Big T has done the heavy lifting. I'm adding some top of mind prognostication for the short attention span times we live in.
Forwards
Scoring lines: The production will be similar, the explanations for why it happened the way it did different.
Checking lines: They’ll excite, have their time in the sun. But it’s still 10 goalscorers with PK time.
Line integrity: Same coach? Yup. So none then. 20 minutes into Thursday’s match-up should be it.
Tomas Plekanec: Good on the PK, good on the PP, good at ES, good all around. Will good be good enough?
Erik Cole: Beats goalies with an elite shot. Works hard. Will still disappoint those who confuse 20 goalscorer with goal-a-game man.
Mike Cammalleri: Won’t turn on his playoff magic until the situation requires it. Leading scorer anyway.
Scott Gomez: Rebound year? Yeah, certainly if he can put in a rebound or two this time around, or shoot hard enough to create one.
Brian Gionta: Team shot leader should poach important goals as he always has.
Max Pacioretty: Will be demoted from the scoring lines at some point. How he reacts will determine his long-term success.
Andrei Kostitsyn: Will be promoted to the scoring lines at some point. How he reacts will determine his fate.
Lars Eller: Won’t end atop the scoring pile. To the delight of some, he'll lead in an obscure category.
Mathieu Darche: A promotion to the first line after a good stretch will be end looking a repeat of years past.
Ryan White: The honeymoon will likely end sometime between November and February.
Andreas Engqvist: So long, we hardly knew ye.
David Desharnais: Were all the scouts right or wrong? Montreal fans will decide within the month.
Travis Moen: Will collect his oversized cheque under the welcome shadow of Scott Gomez.
Blair Betts: Once came second in the NHL in GA on the PK.
Defenders
Andrei Markov: Day-to-day. That’s how often the barometer on his contract status will change as well.
PK Subban: Will grow into the best defensive defenceman on the team as well.
Hal Gill: Think happy thoughts. If we make the playoffs all this will be worth it.
Jaroslav Spacek: While tripping over his own feet, he’ll still be on for more goals for than against.
Josh Gorges: If we set our expectations right, he’ll deliver and maybe exceed just a little.
Alexei Yemelin: Expect a rocky ride. Have we seen a check since that scrimmage, he obviously takes new instructions very seriously.
Raphael Diaz: Unless there’s injuries, let’s not hold our breath for a PP run by Markov and Diaz.
Yannick Weber: The forward from the 2011 playoffs sees more time than the D from the 2009 playoffs.
Chris Campoli: Picard with a better shot, and a better shot at sticking around.
Goalies
Carey Price: As his teammates come to know what to expect, reliability may become his new word.
Peter Budaj: How many back-to-back games are there?
Special teams
Powerplay: The goal droughts will be directly proportional to PK's wind-up.
Penalty kill: Our only complaint will be how often they are required.
Trades
Trade deadline wants/needs: Forward with size who can score.
Trade deadline acquistions: Paul Mara.
Ranking
Teams the Habs will beat: NYI, FLA, CAR, WPG, OTT
Teams the Habs won't beat: PIT, WSH, BUF, NYR
Teams the Habs will be watching in March: TOR, BOS, PHA, NJ, TBL
Playoff qualification: Even 4th isn’t safe territory. It’ll be a fight.
Media storylines
Goaltending battle: Carey Price lost 2 games in a row...
Kostitsyn slump: 25 goalscorer totals 62 games without a goal. Again.
Pacioretty on third line: Remember that quote? Well...
Habs need size, grit: It's February, the Habs have just lost their first game to Boston this season...
The 50s Habs were better: When I started as a reporter...
Desharnais benched: How? Why?
Louis Leblanc scored: In Hamilton, ...
PK Subban's ipod: He changed a song...
Markov missed (recurring feature every Saturday)
Think that's enough. Send in your own ideas for tweet previews (they've gotta be better than most of this rubbish).
Aware that you all are very excited and need to read something more substantial to stop your restless legs from disturbing your workmates. Check out these two pieces:
1) Knowing the Enemy (From HEOTP)
A very good run down on the Leafs. Generous but with that realism that you won't find from Leafs fans' own blogs.
2) If it all goes wrong
Hey, at least they said "if". It's a fun portend on what could be written by the analysts if the points in the standings don't match the dreams of the fans.
Hope you all enjoy the game tonight. See you for the aftermath.
Showing posts with label 2011-12. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011-12. Show all posts
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
The New Lion in Winter
Another season, another year dear readers.
Like the Habs, Lions in Winter has changed a lot since the spring of 2007. No more posts about Kovalev (well not daily ones anyway), less arguments about goalies. Like the Habs, LIW needs to keep refreshing its lineup to keep up with the demands of new seasons.
Over the summer, with the site ticking over, we got to thinking about how we could manage to cover the Canadiens in the way that loyal readers have come to expect (and enjoy?). I feel that in blogging as with hockey, a veteran will find most success in admitting to the changes that are happening (where’d that speed go?), develop the skills that remain more fully and find those to help fill the skill gap. The veteran bloggers here all have increasing demands on time as we progress to different stages of life and the hours that were once spent developing ideas for posts seem fewer and farther between. As you know, we added the unforgiving and insightful views of Ian Vitro last season, but the task, even for three still looked daunting.
And so the decision. Allow the blog to follow the inevitable path of change or do something about it. We all decided to do something about it.
It sounded easy enough.
