You know this is the absolute peak of Habs fan excitement and anticipation, hours away from a game that makes a putrid Stanley Cup playoffs (wrong champs) irrelevant again. Fans have been very excited about the waiver wire moves.
What happened today was that Pierre Gauthier took an honest look at his prospects and admitted none was quite ready, turned around and saw Blair Betts sitting on waivers only to claim him.
The waiver wire pick up was not an indictment of Engqvist or Palushaj, they did that to themselves with their play. It's just a simple little addition that means we fans can expect a more honed game from a 4th liner.
The news of the addition did little to stir my own emotions. If that feeling wasn't indifference then I'm not sure what it was. Betts is big sure, but he's pretty one dimensional. I mean we're getting some pretty straight forward hockey here.
The good news is that 4th liners shouldn't stir the emotions. That line will hopefully be made up with guys everyone is comfortable with leaving off the ice for 51 minutes a night. What's more, Betts himself does have some intrigue about him. He played in 23 Stanley Cup playoff games about 16 months ago (that has to mean something) and he usually scores more goals than Gomez did last season.
No he's not Dominic Moore, but that ship has now sailed. He's no Engqvist either you know.
Showing posts with label depth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depth. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Habs Precariously Shallow Up Front
What you know is that the Canadiens imported Ryan White and Andreas Engqvist from Hamilton to cover for flu and other injuries to the forwards on the beat up Habs.
What you knew is that this team alredy starts rookies Lars Eller and David Desharnais to go with depthy forwards like Tom Pyatt.
What perhaps you didn't know is that this isn't far from the absolute limit of the Canadiens organizational depth.
Yesterday, I read an interesting piece from Ron Reusch that raised a red flag for me. It was addressing the promotion of Dany Masse, and what it meant:
This is the full depth chart as I can tell:
Not promising for the Habs. I guess it's really a Bulldogs level problem, actually. Not a problem that can't be resolved with a minor league signing, but all the same, it illustrates why Andreas Engqvist is joining the Montreal Canadiens and David Desharnais is suddenly a third line player.
You will note that on the big team, this is a big thing. one significant injury and it's suddenly 4 rookies in the line up with a few second years.
What to do?
I didn't write this piece because I had a good idea for a solution here. I just wanted to show the depth chart, which I hadn't really been thinking about. I don't have any great new ideas, and I'm still cold on trading to get someone in at the top end of this chart (risk:benefit stuff). Maybe Hamilton just needs to restock in case the Habs need Palushaj or Maxwell...
What you knew is that this team alredy starts rookies Lars Eller and David Desharnais to go with depthy forwards like Tom Pyatt.
What perhaps you didn't know is that this isn't far from the absolute limit of the Canadiens organizational depth.
Yesterday, I read an interesting piece from Ron Reusch that raised a red flag for me. It was addressing the promotion of Dany Masse, and what it meant:
With those three forwards out, and now losing Engqvist, it’s forced the Bulldogs to get some help, as well. The problem is the Canadiens/Bulldogs really only have one forward left in their system that isn’t already here or up in Montreal.
That’s Dany Masse, who has one goal and eight assists in 29 games with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Masse, a left-winger, played one game with the Dogs earlier this year and was held pointless. So they called him up.
This is the full depth chart as I can tell:
Not promising for the Habs. I guess it's really a Bulldogs level problem, actually. Not a problem that can't be resolved with a minor league signing, but all the same, it illustrates why Andreas Engqvist is joining the Montreal Canadiens and David Desharnais is suddenly a third line player.
You will note that on the big team, this is a big thing. one significant injury and it's suddenly 4 rookies in the line up with a few second years.
What to do?
I didn't write this piece because I had a good idea for a solution here. I just wanted to show the depth chart, which I hadn't really been thinking about. I don't have any great new ideas, and I'm still cold on trading to get someone in at the top end of this chart (risk:benefit stuff). Maybe Hamilton just needs to restock in case the Habs need Palushaj or Maxwell...
Monday, September 21, 2009
Canadiens Season Preview:
Prospects Up Front
While I don't have the data, the time or the energy to continue reviewing each player down the Canadiens depth chart to the same extent as the roster players, I thought it would at least be useful to list who's next in line and add some thoughts and useful info for those that are interested.
I'll begin at the top, closest to the NHL and then proceed down the lineup. I should note that I am keeping those players who have no chance of playing in Montreal this season whatsoever in a separate pile for now – even though they mostly represent our top futures among the forwards.
Potential call-ups
1) Ben Maxwell
First in line for a call up seem to be Ben Maxwell. Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this player. From junior to the AHL, he certainly hasn't shown a desire or ability to dominate the play. And those who say he's big must certainly mean big relative to the Canadiens smallest players, since his height is a mere 6' and his weight must be below league average.
Either someone at Hockey's Future is really high on Maxwell (yet unable to express it in their writing) or the Canadiens are starting to scrape the barrel with prospects, because he's listed as the #2 prospect in the entire organization.
At best, I think Maxwell could be a solid second liner one day provided he can gel with a talent on the wing. For this season, I don't think he'll be given the chance to gel with anyone in the NHL. But he'd do well to think about that in the AHL – especially if Pacioretty is the guy.
2) Mathieu Darche
Second in line for a call up in my opinion will be Mathieu Darche. With the team as it is, Darche looks like a really smart signing from Gainey and BriseBois. It provides the team a player that can be brought up with likely waiver clearance that not only has NHL experience, but also in playing the commuter role.
At 33, the former McGill Redman is probably nearing the end of his NHL road; and one would think that his production will decline given time. Even so, Darche, if recalled, would give a credible two-way game on the fourth line (maybe even third) with the potential for a goal here and there.
Even without a call up, Darche's value on the Redmen alum team (oops, I mean Bulldogs) will be tangible. He knows the coaches, he has NHL stries to tell and he has pursued a career with some success while pushing through adversity. In short, he has character.
3) Ryan White
I've been noticing subtel name dropping going on quite a bit from coach Jacques. While he has nice things to say about almost everyone at this point, it seems like Ryan White has been singled out for some special praise.
