Kostitsyn vs. Gainey Habs Won't Win The Way They've Been Going

Just a day or two ago, wasn't it, that we were full of Sergei's obvious change in attitude as he scored a couple of goals and made AHL defenders look like, well, AHL defenders.

It seems that Sergei was also full of the same bravado that day as (after reading our praise, probably) he took off to whereabouts unknown. The assumption from the Habs and agent was Russia, the reality is that they probably didn't look very hard. So from suspended to reformed hero to suspended to AHL commuter again – quite a drama down on the farm.

As the facts emerge, we may get to know more on the specifics, but know this – this is a standoff between Gainey and Sergei Kostitsyn. It is a wrangle over talent assessment, fairness, expectation, discipline and who's in charge. It didn't begin yesterday, it began a long time ago.


It goes back to 4th line duty, full-period benchings and of course that scandal and demotion that last saw Sergei in the AHL last February.

Sergei's beef, which several people (surprisingly Michel Bergeron among them) see eye to eye with is that the player has been wrongly overlooked. Anyone with a modicum of hockey watching experience can see he brings much more to the table than Greg Stewart, Matt D'Agostini, Kyle Chipchura or Georges Laraque, and probably more than Pacioretty, Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre. To put it succinctly, Sergei believes as do some others that he is the 6th most talented forward in the whole organization. he believes Gainey is cutting off his nose to spite his face.

On the other side, Gainey has a point. Sergei could be more mature, he could be more concentrated and more prompt. In Gainey's version, he must not only be setting an example to others with demands, but also thinking that Sergei could learn something from dominating the lower league and riding some buses again. He must think that this injection of fury could turn to desire and ultimately performance.


But really, setting an example? Who for?

If we read it as a lesson to other players, it's clear enough: Work hard, do what we ask of you and you will play and play well. It's a nice message. Now, I'm all for setting examples of people. but there comes a certain point when you have to ask, just who is Gainey trying to set an example for with Sergei Kostitsyn?

The next players in the depth chart talent-wise aren't learning anything, because they're all on the Habs despite their poor play and poor attention to detail in their work. While the players after Sergei in Hamilton are Ben Maxwell, Ryan White and Brock Trotter. If any one of them sees the NHL light of day in the next 5 years for any reason other than injuries, it would be a surprise.

My take here is that sometimes, at risk of upsetting the lesser lights, sometimes a GM just has to provide a little more care, a little more attention to the talent that matters. Since finding another 131-point OHLer in the 7th round will be hard and teaching those skills to the schleps that are on the farm already is a pipe dream, Gainey's imperative with Sergei needs to be to hold on to what he has, at least he can return his value in a trade.

I tend to agree with Michel Bergeron (twice in a day, I need a long bath...) who says:

Je crois qu’on est un peu trop puritains à Montréal. Les bons petits gars qui restent assis à manger des biscuits secs et à boire leur verre de lait, ce n’est pas toujours ceux qui te font gagner!

I think they're a bit too puritanical in Montreal. Good little boys who go to bed with milk and cookies – it's not always the best way to build a winner.

He's right you know. Imagine, Chelios had been fined instead of traded. Ditto Corson first time around. If Patrick Kane were a Hab, he'd have been traded by now for fear of tarnishing the tradition of the past – a tradition so sacred that it may take 100 years of losing (seemingly) and a new tradition of total mediocrity to overturn.

If anything is clear from this debacle it is that Sergei is not responding to tough love – at least not without tender explanation on the side. He's a prima donna with some primo talents. If Gainey and co. continue to hard ball him, it appears that everyone will lose, most importantly the Habs.

I think it's high time they take stock of this situation and begin to channel a lot more effort into keeping their most talented prospects happy and wanted. If not, well mediocrity for years.


"We should stop drafting Russians..."

Of course, this whole series of events gives wonderful fodder to those who camped themselves under the anti-Kostitsyn flag. It's a popular place to be these days, and it will be interesting to see whether those there now will pretend this never happened just like when they kissed Kovalev's feet in 2007-08. Anyway, arguments on trading them, whether they should play and where are all bordering on fair. But I've seen quite a few nonsensical bits around starting to pop up about how the Habs are wasting their picks when they choose Russians (or former Soviet citizens at least).

I have to be frank, anyone who says we wasted a pick on Sergei Kostitsyn is more than mildly delusional. Sergei was picked 200th overall in the 7th round of the 2005 draft. Usually, one would be lucky to remember the name of a player like that. To have mined 108 NHL games out of that player in 4 seasons since the draft is remarkable.

Not only does this show me that the picks have not been wasted, it shows me that we need to keep drafting Russians (and Belarussians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Latvians, etc.). They simply offer more value for the pick.

People often wonder aloud how Detroit has managed to maintain their excellence over the past decade and they need not look any further than this same mentality they take into the draft. Whereas the Wings have been as dismal as the worst NHL clubs in picking up North American talent from well-scouted leagues, they have made a living out of taking chances where they know their chances will pay off. Fedorov, Konstantinov and Lidstrom made the first wave of the Wings dynasty tick. All looked like high risk picks to those that have neither the patience nor the whereabouts to develop a European talent into an NHL star. The fact that they have repeated the trick with Zetterberg, Franzen and Datsyuk only further proves the point.

Now that the Swedish scouting game has been blown wide open (see draft, 2009), Russia really represents the richest vein of talent at its most untapped. What's more, as more and more teams shy away from the hassle that a few long distance phone calls and maybe some disappointments after a long tease (instead of a retirement straight out of high school) good Russian talent is slipping further down the rounds. Witness the Canadiens taking the third Russian player in the draft this season at 109th overall. Now, even if he doesn't actually turn out to be the next Ovechkin, you could never convince me he won't be better than Nick Oliver taken 110th overall.


Best case scenarios

For the Habs there really are only two scenarios that work from here on with Sergei:

1) Gainey gets him to calm down long enough (months) to start excelling in the AHL, calls him up and then trades him for similar value

2) Gainey gets him to calm down long enough (days/weeks) to start playing in the AHL so the GM can save face, calls him up and he replaces the blank-firing youngsters we currently carry night-in, night-out on the roster with panache and attitude of his best vintage


I thoroughly hope that it ends up being one of these. As I indicate, both routes require a bit of work for Gainey, which we know is asking a lot in his holiday months of August to June...

Bad Attitudes, Bad Habits Sergei Kostitsyn Not Alone

Didn't take long for my previews to be contradicted, did it?

Sergei Kostitsyn has been demoted to the Hamilton Bulldogs. I had him on the third line making our hockey team a more difficult one to play against. It seems that is something that will wait for a bit of maturation to take place (like a good cheese...).

I should also applaud the majority of you who appear to have this 4-horse race pinned as one between Latendresse and Pacioretty, as indicated by your responses to our poll.

Now it's easy to jump to lots of conclusions here, and in fairness most are probably close. The popular take is that Sergei Kostitsyn is being demoted because he missed the team bus. The extension on that is that he was yelled at (on camera) and was the player to put the most steps wrong at camp. But what is missing from all these tales of intrigue is the fact that Sergei didn't really have a very good camp.