With that the LIW scouting department opened up a search for the elusive power blogger. Someone with strong writing, insight and enough energy to mesh tightly with some gritty veterans. It was during this search that I started following one of the new up-and-comers onto the Habs blogging scene – Big T on the Habs.
After reading a lot of sense from June on, I knew I had found the prospect LIW was after when his late July rendering on the Josh Gorges situation came online. It was at once an answer to those who brayed about the stinginess of the contract and a thoughtful compliment to Gorges. If this contract had gone to arbitration, this was the case you’d have wanted to present.
After getting over the panicky feeling that I needed to contact him that day, lest lose the chance to collaborate to another site’s GM, I consulted with the LIW braintrust. From there, the wheels were set in motion and an agreement to collaborate between Big T and LIW was reached.
At LIW we are very excited at the prospect of the new season with a new team. I am certain that all you readers will thoroughly enjoy the chance to get into the head of Big T.
Without further ado, I give you Big T. I asked him a few questions to help get you acquainted. I also recommend reading his back-catalogue at Big T on the Habs:
Why are you a Habs fan?
I've always believed that unless you're guided to cheer for a certain team, you usually end up cheering for the team that wins the first game you watch. The first game I watched on TV that I really remembered ended in a 3-3 tie between our beloved Habs and yes, the enemy Boston Bruins and I'll surprise you by saying that for almost a full year, I cheered for both the Bruins and Habs almost equally. I was too young to understand the rivalry or its history and didn't realize that cheering for both Adams division rivals couldn't be maintained long-term.
Needless to say, I realized my grave error in judgment and quickly understood just how much hatred one can have for those that wear the black and YELLOW (yes, I said yellow not gold). I now hate the Bruins more than any of our rivals (including the Leafs whose futility over the last decade has helped them slip to a close second).
What makes you want to blog about the Habs?
Amongst my friends I was always the one with a more analytical mindset and more often than not the voice of reason during heated debates regarding our beloved Habs. I've always enjoyed writing and when my profession took me away from that and shifted me more towards numbers, I figured writing a blog would be the perfect outlet to share my thoughts with the easily excitable but extremely astute Habs fans.
So join me in welcoming our newest teammate and your newest debating partner. You can look forward to some new pieces from him the next few days.
Like the Habs, Lions in Winter has changed a lot since the spring of 2007. No more posts about Kovalev (well not daily ones anyway), less arguments about goalies. Like the Habs, LIW needs to keep refreshing its lineup to keep up with the demands of new seasons.
Over the summer, with the site ticking over, we got to thinking about how we could manage to cover the Canadiens in the way that loyal readers have come to expect (and enjoy?). I feel that in blogging as with hockey, a veteran will find most success in admitting to the changes that are happening (where’d that speed go?), develop the skills that remain more fully and find those to help fill the skill gap. The veteran bloggers here all have increasing demands on time as we progress to different stages of life and the hours that were once spent developing ideas for posts seem fewer and farther between. As you know, we added the unforgiving and insightful views of Ian Vitro last season, but the task, even for three still looked daunting.
And so the decision. Allow the blog to follow the inevitable path of change or do something about it. We all decided to do something about it.
It sounded easy enough.
With that the LIW scouting department opened up a search for the elusive power blogger. Someone with strong writing, insight and enough energy to mesh tightly with some gritty veterans. It was during this search that I started following one of the new up-and-comers onto the Habs blogging scene – Big T on the Habs.
After reading a lot of sense from June on, I knew I had found the prospect LIW was after when his late July rendering on the Josh Gorges situation came online. It was at once an answer to those who brayed about the stinginess of the contract and a thoughtful compliment to Gorges. If this contract had gone to arbitration, this was the case you’d have wanted to present.
After getting over the panicky feeling that I needed to contact him that day, lest lose the chance to collaborate to another site’s GM, I consulted with the LIW braintrust. From there, the wheels were set in motion and an agreement to collaborate between Big T and LIW was reached.
At LIW we are very excited at the prospect of the new season with a new team. I am certain that all you readers will thoroughly enjoy the chance to get into the head of Big T.
Without further ado, I give you Big T. I asked him a few questions to help get you acquainted. I also recommend reading his back-catalogue at Big T on the Habs:
Why are you a Habs fan?
I've always believed that unless you're guided to cheer for a certain team, you usually end up cheering for the team that wins the first game you watch. The first game I watched on TV that I really remembered ended in a 3-3 tie between our beloved Habs and yes, the enemy Boston Bruins and I'll surprise you by saying that for almost a full year, I cheered for both the Bruins and Habs almost equally. I was too young to understand the rivalry or its history and didn't realize that cheering for both Adams division rivals couldn't be maintained long-term.
Needless to say, I realized my grave error in judgment and quickly understood just how much hatred one can have for those that wear the black and YELLOW (yes, I said yellow not gold). I now hate the Bruins more than any of our rivals (including the Leafs whose futility over the last decade has helped them slip to a close second).
What makes you want to blog about the Habs?
Amongst my friends I was always the one with a more analytical mindset and more often than not the voice of reason during heated debates regarding our beloved Habs. I've always enjoyed writing and when my profession took me away from that and shifted me more towards numbers, I figured writing a blog would be the perfect outlet to share my thoughts with the easily excitable but extremely astute Habs fans.
So join me in welcoming our newest teammate and your newest debating partner. You can look forward to some new pieces from him the next few days.
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