Quiet Frenzy

Well, it was a rough end to the season. Now that the UFA frenzy is almost upon us, it's a lot easier to be optimistic and have us all jump back on the Habwagon. Given that I managed to call Erik Cole last year, I figured I should give another stab at my dream UFA acquisition for this year. Anybody up for speculating on the roster come fall?

Goalies
Start with the easy part. The Habs have entered salary arbitration with Price, which makes it sound like there might be some bad feelings between him and management. However, this is a canny strategic move that prevents other GMs pulling “gutless” moves (Brian Burke's word) and submitting offer sheets to drive up Price's salary. We have Budaj for another year at $1.15M. Given we need someone to play the 15 or so games Price doesn't start, Budaj is a good fit at a good price.

It's a bit of no-brainer that Price will be signed this year, although I'm having difficulty figuring out for how much. Somewhere near $5M would be my guess. What do you guys think?

Defencemen
There's a good crop of returning defencemen, with a pile of RFAs on the roster as well. The only D-man who goes into unrestricted free agency is Campoli, and I really don't expect to see him back. We have Markov ($5.75M, 2 yrs), Gorges ($3.9M, 6 yr), Weber (850k, 1 yr and then RFA), and sadly, Kaberle (an unbelievable $4.25M for another 2 years). Obviously, we'd love to get rid of him, but there isn't a GM in the league who would take him off our hands. Hopefully the new CBA will allow us to get him off from around the neck of the team, but I don't think we can hold our breaths. On the RFA scene, we have Emelin, Nash, Diaz, Subban, and St.-Denis. 

I could see possibly keeping St.-Denis and Nash for depth, but they aren't big pieces of the puzzle. In my opinion, Subban is second only in terms of Price in terms of priority for team signing. I'm also a huge fan of Emelin, and would love to have him on the CH blueline for years to come from what I've seen from him this season. Also a fan of Diaz, he's got a good sense of what's going on around him and a good shot from the point. I think it would be great to hang on to both him and Weber, both very promising young defencemen that are proven in the league, and trade one (or possibly both) down the line for some more assets up front.

Really not expecting to see much interesting happen in terms of trades or UFA signings on the defence, just hoping to sign most of a great crop of young players.

Forwards
Now for the hard part. Obviously, there's some good talent up front if we can overlook the albatross that is Scott Gomez ($7.36M, 2 yrs). Again, no GM will ever take that contract off of our hands, and we can only hope that the new CBA opens up some kind of door to get rid of him. After that, we have Plekanec ($5M, 4 yrs), Gionta ($5M, 2 yrs), Cole ($4.5M, 3 yrs), Bourque ($3.33M, 4 yrs), Pacioretty ($1.625M, 1 yr then RFA), Leblanc ($1.17M, 2 yrs then RFA), and Desharnais ($850k, 1 yr). I'm pretty happy with that group, and with much of our RFA crop, which includes Eller, Geoffrion, Blunden, and Nokelainen. Our UFAs consist of Moen, Darche, and Staubitz.

Frankly, I could care less about our UFAs. They're entirely replaceable. I'm glad we've signed White, I have a soft spot for the guy. I think Geoffrion showed some promise, but may have some trouble staying on the roster. I'd like to see Eller kept around, he's got potential and may also prove to be attractive trade bait.

The Dream
Outside of our very wildest dreams, we're not going to be able to trade Gomez and Kaberle for Rick Nash. Within our grasp as UFAs are veterans like Doan, Smyth, and Ray Whitney. I'm happy with Cole and Gionta as vets, and think we need to focus on younger players that might take a couple years to peak: we simply can't assemble a cup-worthy squad for at least 2 years.

Semin is on the market, but I'm not super-excited by him. He's kinda fragile, and hasn't re-found his form of the 08-09 and 09-10 seasons. Parise is another high flier, more interesting in my opinion if we can get value for him. He's in an odd spot, as he took a 1-year contract for $6M last season as an RFA on the back of consecutive 94- and 82-point seasons, but “only” scored 69 points this season and is entering his first year of eligibility as a UFA.