Though he's coming from a long way back (see rough season in Hamilton), Ryan actually looks to me like a better bet than Maxwell. In fact, it looks to me like he's been sold short quite a bit along the way. For on thing, he has better WHL numbers than the supposedly visionary Maxwell. For another, at the same height his frame isn't just projectable to 200 lbs, it already carries that many – he's already bigger. The best quote to describe is this one, I thought, as it explains how people don't expect much going in, but somehow (without explanation) he impresses:
I don't expect Ryan to make the team right away, because his Hamilton numbers do lead to questions. However, if he starts well on the farm he could be an option come mid-winter.
4) Mikael Johansson
A Swede drafted by the Wings must be worth taking a chance on. He certainly has some attributes that make him an interesting prospect. However, in between his drafting and his signing in Montreal 6 years later, the Wings were right to note a lack of meteoric progress. That's why I have to believe that this season has been bookmarked as a trial for Mikael in the North American game, because Niklas Sundstrom II is not a player the Habs need just now.
Nonetheless, his talent and production in Sweden do count for something and put him higher on the list than the next tier of borderline talent. Because of his size, if and when he makes it to the NHL could well depend on who in the current lineup needs to be replaced. Though he might fit on a line with Latendresse and Cammalleri, it's harder to imagine him getting the call to centre Laarque and Moen.
5) Tom Pyatt
If you remember one thing about Tom Pyatt, remember this: he played for Team Canada twice, winning 2 gold medals.
That alone isn't that meaningful, but it does mean someone somewhere thinks he has something to offer, and not only that, he can deliver on the expectation with wins. Usually a Habs prospect plays in the WJC and we go gaga for years after (see Price, Carey), so his inconspicuous arrival is funny in that way. Perhaps it shows the kind of player he is, he did after all win the OHL's "Lady Byng" in 2007.
Hockey's future describes his talent:
That quote, together with his CV makes him stand out among our also rans. I don't expect many NHL games from Pyatt, but get the feeling that if he were called up, he'd be capable.
6) Brock Trotter
We're getting near the niche players now, but Brock is not one of them. By all accounts, Brock is a hard worker, plays hard and can adapt to many situations. He would be an ideal call up if not for being such a small guy – though I wouldn't flinch at adding another 5'10" player, I think the tolerance of more conventional pundits (and I imagine coaches) has been tested already.
That said, Brock isn't really banging down the door to the NHL either, nor do I expect him to. His 2 seasons in the AHL now have been OK, but he has also allowed himself to be overtaken in the depth chart. I expect this undrafted player may have to get used to that again this season.
7) David Desharnais
As I listened to fan game reviews yesterday, I'd have thought that David Desharnais was the next coming of Martin St Louis. But you know what, it doesn't really add up for me. While I'm sure he must have oodles of talent to score so many point in junior, it remains that he only actually scored 24 goals in the AHL.
While you have to credit his perseverance, the drop in production a AHL level from prolific to adequate doesn't raise the right flags for the NHL evaluators. Still, you never know – a rare chance taken could lead to great things – I'm just not betting on it today.
8) Andrew Conboy
Notorious for making the AHL simply because he got booted out of the NCAA. Not a great start, unless that is, you're hoping to be an intimidator at the NHL level.
At this point in his career, I don't think Andrew could really be aspiring to be much else, do you? His numbers when he made the jump to college certainly took most hope of the power moniker being attached to forward in his case. Still, his 9 goals in 14 playoff games in 2007-08 for Omaha are the one beacon of light here.
9) Mike Glumac
Career AHLer, I'm afraid. Still, is a useful player to have in Hamilton for his AHL prowess alone. And, should all 8 of these guys and more go down with flu or something, wouldn't be a disaster in the NHL.
10) Ryan Russell
The original Tom Pyatt. His progression is steady in the minor pro ranks, but you have to wonder where the progression is leading him. At this point, he looks far more a future Mike Glumac than he does a future Canadien. However, because of the nature of the 4th line in the NHL, his combination of skating, hard work and AHL hands could make him an able stand in.
11) Eric Neilson
No player has gone more out of his way to make an impression this fall in camp than Neilson. With the Canadiens, though, his sole purpose would be to fight. And while Gainey and co. seem to be wavering over how they feel about fighting, the fact that Laraque is still around spells no call up for Neilson. Should that change, then he'd have a lifeline.
12) Olivier Fortier
In my opinion, Fortier has no chance of playing an NHL game whatsoever this season. Though he won the Guy Carbonneau trophy, he's no Carbonneau yet. For one thing, Carbonneau had NHL calibre scoring and skating potential at junior level. His conversion to defensive specialist was abetted by these facets of his game. For Fortier, he's already gone down that route in junior, which is a red flag for me (see career, Chipchura).
What's more, his defensive game hasn't been tested against anyone other than what amounts to forwards from the weakest league in Canada. Hamilton will have to be a testing/training ground for him. It wouldn't hurt if he turned in some key offensive contributions along the way to make him look more than a next-generation Metropolit.
13) Dany Masse
Missing camp is a killer for Masse, and I'm sure he knows it. His evaluation, and thus promotion prospects, have been put on hold for now. And that goes for me too – since it's hard to judge how an overage junior on a league best team will fare against better players and goalies in both the AHL and NHL.
14) JT Wyman
Almost off the books, I'm sure. Wyman may once have been a prospect, he's now AHL filler. He should go the way of Duncan Milroy and Jonathan Ferland by the end of this season barring what would need to be a miracle turnaround and injection of talent.
Not at camp
1) Andreas Engqvist
NHL ready, but contractually tied, I'd keep an eye on Andreas' stats in Sweden if you want to get a look into a player that should figure in the Canadiens plans within a year or two.
2) Danny Kristo
From the sounds of it, Kristo has the offensive skills and speed to play in the NHL. The only things stopping him at the moment are a commitment to his NCAA club North Dakota and a few late signings in Montreal to fill the roster.
3) Steve Quailer
Qualier, to me, is the unheralded Canadiens draft pick. Good numbers in the USHL, followed by a decent start as a rookie at Northeastern have jumped Qualier into my sights, and I'm sure those of the team brass. If Latendresse doesn't pan out as a power forward, Qualier is the next one in line to try to take the mantle.