Why is that?

Well, it appears one reason is that Sergei will be a new pin cushion for those that miss Kovalev's "floating", Koivu's "French" and Higgins' failure to live up to their own overblown expectations. Sergei is being tarred and feathered and being kicked off the bandwagon Canadien.

Countless good riddance comments grace the message boards and comment pages today – fans willing to write off a 50-point youngster as easily as that.


Attitude

Ever since his slumps of early 2009, and his subsequent public humiliation (despite being cleared by law) regarding shady associations, Sergei has been tagged a problem child. And while it certainly looks that way on the outside, with his atrocious line changes coming straight to mind, it might be a tad unfair on the young man. Unfair, because he is clearly not alone in needing an attitude adjustment.

You see, Sergei's attitude problems are overt, expressed in bursts, not often reined in. They're easy to spot, easy to bash. But if you think that we've rid our team of bad attitudes today, you are gravely mistaken.

Take this September. This was the training camp where competition for jobs meant that 4 forwards were vying for one place on a scoring line. It was the training camp where all four stumbled through the steps, did little other than the absolute minimum (at least in game situations).

This was the camp where a new depth of veterans up front meant AHLers who had been in line for a job would have to work hard to make impressions. It was a training camp where more players took steps backwards than forward.

Attitude for me doesn't stop at petulance, tantrums and sulks. Controlling those things are a minimum requirement. But as a fan, I would hope that the attitude being sought includes striving to be better, not just adequate; striving to win; and showing the willingness to work on one's failings.

In this regard, this training camp has highlighted the attitude adjustments needed from players other than Sergei as well; players like his brother Andrei, Latendresse, D'Agostini, Chipchura, Stewart, Lapierre, Gorges and even Price. A lot of young guys who are taking a lot for granted. My specific concern does lie with the battle for the 6th forward place, which was run at a canter and won by a player who missed time injured, never scored and played some good, average hockey with one assist on top-line duty.


Latendresse

I'm always impressed with Latendresse after he speaks, full of praise. He always seems to come across as having one of the best attitudes I've ever known in a prospect as young as him.

But when it comes down to it with Gui, it's really starting to seem like though he can talk the talk, he's not willing or perhaps able to walk the walk.

In the summer, I half-jokingly wrote him some tips on what he should be doing to step through the open door to the top two lines. From the moment he came into camp, he seemed as if he had read that. A summer in Ottawa training seemed to be paying off. But as time goes on in this camp period, what we're seeing is the same remarkable ability to let opportunity slip through the fingers as he's shown at every chance previous.

Yes he's scored goals, and he'll continue to do that. But he hasn't made his lines better on the whole. He hasn't been brave enough to actually be Holmstrom, though he likes to name drop Tomas near nightly. Is it fear? Is it anxiety? Whatever it is, Guillaume, if he really wants to help this team, has to have another think about his own approach and his career goals at this team-building exercise. It's no longer enough to keep saying he knows what to do, yet doing nothing about it. The time to procrastinate is done.


D'Agostini

Forgive D'Agostini for missing the boat, he probably never thought he'd be trying to make it in the first place. But just as the door was open for Sergei and Guillaume, so it was for Matt. Goals might have helped, but I tell you it could have been simpler – simple as not looking like one of the lower half of forwards most of the time.

D'Agostini also needs a soul search. If he wants to make a career in the NHL, he should probably reflect on the fact that his skill is scoring and his weakness is defending. Not usually the profile of the low impact third or fourth liner.


Different players, different remedies

As someone who has coached, I know that getting players to recognise their faults, to reflect and eventually (hopefully) to change their attitudes takes an armoury of different attacks.

In Sergei's case, I think they are getting it right. From all I've seen, he is someone who can respond to action. Rather than try to handle him with the kid gloves of the past, this demotion is the kick in the back-side that tells him he's not been good enough. Sure there'll be an outward sulk, but don't be surprised if in a few weeks we're talking about a player with 34 points in 24 games who's chomping at the bit to get his next chance.

I have trouble reading the others. If Guillaume's situation weren't complicated by being the buffer against no French Canadian players in the Habs line up, would he respond to a boot too? I'm not sure he would you know. I estimate that the day after, we'd be hearing from the same philosophical Gui, fully aware of faults as always, down on the farm – no fire lit.

How then to light his fire? It's tricky, but you know this retreat might be just the thing. Perhaps a little JM one on one with Lats can bring him around to the fact that he must act on what he knows needs be done. I'll cross my fingers.

As for D'Agostini, who knows? He was never really anything but the fourth horse in the race anyway. Perhaps all he needs is a few more days to get a taste for this NHL journey before he gets demoted to the AHL again. I don't know. One can only hope that with a taste of this nice new flavour they've concocted in Montreal, Matt would fight with whatever he has to make sure he's part of it.



There, I've said my piece. Though I fully agree with the Sergei Kostitsyn demotion, I am as usual at odds with the way some media choose to take this opportunity to single out one young player, while giving others their free pass, to vilify the Belarussian because it suits their agendas.

Have a good break. Thursday's coming.

Canadiens Season Preview: Fourth Line Offense

Finally up front, the fourth line:

Stewart – Metropolit – Moen

Glen Metropolit

NHL Season	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PPG	GWG	G/60	Pts/60	Sh	S%	PIM
08-09 (PHA/MTL)	53	6	11	17	-5	1	0	0.38	1.06	82	7.3	28
07-08 (BOS)	82	11	22	33	-3	1	5	0.49	1.47	141	7.8	36
06-07 (ATL/STL)	77	14	19	33	+9	5	2	0.90	2.13	123	11.4	34

Even-strength profile
	Below average offensively even strength Above average in preventing GA at even strength below average at preventing chances against even strength Impressive CORSI: -8.5

Legend


Stats notes

Glen's not a player I've ever thought a lot about, but looking at his stats, this is what I notice:

1) He may be on the decline
Looking at his goals and assists per hour of hockey played, it seems Glen is falling off a cliff. Not surprising perhaps considering that he is 36 and is no Mark Messier to begin with.

2) 33 points one year
Now the 33 points are a bit of a mirage for Glen, because obviously he was used in a far greater capacity by Claude Julien than he was before or will be again – you can tell by the jump in actual points, but the drastic fall in Pts/60. That said, he is capable of scoring the occasional goal, and that should not be forgotten.

3) Good GA numbers
Being that the fourth line is usually an exercise in futility at the attacking end anyway (see the colour purple everywhere), then good defence is really all I would ask for. Between his good stats in this department last season and the greater role he enjoyed with the Bruins, Metropolit can deliver that.


Nothing new and surprising her, just good 4th line numbers for a 4th line centre. IN the salary cap era, a team can't afford to trot out Sergei Fedorov on the 4th line, so an above average guy like Glen is a boon. That is, however, until he gets in the way of prospects that need space.