Honestly, I would like to see NO big, bold, interesting moves come Sunday. The crop of UFAs seems pretty thin, but might yield a good bargain or two. PA Parenteau would be interesting: he's francophone, shoots right-handed, and scored 53 and 67 points in the last 2 seasons (also his first 2 in the NHL). Plus, he only made $1.25M last season. I mentioned Dustin Penner earlier, he could bring some much-needed size and can definitely put the puck in the net. However, he's been having trouble with that lately, and as a result may not be able to match the $4.25M of his last contract.

Who's your reality-tempered dream acquisition? Let us know in the comments.

Acknowledgements and big thanks to CapGeek.com for numbers!

Game #60 Habs Don't Work Hard Enough for Points

Details

Date: 19/02/2012
Opponent: Devils
Location: Montreal

Loss 1-3

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Brodeur (W)

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty
Opposition goalscorers: Parise, Clarkson, Taormina

Play of the game

Working hard up the boards, Pacioretty gained the zone and threw the puck to Desharnais. The feisty centre worked it around the back of the net and got it out front. After Kaberle fanned on it, Pacioretty picked it up right in front of the net and slammed it behind Brodeur.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
From his play, it's obvious Plekanec still wants to win every contest. He digs deep in his own end, makes timely steals and smart transition plays, and creates in the offensive end. His lost battle leading up to third goal was a shame, but he looked tremendous over the rest of the game and his -3 doesn't reflect his impact on the game at all.

Max Pacioretty
Notched his 25th of the season in another solid effort. Had a couple more promising chances and played a big role in the dangerous stretch of play we put together in the third period. Taking good lessons from Cole in using his body and finding good spots to score from.

David Desharnais
Yet another game where we didn't look fantastic in the offensive zone and Desharnais was key to what little we managed to generate. Picked up an assist and contributed greatly to the surge in pressure during the third period.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Didn't see so many of the same small positional mistakes that I've been seeing lately. Shifted his play towards the offensive when it was required and made sure his spot was covered when he was pinching. Began with solid play in his own end and built some good offense out of it.

Josh Gorges
Always a mainstay of our defensive corps, Gorges really did everything he could to keep us in this one. His play was excellent and he was integral to keeping the Kovalchuck line to only a single, lucky goal.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Carey got pretty unlucky tonight. He made some huge saves and kept the team in the running for the early stretches of the game. His play was outstanding and was beat by 2 lucky tips and a freakish shot that slipped between Bernier and Weber. Certainly wasn't the source of our woes in this one.

Comments

We started with a red-hot shift from Gomez and Kostitsyn, and then seemed to sit back on our haunches for most of the first period, and the first half of the second. Price made some huge saves to keep us in it, but ultimately New Jersey forechecked very effectively against us and anticipated play very well. They are a fast and well-coached team, and simply out worked us. They won battles, were usually first to the puck, and created good pressure. Even with good play from our defensive corps, getting outshot 12-4 in the first period is a good reflection of how one-sided the contest was.

The pressure we did manage to mount in the 3rd was dangerous, and it looked like we might draw even until Taormina got lucky and stole our momentum. Sadly, it was too little and too late. It looked again like the Hurricanes game in that the effort simply wasn't there early enough. If we could stretch that kind of play over 40, or even 60 minutes of hockey, our playoff hopes might be a little brighter today.

Beware The Devils: A Preview

After a trip and a break from daily Internet, it's a return to the world of bloggery. To start with then, a look at tonight's game and the issues that surround it.


Key match-ups

Gionta and Matt Taormina
I don't know if they'll ever lay each other this evening or not. But here you have the Canadiens second line winger and the Devils second pairing weak link. Gionta needs out of a slump and injuries to Salvador, Volchenkov and Salmela give him this gift.

Kovalchuk and Price
Playing now occasionally on the right wing, Kovalchuk is known for getting shots in every game he plays in. And shots from the leading goalscorer since the lockout tend to be deadly accurate. If he streaks down the right, he'll know to shoot high. Price needs to be aware of what he's facing.


Devils forecheck vs. Hamrlik and Spacek
Traditionally a strong forecheck against two who seem to enjoy the forecheck less and less each year. Both Hamrlik and Spacek have a bit of a history to forget against the devils and it will be interesting to see if their troubles this season and from the past can be put aside for a game or not.