4) Louis Leblanc
Hard not to be impressed with Louis' career. I'm sure the coverage he's received already, and the coverage his Harvard career will get means I can forego a big preview here. I'll say this, if Plekanec still looks like a third liner next spring, then Louis might be having some talks about how far he wants to take his university education.
5) Alexander Avtsyn
A great draft pick with a lot of points in junior. He's still got a lot to prove at his next level to show he can ever play for the Habs, let alone be mentioned in the same breath as Ovechkin.
6) Joonas Nattinen
Another big centre who could get some career advice next spring depending on how the year goes for everyone. His career could go anywhere from here, so let's just sit back and cross our fingers.
7) Maxim Trunev
Timmins doesn't exactly have a 100% record, but some of his punts have come off (Mark Streit, Halak). To play this season again with Severstal Cherepovets, he is listed as a player to watch in the KHL by Hockey's Future.
8) Gabriel Dumont
The last player I will go out on a limb to note is Gabriel Dumont. He's already been demoted back to junior from the Canadiens camps. Talked up as a future Talbot/Lapierre type player, this season it will be critical for him to succeed on the Voltigeurs squad with a lesser cast. I think that if he does that, there will be no doubt about him reaching Montreal one day.
I'll begin at the top, closest to the NHL and then proceed down the lineup. I should note that I am keeping those players who have no chance of playing in Montreal this season whatsoever in a separate pile for now – even though they mostly represent our top futures among the forwards.
Potential call-ups
1) Ben Maxwell
First in line for a call up seem to be Ben Maxwell. Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this player. From junior to the AHL, he certainly hasn't shown a desire or ability to dominate the play. And those who say he's big must certainly mean big relative to the Canadiens smallest players, since his height is a mere 6' and his weight must be below league average.
Either someone at Hockey's Future is really high on Maxwell (yet unable to express it in their writing) or the Canadiens are starting to scrape the barrel with prospects, because he's listed as the #2 prospect in the entire organization.
At best, I think Maxwell could be a solid second liner one day provided he can gel with a talent on the wing. For this season, I don't think he'll be given the chance to gel with anyone in the NHL. But he'd do well to think about that in the AHL – especially if Pacioretty is the guy.
2) Mathieu Darche
Second in line for a call up in my opinion will be Mathieu Darche. With the team as it is, Darche looks like a really smart signing from Gainey and BriseBois. It provides the team a player that can be brought up with likely waiver clearance that not only has NHL experience, but also in playing the commuter role.
At 33, the former McGill Redman is probably nearing the end of his NHL road; and one would think that his production will decline given time. Even so, Darche, if recalled, would give a credible two-way game on the fourth line (maybe even third) with the potential for a goal here and there.
Even without a call up, Darche's value on the Redmen alum team (oops, I mean Bulldogs) will be tangible. He knows the coaches, he has NHL stries to tell and he has pursued a career with some success while pushing through adversity. In short, he has character.
3) Ryan White
I've been noticing subtel name dropping going on quite a bit from coach Jacques. While he has nice things to say about almost everyone at this point, it seems like Ryan White has been singled out for some special praise.
Though he's coming from a long way back (see rough season in Hamilton), Ryan actually looks to me like a better bet than Maxwell. In fact, it looks to me like he's been sold short quite a bit along the way. For on thing, he has better WHL numbers than the supposedly visionary Maxwell. For another, at the same height his frame isn't just projectable to 200 lbs, it already carries that many – he's already bigger. The best quote to describe is this one, I thought, as it explains how people don't expect much going in, but somehow (without explanation) he impresses:
"He’s not a great physical specimen, he’s not necessarily in great physical condition, but when we put him on the ice, he does nothing but win battles,” said Hitmen GM and head coach Kelly Kisio.
I don't expect Ryan to make the team right away, because his Hamilton numbers do lead to questions. However, if he starts well on the farm he could be an option come mid-winter.
4) Mikael Johansson
A Swede drafted by the Wings must be worth taking a chance on. He certainly has some attributes that make him an interesting prospect. However, in between his drafting and his signing in Montreal 6 years later, the Wings were right to note a lack of meteoric progress. That's why I have to believe that this season has been bookmarked as a trial for Mikael in the North American game, because Niklas Sundstrom II is not a player the Habs need just now.
Nonetheless, his talent and production in Sweden do count for something and put him higher on the list than the next tier of borderline talent. Because of his size, if and when he makes it to the NHL could well depend on who in the current lineup needs to be replaced. Though he might fit on a line with Latendresse and Cammalleri, it's harder to imagine him getting the call to centre Laarque and Moen.
5) Tom Pyatt
If you remember one thing about Tom Pyatt, remember this: he played for Team Canada twice, winning 2 gold medals.
That alone isn't that meaningful, but it does mean someone somewhere thinks he has something to offer, and not only that, he can deliver on the expectation with wins. Usually a Habs prospect plays in the WJC and we go gaga for years after (see Price, Carey), so his inconspicuous arrival is funny in that way. Perhaps it shows the kind of player he is, he did after all win the OHL's "Lady Byng" in 2007.
Hockey's future describes his talent:
Heart and soul player with good offensive instincts and good hands. Can play both ways, but his size and strength has thus far made for a difficult adjustment to professional play.
That quote, together with his CV makes him stand out among our also rans. I don't expect many NHL games from Pyatt, but get the feeling that if he were called up, he'd be capable.
6) Brock Trotter
We're getting near the niche players now, but Brock is not one of them. By all accounts, Brock is a hard worker, plays hard and can adapt to many situations. He would be an ideal call up if not for being such a small guy – though I wouldn't flinch at adding another 5'10" player, I think the tolerance of more conventional pundits (and I imagine coaches) has been tested already.
That said, Brock isn't really banging down the door to the NHL either, nor do I expect him to. His 2 seasons in the AHL now have been OK, but he has also allowed himself to be overtaken in the depth chart. I expect this undrafted player may have to get used to that again this season.
7) David Desharnais
As I listened to fan game reviews yesterday, I'd have thought that David Desharnais was the next coming of Martin St Louis. But you know what, it doesn't really add up for me. While I'm sure he must have oodles of talent to score so many point in junior, it remains that he only actually scored 24 goals in the AHL.