Tobalev on Metropolit:

Just when you think there is room for a youngster, you pick a player on a multi-year deal like Glen. I see Glen as a fill-the-roster type player who doesn’t really bring anything unique to the table. He is the type of player that teams use when they put no effort into having 4 competitive lines. His 17 points and -5 play show me that he isn’t a force in either end and that was confirmed as I watched him last season. He at least is a right-hand shot that is decent on draws so there is a little up-side there.

He’ll be with the big club all year and will likely play (if healthy) over 65 games. I would rather see him play with prospects than guys like Laraque, but if he is on the 4th line (which is a pretty obvious spot for him) then it will be a mish-mash of wingers for him to get used to. That type of change won’t help Glen or the team’s play, but that is the way we have always used our 4th line and I am pretty sure Martin will keep the status quo. Look for him to score about 5 goals (some of which I am sure will be huge) and post up a similar amount of assists. If he can be solid in his own end then it may very well be worth it to have his experience on the team.


Where Metropolit will start 2009-10: Fourth line centre

Where Metropolit will end 2009-10: On another team

Points: 7 G, 12 A, 19 Pts



Travis Moen

NHL Season	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PPG	GWG	G/60	Pts/60	Sh	S%	PIM
08-09 (ANA/SJ)	82	7	9	16	-18	0	2	0.34	0.78	101	6.9	91
07-08 (ANA)	77	3	5	8	-10	0	1	0.15	0.39	98	3.1	81
06-07 (ANA)	82	11	10	21	-4	0	0	0.54	1.04	124	8.9	101

Even-strength profile
	Very close to league worst offensively at even strength Decent defence at even strength Negative balance in his output Awful CORSI: -12.4

Legend


Stats notes

From what I'd read about Moen, and seen in one playoff run, I expected a lot. You know how high expectations can often be dashed? Well Moen dashes away. It's good and bad here:

1) Good defensive numbers
Moen's defensive numbers are pretty good, and would have been very good on the Canadiens. However, he put up those numbers on the Ducks and the Sharks on good lines, so consider the context. When he was off the ice, for example, his teammates had a +/- that was 1.67 better than when he was on.

2) Really bad offensive numbers
Last season, Moen put up nightmarish production for goals and chances for his team when playing at even strength. Given the ice time he was getting, it was a tremendous waste. Think tremendous chorus of boos in Montreal. On the positive side, his terrible stats were still a massive improvement on the year before. I can't imagine what that would have looked like.

3) Low events player
The saving grace for Moen is that when he's on the ice, it will usually be boring. Unlike Ovechkin or Koivu who are on the ice for many goals for and many against, Moen keeps it to a minimum, if he played every hour of every game, they'd all be 2-1 losses with about 45 shots.


Because he offers about as little as you can get from an NHL player going forward, Moen's stats like +/- and Corsi have suffered. However, as mentioned his tendency to be on the ice for long boring periods where nothing happens is something I can stomach on the fourth line (waiting for a better line to come on) periods. And let's face it, here's here because of his physical dimensions rather the dimension he can bring to the play – all pointing to 4th line and nothing more.


Tobalev on Moen
Hands up if you only know him as a Stanley Cup Champion and as member of that shutdown line. I really think Gainey has his hand up right now. This shows (like Dandenault) how being on a winning team will pay out for you for a very long time; no wonder people want to win the Cup so bad. He may be a gritty type of player, that we apparently need, and I’ll even concede that he is better than (Ko)STOPoulos (who isn’t?), but 16 points and a -18 rating from last season isn’t really something we should be excited about. Everyone assumes, again because of the Cup, that he is a premiere defensive forward and a great PK man... I am not so sure. We’ll see as the season goes on what type of player he is, but I for one am not expecting much.

His status, reputation and recent signing make his position one of the most guaranteed this season – 3rd line winger. I am pretty certain, if healthy, he will play 82 games right there on that line. That may be bad news for players like Lapierre who got used to Sergei or Latendresse on his wing. Moen will be lucky to score more than 5 goals, over 20 points would make him look like the signing of the year. I suppose that his real worth will come in the playoffs, so I will wait and see what he brings then. I just hope that he doesn’t become one of the reasons that we don’t get there.


Where Moen will start 2009-10: Trotted out as a star signing

Where Moen will end 2009-10: Regular player with very specific uses

Points: 5 G, 6 A, 11 Pts


Gregory Stewart

NHL Season	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PPG	GWG	G/60	Pts/60	Sh	S%	PIM
08-09 (MTL)	20	0	1	1	-4	0	0	0.00	0.35	16	0.0	32
07-08 (MTL)	1	0	0	0	E	0	0	0.00	0.00	2	0.0	5

Even-strength profile
	Bottom tier offensive output at even strength Below average chances created at even strength Below average defence at even strength Negative CORSI: -9.3

Legend


Stats notes

As I'm not really getting into non-NHL stats here, there's not very much to go on with Greg. Obviously, his profile is entirely purple and blue (which is bad), and if that were to continue, I think a place would quickly be given to someone else. However, I should note that because of when he played his games (i.e., the dark days), Greg's Corsi of -9.3 is actually better than that of the rest of the team at that time. So while, it all looks pretty terrible, Greg was pretty much just playing to the tempo the team set, as rookies do. Also, Greg looks like he might be able to score the occasional goal by sheer force of effort, so expect that goal #1 to come some time this year.


Tobalev on Stewart

2 years ago Greg got a single game and it came during the Habs best times of the decade. Maybe that is the reason we all loved this kid so much, maybe anything Habs at that moment seemed right. Fast-forward to last season and things changed. When you look at Stewart over 20 games it becomes quite different than looking at him for one. Over those 20 games I realized what type of player we had on our hands; I was happy, no longer ecstatic, but happy nonetheless. He did manage 17 points (7-10) in Hamilton last year, but was unable to bring any offence to the big-show.; in all he managed just 1 assist and no goals. Last season, however, he made it known, that he would compete for a 4th line spot (for years to come), but that his potential stopped there.

All of that said we need 4th liners and to me Stewart is a better option than either Laraque or Metropolit. In fact, I would play Greg in MTL all season and would likely give him 50-70 games. I predict Gainey and Martin will see it the same way and, that Greg’ll see some serious time with Moen and Metropolit. At this point I expect a goal, or two, and a whole lot of energy. For those poolers out there don’t count on more than 5 points as this is one player who will have a hard time getting close to the net. If there if one area that I would like to see him excel at this season (and the whole 4th line for that matter) it is his play in our end. A positive +/- for Gregory would, in my eyes, make his season a success.


Where Stewart will start 2009-10: The pressbox

Where Stewart will end 2009-10: Replacing the injured pacifist

Points: 2 G, 5 A, 7 Pts


As a line

Line #4	Effect O/D
C – Glen Metropolit		Made most linemates worse offensively Helped some linemates be better defensively Played best overall with Scottie Upshall last season
RW – Travis Moen		Hampered offensive play of his linemates Made defensive forwards worse defensive players
LW – Gregory Stewart		Made most linemates worse offensively Helped some defensive games Played best with Dandenault last season

It's the nature of fourth lines, I think, that they're less exciting than other lines. I think this is only more pronounced when you are tlaking about a middle of the pack team with lots of salary paid to higher end players – by the time you get down here, you take what you can get.