Pouliot and Pyatt
I know Pouliot's omission from the second line has more to do with Gomez and Gionta's need for spark, but even so the big man must somehow regain his place in the pecking order. If Pyatt overtakes him this evening, it could be a big setback. Pyatt meanwhile will want to solidify his place with some contribution. He's already the coach's golden boy, if he gets G and G going, there's no telling the currency in good will he gains.


Momentum

At a glance, it looks to all be in the Habs favour. But beware buying too much into that. The Canadiens have won their last two and managed points in their last four, but the schedulemakers at the NHL have a habit of taking the wind out of sails in October for this team. No game since Saturday means the momentum of that Ottawa win is only as meaningful as the momentum of the report on Pyatt making line 2. The Devils meanwhile look a stinker. But if I asked Felipe Alou, I think he'd tell me to put money on them in their next few games. For a team like the Devils with talent at all positions, a disappointing record is often the last thing you want them to draw on for motivation when you meet them. Strangely, I feel the momentum is even.


Devils the Habs covet

Zach Parise
New Jersey educated and a dynamic scorer to boot. Kovalchuk has all the press right now, but this Devils team's real diamond is Parise who has seldom disappointed when I've sat down to watch him.

Colin White
As players changed in New Jersey over the years, results stayed strangely consistent.Brodeur's been there through tick and thick of course. Colin White has too. Quietly, the core defender on the Devils has made a solid career out of keeping play clean in his zone. If Montreal doesn't covet a defender like this, they should.


Habs the Devils covet

Andrei Markov
The talented puck-mover they've missed since Niedermayer turned tail. And more importantly injured to start the season, allowing them to play salary tricks while making a better roster for the playoffs.

Tom Pyatt
For the first time in years, the Devils line up without Jay Pandolfo. Not to say he's irreplaceable, but I'm sure they'd like to have replaced him. Pyatt isn't that player yet, but he could be trained to Pandolfo efficiency in NJ and probably always keep his low price tag. To go with their flash and salary up front, the Devils need some balance on the cheap.


Ready-made excuses

If Montreal lose:
- Markov is injured
- Quebec goalie
- Devils are one of the elite teams in the NHL
- Weren't ready to start the game

If New Jersey lose:
- Kovalchuk is destroying the team
- Brian Rolston's salary
- Quebec posts turned on Brodeur


Impact of this result

Until now games have been relatively meaningless. And they will continue to mean little for a long while. However, this game has the potential to be important to both teams going forward.

For the Habs, with a history of allowing the devils to walk in and take points, and no doubt helping them out of slumps on many occasions, this game could prove that time is over. Kicking the Devils while they're down, and particularly contributing to Brodeur's bad start could banish a significant bugaboo for this team. Needless to say, turning the trick would be beneficial to Carey again, as beating a Hall-of-Famer is always a boost.

For the devils, a win here could really kick start their road to recovery. A small win, perhaps not. A big win, certainly. If Brodeur gets his customary support from former Forum ghosts, then his slump too might be a thing for memory.

Game #52 Patient Habs Beat NJ At Devils Hockey

Details

Date: 22/01/10
Opponent: Devils
Location: New Jersey

Win: 3-1

Habs Goalie: Halak (W)
Opposition Goalie: Brodeur (L)

Habs goalscorers: Pouliot, Darche, Cammalleri
Opposition goalscorers: Parise

Play of the game

For fans who've been longing to beat a decent opponent in a conventional way, this game had it. There were a bundle of little plays that I liked. There was attention to detail, and it was nice to see for a change. If the Habs had lost, I'd be regaling you about a sequence of possession. Instead, the attention to detail was rewarded, and I can choose the more beautiful offensive play. Pouliot's goal was the prettiest. Starting from good possession in the Devils zone, the play turned dangerous when Scott Gomez along the left side boards threaded a perfectly weighted pass to Markov for a clear chance. Markov didn't score, but no player retreated on the play. Markov dug out his own rebound and through Moen got it back to Gomez. Not one to sit and admire his passes, he instead took two steps and put an even better pass onto the predatory Pouliot's stick, the gaping goal awaited. But Team USA wouldn't need that...

