There was probably a time in the not too distant past where training camp really was a legitimate opportunity for a young prospect to take a run at a roster place. Years of accumulated commitments, collective bargaining agreements and roster regulations have changed that for the young hopefuls. Nowadays, a young player being invited to an NHL camp only needs to take a quick browse of the CapGeek website before lacing the skates to know how the Vegas odds makers are handicapping his chances of success.
After Game 5 of the preseason, in which Therrien iced an almost identical lineup to last year's edition of the Habs, we can reflect on how training camp has gone and why at the end of it we won't see the slowing veterans turfed by energetic youngsters by whom they were significantly outperformed.
Showing posts with label Cuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cuts. Show all posts
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Battles, Cuts and Intrigue
Martin's Mind By Ice Time
In the world of new statistics we are told that we can tell a coach's mind to a certain extent by faceoff deployment. Important faceoffs are taken by important players (favoured players). The same can be extrapolated from ice time.
As camp winds down and the NHL team is left to rake in revenue for the Molsons, we can begin to view Martin's mind.
Battles
There are a few pitched battles going on under the radar as far as I can tell.
Up front, Eller just about locked up his place in the NHL with his display last night. But that was probably superfluous, as Martin seems smitten with the Dane - he's played 49:30 already, good for 4th most among forwards.
This has muddied the waters a bit in my opinion after the top 9. Here Pouliot has possibly slipped to earn his place along with Darche, Boyd, Maxwell, White and Pacioretty (Pyatt based on his enormous usage so far, along with Moen and Halpern, i judge to be safe). Pouliot should hold the edge but for his last 2 efforts. Even so, he holds good cards with Martin the dealer. Boyd has NHL cred to back him up. Darche the benefit of the doubt.
Its the challenges of White and Maxwell that stand out for me. Martin has used White sparingly, but with great effect thus far. Ryan looks to be what Moen, Darche and Boyd may not be. Maxwell is different. He's looked genuinely inspired at times at stark contrast with Pouliot. The fact he's a natural centre would be the only thing holding back his odds for me. Notice no mention of Pacioretty. Despite his points, his underuse to the tune of 21:19 over 2 games belies his starting position on the grid. He's a very dark horse for the big team this year indeed.
On D, there are battles too, but they seem less urgent with the injuries. With Carle out of the way, it's Weber, Picard and O'Byrne for the final two places in my opinion. Martin tips his hand with playing time here. Weber has played 64:09 in 3 games. Picard has played 49:56 in 2. O'Byrne, meanwhile lags at 36:39 for 2. It seems that Weber ad Picard have their noses in front, but we mustn't forget that a defense of Subban, Spacek, Weber, Picard, Hamrlik, Markov seems highly unfavourable to the goalies we have. O'Byrne hangs on therefore, and a couple of decent (don't even have to be great) efforts should see him through to starting lineup.
Cuts
The cuts from training camp represent a multi-tiered group. There are the players outside the plans, juniors like Lefebvre, Leblanc, Tinordi. There are the players who are tipped for the AHL. And then there are those that have played themselves out of positions.
The list of players sent to Hamilton includes:
G: Robert Mayer and Peter Delmas
D: Frederic St-Denis, Sebastien Bisaillon, Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, Kyle Klubertanz, Brendon Nash, Neil Petruic, David Urquhart and Mathieu Carle
F: Andrew Conboy, Olivier Fortier, Dany Masse, Aaron Palushaj, J.T. Wyman, Alexander Avtsin, Jimmy Bonneau, Ian Shultz, David Desharnais, Gabriel Dumont and Andreas Engqvist
The Bulldogs though are like the Habs, they are restricted in the positions they have to offer. Not to mention that 4 to 5 of the 16 forwards up in Montreal (likely to include Russell and Bishop among others), 1 or 2 of the Dmen and 1 more goalie will be demoted.
So far, only Champion has been released outright. He was a try-out with the Habs and now leaves for junior without a contract. Another in the rather lengthy list of potential goalies to attempt to fill the Canadiens shallow depth chart this summer.
Delmas is at Bulldogs camp now, but unless he does something reveletionary, he'll be in Wheeling or elsewhere come October. Ditto two of Urquhart, Bisaillon, Desnoyers and Petruic. Up front though the Canadiens only have 29 bodies to play 24 positions and fill 26 to 28 places. I'd wager Bonneau is the favourite to be deemed non-Bulldog material by the Habs, but who knows, Masse and Russell might be in that mix.
Of the cuts to be favourites on the Dogs, look for Desharnais, Engqvist and Palushaj who all got very long looks at the big camp (41:38, 35:18 and 33:11 in playing time, respectively). On D, that man would be Carle who saw 38:29, mostly out of necessity.
Intrigue
Intrigue might be a strong word, but there are some surprises from the camp.
First for me is the goalie deployment. On other teams we have seen complete unknowns get a skate out in goal. Not so in Montreal. Robert Mayer, the legitimate back-up for Hamilton got a half game, as did Sanford. The goalie overuse in these early games was probably made necessary by certain athletes needing more time to ready themselves. I feel it comes at a cost to the organization, which as I mentioned has no depth at the position.
Second has to be Spacek's playing time. What on earth is Martin driving at? 72:57 so far for the guy we all anticipate needing nights off to rest during the season. It's bordering on madness, playing Jaro as much as that. It's come at the expense of Ryan O'Byrne in part, but also the contenders like Carle, Klubertanz and St. Denis who played a combined hour between them. Not that I know what I'm doing as a coach, but I'd also have thought that it might be more useful to get those potential replacements into games ahead of Jarred Tinordi who at 18 has a few years of tutelage to come before bleu, blanc, rouge days.