While you have to credit his perseverance, the drop in production a AHL level from prolific to adequate doesn't raise the right flags for the NHL evaluators. Still, you never know – a rare chance taken could lead to great things – I'm just not betting on it today.
8) Andrew Conboy
Notorious for making the AHL simply because he got booted out of the NCAA. Not a great start, unless that is, you're hoping to be an intimidator at the NHL level.
At this point in his career, I don't think Andrew could really be aspiring to be much else, do you? His numbers when he made the jump to college certainly took most hope of the power moniker being attached to forward in his case. Still, his 9 goals in 14 playoff games in 2007-08 for Omaha are the one beacon of light here.
9) Mike Glumac
Career AHLer, I'm afraid. Still, is a useful player to have in Hamilton for his AHL prowess alone. And, should all 8 of these guys and more go down with flu or something, wouldn't be a disaster in the NHL.
10) Ryan Russell
The original Tom Pyatt. His progression is steady in the minor pro ranks, but you have to wonder where the progression is leading him. At this point, he looks far more a future Mike Glumac than he does a future Canadien. However, because of the nature of the 4th line in the NHL, his combination of skating, hard work and AHL hands could make him an able stand in.
11) Eric Neilson
No player has gone more out of his way to make an impression this fall in camp than Neilson. With the Canadiens, though, his sole purpose would be to fight. And while Gainey and co. seem to be wavering over how they feel about fighting, the fact that Laraque is still around spells no call up for Neilson. Should that change, then he'd have a lifeline.
12) Olivier Fortier
In my opinion, Fortier has no chance of playing an NHL game whatsoever this season. Though he won the Guy Carbonneau trophy, he's no Carbonneau yet. For one thing, Carbonneau had NHL calibre scoring and skating potential at junior level. His conversion to defensive specialist was abetted by these facets of his game. For Fortier, he's already gone down that route in junior, which is a red flag for me (see career, Chipchura).
What's more, his defensive game hasn't been tested against anyone other than what amounts to forwards from the weakest league in Canada. Hamilton will have to be a testing/training ground for him. It wouldn't hurt if he turned in some key offensive contributions along the way to make him look more than a next-generation Metropolit.
13) Dany Masse
Missing camp is a killer for Masse, and I'm sure he knows it. His evaluation, and thus promotion prospects, have been put on hold for now. And that goes for me too – since it's hard to judge how an overage junior on a league best team will fare against better players and goalies in both the AHL and NHL.
14) JT Wyman
Almost off the books, I'm sure. Wyman may once have been a prospect, he's now AHL filler. He should go the way of Duncan Milroy and Jonathan Ferland by the end of this season barring what would need to be a miracle turnaround and injection of talent.
Not at camp
1) Andreas Engqvist
NHL ready, but contractually tied, I'd keep an eye on Andreas' stats in Sweden if you want to get a look into a player that should figure in the Canadiens plans within a year or two.
2) Danny Kristo
From the sounds of it, Kristo has the offensive skills and speed to play in the NHL. The only things stopping him at the moment are a commitment to his NCAA club North Dakota and a few late signings in Montreal to fill the roster.
3) Steve Quailer
Qualier, to me, is the unheralded Canadiens draft pick. Good numbers in the USHL, followed by a decent start as a rookie at Northeastern have jumped Qualier into my sights, and I'm sure those of the team brass. If Latendresse doesn't pan out as a power forward, Qualier is the next one in line to try to take the mantle.
4) Louis Leblanc
Hard not to be impressed with Louis' career. I'm sure the coverage he's received already, and the coverage his Harvard career will get means I can forego a big preview here. I'll say this, if Plekanec still looks like a third liner next spring, then Louis might be having some talks about how far he wants to take his university education.
5) Alexander Avtsyn
A great draft pick with a lot of points in junior. He's still got a lot to prove at his next level to show he can ever play for the Habs, let alone be mentioned in the same breath as Ovechkin.
6) Joonas Nattinen
Another big centre who could get some career advice next spring depending on how the year goes for everyone. His career could go anywhere from here, so let's just sit back and cross our fingers.
7) Maxim Trunev
"Our Euro scouts describe him as a combination of the two Kostitsyn brothers,” Timmins explained. “He was the MVP of the Mac’s midget tournament earlier this year in Calgary and he’s one of the youngest players in the draft.”
Timmins doesn't exactly have a 100% record, but some of his punts have come off (Mark Streit, Halak). To play this season again with Severstal Cherepovets, he is listed as a player to watch in the KHL by Hockey's Future.
8) Gabriel Dumont
The last player I will go out on a limb to note is Gabriel Dumont. He's already been demoted back to junior from the Canadiens camps. Talked up as a future Talbot/Lapierre type player, this season it will be critical for him to succeed on the Voltigeurs squad with a lesser cast. I think that if he does that, there will be no doubt about him reaching Montreal one day.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Mike Who?
The Forgettable Fifth Defender
Just before free agency opened I had set up my RSS feeds to aliment me with news on all the key free agents, both ours and those to be targeted as well. Call it laziness or morbid curiosity, but I've been keeping tabs on the same guys ever since. All Koivu news is served to me daily, same for Kovalev. All this despite not knowing the least about our actual players without some manual searching.
This past month has been a very quite one on many fronts and even the Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay newsfeeds have started to taper off. But one feed keeps churning out the stories, albeit most unreadable. That feed is good old Mike Komisrek's, our former future captain, untradeable asset and defensive lynchpin – and now a traitor and instant enemy, of course.
As I said most of the stories are about the Leafs, and there's only so much a Canadiens fan can delve into the intricacies of Brian Burke's master "plan". But every now and again there's an article that pops out to file in the very worthwhile box. This week has seen a few on the big oaf.