So Metroploit or Chipchura? Well on numbers alone it's Glen, so as long as he's around (and not taken off waivers), he's in. Next, I insert Moen – partly because of the fact he was signed (so he'll play), but also because of the alternatives. Finally, I prefer Greg Stewart on a line with Metropolit and Moen to either Pacioretty or Chipchura again. And, I will always prefer Gregory Stewart to Georges Laraque as someone to keep the other team in line, simply because he does it better – fighting those who have offended, bothering those who affect the game.

That's our team up front.



Statistics adapted from nhl.com, behindthenet.ca, Olivier

Game #66Stars Fail to Capitalize on Gifts From Refs and Habs

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Sunday March 8th, 2009
Opponent: Dallas Stars
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Team Stripes

Score: 3 - 1 Win

Habs starting goalie: Carey Price (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Marty Turco (L)

Habs goalscorers: Andrei Kostitsyn, Alexei Kovalev, Christopher Higgins
Opposition goalscorers: Loui Eriksson

Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

The play of the game had as much to do with Dallas' shortcomings as it did with our brilliance. Towards the end of the first period we took a series of penalties that could have been devastating to a fragile team that has trouble winning on the road. With the Stars already leading 1-0 we were really playing with fire and it was going to take a big effort to come out no worse for wear. We did it though as we managed to kill off 4:45 straight, including 3:25 straight at 3-on-5. Dallas didn't exactly test us too much during this stretch, but the important thing is that we held our ground. By not going down by 2 or 3 we seemed to gain some confidence and I think that this helped us a lot and I believe that it was the main reason we came back to score 3.

Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks was our bet penalty-killer tonight and was very effective during the 5-on-3s. In all he played over 5 minutes of short-handed hockey and was very energetic for most of it. Aside from that he played a solid game which include a team lead in shots (3) and a very respectable 10-7 face-off record.


Dome hockey team
We're going into the last minute with these 6 (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
He played well with Kovy again tonight, but I think MaxPac added a little more energy to their line which slightly improved their overall make-up. All 3 players were quite dangerous offensively, but it was Tomas that had the most chances - he came very close in the 2nd to beating Turco on a wrap-around.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei was much more effective tonight as he made a return to the RW. I know that one of our readers has been asking for this switch and I think he has a valid point. I always liked the Koivu-Andrei duo that we saw earlier in the year and I think he can bring a lot more to Saku's line than Higgins can. His departure from Plekanec's line isn't something that I think hurt the team tonight, nor will it hurt them in the coming days. He and Kovalev are our 2 best shooters and I am all for spreading them out. Tonight Andrei had some great chances and just seemed more involved altogether. He scored a goal and had at least 3 other glorious chances.

Alexei Kovalev
Kovalev scored an excellent goal to put us up 2-1. The goal wasn't just a great shot, but came at a time when we needed something to happen. He played a great game tonight and, like Plekanec, did extremely well on the PK. His goal was his first in 4 games and I know that as we move down the stretch we'll be seeing more of this. He currently sits at 16 goals and 31 assists and I wouldn't be surprised if he hit about 23 goals and 40 assists - I expect a strong push from the Habs over the next few weeks and Alex will certainly be at the centre of that.

Defencemen

Ryan O'Byrne
It is nice to see someone other than the big 3 in here for once. Ryan played over 17 minutes tonight which included over 4 on the PK. He kept his game about as simple as he could which is exactly what I want from our #6 defenceman. I certainly wish that Komisarek would look at this performance as a reminder of how simple defence can be when you don't take yourself out of position.

Roman Hamrlik
Roman and Ryan were our best duo which is the first time a pairing other than Markov and someone has held that distinction in quite some time. Roman, like his young protege, also played a simple game tonight as I never really noticed him getting into trouble. He picked up his 23rd assist of the season on Kovalev's goal to give him an impressive 27 points on the year.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I didn't think that Carey should have gotten the start tonight as I feel that winning is something one should be rewarded for. Halak won us games we should have lost and all Carey has done of late is lose games for us. Tonight, however, he found a way to get the win. I can't say he was tested too much early (especially not on Dallas' PPs), but when he was he made saves to keep it close. His puck-handling was bad, but was way better than Turco's who, for his part, should be ashamed of how poorly he handles loose pucks. Towards the end of the game Carey made some great saves when we needed him to preserve our lead.



Eye-Openers
In this new section we are going to try and shed some light on certain plays or events that would otherwise go unnoticed

It is possible that when Gregory Stewart fought (or punched) Ott we woke up. I didn't, however, like why he was fighting the Star's agitator. Ott was, at the time, flying all over the ice and hitting everything that moved. The key to his play was that it was clean and that it was giving Dallas a clear advantage in the energy and momentum departments. Why then did Greg fight him? I see it more and more often throughout the league where a player must fight, to defend himself, after he makes a good hit. There is no reason that Ott should have to fight or why we should even touch him at all. In fact, if I had my way Stewart would have been tossed from the game as his assault was unprovoked and uncalled for. It is a sad state we are in now in the NHL where every clean hit is followed up with a scrum and some punches. I am sick of fighting for no reason and find that this type of fighting is as stupid as the premeditated boxing we see when Laraque is in the line-up. I am happy that in this case the Habs were able to feed off the incident and were able to turn the tide in the game, but I wish they would have done it differently. What happened to the Habs intimidating teams by fighting or, heaven forbid, by scoring goals? I for one wish we were a smart enough team to know that a clean hit isn't worth us taking 4 minutes of penalties, after all it isn't always going to result in a change of momentum and a comeback win. More often than not these stupid penalties will come back to haunt us and I would love to see us completely take them out of our game-plan.

Overall Comments

Carbo pulled out all the stops tonight as the lines were changed, the 7th defenceman was relegated to the press-box and he made a confusing goaltending selection. It was a pretty classic display from our coach who has so few tricks up his sleeve. The changes, however, seemed to all pay off for us tonight, especially the line changes. I think Guy may have finally found 4 combinations that maximize our assets. There are of course a few minor changes that can be made when we are healthy - 2 of Sergei, Gui and Lang would join Higgins on the 3rd line, Lapierre, and Kostopoulos would join Stewart on the 4th, MaxPac and D'Ags would fight for that spot on Plekanec's left and O'Byrne would have to beat out Bou for a roster spot. Other than that I think we have a line-up that can help us win a little more often. Tonight our balanced approach paid off as we got strong play from each line and goals from the top 3. Dallas, however, could have easily run away with this game, but with strong penalty-killing we held off. After we weathered that storm I felt a little better about our chances. Unlike Friday night in Atlanta we caught a few breaks in this one and that was probably the difference. I wouldn't say that we played a great game, but we were at least as good as Dallas. We thus ended this trip 1 point short of our goal and we now enter the last 16 games with a mountain to climb. The good news is, however, that we are half way up and we know the best route to the top, we've done it before.