Finally, there's Avtsin. Upon demotion, Martin said something about his injury from the summer really holding him back during camp. Apparently it held him back to the point that he couldn't even dress for the early undressings at the hands of the Bruins and Sens. The player commits in a big way to come to North America and doesn't even get a minute of ice. Fortier was injured a whole season and didn't have a chance of making the team at all and he got a skate. JT Wyamn is no NHLer and he got 2 games. Conboy has nothing more to offer than a scowl, he got two as well. We don't know inner workings. Maybe Avtsinn was injured. I suppose I hope he was/is, because it would be a shame if the Habs blew another prospect because Martin is stuck in his ways.
As camp winds down and the NHL team is left to rake in revenue for the Molsons, we can begin to view Martin's mind.
Battles
There are a few pitched battles going on under the radar as far as I can tell.
Up front, Eller just about locked up his place in the NHL with his display last night. But that was probably superfluous, as Martin seems smitten with the Dane - he's played 49:30 already, good for 4th most among forwards.
This has muddied the waters a bit in my opinion after the top 9. Here Pouliot has possibly slipped to earn his place along with Darche, Boyd, Maxwell, White and Pacioretty (Pyatt based on his enormous usage so far, along with Moen and Halpern, i judge to be safe). Pouliot should hold the edge but for his last 2 efforts. Even so, he holds good cards with Martin the dealer. Boyd has NHL cred to back him up. Darche the benefit of the doubt.
Its the challenges of White and Maxwell that stand out for me. Martin has used White sparingly, but with great effect thus far. Ryan looks to be what Moen, Darche and Boyd may not be. Maxwell is different. He's looked genuinely inspired at times at stark contrast with Pouliot. The fact he's a natural centre would be the only thing holding back his odds for me. Notice no mention of Pacioretty. Despite his points, his underuse to the tune of 21:19 over 2 games belies his starting position on the grid. He's a very dark horse for the big team this year indeed.
On D, there are battles too, but they seem less urgent with the injuries. With Carle out of the way, it's Weber, Picard and O'Byrne for the final two places in my opinion. Martin tips his hand with playing time here. Weber has played 64:09 in 3 games. Picard has played 49:56 in 2. O'Byrne, meanwhile lags at 36:39 for 2. It seems that Weber ad Picard have their noses in front, but we mustn't forget that a defense of Subban, Spacek, Weber, Picard, Hamrlik, Markov seems highly unfavourable to the goalies we have. O'Byrne hangs on therefore, and a couple of decent (don't even have to be great) efforts should see him through to starting lineup.
Cuts
The cuts from training camp represent a multi-tiered group. There are the players outside the plans, juniors like Lefebvre, Leblanc, Tinordi. There are the players who are tipped for the AHL. And then there are those that have played themselves out of positions.
The list of players sent to Hamilton includes:
G: Robert Mayer and Peter Delmas
D: Frederic St-Denis, Sebastien Bisaillon, Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, Kyle Klubertanz, Brendon Nash, Neil Petruic, David Urquhart and Mathieu Carle
F: Andrew Conboy, Olivier Fortier, Dany Masse, Aaron Palushaj, J.T. Wyman, Alexander Avtsin, Jimmy Bonneau, Ian Shultz, David Desharnais, Gabriel Dumont and Andreas Engqvist
The Bulldogs though are like the Habs, they are restricted in the positions they have to offer. Not to mention that 4 to 5 of the 16 forwards up in Montreal (likely to include Russell and Bishop among others), 1 or 2 of the Dmen and 1 more goalie will be demoted.
So far, only Champion has been released outright. He was a try-out with the Habs and now leaves for junior without a contract. Another in the rather lengthy list of potential goalies to attempt to fill the Canadiens shallow depth chart this summer.
Delmas is at Bulldogs camp now, but unless he does something reveletionary, he'll be in Wheeling or elsewhere come October. Ditto two of Urquhart, Bisaillon, Desnoyers and Petruic. Up front though the Canadiens only have 29 bodies to play 24 positions and fill 26 to 28 places. I'd wager Bonneau is the favourite to be deemed non-Bulldog material by the Habs, but who knows, Masse and Russell might be in that mix.
Of the cuts to be favourites on the Dogs, look for Desharnais, Engqvist and Palushaj who all got very long looks at the big camp (41:38, 35:18 and 33:11 in playing time, respectively). On D, that man would be Carle who saw 38:29, mostly out of necessity.
Intrigue
Intrigue might be a strong word, but there are some surprises from the camp.
First for me is the goalie deployment. On other teams we have seen complete unknowns get a skate out in goal. Not so in Montreal. Robert Mayer, the legitimate back-up for Hamilton got a half game, as did Sanford. The goalie overuse in these early games was probably made necessary by certain athletes needing more time to ready themselves. I feel it comes at a cost to the organization, which as I mentioned has no depth at the position.
Second has to be Spacek's playing time. What on earth is Martin driving at? 72:57 so far for the guy we all anticipate needing nights off to rest during the season. It's bordering on madness, playing Jaro as much as that. It's come at the expense of Ryan O'Byrne in part, but also the contenders like Carle, Klubertanz and St. Denis who played a combined hour between them. Not that I know what I'm doing as a coach, but I'd also have thought that it might be more useful to get those potential replacements into games ahead of Jarred Tinordi who at 18 has a few years of tutelage to come before bleu, blanc, rouge days.
Finally, there's Avtsin. Upon demotion, Martin said something about his injury from the summer really holding him back during camp. Apparently it held him back to the point that he couldn't even dress for the early undressings at the hands of the Bruins and Sens. The player commits in a big way to come to North America and doesn't even get a minute of ice. Fortier was injured a whole season and didn't have a chance of making the team at all and he got a skate. JT Wyamn is no NHLer and he got 2 games. Conboy has nothing more to offer than a scowl, he got two as well. We don't know inner workings. Maybe Avtsinn was injured. I suppose I hope he was/is, because it would be a shame if the Habs blew another prospect because Martin is stuck in his ways.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Habs Choose Prospects To Proceed With
It's very easy to look at an NHL training camp as a negative process. Many more players are invited to camp than ever could fit on a team bus, let alone a team sheet. Cuts are inevitable and so are phrases like "not making the cut", "shipped back to junior", etc.