Olympic camp
The first wave of interesting articles all dealt with the Toronto love triangle of Brian Burke, Ron Wilson and Mike Komisarek transposing their adoration on the stars and stripes. Mike, of course, was one of the invitees to the orientation camp (good article on that here) and had a swell time in Illinois. So swell, in fact, that it led the "ever-reliable" Steve Simmons to extrapolate from two comments that Mike Komisarek is in no danger of missing the Olympic cut:
This interested me greatly because after watching Komisarek in Montreal, there were times where one would question his ability to avoid the NHL cut, let alone play for the elite of his country. At first I thought of nepotism, because after all it is Brian Burke. But then I had a look down the American options and thought again – the team doesn't look good. It can't be nice to look ahead to Komisarek and Scuderi marking Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk or the Canadian equivalent.
From this then two logical steps:
1) Mock the Americans – I quickly decided I couldn't do better than DGB's hilarious expedition
2) Start fretting about Timmins' propensity to take Americans over anyone else – when Scuderi or Komisarek clone is the pinnacle of likely achievement, you can stop ruing the loss of McDonagh
Komisarek on the Leafs
As the flood of articles on Komisarek from July onwards attests to, Leafs fans and writers have a lot to say about Mike. Some of what is being said is neutral, even, dare I say, realistic; but there's a big enough chunk of delusional prose to warrant my nausea.
That's why I was thrilled this morning when an article from The Hockey News: Komisarek More Common Than You Think found its way into my inbox.
This article is probably the article I wanted to write, but never did. It's certainly an idea that's been on the backburner for ages. I recommend you read it either to mash up the sour grapes in your gullet or just to enter into the spirit of mocking the newest of Leafs (I enjoy both). The spirit of the article I would have written can be found in this wonderful THN quote:
I couldn't agree more, nor could I have put it more succinctly. From September 2007 to April 2009, Mike Komisarek went from hopeful to emerging star to dependable to a man seemingly interested only his stats.
It all leads then to the interesting question, one that has nothing to do with how disappointed or pleased his new favourite fans will be: will we miss Mike Komisarek on the Canadiens?
I think I alluded to my answer in the title. Again, I draw a quote from a more inspired author:
Fans of the Habs who hung around for April will know that by that time, will know this feeling well. By that time, Mike was a fifth choice defenceman playing a bigger role than we'd have liked him to. Never close to Markov or even Hamrlik in ability, he also made himself second choice to Gorges and Schneider and even Bouillon at times. His contributions all seemed to be recorded on the appendix stats sheet, as opposed to the win column.
Some will say that his descent in the depth chart was due to playing with injury. Some will say he was a hero for playing hurt. Maybe partly, but that theory dismisses the beginning of the season where he was in fact even less effective than he was when he was supposedly hampered by a shoulder/hand/upper body injury. It also ignores the fact his best stretch was actually post-injury, not pre.
Before his injury, Komisarek was already trailing Markov, Hamrlik, Gorges and Bouillon in the domes department – a deficit he would never recover from. His sorry season, injury or not left him with 8 domes (when most nights the second D spot was up for grabs by anyone who didn't shoot the puck over the glass or into their own net) and no game pucks. I remember several conversations about our lucky escapes, our "play with fire" style defence and Mike Komisarek's slide into 2004 form. Call us on bias if you want, but Komisarek was also a non-entity for the three-star selectors (despite his blocked shot stats) with a single third star to his name all season. The season before he had 26 domes to go with 2 second and 8 third star selections.
Last season he was very near the league in giveaways with 89, but unlike those who surpassed him (Markov, Ovechkin, Derek Roy, Souray, Green and Richards) who are victims of attempted breakout passes and creative plays gone wrong, he managed to get up there without ever trying to do more than pass squarely to Markov. His assist to giveaway ratio is the only thing more embarrassing than his giveaway to takeaway ratio. Add to that the fact he makes Markov a worse defender and attacking threat and the case builds.
So will we miss him? Well not in in 2008-09 form, we won't. Even at the pinnacle of his form (2007-08) Mike left us wanting in the playoffs as teams that saw our lineup on consecutive nights targeted the Komi side of the first defensive pairing with devastating effect. And given the likelihood that he's probably more the average of 2007-08 and 2008-09 than one extreme, I think Gainey's probably replaced him with Paul Mara at a fraction of the price.
Thank goodness for Google Reader, else I might not have got that off my chest.
This past month has been a very quite one on many fronts and even the Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay newsfeeds have started to taper off. But one feed keeps churning out the stories, albeit most unreadable. That feed is good old Mike Komisrek's, our former future captain, untradeable asset and defensive lynchpin – and now a traitor and instant enemy, of course.
As I said most of the stories are about the Leafs, and there's only so much a Canadiens fan can delve into the intricacies of Brian Burke's master "plan". But every now and again there's an article that pops out to file in the very worthwhile box. This week has seen a few on the big oaf.
Olympic camp
The first wave of interesting articles all dealt with the Toronto love triangle of Brian Burke, Ron Wilson and Mike Komisarek transposing their adoration on the stars and stripes. Mike, of course, was one of the invitees to the orientation camp (good article on that here) and had a swell time in Illinois. So swell, in fact, that it led the "ever-reliable" Steve Simmons to extrapolate from two comments that Mike Komisarek is in no danger of missing the Olympic cut:
Brian Burke admitted yesterday that more than two-thirds of the team has basically been selected and another Team USA source was clear that Komisarek would be on that list of sure things.
This interested me greatly because after watching Komisarek in Montreal, there were times where one would question his ability to avoid the NHL cut, let alone play for the elite of his country. At first I thought of nepotism, because after all it is Brian Burke. But then I had a look down the American options and thought again – the team doesn't look good. It can't be nice to look ahead to Komisarek and Scuderi marking Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk or the Canadian equivalent.
From this then two logical steps:
1) Mock the Americans – I quickly decided I couldn't do better than DGB's hilarious expedition
2) Start fretting about Timmins' propensity to take Americans over anyone else – when Scuderi or Komisarek clone is the pinnacle of likely achievement, you can stop ruing the loss of McDonagh
Komisarek on the Leafs
As the flood of articles on Komisarek from July onwards attests to, Leafs fans and writers have a lot to say about Mike. Some of what is being said is neutral, even, dare I say, realistic; but there's a big enough chunk of delusional prose to warrant my nausea.
That's why I was thrilled this morning when an article from The Hockey News: Komisarek More Common Than You Think found its way into my inbox.