Something PositiveIn Stewart We Add One Helluva Player

Gone amiss in all the orchestrated confusion was the promotion of Greg Stewart yesterday afternoon. I read somewhere that Carbonneau personally requested Greg Stewart to bolster his forces – maybe the man does have some sense.


Privately (and Tobalev will tell you), I have been asking for the Stewart promotion from the very first time I saw him. I thought he should make the team in October (from his review):

Personally, I'd have Stewart in the team set up. 10 goals in Hamilton prove he is no passenger and one game in Montreal showed me he is hyped to play in the bigs. As poor Steve Begin falls apart bit by bit due to his rugged approach, it will be nice to have Stewart there to step in and offer a spark plug of comparable energy

Why I like him
I'll tell you why I like him. There are two reasons.

The first is this:



For all the Laraques in the world, you'd have never seen this fight. Stewart stood up to a true jerk and a cocky vet who thought he could get away with picking on a rookie. The way he punched was the only reason fighting should be allowed (to settle real game-derived disputes), and the way his teammates applauded is marked next to the indifference Laraque provokes.

Stewart would be scarier than Laraque because a) he would stand up for his teammates no matter what and b) he could fight anyone he liked (moreover disliked).


The second reason I like him is because he can play. Not only that he is puck hungry. When he doesn't have the puck he fights to get it, he plans to get it, and often he gets it. His hits are not for the end of year tallies, they are for the pursuit of that small rubber disc.

Not only is he puck hungry, but he can protect the puck with his body and as he showed with his single (yet brilliant) assist this season he is aware of his teammates while he does all this.

If he had soft hands in the least, there would be no Guillaume Latendresse in Habs lore. He doesn't, but he still merits his place.


Pedigree

Or perhaps: Petergree.

Being a member of the Peterborough Petes is to the OHL what being a member of the Montreal Canadiens was to hockey.

- They began as a farm team for the Montreal Canadiens in 1956
– It is the oldest continuous franchise in the CHL
- They have won a record 8 Memorial Cups in 53 years
– They are known as a “Junior Hockey Factory”: producing a record number of NHL players, including Eric and Jordan Staal, Chris Pronger, Mike Ricci, Steve Yzerman, Doug Jarvis and of course Bob Gainey
– Coaches of the Petes include top NHL coaches Roger Neilson, Mike Keenan and Scotty Bowman

That ain't no joke.

Greg Stewart didn't put up incredible numbers in junior, but being a contributing member of the Petes was probably enough to get him drafted. The fact he won a Memorial Cup as a veteran junior two years after being drafted was a certain bonus for the Habs. As usual, he didn't do the heavy lifting. but as we know champions take many shapes and sizes.

His coach then, a Petes legend himself Dick Todd, had this to say of Greg:

“When I took over last year they raved about his conditioning and strength,” Petes coach Dick Todd told Hockey’s Future this week. “Usually the draft is so well documented that you don’t get quality players later in the draft coming to junior so he was a pleasant surprise to the hockey club when they got him."

Rare Canadian find

If as Mike Boone so eagerly writes, the Canadiens are de-Russifying their team, then they had better hope that they turn up a few more Stewarts than they currently do.

Greg is a notable exception in an otherwise dismal record of finding and developing Canadian talent.

Timmins has selected 23 Canadian players since his hiring. If you exclude Carey Price (who was a lucky dip for the Habs with an unearned 5th overall pick) then you're looking at Lapierre, Latendresse, O'Byrne, D'Agostini and Chipchura from that span. With the exception of Lapierre, who plays like he deserves a place, the other players still have question marks over their NHL careers, let alone stardom.

Talk of Detroit often comes around to the success of late round scouting and picks. But while Timmins can poach Europeans late (Streit, Halak and S Kostitsyn), Stewart stands as the very rare Canadian (indeed North American) to play any important hockey from among 7 players. The rest are absolute duds.


Look forward to Stewart tonight. He brings quality with his grit. It's great to see.

Laraque BackMany Ask Where, I Ask: Why?

BGL (Big Georges Laraque, or Bob Gainey's Limpet – limpets suck for a living too) is back according to RDS.

This has ignited optimism and debate about how and where BGL will be inserted into the lineup. I don't think there's any doubt he'll be on the fourth line (unless Carbo goes all Therrien on us – Odjick on the first); but the question I suppose is how regular a shift.


As I said, i am not concerned with where and how much he'll play, as I'm still wondering why he'll be playing at all.

The opponents

Are Buffalo so tough that we need the "highly intimidating" figure of Laraque around to keep them honest? Do we fear that they will run amok against our tiny defenders Hamrlik, O'Byrne and Komisarek?

Buffalo have been winning of late (6 in their last 9), but they have been doing it with style, a combination of offence and defence – two shutouts and three games with ≥5 goals (one with 10). Connolly is a danger player, not Peters, and Georges can't touch him, much less keep up with him.

What's more the Sabres have one of those teams where the fourth line can sometimes do the damage. Having a defensive liability stuck 20 yards behind the puck at all times won't help.

I'm sure Buffalo will take the opportunity to trot out their own waste of cap space, Andrew Peters, for his fourth game since they decided he was expendable at the end of December. Probably around the time they realised they needed points not PIMs to make the playoffs.


The omitted

Sure, from a game-to-game outlook, this is BGL for Alex Henry. But in fact, one mistake does not correct another. Henry was brought up to bolster the blueline when Gorges fell, and as Brisebois licks his wounds. No one was promoted to replace the fallen Latendresse and Lang. Henry playing up front worked as a patch against a Pittsburgh with no defensive awareness whatsoever, but is just that – a patch. Sooner or later someone like Chipchura or Stewart must be recalled.

The way I see this whole situation, I am going to be forced to watch the lethargic BGL, when I could be admiring the always excellent Gregory Stewart. All so Peters and Georges can fight about 3 minutes in for no reason whatsoever.


The points

You know that I'm not hell bent on every game ending up a win, but points when they look to be there for the taking should be taken. Buffalo and Toronto back to back are doable wins and playing to our best strengths would e a wise strategy as always.

Obviously I don't think BGL is an asset in a quest for points. Do any of you?


Let's see what happens. At least Carbo is being realistic about the impact this "fighter" can have on the game.

Chemistry 101Old Faces Back Into the Mix

Injuries that happened an age ago are healing. It appears that many of our walking wounded will be back in the lineup in short shrift according to RDS.

That is if they can crack the lineup...


Guy Carbonneau himself said:

J'aurais des craintes si j'étais actuellement un joueur blessé, a affirmé Carbonneau, lundi. Je saurais qu'on peut me remplacer.

I have this to say to Guy: What on earth are you on about?