In reality, training camp produces just as many positive stories as negative ones. And while it's easy to look at which step the players stumbled at, it's also useful to see how many they progressed through and how many more that was than original expectation.
Last night was the time the Canadiens chose to trim their roster to a more regular-sized group, with 31 players remaining in camp. Yes, 19 players were cut from the 27 that were in camp, but the optimist would say that 8 of the 27 actually excelled to pass this stage. Within the 17 there are also success stories, simply because they must have made the coaches and management consider retention – even when that possibility a year, a month or even 10 days ago was a far-off thought.
The eight
When you take away the 23 regular roster players: that is 2 goalies, 7 defencemen and 14 forwards by my estimation, you are left with 8 players hanging around with less than a fortnight to go until opening night. At this stage, you'd have to think that some of them actually have a chance at making the big team.
By my count the eight are:
1) Curtis Sanford
2) Mathieu Carle
3) Alex Hanry
4) Yannick Weber
5) Kyle Chipchura
6) Olivier Fortier
7) Ben Maxwell
8) Tom Pyatt
The first thing that stands out from this list is that players who've auditioned in the NHL before are making their cases for another chance. Curtis Sanford has made it clear he is the #3 (at worst) in this organization and will be the first call up for sickness or injury. Yannick Weber has parlayed his NHL regular season and playoff experience (and a decent camp) into a longer look – somewhat overcoming the hype machine of PK Subban. And, both Chipchura and Maxwell have done enough to hold their positions in the pecking order it seems.
In addition to those names, there are Alex Henry and Olivier Fortier, both of whom are injured. Essentially cut, I suppose, it may be the Canadiens have just kept these two players around so they can be treated by the expensive physios that grace the bowels of the Bell Centre. Who knows, there may be more to it.
That leaves 2 names among the eight who present somewhat as surprises.
Mathieu Carle
It's a bit of serendipity for Mathieu Carle to have an extended look at this year's camp. Last season, as a possible candidate for injury-time call up, or even for a short trial stint, he took an injury in camp. The result was that he was a de facto cut, even though he remained officially with the Habs until late October when Higgins' place had to be made.
This training camp, Mathieu has once again availed himself relatively well. By that, I mean he's been a top 9 body at the back. On the plus side, Mathieu has played in two wins and one loss. What's more he avoided playing in the nightmarish game against the Sens in Ottawa. He's definitely has some hiccoughs, as his plus/minus shows – and he created the giveaway that led to the Bruins winning goal; however, in large part he outperformed his rivals to be retained (Subban, Benoit and Belle).
The chances of him staying on much longer than this will depend on the next game and the one after that. I suspect the Canadiens would be willing to hold onto a right-hand shot if they feel the chance of playing a game is real. In the real world, though, his next two games are an audition to be first in line for a call up from Hamilton.
Tom Pyatt
While McDonagh is working on his homework in Wisconsin, Valentenko is enjoying his life in Russia and Doug Janik is already out of New York and in Detroit, Montreal in the meantime is carrying 2 centres in their final 31 from the June 29th trade.
If you would have told me in June, or even yesterday morning, that Tom Pyatt would be kicking around in camp as one of the final 17 healthy forwards, I'd have been mildly shocked. He doesn't have the NHL experience of a player like Darche or Glumac, nor the Hamilton familiarity of Trotter, Desharnais or White. He doesn't even have the glamour of being a first or second rounder that Gainey is trying to post-rationalize like Latendresse, Chipchura and Maxwell. No, Tom's come in well and truly under the radar and bumped himself way up the depth chart it seems.
Pyatt's that interesting player in the Gomez trade that perhaps got lost in Montreal translation. While we were all looking at Gomez, and the price we paid in cash and players, we forgot to really appreciate the other pieces returned. I would liken it to the time we got a back-up goalie from the Kings when we traded Garon for Bonk, or the defenceman we swooped when Rivet was traded for picks. Certainly a potential NHLer, not entirely silly to call him a replacement for Higgins (one day).
I previewed him briefly yesterday, so I won't do it again. While I trawled a bit for info on Tom, I found this great piece from a Rangers reporter last season. Have a read if you're interested in the mystery man. Here's a taster:
This camp, Pyatt has done a lot to back up the expectations shared by Renney and others. In his first game (Game #2), he played a very minor role indeed. He did nothing to really standout, but played a 4th line role in a win with some pretty awful wingers – so that's a plus. He was back in the lineup for the return to form game against the Bruins (and even knocked over Chara – see pushing the envelope more). Then, in his reward game and final try-out game, Pyatt fully impressed – even getting PK duty and play on all kinds of good lines.
Of course, he'll have to keep that up to further upset the status quo (Gainey doesn't like to change his long laid plans). But if he does, what's to say that Pyatt couldn't be breathing down the necks of Metropolit, Stewart, Laraque, Chipchura and others.
Pacioretty, D'Agostini, O'Byrne
Others that have had a positive camp include these three, who have ensured that NHL experience and training camp moments form this year have combined to fend off any pretneders for their positions. Pacioretty and O'Byrne in particular seem to be homing in on more permanent positions.
In reality, training camp produces just as many positive stories as negative ones. And while it's easy to look at which step the players stumbled at, it's also useful to see how many they progressed through and how many more that was than original expectation.
Last night was the time the Canadiens chose to trim their roster to a more regular-sized group, with 31 players remaining in camp. Yes, 19 players were cut from the 27 that were in camp, but the optimist would say that 8 of the 27 actually excelled to pass this stage. Within the 17 there are also success stories, simply because they must have made the coaches and management consider retention – even when that possibility a year, a month or even 10 days ago was a far-off thought.
The eight
When you take away the 23 regular roster players: that is 2 goalies, 7 defencemen and 14 forwards by my estimation, you are left with 8 players hanging around with less than a fortnight to go until opening night. At this stage, you'd have to think that some of them actually have a chance at making the big team.
