worse to be a Leafs fan!