This article is probably the article I wanted to write, but never did. It's certainly an idea that's been on the backburner for ages. I recommend you read it either to mash up the sour grapes in your gullet or just to enter into the spirit of mocking the newest of Leafs (I enjoy both). The spirit of the article I would have written can be found in this wonderful THN quote:
Just as Dion Phaneuf’s bombs from the point and bone-crushing hits mask defensive deficiencies, Komisarek’s willingness to tear after opponents and be the face of his team after a win or a loss belie the fact he’s not exactly from the Rod Langway school of defensive proficiency.
I couldn't agree more, nor could I have put it more succinctly. From September 2007 to April 2009, Mike Komisarek went from hopeful to emerging star to dependable to a man seemingly interested only his stats.
It all leads then to the interesting question, one that has nothing to do with how disappointed or pleased his new favourite fans will be: will we miss Mike Komisarek on the Canadiens?
I think I alluded to my answer in the title. Again, I draw a quote from a more inspired author:
Leaf fans could be disappointed to discover Komisarek’s game can often be comprised of more noise than nuance.
Fans of the Habs who hung around for April will know that by that time, will know this feeling well. By that time, Mike was a fifth choice defenceman playing a bigger role than we'd have liked him to. Never close to Markov or even Hamrlik in ability, he also made himself second choice to Gorges and Schneider and even Bouillon at times. His contributions all seemed to be recorded on the appendix stats sheet, as opposed to the win column.
Some will say that his descent in the depth chart was due to playing with injury. Some will say he was a hero for playing hurt. Maybe partly, but that theory dismisses the beginning of the season where he was in fact even less effective than he was when he was supposedly hampered by a shoulder/hand/upper body injury. It also ignores the fact his best stretch was actually post-injury, not pre.
Before his injury, Komisarek was already trailing Markov, Hamrlik, Gorges and Bouillon in the domes department – a deficit he would never recover from. His sorry season, injury or not left him with 8 domes (when most nights the second D spot was up for grabs by anyone who didn't shoot the puck over the glass or into their own net) and no game pucks. I remember several conversations about our lucky escapes, our "play with fire" style defence and Mike Komisarek's slide into 2004 form. Call us on bias if you want, but Komisarek was also a non-entity for the three-star selectors (despite his blocked shot stats) with a single third star to his name all season. The season before he had 26 domes to go with 2 second and 8 third star selections.
Last season he was very near the league in giveaways with 89, but unlike those who surpassed him (Markov, Ovechkin, Derek Roy, Souray, Green and Richards) who are victims of attempted breakout passes and creative plays gone wrong, he managed to get up there without ever trying to do more than pass squarely to Markov. His assist to giveaway ratio is the only thing more embarrassing than his giveaway to takeaway ratio. Add to that the fact he makes Markov a worse defender and attacking threat and the case builds.
So will we miss him? Well not in in 2008-09 form, we won't. Even at the pinnacle of his form (2007-08) Mike left us wanting in the playoffs as teams that saw our lineup on consecutive nights targeted the Komi side of the first defensive pairing with devastating effect. And given the likelihood that he's probably more the average of 2007-08 and 2008-09 than one extreme, I think Gainey's probably replaced him with Paul Mara at a fraction of the price.
Thank goodness for Google Reader, else I might not have got that off my chest.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Draft Week
Current Depth Check
Some good advice from this lake swimmer: always check the depth before you dive in.
The same goes for the NHL draft. One would hope a team's management wouldn't need such a review having a more intimate knowledge. But for us fans, who will be baying and braying for our own pet picks over the next few days, it's worth a refresher.
The best full depth chart I cam across for the Canadiens was at Faceoff.com. It really gives an idea of the absolutes of the situation.
My first step was to derive a depth chart without free agents. Remember this is a numbers exercise, I haven't considered the merits of each player staying in junior, etc.:
Anyone shaking in their boots yet?
Not anyone in Boston, that's for sure. I think I might be.
Forwards
There has been endless calls for a new centre, and the chart shows the case. But is anyone else more than a little bit worried about our wingers should we lose Kovalev and Tanguay. Even with them, it's thin. Laraque and Wyman? We'd be in trouble. Looking at the chart tells me this team needs a whole top line to knock every single forward down a step. We can take Plekanec, Lapierre and Metropolit at 2, 3 and 4; never at 1, 2, 3. Similarly, the wingers.
The biggest hole for me in this analysis is not the centres though, but scoring wingers (exactly the same as last season at this time). The thought of icing Higgins, Latendresse, D'Agostini and Sergei Kostitsyn to back up scoring from Andrei is shocking. Latendresse may have 20 goals in him, and Higgins could rebound; but there's no 30-goal threat there. And that's just the top of the pile. If a winer were to get injured I don't relish the thought of Laraque being a mandatory starter anymore than I do the thought of Wyman being called into the already young core. It's dire.
The Canadiens must absolutely address this scoring shortcoming, and they will. Whether the scorers happen to be centres or not is really a secondary concern at this point.
My feeling is that this is a concern that needs to be addressed for the immediate future and the long term.
Verdict: Address via the Draft and Free Agency
Defence
The Habs are blessed with one of the top 10 defenders in the league and probably one of the top 10 deputies as well. In the right system, this could work. Gorges is a gem when played within his abilities too. But that's where the party ends.
The prospects coming through are numerous enough to trust that at least three will one day be NHL material. Of that, I am not worried. The questions for me begin with this season. O'Byrne has been shaky, Weber has all of 5 NHL games behind him, Carle has little experience and didn't exactly light the AHL on fire. Then you have Subban (straight from juniors), Fischer, McDonagh and Pateryn (all NCAA). Belle could fill a hole, but even he's a free agent.
If I were in the management position, I wouldn't be looking to add more defenders to put behind these guys in the depth chart, but a few to put ahead of them. 2 D with NHL experience to the Habs and a little time and this depth should bear the fruit it promises.
Verdict: Address via Free Agency
Goaltenders
People talk about two of the best goaltenders in the game. They're not joking. We wouldn't be getting on the case of an able 21-year-old with a 0.905 save% if there wasn't a 24-year-old with tantalising stats dying to get a few starts himself.