A lot has been made of the Canadiens success since the fall of Higgins, Koivu and latterly Tanguay. Since all three have been out of the lineup, the Canadiens have really caught fire. The Lapierre axis has thrived with more ice time and the Kostitsyns have enjoyed some statistical boosts with the centreman Robert Lang.

But does anyone for a minute think that Andrei Kostitsyn surged because Saku Koivu injured his ankle? Does anyone think that Lapierre's line is better off with Kostopoulos instead of that slouch Chris Higgins?

Saku Koivu was by far and away the best player to begin the season for the Canadiens. With him in the lineup, they were doing an able job at keeping up 104 point+ pace. The fact that they have had a winning streak in his absence should do nothing to take away from that.

Chris Higgins had a poor start statistically. However, he is a trusted officer in Carbonneau's game plan. He does everything right (apart from shoot straight, that is) and should easily find a place on any line whose role isn't scoring or perhaps on a line that could do with some energy (e.g., Plekanec's).

Tanguay, for his part is further away from return. His pure offensive know-how should not be taken for granted. And Price, well, he's straight back in as starter.


The casualties

Carbonneau is right about some people about to lose their jobs on this team, but those days were long foretold:

Mathieu Dandenault for instance, despite his valiant demonstration, will probably find it hard to justify the exclusion of the younger Kostitsyn, Latendresse or Pacioretty/D'Agostini from this point forward. One can only hope they keep up their torrid production and make Dandenault, playoff game 1 starter a more remote possibility.

Georges Laraque might have trouble convincing teammates that won the East without an enforcer that they suddenly need one – as all their best hockey has come when he has been nursing one of his many injuries. On the bright side, at least his salary is being paid by insurance companies and not our ticket revenue...

Steve Begin hasn't done himself many favours lately often managing to be outshone by all of line three and often Hamiltonians as well. He'll see games into the future, maybe not a certain place, though.

And, barring more injuries, Marc Denis will never have as good a chance to make the Canadiens this season as the one he blew when he looked shaky as Halak for a period.


Dilemma (not so much) – The lines to come

Koivu for Chipchura or Begin is not a dilemma, nor is Higgins for Stewart, Pacioretty or D'Agostini in my eyes. The prospects have availed themselves very well, but they are prospects – who hope they could one day be as productive as Koivu or Higgins. They are not contenders yet.

So, onto the changes. Carey Price is back already, with Marc Denis back to the minors to try and win that job back... And, assuming the reintegration will go in stages as expected, we should expect to see Koivu and Higgins the first to return. I would put Koivu back with people he has chemistry with (oh wait, that's almost everyone...), so probably Higgins and D'Agostini:

Pacioretty – Plekanec – Kovalev
A Kotitsyn – Lang – S Kostitsyn
Higgins – Koivu – D'Agostini
Latendresse – Lapierre – Kostopoulos

Pressbox: Begin, Stewart

Hamilton: Chipchura


Then, once Tanguay returns, he refinds Koivu and you could get something like the following:

Tanguay – Koivu – D'Agostini
Higgins – Plekanec – Kovalev
A Kotitsyn – Lang – S Kostitsyn
Latendresse – Lapierre – Kostopoulos

Pressbox: Begin, Stewart

Hamilton: Pacioretty


Health is not a dilemma, but an opportunity. An opportunity to have people on the ice at all times who can threaten to score a goal, not just run down the minutes. An opportunity to make wins and comebacks from a multitude of different situations. And, an opportunity to hunt down those Bruins...

If you see a dilemma, let me know, because I can't.

Funny Carbo QuotesEven A Day Or Two Late

Some funny stuff from Carbo the other day in this Dandenault love-in from Dave Stubbs:

"In the papers and everywhere, nobody saw Mathieu Dandenault on this team," he said. "Everybody thought he was a write-off, that he was going to be traded, that he was going to be gone by the start of the year.

"He got in training camp, worked extremely hard, showed us that he wanted to play and I don't think he's missed that many games (a healthy scratch seven times).

I think the above is all quite funny, but especially the second bit. Does Carbonneau have enough self-awareness to know that he is the one who made sure that Dandenault played in all those games? That he Dandenault wasn't gone at the start of the year because he and the team made the decision?

Games played (decided upon by Carbo) does not mean that Carbo was right and others were wrong about Dandenault's ability to help the Habs. All it proves is that Carbonneau decides and the critics don't.

I hate to be the one to bring it up now that he is injured and he toughed out that broken arm, but I think Mat's injury will help the team by exposing the apparently closed-minded coaches to the wonders of the young players in Hamilton. We've already seen that D'Agostini was being held back to keep the Laraques and Dandenaults in pay. I think there are more, for example:

Chipchura forward > Dandenault forward
Stewart up front > Dandenault up front

Dandenault has played a few decent games at the back, but he would never have been left back there once Komisarek returned. Carbonneau uses him up front, and he is a marginal contributor up there, at best. I was vocal about Dandenault being extraneous to the team's needs in the fall, and I stand by that. "Carbo dressing" does not equate to "Carbo proving" for me. I can find the space to concede that he is a good player to put on a line whose job is to harass and chase. But I wouldn't dress a line like that given a vote. He has no place on a line that would be asked to score goals, which is what we should strive to create (four of).

Frankly, even with his marginal contribution, Dandenault still does have a place barring the promotion of 3 or 4 rookies. his versatility and the far inferior play and potential of some of his peers assure him of that for the moment.


Not thrown onto the street
Anyone that knows and reads me will know that I can be harsh with players, but value people. Though I criticise Dandenault the winger, I have nothing but respect and fond memories of Dandenault the man.

Were he to be replaced in the line-up, Dandenault the man should accommodated by the Canadiens. If we promote a better player and he loses his place now, he should be treated as the valued employee he is. He should be offered the choice of staying with the Canadiens, being patient and either playing in a crunch or leading from behind the scenes. Else, he could opt to play and the team would seek the best opportunity for him to fulfill that wish.

One thing I love about the Canadiens is that by and large they treat their players as valued members of the family. Balance with that the wish that someone show a bit more ruthlessness – after all, this dynasty of our dreams is up against teams where they would throw people right out on the street...

The Elephant in the ArenaThe Return of the Eight

Now that many of my peers have become syndicated members of Habs Inside/Out, I see even more need to express views that just don't get press – perhaps because they are overlooked topics, perhaps because they are difficult for people so close to the team.

(Once again, this minor incident - like Saku's ice time - is hardly a controversy worth taking to 110% or Team 990 airwaves, but is just about worth the few minutes of exposure it will get on this site. We Habs fans don't really have too many elephants around yet - thankfully - so please indulge me again while I make an elephant out of a mole, so to speak, to get this weekly segment rolling...)

We were all very relieved to see Francis Bouillon return to the lineup after a lay off of 5 games. But, to be honest, the manner in which he was reinserted in to the lineup was very strange indeed.

You will all no doubt recall (despite the unusually long interval in between games) that Francis started Game 6 against the Panthers on the fourth forward line with Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Dandenault (his former partner on defence).