By my count the eight are:
1) Curtis Sanford
2) Mathieu Carle
3) Alex Hanry
4) Yannick Weber
5) Kyle Chipchura
6) Olivier Fortier
7) Ben Maxwell
8) Tom Pyatt
The first thing that stands out from this list is that players who've auditioned in the NHL before are making their cases for another chance. Curtis Sanford has made it clear he is the #3 (at worst) in this organization and will be the first call up for sickness or injury. Yannick Weber has parlayed his NHL regular season and playoff experience (and a decent camp) into a longer look – somewhat overcoming the hype machine of PK Subban. And, both Chipchura and Maxwell have done enough to hold their positions in the pecking order it seems.
In addition to those names, there are Alex Henry and Olivier Fortier, both of whom are injured. Essentially cut, I suppose, it may be the Canadiens have just kept these two players around so they can be treated by the expensive physios that grace the bowels of the Bell Centre. Who knows, there may be more to it.
That leaves 2 names among the eight who present somewhat as surprises.
Mathieu Carle
It's a bit of serendipity for Mathieu Carle to have an extended look at this year's camp. Last season, as a possible candidate for injury-time call up, or even for a short trial stint, he took an injury in camp. The result was that he was a de facto cut, even though he remained officially with the Habs until late October when Higgins' place had to be made.
This training camp, Mathieu has once again availed himself relatively well. By that, I mean he's been a top 9 body at the back. On the plus side, Mathieu has played in two wins and one loss. What's more he avoided playing in the nightmarish game against the Sens in Ottawa. He's definitely has some hiccoughs, as his plus/minus shows – and he created the giveaway that led to the Bruins winning goal; however, in large part he outperformed his rivals to be retained (Subban, Benoit and Belle).
The chances of him staying on much longer than this will depend on the next game and the one after that. I suspect the Canadiens would be willing to hold onto a right-hand shot if they feel the chance of playing a game is real. In the real world, though, his next two games are an audition to be first in line for a call up from Hamilton.
Tom Pyatt
While McDonagh is working on his homework in Wisconsin, Valentenko is enjoying his life in Russia and Doug Janik is already out of New York and in Detroit, Montreal in the meantime is carrying 2 centres in their final 31 from the June 29th trade.
If you would have told me in June, or even yesterday morning, that Tom Pyatt would be kicking around in camp as one of the final 17 healthy forwards, I'd have been mildly shocked. He doesn't have the NHL experience of a player like Darche or Glumac, nor the Hamilton familiarity of Trotter, Desharnais or White. He doesn't even have the glamour of being a first or second rounder that Gainey is trying to post-rationalize like Latendresse, Chipchura and Maxwell. No, Tom's come in well and truly under the radar and bumped himself way up the depth chart it seems.
Pyatt's that interesting player in the Gomez trade that perhaps got lost in Montreal translation. While we were all looking at Gomez, and the price we paid in cash and players, we forgot to really appreciate the other pieces returned. I would liken it to the time we got a back-up goalie from the Kings when we traded Garon for Bonk, or the defenceman we swooped when Rivet was traded for picks. Certainly a potential NHLer, not entirely silly to call him a replacement for Higgins (one day).
I previewed him briefly yesterday, so I won't do it again. While I trawled a bit for info on Tom, I found this great piece from a Rangers reporter last season. Have a read if you're interested in the mystery man. Here's a taster:
“We love his skating,” Renney said. “He needs to push the envelope from a physical perspective, which we believe he is very capable of.”
Renney doesn’t seem to think that Pyatt’s size will hold him back from excelling in the NHL. In fact, he even compared Pyatt’s physique to that of Rangers' rookie, Nigel Dawes, who had a remarkable first season on Broadway.
This camp, Pyatt has done a lot to back up the expectations shared by Renney and others. In his first game (Game #2), he played a very minor role indeed. He did nothing to really standout, but played a 4th line role in a win with some pretty awful wingers – so that's a plus. He was back in the lineup for the return to form game against the Bruins (and even knocked over Chara – see pushing the envelope more). Then, in his reward game and final try-out game, Pyatt fully impressed – even getting PK duty and play on all kinds of good lines.
Of course, he'll have to keep that up to further upset the status quo (Gainey doesn't like to change his long laid plans). But if he does, what's to say that Pyatt couldn't be breathing down the necks of Metropolit, Stewart, Laraque, Chipchura and others.
Pacioretty, D'Agostini, O'Byrne
Others that have had a positive camp include these three, who have ensured that NHL experience and training camp moments form this year have combined to fend off any pretneders for their positions. Pacioretty and O'Byrne in particular seem to be homing in on more permanent positions.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Helvetica Neue?
Yesterday's cuts didn't offer much surprising news. Career AHLers were returned to the AHL, juniors to junior and cards fell where they were expected to fall.
In some ways, this means everything is going to plan. I mean Latendresse, Olivier did not outshine Plekanec, but Latendresse, Guillaume is doing his part to hold a place. For me a singular disappointment is that we traded Corey Locke (Hamilton's all-time leading scorer and one-time CHL MVP) to help shore up the Hamilton back-line.
The intrigue in this whole training camp actually begins now, because those players who had a hope of making the team are all the ones still floating around. The next cuts will determine which prospects are fast-tracked and which are going to the incubator for another year. It will also tell me whether or not on teams like the Canadiens (with a roster largely filled out with NHL one-way contracts already) training camp is just a waste of time until the season begins.
As much as I like D'Agostini, Maxwell and Pacioretty. I think with Latendresse's attitude and performance turnaround, there is a single place to be won from camp. A conservative guess would put Chipchura in the mix. But Greg Stewart's single game against the Leafs last spring looms large in his favour.
Then there's Marc Denis, who after being one of the worst goaltenders in any hockey league last season, has a lot to prove. More than he can prove in an 8-game stint. He is here because they will use him again, but his stay is temporary i think.