Like the defence, the fun stops there. It's worse than the defence though as the #4 goalie in Montreal is really someone you wouldn't want to be caught having to play in relief, let alone start. Desjardins would be OK, but with all due respect to Loic Lacasse, he was a pretty average (and over-age) QMJHL goalie as recently as 2 years ago. Not thanks.
Verdict: Address via Trade and/or Draft
As it affects the draft
As it is, I stand by my original scheme, which was to pick the player with a chance at being a star. The one who will be the biggest asset for the organization both for the future and for upcoming trade opportunities. Broadly speaking, I think this means picking a scoring forward – one with a 35-goal shot – or a potential star at the back vs. an all-rounder. I'll be giving my thoughts on who the player I think that should be in the next couple of days.
As for the glaring and immediate organizational needs, I don't think any are realistically addressable through this year's draft (barring a trade up, that is). Draft a forward at #18 and you'll be lucky if he scores one day, let alone next season. Draft a goalie or a defender and you are looking at a project. Free agency and trades will be relied upon for our 2009-10 team.
The same goes for the NHL draft. One would hope a team's management wouldn't need such a review having a more intimate knowledge. But for us fans, who will be baying and braying for our own pet picks over the next few days, it's worth a refresher.
The best full depth chart I cam across for the Canadiens was at Faceoff.com. It really gives an idea of the absolutes of the situation.
My first step was to derive a depth chart without free agents. Remember this is a numbers exercise, I haven't considered the merits of each player staying in junior, etc.:
| Left wing | Center | Right wing |
| A Kostitsyn | Plekanec | D'Agostini |
| Latendresse | Lapierre | S Kostitsyn |
| Higgins | Metropolit | Laraque |
| Pacioretty | Chipchura | Wyman |
| Defence | Defence | Goalie |
| Markov | Gorges | Price |
| Hamrlik | O'Byrne | Halak |
| Weber | Carle |
| Left wing | Center | Right wing |
| Stewart | Maxwell | Wyman |
| Conboy | Trotter | Kristo |
| Trunev | White | Quailer |
| Russell |
| Defence | Defence | Goalie |
| Subban | McDonagh | Desjardins |
| Belle | Fischer | Lacasse |
| Pateryn | Paquet |
Anyone shaking in their boots yet?
Not anyone in Boston, that's for sure. I think I might be.
Forwards
There has been endless calls for a new centre, and the chart shows the case. But is anyone else more than a little bit worried about our wingers should we lose Kovalev and Tanguay. Even with them, it's thin. Laraque and Wyman? We'd be in trouble. Looking at the chart tells me this team needs a whole top line to knock every single forward down a step. We can take Plekanec, Lapierre and Metropolit at 2, 3 and 4; never at 1, 2, 3. Similarly, the wingers.
The biggest hole for me in this analysis is not the centres though, but scoring wingers (exactly the same as last season at this time). The thought of icing Higgins, Latendresse, D'Agostini and Sergei Kostitsyn to back up scoring from Andrei is shocking. Latendresse may have 20 goals in him, and Higgins could rebound; but there's no 30-goal threat there. And that's just the top of the pile. If a winer were to get injured I don't relish the thought of Laraque being a mandatory starter anymore than I do the thought of Wyman being called into the already young core. It's dire.
The Canadiens must absolutely address this scoring shortcoming, and they will. Whether the scorers happen to be centres or not is really a secondary concern at this point.
My feeling is that this is a concern that needs to be addressed for the immediate future and the long term.
Verdict: Address via the Draft and Free Agency
Defence
The Habs are blessed with one of the top 10 defenders in the league and probably one of the top 10 deputies as well. In the right system, this could work. Gorges is a gem when played within his abilities too. But that's where the party ends.
The prospects coming through are numerous enough to trust that at least three will one day be NHL material. Of that, I am not worried. The questions for me begin with this season. O'Byrne has been shaky, Weber has all of 5 NHL games behind him, Carle has little experience and didn't exactly light the AHL on fire. Then you have Subban (straight from juniors), Fischer, McDonagh and Pateryn (all NCAA). Belle could fill a hole, but even he's a free agent.
If I were in the management position, I wouldn't be looking to add more defenders to put behind these guys in the depth chart, but a few to put ahead of them. 2 D with NHL experience to the Habs and a little time and this depth should bear the fruit it promises.
Verdict: Address via Free Agency
Goaltenders
People talk about two of the best goaltenders in the game. They're not joking. We wouldn't be getting on the case of an able 21-year-old with a 0.905 save% if there wasn't a 24-year-old with tantalising stats dying to get a few starts himself.
Like the defence, the fun stops there. It's worse than the defence though as the #4 goalie in Montreal is really someone you wouldn't want to be caught having to play in relief, let alone start. Desjardins would be OK, but with all due respect to Loic Lacasse, he was a pretty average (and over-age) QMJHL goalie as recently as 2 years ago. Not thanks.
Verdict: Address via Trade and/or Draft
As it affects the draft
As it is, I stand by my original scheme, which was to pick the player with a chance at being a star. The one who will be the biggest asset for the organization both for the future and for upcoming trade opportunities. Broadly speaking, I think this means picking a scoring forward – one with a 35-goal shot – or a potential star at the back vs. an all-rounder. I'll be giving my thoughts on who the player I think that should be in the next couple of days.
As for the glaring and immediate organizational needs, I don't think any are realistically addressable through this year's draft (barring a trade up, that is). Draft a forward at #18 and you'll be lucky if he scores one day, let alone next season. Draft a goalie or a defender and you are looking at a project. Free agency and trades will be relied upon for our 2009-10 team.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wild Imagination
Mr. Szporer at Les Glorieux want to tell us that the Habs should start sending a few scouts to Minnesota this winter.
The Habs and the rest of the league need to take note how much depth the Minnesota Wild have for the upcoming season.
An article questioning the depth of the Habs I can take (and have written actually), but did he pull the Wild out of a hat. The Habs will not:
as he put it. First of all, the Wild haven't exactly set the league on fire themselves, and secondly there must be some paralax when it comes to seeing their depth, because I for one can see the bottom of their pool pretty clearly.