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Another reason to like this game is that the players made the dome selections a race. Instead of 3 or 4 forwards turning up, there were reasons to like 8 or 9 of them. Plekanec stood out for me this game because of his industriousness. When he's off, he finds the outside with regularity. When he's on, as in this game, he wants the puck and he plans to keep it. And attention to detail, when ready, he's Mr. Attention to Detail. He didn't win all his faceoffs, but he won some important ones. He made good passes, had efforts on net, won his dump ins and he had two steals. As games with no points go, this was a great one.

Mathieu Darche
I'll never understand the grudge some people have. Why, for instance was Darche's call up met with such pessimism? I'll never know. Having seen him in cosier arenas than NHL barns, I'd had reason to believe for a long time. However, he surpassed my expectations tonight. His goal was not only hard work exemplified, but there was exceptional skill in it, and his work on the insurance marker was timely and a long time coming for Habs fans watching the team this season. What made his performance most special, though, is that finally we get the Hamilton call-up who will actually do whatever it takes to make his place. In fighting for his career, he may have shortened a few others on this night.

Mike Cammalleri
Cammalleri hates losing and you can smell it. Perhaps we've been waiting for someone to get fed up and become the leader that says "no more". I think when Mike confronted happy-go-lucky, cash-my-paycheque, Maxim Lapierre the other day, he did that. I don't know if it woke Max up, but it actually seemed to wake Mike up, which is a better result. This game he was tenacious and sly. His goal was a great one and showed the one-mindedness of the goalscorer. In the defensive zone, he made an impact too, and one dive to clear in particular, showed me how far he wouldgo to win this time.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov -- Game Puck
It wasn't a perfect game from the maestro. That Brisebois flashback up the middle at 2-1 was a real low point. However, on balance, Markov played like a #1 defender on the night, like a #1 defender who was in control. The highlight of his game for the video editors came on goal #3, with that visionary pass to Cammalleri. And his play on the first goal was integral to the play. I think that in a game where patience and attention to some of the things that had been missing, though, Markov's general calm and calculation in his own end was perhaps even more valuable. Adding that to his offensive contribution made him the standout player for me.

Josh Gorges
Gorges got serious. A new haircut gave us a flag that he recognised the need for a new start. A new start is what he gave. A mere game after being questioned as a #4/5 defender, he brought back his claim for #3 mantle. Playing with Markov can be easy if you make it so, and Gorges did. His feet were constantly on the move and his desire was always with winning the puck. He made the Devils wish there hadn't been a wake-up call for #26.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
A much better defensive effort than in some time, combined with a goalie making the saves expected of him. Halak did nothing too spectacular for me, nothing more than paying attention that is. That first goal would have been nicer out than in, and the way he was beaten was not flattering. But from there in, Jaro brought the calm and patience that infused his teammates. Another win, and more points against a non-Islanders team (though are they still considered a cheap win as we look up at them?) does more to bolster Jaro's claim that he has ironed out some of his difficulties. He seems more stable in these wins than in the wins of a year or two ago, and it seems he's maturing. If he played like this every night, the Canadiens would be a happy bunch.

Comments

Right from the start of this game, there was a different feel. The Canadiens came out knowing that to beat the Devils, 60 minutes of hockey was required. You couldsee them budget energy early on and budget silly chances. There were moments of madness to be sure, and this was no game for the textbooks, but what an improvement? An improvement from the recent losses, an improvement on the recent wins.

I get the feeling that sometimes Habs fans are like me and look at the team they watch and ask of it "Why can't we just do things the way everybody else does?", "Why can't we defend well, score at even strength, win some of the battles on the boards, etc.?" Last night, I thought they did emulate their rivals. There was some Buffalo in that win, some New Jersey in it. Rather than pushing every break out to be a breakaway, they took the possession at times and worked it. Rather than forcing every pass forward, they recognised the backwards thinking in that philosophy. It was actually funny that at one point I was noting a play to admire and discuss later while Pierre Houde lamented the Devils pinning our Dmen down. It seems that perhaps the answer to those questions about our lack of patience, our choice of quick fix over intelligent play are slightly engrained in everyone, certainly Pierre Houde anyway.

This is what Jacques Martin is up against. A culture, an ethos. He's had an easy time of coaching puck possession into Gomez, Gionta, even Hamrlik -- you can see it. but players like Gill, Pacioretty and even Markov have a lot to unlearn. This game was a nice start.