The player who interests me most of those left is Yannick Weber. The story on him prior to the Florida game was that he was Swiss (hence the title for this piece) and that Mark Streit was his idol.
The story on him now that he has made the first cut is getting a bit more interesting. And while the pessimistic among us (and those who clearly want a ride in Brisebois' Ferrari next week) give him no chance at all:
Gaston Therrien: No place for Weber
Francois Gagnon: Not yet good enough to dislodge O'Byrne or Brisebois
I think Weber is in with a real chance here. I certainly wouldn't dismiss it out of hand the way the two journalists did. Not when the competition includes the illustrious shrug-master Brisebois.
There are several reasons for my view from the apparent lunatic fringe:
First, Weber fills an actual need on the Canadiens. With the loss of Streit on defence, the Canadiens rely on Markov for generating plays from the back, but are then faced with an immense drop off to Hamrlik and then another one to Gorges, Bouillon and Komisarek. O'Byrne for his part hardly factors into offense at all, as he is so tied up learning how to be a big defenceman.
Second, Weber is already better than Brisebois. He has shown he is dynamic, confident and can shoot without a flutter motion. And he holds the potential to get better over time, whereas we all know Patrice's potential that we spent much of last season hoping wouldn't be fulfilled again and again.
Third, Carbonneau has already shown us that he loves carrying extra defencemen on the roster, not extra forwards. He is comfortable in moving a D up to the wing, where the worst they can do is play like a D and rarely contribute any offence (Dandeanult), whereas a D gets injured, no way a forward is moved back.
I'm also not that excited about O'Byrne, to be honest. I have a feeling if it wasn't for his size he wouldn't be a factor in NHL roster-making. And, sure, you can't ignore that he is 6'5". But we need to make up our minds here, do we need Laraque or not? We want a few big guys, sure, but this team is built mostly for speed and needs the players to match.
In the best-case scenario for me, Weber would of course step into Brisebois' place and that would be that – the end of a long and tortuous relationship. I am not that naive, though, not after another summer of betrayal.
I do believe there is another alternative based on the feasible where Weber stays though, and that is where neither Stewart or Chipchura make the Habs right away. That way Carbonneau carries Brisebois, Weber and (is he still here?) Dandenault in the pressbox and inserts them when he pleases. In the spirit of keep the best prospect, it looks like the right move today.
Anyway, get a good look at Weber, because there will be injuries on defence (it comes with the territory) and he is now first in line to make the step up should we need extra legs. I just know we can't resist having a new Swiss player on the team, not now we know we are Switzerland's NHL favs (as Weber reported).
In some ways, this means everything is going to plan. I mean Latendresse, Olivier did not outshine Plekanec, but Latendresse, Guillaume is doing his part to hold a place. For me a singular disappointment is that we traded Corey Locke (Hamilton's all-time leading scorer and one-time CHL MVP) to help shore up the Hamilton back-line.
The intrigue in this whole training camp actually begins now, because those players who had a hope of making the team are all the ones still floating around. The next cuts will determine which prospects are fast-tracked and which are going to the incubator for another year. It will also tell me whether or not on teams like the Canadiens (with a roster largely filled out with NHL one-way contracts already) training camp is just a waste of time until the season begins.
As much as I like D'Agostini, Maxwell and Pacioretty. I think with Latendresse's attitude and performance turnaround, there is a single place to be won from camp. A conservative guess would put Chipchura in the mix. But Greg Stewart's single game against the Leafs last spring looms large in his favour.
Then there's Marc Denis, who after being one of the worst goaltenders in any hockey league last season, has a lot to prove. More than he can prove in an 8-game stint. He is here because they will use him again, but his stay is temporary i think.
The player who interests me most of those left is Yannick Weber. The story on him prior to the Florida game was that he was Swiss (hence the title for this piece) and that Mark Streit was his idol.
The story on him now that he has made the first cut is getting a bit more interesting. And while the pessimistic among us (and those who clearly want a ride in Brisebois' Ferrari next week) give him no chance at all:
Gaston Therrien: No place for Weber
Francois Gagnon: Not yet good enough to dislodge O'Byrne or Brisebois
I think Weber is in with a real chance here. I certainly wouldn't dismiss it out of hand the way the two journalists did. Not when the competition includes the illustrious shrug-master Brisebois.
There are several reasons for my view from the apparent lunatic fringe:
First, Weber fills an actual need on the Canadiens. With the loss of Streit on defence, the Canadiens rely on Markov for generating plays from the back, but are then faced with an immense drop off to Hamrlik and then another one to Gorges, Bouillon and Komisarek. O'Byrne for his part hardly factors into offense at all, as he is so tied up learning how to be a big defenceman.
Second, Weber is already better than Brisebois. He has shown he is dynamic, confident and can shoot without a flutter motion. And he holds the potential to get better over time, whereas we all know Patrice's potential that we spent much of last season hoping wouldn't be fulfilled again and again.
Third, Carbonneau has already shown us that he loves carrying extra defencemen on the roster, not extra forwards. He is comfortable in moving a D up to the wing, where the worst they can do is play like a D and rarely contribute any offence (Dandeanult), whereas a D gets injured, no way a forward is moved back.
I'm also not that excited about O'Byrne, to be honest. I have a feeling if it wasn't for his size he wouldn't be a factor in NHL roster-making. And, sure, you can't ignore that he is 6'5". But we need to make up our minds here, do we need Laraque or not? We want a few big guys, sure, but this team is built mostly for speed and needs the players to match.
In the best-case scenario for me, Weber would of course step into Brisebois' place and that would be that – the end of a long and tortuous relationship. I am not that naive, though, not after another summer of betrayal.
I do believe there is another alternative based on the feasible where Weber stays though, and that is where neither Stewart or Chipchura make the Habs right away. That way Carbonneau carries Brisebois, Weber and (is he still here?) Dandenault in the pressbox and inserts them when he pleases. In the spirit of keep the best prospect, it looks like the right move today.