I say it is strange because anyone who knows a little bit about hockey and has been following the Canadiens knows two things:

1) We have a queue of forwards forming waiting to play
2) Our biggest weakness is on defence

This situation is a mirror of last season, where all the quality reinforcements were up front as well, but has been exacerbated even further by the subtraction of Mark Streit from possible defenders only to be replaced by Robert Lang.

When I wrote about this very same topic at the outset of last season, I posed three questions to get to the bottom of things. They were:

1) Do we have too many NHL quality defencemen?
2) Are the extra guys here to get a look at the NHL?
3) Are we so low on forwards that it makes no difference?

The answers for me still run the same way as last season, with no, no and no. You should also remember that the Canadiens turnaround last season, to the exact game, occurred when Carbonneau realised these answers, scrapped the 8th defenceman in the lineup, and opted for the much much more dynamic Sergei Kostitsyn to better complement the team.

So, I am a bit baffled as to why Carbonneau opted for the return to this tired and largely failed option. Even on the night it looks like a bad decision. Looking at our lineup vs. Florida, it would not be too controversial for me to say that our bottom four players being iced came from the group of 8 defencemen.

Too conservative
From a strategic standpoint alone (money from Gillett's pocketbook aside), the decision was baffling considering the opposition. Florida have about 2/3 of one line that needs any kind of shadowing and were always going to come in with their go-to gameplan of 1-1, see what happens in OT. This game, played in Montreal as well, offered a perfect opportunity for Carbonneau and his team to impose their will on a lesser opponent, to practice all that they preached and to just generally go for it. Instead Carbo replaces his injured (and most dynamic) goalscorer by Francis Bouilon straight up.

To borrow a thought from a previous post – the Habs need to start thinking about creating wins rather than preventing losses. Playing 8 defencemen is not innovative, new or proactive. Nor was it the right strategy to rack up goals against a team that can't really offer a scoring threat themselves. Of course, we won the game, so some could say this disproves my point. I disagree. If holding on to tap in an empty netter vs. Florida is the limit of the Canadiens and the coaching staff's creative aspirations then we could be in for some rude awakenings later in the season.

To suggest an alternative: I would have either played Georges Laraque or Steve Begin and benched the unmentionable one (who's due a break). Alternatively, 71 plays and Bouillon's in for Dandenault. Both ways we get to shed some dead wood and play an extra forward. An even wilder idea would have included calling up someone who could actually score (Maxwell, Pacioretty) to take Andrei's place, then Begin in for 71.

Learn the lessons
All in all, this strategic hiccough didn't cost us, and we come off unscathed this time. And, to be fair to Carbonneau, he did even adjust during the game, which allowed him to bench O'Byrne in the end. But strategic misplay, it was.

I only hope someone (hopefully Carbonneau, to be honest) learned something from 2006-07 and early 2007-08 that playing 8 defencemen does not suit the group of players that we have. And, I hope that paying Gregory Stewart's salary and airfare for one game will never stand in the way of putting the best team forward (and forward is the operative word) again.

Play Keeps Messing Up My Depth Charts

If the Canadiens rookies could stop putting on surprising shows of excellence, maybe I could get my depth charts to stick.

First Weber, now Pacioretty. I shouldn't have been so keen ad done the charts a couple of weeks ago.

I'm just kidding of course. Pacioretty actually playing well is not unexpected, except in how soon he ha been able to turn the trick. Seeing how he went from fresh-faced rookie to scoring star at the most serious US College hockey program in less than a few months, I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Needless to say, Pacioretty jumps ahead of D'Agostini and Stewart and Dandenault. I don't think that gives him a starting place. To do that, he must set Guillaume in his sights...

Canadiens Depth Preview: The Wingers (Part 2)

Following on from the preview of the centres in the organization, I'm going to go through the wingers (based on the list of those who have progressed as far as a training camp invite). Once again, Part 1 will be big-team guys, Part 2 will be the farm system as it stands now.

Based on team lists, prospect lists and my evaluations, here is the list of centres in order of importance to the team:

1. Alex Kovalev
2. Alex Tanguay
3. Andrei Kostitsyn
4. Chris Higgins
5. Sergei Kostitsyn
6. Tom Kostopoulos
7. Guillaume Latendresse
8. Georges Laraque
9. Mathieu Danadenault
10. Gregory Stewart
11. Matt D'Agostini
12. Max Pacioretty
13. Thomas Beauregard
14. JT Wyman
15. Danny Kristo
16. Alexandre Monohan
17. Mike Glumac
18. Ryan Flinn

First call-ups

Gregory Stewart

Greg is first in line for one reason – he has shown he can do this. Last season's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Greg Stewart showed that he could bring a new level of energy and zip to the team.

In a little over a year, Stewart has gone from a nobody who looked to be redundant in an organisation carrying Garth Murray to a unique proposition. If I had to describe what he could bring, I'd have to say "A younger Begin". It doesn't tell you everything, but it gives the feel. Greg is actually bigger than begin, though I suspect from his career stats, a little less talented around the net. The thing is, there is room for a player like Begin/Stewart, but probably only one. Given Begin is a known quantity, that means Stewart has his work cut out for him.

Thc West Island Chronicle (of all papers – I used to deliver this to Mr. Skrudland) tells us that:

Gregory Stewart says he cut out "a month of boozing" from his summer ritual to get ready for Habs camp.

They go on to say the sober reality is that he will probably start in Hamilton, but I think he has a chance. As I said Begin is a known quantity, and one of his known traits of late has been to get injured about every second appearance. It would certainly be nice to have a durable alternative to Steve on tap. That, for me is Mr. Stewart at the moment.

He appears at first on this list precisely because all smart money is on Begin to be the first player going on the wing for the Habs to get injured, and thus making way for Stewart to ride shot-gun in the press box for a while.

Greg's 2007-08 Review


Matt D'Agostini

When Greg Stewart took his opportunity in April and made hay, D'Agostini made little to no impression at all (at least on me). This is fine, though, as first NHL games are not the place to judge a prospect (unless it's Stewart and I feel like it).

Matt D'Agostini is the next winger down in what I would only describe as a shallow pool of talent for the Canadiens. He has earned the place on the depth chart by being the best player left from Hamilton last season. And he does is with respectable, though a long way from spectacular, numbers.

Matt played 76 games in the AHL, most on the first line, and came away with 23 goals. It would be alright if offence wasn't meant to be the reason we were interested in the first place. But, from the Canadiens point of view, it is somewhat shocking that we can talk about depth when this is one of the pieces we are talking about.

Those who disagree with this viewpoint are more optimistic. Habster at AllHabs, for example, thinks that with his quick shot, Matt D'Agostini can be a quicker version of Michael Ryder. I can tell you that is the most optimistic outlook possible. Ryder scored nearly 140 goals in junior to Matt's round 49. D'Agositin is looking at third line on a good team (that's what we hope we are now). He has talent enough to fill in when necessary, but is not a long-term threat to the the Kostitsyns livelihood, I don't think.