Anyway, get a good look at Weber, because there will be injuries on defence (it comes with the territory) and he is now first in line to make the step up should we need extra legs. I just know we can't resist having a new Swiss player on the team, not now we know we are Switzerland's NHL favs (as Weber reported).
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The trouble with 8
No, I've not got a problem with Komisarek. I was thinking about what kind of message it sends to keep on 8 defensemen. Even that isn't so bad, but the Habs dressing 7 defensemen, that's where I draw the line. It sends the wrong message and gets the season underway on the wrong foot.
Numerous quotes have indicated that the Canadiens intend to keep on 8 defensemen, no matter what else happens. Why does Habs management want to stick with 8? Let's start at the beginning:
Do we have too many NHL quality defensemen?
No we don't. It was very touching that some people seem to think JF Cote is a victim of too many NHL calibre players (well I'm sure it was for him anyway). There is no crisis here, except maybe a lack of quality Ds. Beyond the top 3, you could argue the drop is steep. To an outsider (aka Leaf fan), the group looks worse than say White, Calaiacovo and Stralman. I happen to think they're pretty good, better than that Leaf group. But let's not pretend we couldn't improve on the group.
Are the extra guys here to get a look at the NHL?
Well, no. Not really. One of the guys is Brisebois hanging on to an NHL career by a thread. Some people say the same about Dandenault and Bouillon (not me yet). O'Byrne is up to get a look, but he could take a spot if we had one less man. Gorges is establishing his place in the league, not auditioning. If he doesn't make the cut, then he should be sent down.
I think we all know who I would send down/cut loose, and it'snot Gorges who I admire quite a bit.
Lastly, are we so low on forwards that it makes no difference?
If you need an answer, you missed the 342 posts in the last week about training camp, D'Agostini and Lil' K. Grabovski is likely to be cut as well, and Locke just was. We are brimming with forward prospects that could cut their teeth in the real league, but choose to give a bonus place to an "insurance" policy or two.
To me sticking with the 8 defenseman strategy from last year (an unsuccessful campaign over 82 games) shows a lack of courage on the part of the management. A team that had trouble scoring needs scorers and a good variety of them. What the struggling offense doesn't need is defensemen on one of the 4 lines.
In my opinion, the Habs need to start creating wins rather than preventing losses. We should try new things:
- Keep a rookie (say Grabovski) and play him on the scoring lines
- Try 3 scoring lines (assuming one is earmarked for checking duties)
- Instead of juggling to D to adapt to the opponent's attack, juggle the forwards to make the other team adapt
- Get a few guys used to playing with Koivu and with Kovalev, not with Bouillon
- Keep the competition for the forward spots hot by keeping someone with a real claim on the roster.
The old cliche "Defense wins championships" is true enough, but it neglects to mention that
I prefer: "Giving your defense a lead wins championships".
Of all the decisions left, let's hope Carbo and Gainey take the proactive approach and build a team that plays to win rather than not to lose.
Numerous quotes have indicated that the Canadiens intend to keep on 8 defensemen, no matter what else happens. Why does Habs management want to stick with 8? Let's start at the beginning:
Do we have too many NHL quality defensemen?
No we don't. It was very touching that some people seem to think JF Cote is a victim of too many NHL calibre players (well I'm sure it was for him anyway). There is no crisis here, except maybe a lack of quality Ds. Beyond the top 3, you could argue the drop is steep. To an outsider (aka Leaf fan), the group looks worse than say White, Calaiacovo and Stralman. I happen to think they're pretty good, better than that Leaf group. But let's not pretend we couldn't improve on the group.
Are the extra guys here to get a look at the NHL?
Well, no. Not really. One of the guys is Brisebois hanging on to an NHL career by a thread. Some people say the same about Dandenault and Bouillon (not me yet). O'Byrne is up to get a look, but he could take a spot if we had one less man. Gorges is establishing his place in the league, not auditioning. If he doesn't make the cut, then he should be sent down.
I think we all know who I would send down/cut loose, and it'snot Gorges who I admire quite a bit.
Lastly, are we so low on forwards that it makes no difference?
If you need an answer, you missed the 342 posts in the last week about training camp, D'Agostini and Lil' K. Grabovski is likely to be cut as well, and Locke just was. We are brimming with forward prospects that could cut their teeth in the real league, but choose to give a bonus place to an "insurance" policy or two.
To me sticking with the 8 defenseman strategy from last year (an unsuccessful campaign over 82 games) shows a lack of courage on the part of the management. A team that had trouble scoring needs scorers and a good variety of them. What the struggling offense doesn't need is defensemen on one of the 4 lines.
In my opinion, the Habs need to start creating wins rather than preventing losses. We should try new things:
- Keep a rookie (say Grabovski) and play him on the scoring lines
- Try 3 scoring lines (assuming one is earmarked for checking duties)
- Instead of juggling to D to adapt to the opponent's attack, juggle the forwards to make the other team adapt
- Get a few guys used to playing with Koivu and with Kovalev, not with Bouillon
- Keep the competition for the forward spots hot by keeping someone with a real claim on the roster.
The old cliche "Defense wins championships" is true enough, but it neglects to mention that
I prefer: "Giving your defense a lead wins championships".
Of all the decisions left, let's hope Carbo and Gainey take the proactive approach and build a team that plays to win rather than not to lose.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Habs cut possible NHLers
So, today Bob Gainey promoted 29 players to our championship club. There players can develop in a winning environment without 65 reporters in their faces after their morning skate and all us bloggers watching them tie their skates with baited breath.
Unfortunately, the cuts in this case also expose some of our impressive harvest of prospects to other teams with less skill at the draft. Columbus have been relying on our waiver cast-offs for years to build their defense, maybe this year they'll grab a goalie and take aim at the playoffs for the first time (in 2013).
The players cut include (from Habs Inside/Out):
Goalies:
Yann Danis (must clear waivers)
Loïc Lacasse
Cédrick Desjardins
Defencemen:
Andrew Archer (must clear waivers)
Mathieu Biron (must clear waivers)
Mathieu Carle
Marvin Degon
Jon Gleed
Jamie Rivers (must clear waivers)
Pavel Valentenko
Forwards:
Mathieu Aubin
Ajay Baines
Thomas Beauregard
Jimmy Bonneau
Matt D'Agostini
David Desharnais
Jonathan Ferland (must clear waivers)
Sergei Kostitsyn
Janne Lahti
Francis Lemieux
Corey Locke (must clear waivers)
Eric Manlow
Ben Maxwell (to junior)
Duncan Milroy (must clear waivers)
Ryan Russell
Gregory Stewart
Cory Urquhart (must clear waivers)
Ryan White (to junior)
The players in bold must clear waivers, and based on what other teams have made available, I would expect someone to go here. The most likely candidates for me seem like Yann Danis and Corey Locke.
It's a shame, because the luxury of carrying these players would have been nice, but waivers would have been a worry with every call-up and demotion throughout the season. So a tough decision, but one we probably had to take. If we didn't have Grabovski, the loss of Locke would hurt more. Obviously, we can't cry about Danis, with the other three able goalies we have.
Don't expect Danis to end up in LA though. LaBarbera is superior and Bernier is a hot prospect. They aren't as goalie poor as we think. The likely thieves are Tampa, Islanders and Blue Jackets (again).
As for Locke, any team without a small lead center would be open to 2nd-line scoring potential. I think Phoenix could use him.
Milroy was a hope for me, but showing he's not up to it this year says a lot about his stats from last season (professional AHLer). He has been surpassed by his last batch of prospects in the organisation, I think. And, we shouldn't see him in camp again next year. Ditto Ferland.
So what does it mean for our team - the one in Mtl. Price stays (for a week), and Grabovski, O'Byrne and Chipchura have an extended chance to make it.
Given the choice of the players left, this is who I'd want for opening night:
Higgins Koivu Ryder
Kostitsyn Plekanec Kovalev
Latendresse Smolinski Kostopoulos
Begin Chipchura Lapierre
Markov Komisarek
Hamrlik Streit
Bouillon O'Byrne
Huet
Halak
Sitting out: Murray (he's still here???), Grabovski (would love to see him in), Brisebois (hopefully a last-minute cut?), Dandenault, Gorges and Price (in Hamilton by next week).
Unfortunately, the cuts in this case also expose some of our impressive harvest of prospects to other teams with less skill at the draft. Columbus have been relying on our waiver cast-offs for years to build their defense, maybe this year they'll grab a goalie and take aim at the playoffs for the first time (in 2013).
The players cut include (from Habs Inside/Out):
Goalies:
Yann Danis (must clear waivers)
Loïc Lacasse
Cédrick Desjardins
Defencemen:
Andrew Archer (must clear waivers)
Mathieu Biron (must clear waivers)
Mathieu Carle
Marvin Degon
Jon Gleed
Jamie Rivers (must clear waivers)
Pavel Valentenko
Forwards:
Mathieu Aubin
Ajay Baines
Thomas Beauregard
Jimmy Bonneau
Matt D'Agostini
David Desharnais
Jonathan Ferland (must clear waivers)
Sergei Kostitsyn
Janne Lahti
Francis Lemieux
Corey Locke (must clear waivers)
Eric Manlow
Ben Maxwell (to junior)
Duncan Milroy (must clear waivers)
Ryan Russell
Gregory Stewart
Cory Urquhart (must clear waivers)
Ryan White (to junior)
The players in bold must clear waivers, and based on what other teams have made available, I would expect someone to go here. The most likely candidates for me seem like Yann Danis and Corey Locke.
It's a shame, because the luxury of carrying these players would have been nice, but waivers would have been a worry with every call-up and demotion throughout the season. So a tough decision, but one we probably had to take. If we didn't have Grabovski, the loss of Locke would hurt more. Obviously, we can't cry about Danis, with the other three able goalies we have. Don't expect Danis to end up in LA though. LaBarbera is superior and Bernier is a hot prospect. They aren't as goalie poor as we think. The likely thieves are Tampa, Islanders and Blue Jackets (again).
As for Locke, any team without a small lead center would be open to 2nd-line scoring potential. I think Phoenix could use him.
Milroy was a hope for me, but showing he's not up to it this year says a lot about his stats from last season (professional AHLer). He has been surpassed by his last batch of prospects in the organisation, I think. And, we shouldn't see him in camp again next year. Ditto Ferland.
So what does it mean for our team - the one in Mtl. Price stays (for a week), and Grabovski, O'Byrne and Chipchura have an extended chance to make it.
Given the choice of the players left, this is who I'd want for opening night:
Higgins Koivu Ryder
Kostitsyn Plekanec Kovalev
Latendresse Smolinski Kostopoulos
Begin Chipchura Lapierre
Markov Komisarek
Hamrlik Streit
Bouillon O'Byrne
Huet
Halak
Sitting out: Murray (he's still here???), Grabovski (would love to see him in), Brisebois (hopefully a last-minute cut?), Dandenault, Gorges and Price (in Hamilton by next week).
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Cuts? Let's just invite everyone.
Two unlucky rookies were cut from the Canadiens rookie camp. One can only assume that the drills went really well then, right? Only Conboy and Kishel, who probably would have run out of cash if they had to continue paying their own way, were cut. So, essentially everyone's in.
Compared to last year, that makes an extra 10 bodies: 2 up front and an astonishing 8 extra defensemen.
The majority of players lost from last year were NHLers (Aebischer, Rivet, Souray, Bonk, Johnson and crew). Most of the youngsters from last year are back, though not perennial cuts Michael Lambert and James Sanford.