But enough negativity. To be fair to D'Agostini, he is what he is – a late round draft pick trying to improve his game in the AHL in the hope of one day playing in the big leagues. He is doing a good job at progressing too, as he is matching his junior outputs in the AHL. I think another season will do him a world of good, particularly on the top line. And, it will allow the Canadiens time to judge whether they have a late bloomer on their hands.

Matt's 2007-08 Review


Max Pacioretty

Lower in the pecking order because of experience alone. Plus I made the list before this training camp.

Pacioretty is certainly the best winger the Canadiens have in the farm system at the moment, and the one with the most potential. You can tell from my review of D'Agostini, that that isn't saying much, but please let me assure you, Pacioretty is impressive.

Max is no giant, but considering he could still put weight onto his frame, he's big. And, more importantly he uses his body and his strength to his advantage. What's more for a guy that's not even 20 yet, he has some mean achievements.

His stats at the age of 17 in the USHL (no laughing stock anymore) showed promise. But his performance last year as a rookie at Michigan (the best hockey school there is) showed star potential. To walk onto a team of 20 and 21 year-olds all also vying for playing time and NHL eyes and to strip their ice time and beat them in the scoring race is impressive stuff. And point-per-game in the NCAA is no joke either. And he continued to wow people this summer, first at the Canadiens rookie camp, and now at the camp with the men.

One Guy who knows what he is talking about had this to say of Max:

"He looks like a pro right now. Sometimes it's tough to say that about a (19-year-old). He looks mature and he had a really good season in his first year at college. Now we'll see what he can do with the older guys."

If that evidence showed us that he can learn and quick, his state of mind shows us why (from the Gazette):

"I'm not expecting anything like (making the team) to happen," Pacioretty said, horseshoed into his dressing-room stall by a generous media scrum. "I'm just expecting to keep my eyes and ears open and learn as much as I can from the camp, to try to improve and play the best I can."

All excellent stuff, so the only question that remains is whether the managers on the team feel he will be better served by playing top-billing down in Hamilton or whether he takes the Carey Price 3/4 season route to starting. My bet is that it will be Hamilton to start, but if ideas or, heaven forbid, scoring dry up, Max is the only realistic option to remedy that.

I'm at the end of the profile and realise I haven't mentioned that Max is meant to be the long-lost power forward. I think that's yet to be seen. But, really the reason I overlooked it is because it is merely a bonus to me if he is. The fact he is driven, mature and capable of excelling at all levels of play thus far are so much more important to me in my analysis.


Minor leaguers

Thomas Beauregard

I get the feeling there is something to Thomas Beauregard. Something pretty good lurking within him.

First of all, he can score. As you know this is something I don't think can be taught. Defense can be taught (to an extent), no one can make a scorer of a guy who isn't. Secondly, he seems to have a bit of character.

Did you guys know that his hero is his brother? His brother who lost an eye in an horrific on-ice accident with (coincidentally) Habs prospect Xavier Delisle in 1994. It was Sports Illustrated material when he made his comeback. I believe Thomas when he says he has learned a lot from his older brother – how to overcome adversity.

Thomas' adversity seems to involve being constantly overlooked. This rare scouting report sheds a bit of light on Thomas:

Scouted Strengths are : Good hockey sense with well rounded decision making in the offensive zone, when on his game extremely effective and dominant in all three zones.

Scouted Weaknesses: Mitigated play in his zone, skating and speed needs to improve dramatically

Not surprising, as this must be the scouting report on every scoring star who doesn't make it. What's different about Thomas is that he seems to be making progress. 5 years in junior would have been enough to kill most careers, but he topped it off with a spectacular goal per game campaign and an impressive 124 points. His excitement to be at Habs camp was shortly turned into disappointment at landing in Cincinnati, but he turned that into a positive experience as well by scoring at PPG clip and winning the league's championship trophy.

There is no way that Thomas will play in Montreal this season. that scouting report is real and is believed. But, if he shows the same determination he has in the past and comes to grips with the AHL and what it takes to score there, Beauregard may be back in a very different position next season.


JT Wyman

This year's Greg Stewart. I want to dismiss his claim altogether.

The thing is though, James or JT was a Mr. Hockey finalist in Minnesota (Habs scouts drool) and an Ivy leaguer. There might be more to Mr. Wyman than meets the eye.

He's already trying for the Bulldogs and not the Canadiens, and as you can tell by my list, he's quite a way down the pecking order. I don't think we'll be seeing him for quite some time in a Montreal uniform.

Skillwise, I think it is fair to say Wyman is buried in this list, and with the youth on the team currently, he might have to look elsewhere (Columbus?) to get NHL ice time. But, the feeling I get about Wyman is that he could just be one of those useful guys to have around, say come playoff time (not this year, some future year). I am thinking of Ed Ronan or someone like that. A year in Hamilton should tell us a lot more than a career in Dartmouth did.


For the future

Danny Kristo

After years of choosing back-line players with our top draft picks, this draft we finally dedicated to the winger. First there was Tanguay. Then there was Kristo.

From what I heard, Timmins was extra-pleased to get his paws on Kristo in the second round. You almost get the feeling he would have taken the player with that 25th pick.

The talent analysis on Hockey's Future says it all:

Kristo is slightly undersized. That being said he has good speed and plays a smart game on the ice.

Smart game. US National team. Second in goalscoring. Every other scouting report contains the word "thinking" – a very encouraging thought.

Danny's back to whence he came for this year, and a good thing at only 18 he has a lot to learn. Including which music he should be listening to: Danny Kristo's ipod.

With the talent pool so shallow on the wing and even at forward in general, Danny is a welcome addition. A couple more like him would help.


Alexandre Monahan

Every year the Habs invite a few lucky local boys to have a go at making the team. This year, it was Alexandre Monahan.

I put him in the "For the Future" category mainly because he had to return to junior. But as an undrafted, 165 lb, 6 footer, I'm not really holding much hope. Certainly, he'll have to do a lot better than his draft year where he managed a mere 8 goals and 27 points. Last year was better (38 goals). But Alex, this year is make or break...


Other

Mike Glumac

Another undrafted player who has done well to cobble a place for himself in the next-to-highest league in North American hockey. Were we the Toronto Maple Leafs, this guy would be a cult hero already and vying for John Pohl or Nathan Perrott's in their hearts. In some ways, it's nice not to automatically fall in love with every guy who tries hard, but just can't quite manage the level of play.

It's worth looking at his stats, though, if only to browse his old teammates at the Pee Dee Pride.


Ryan Flinn

Barring a change in our uniforms to black and orange/yellow, there was never going to be any room for one Ryan Flinn on the Habs roster.

I can see that he might be a handy guy to have around for fights in the lower leagues that still look a lot more like NHL 1975 than the current NHL does. It wouldn't surprise me in the least though if we never hear his name spoken in the Montreal papers again. Here are the stats for the giant from out East.

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).