Is this a good sign? I can only hope so. I mean obviously someone doesn't like making cuts, but they'll certainly have to make a whole lot in the next few days – no choice.
I think 22 defensemen for 8 spots is a bit excessive. Consider that Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik and Streit are guaranteed just because of past performance, NHL creds and salaries. That makes 18 for 4 spots. On the bright side, Brisebois who could only be described as below average, might actually fall out of the top 9 of the also rans. Here's to hoping...
Up front, they simply need the numbers to make a rotational squad for games and scrimmages, so fair enough. otherwise, I don't think Greg Stewart and Cory Urquhart need to endure another camp.
Anyway, here's the full list. We'll see what happens:
Out:
AEBISCHER, David
BENOIT, André
JANCEVSKI, Dan
RIVET, Craig
SANFORD, James
SOURAY, Sheldon
BONK, Radek
DOWNEY, Aaron
JOHNSON, Mike
LAMBERT, Michaël
PEREZHOGIN, Alexander
RIBEIRO, Mike
SAMSONOV, Sergei
Returning:
DANIS, Yann
HALAK, Jaroslav
HUET, Cristobal
LACASSE, Loïc
PRICE, Carey
ARCHER, Andrew
BOUILLON, Francis
CÔTÉ, Jean-Philippe
DANDENAULT, Mathieu
GLEED, Jon
KOMISAREK, Mike
MARKOV, Andrei
O’BYRNE, Ryan
STREIT, Mark
AUBIN, Mathieu
BAINES, Ajay
BÉGIN, Steve
BONNEAU, Jimmy
CHIPCHURA, Kyle
D’AGOSTINI, Matt
FERLAND, Jonathan
GRABOVSKI, Mikhail
HIGGINS, Chris
KOIVU, Saku
KOSTITSYN, Andrei
KOVALEV, Alex
LAPIERRE, Maxim
LATENDRESSE, Guillaume
LEMIEUX, Francis
LOCKE, Corey
MANLOW, Eric
MILROY, Duncan
MURRAY, Garth
PLEKANEC, Tomas
RYDER, Michael
STEWART, Gregory
URQUHART, Cory
New invitees:
LOVEROCK, Andrew
BIRON, Mathieu
BRISEBOIS, Patrice
CARLE, Mathieu
CEPEK, Cameron
DEGON, Marvin
GORGES, Josh
HAMRLIK, Roman
LABRIE, Mathieu
PICHE, Sebastien
RIVERS, Jamie
SUBBAN, PK
VALENTENKO, Pavel
WEBER, Yannick
BEAUREGARD, Thomas
DESHARNAIS, David
FORTIER, Olivier
KOSTITSYN, Sergei
KOSTOPOULOS, Tom
LAHTI, Janne
MAXWELL, Ben
RUSSELL, Ryan
SMOLINSKI, Bryan
Compared to last year, that makes an extra 10 bodies: 2 up front and an astonishing 8 extra defensemen.
The majority of players lost from last year were NHLers (Aebischer, Rivet, Souray, Bonk, Johnson and crew). Most of the youngsters from last year are back, though not perennial cuts Michael Lambert and James Sanford.
Is this a good sign? I can only hope so. I mean obviously someone doesn't like making cuts, but they'll certainly have to make a whole lot in the next few days – no choice.
I think 22 defensemen for 8 spots is a bit excessive. Consider that Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik and Streit are guaranteed just because of past performance, NHL creds and salaries. That makes 18 for 4 spots. On the bright side, Brisebois who could only be described as below average, might actually fall out of the top 9 of the also rans. Here's to hoping...
Up front, they simply need the numbers to make a rotational squad for games and scrimmages, so fair enough. otherwise, I don't think Greg Stewart and Cory Urquhart need to endure another camp.
Anyway, here's the full list. We'll see what happens:
Out:
AEBISCHER, David
BENOIT, André
JANCEVSKI, Dan
RIVET, Craig
SANFORD, James
SOURAY, Sheldon
BONK, Radek
DOWNEY, Aaron
JOHNSON, Mike
LAMBERT, Michaël
PEREZHOGIN, Alexander
RIBEIRO, Mike
SAMSONOV, Sergei
Returning:
DANIS, Yann
HALAK, Jaroslav
HUET, Cristobal
LACASSE, Loïc
PRICE, Carey
ARCHER, Andrew
BOUILLON, Francis
CÔTÉ, Jean-Philippe
DANDENAULT, Mathieu
GLEED, Jon
KOMISAREK, Mike
MARKOV, Andrei
O’BYRNE, Ryan
STREIT, Mark
AUBIN, Mathieu
BAINES, Ajay
BÉGIN, Steve
BONNEAU, Jimmy
CHIPCHURA, Kyle
D’AGOSTINI, Matt
FERLAND, Jonathan
GRABOVSKI, Mikhail
HIGGINS, Chris
KOIVU, Saku
KOSTITSYN, Andrei
KOVALEV, Alex
LAPIERRE, Maxim
LATENDRESSE, Guillaume
LEMIEUX, Francis
LOCKE, Corey
MANLOW, Eric
MILROY, Duncan
MURRAY, Garth
PLEKANEC, Tomas
RYDER, Michael
STEWART, Gregory
URQUHART, Cory
New invitees:
LOVEROCK, Andrew
BIRON, Mathieu
BRISEBOIS, Patrice
CARLE, Mathieu
CEPEK, Cameron
DEGON, Marvin
GORGES, Josh
HAMRLIK, Roman
LABRIE, Mathieu
PICHE, Sebastien
RIVERS, Jamie
SUBBAN, PK
VALENTENKO, Pavel
WEBER, Yannick
BEAUREGARD, Thomas
DESHARNAIS, David
FORTIER, Olivier
KOSTITSYN, Sergei
KOSTOPOULOS, Tom
LAHTI, Janne
MAXWELL, Ben
RUSSELL, Ryan
SMOLINSKI, Bryan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)