Let's compare:
Higgins, Koivu, Ryder, Kostitsyn, Plekanec, Kovalev vs.
Gaborik, Koivu, Demitra, Rolston, Bouchard, Belanger
The Wild have an edge here. But in reality, while the names look good, the Wild don't exactly tear up the record book. Our top scorer outscored their's, and Souray tied them (Rolston and Demitra) in points. Sure Gaborik scores at a crazy rate, but he gets injured a lot, I should know from suffering with him on my team year after year in the pool.
Now onto the juicy bit:
Smolinski, Latendresse, Lapierre, Begin, Chipchura, Kostopoulos vs.
Belanger, Moore, Boogaard, Radivojevic, Walz, Veilleux
Can anyone else see the gulf? I can't. Wily veteran who started his career with the Bruins in the 90s? Check. Apparently, Radivojevic can step up to first-line production (as he did last year with Gaborik and Demitra when he got 11 goals and 24 points) at any time.
I think we have a better group here to be honest. We're not carrying a dopey fighter. We have youngsters who give a great effort, not to mention Begin for effort. We don't have Moore "one of the fastest and shiftiest talents in the game". Really? - sorry Jamie... but we have a 20 year-old who scored 16 goals last year. We have Lapierre who outpaced Moore for points last year anyway. In any case, the gulf is not wide...
Then there's the D:
Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik, Streit (forgotten by Szporer), Bouillon, Gorges, Dandenault, O'Byrne, Brisebois vs.
Johnsson, Burns, Skoula, Foster, Schultz, Carney, Nummelin, ...
I don't like considering Brisebois depth, but everyone else on our list is better than or equal to Skoula. Also take into consideration not one of their defenders is as good as Markov, and it's looking like Hamrlik would be their number one as well. You can't vaunt Brent Burns as an up and coming D and put down Komisarek for being the same. Can you?
Lastly our triple headed goalie:
Huet, Halak, Price vs.
Backstrom, Harding
To me, in letting Fernandez jump, let their Huet go in favour of their first year sensation (Halak anyone). The Wild envy us here, no doubt. Backstrom is good, but Harding is no Price.
In fact, the Wild goalies tell you a lot about their team. They opted to bet on young goalies in order to spend their money elsewhere. This is something we haven't done in Montreal, obviously. To say it hurts our depth is a stretch.
Now compare the Habs to a team that's actually done something, you may be talking. The Wilds of this league and the Canadiens of this league look the same to me.
On an aside, Szporer, not one day earlier made the bold prediction of 6th for the Habs. So get out the champagne in St. Paul, 6th place doormats will be watching the Wild drafting 30th in June.
The Habs and the rest of the league need to take note how much depth the Minnesota Wild have for the upcoming season.
An article questioning the depth of the Habs I can take (and have written actually), but did he pull the Wild out of a hat. The Habs will not:
continue to serve as doormats to the Minnesota Wilds of the league
as he put it. First of all, the Wild haven't exactly set the league on fire themselves, and secondly there must be some paralax when it comes to seeing their depth, because I for one can see the bottom of their pool pretty clearly.
Let's compare:
Higgins, Koivu, Ryder, Kostitsyn, Plekanec, Kovalev vs.
Gaborik, Koivu, Demitra, Rolston, Bouchard, Belanger
The Wild have an edge here. But in reality, while the names look good, the Wild don't exactly tear up the record book. Our top scorer outscored their's, and Souray tied them (Rolston and Demitra) in points. Sure Gaborik scores at a crazy rate, but he gets injured a lot, I should know from suffering with him on my team year after year in the pool.
Now onto the juicy bit:
Smolinski, Latendresse, Lapierre, Begin, Chipchura, Kostopoulos vs.
Belanger, Moore, Boogaard, Radivojevic, Walz, Veilleux
Can anyone else see the gulf? I can't. Wily veteran who started his career with the Bruins in the 90s? Check. Apparently, Radivojevic can step up to first-line production (as he did last year with Gaborik and Demitra when he got 11 goals and 24 points) at any time.
I think we have a better group here to be honest. We're not carrying a dopey fighter. We have youngsters who give a great effort, not to mention Begin for effort. We don't have Moore "one of the fastest and shiftiest talents in the game". Really? - sorry Jamie... but we have a 20 year-old who scored 16 goals last year. We have Lapierre who outpaced Moore for points last year anyway. In any case, the gulf is not wide...
Then there's the D:
Markov, Komisarek, Hamrlik, Streit (forgotten by Szporer), Bouillon, Gorges, Dandenault, O'Byrne, Brisebois vs.
Johnsson, Burns, Skoula, Foster, Schultz, Carney, Nummelin, ...
I don't like considering Brisebois depth, but everyone else on our list is better than or equal to Skoula. Also take into consideration not one of their defenders is as good as Markov, and it's looking like Hamrlik would be their number one as well. You can't vaunt Brent Burns as an up and coming D and put down Komisarek for being the same. Can you?
Lastly our triple headed goalie:
Huet, Halak, Price vs.
Backstrom, Harding
To me, in letting Fernandez jump, let their Huet go in favour of their first year sensation (Halak anyone). The Wild envy us here, no doubt. Backstrom is good, but Harding is no Price.
In fact, the Wild goalies tell you a lot about their team. They opted to bet on young goalies in order to spend their money elsewhere. This is something we haven't done in Montreal, obviously. To say it hurts our depth is a stretch.
Now compare the Habs to a team that's actually done something, you may be talking. The Wilds of this league and the Canadiens of this league look the same to me.
On an aside, Szporer, not one day earlier made the bold prediction of 6th for the Habs. So get out the champagne in St. Paul, 6th place doormats will be watching the Wild drafting 30th in June.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Does three goalies constitute depth?
On the day former Habs prospect Christopher Heino-Lindberg is due to face the pride of Ljubljana and his Kings as they moonlight in Central Europe. I thought it was fitting to address the rumours of a trade with the west-coasters.
Whether it’s full-time random rumour generators or casual fans, 3 goalies in Habs camp seems to equate to trade these days. We’ve been hearing for some time that Halak would be traded to San Jose or Los Angeles (real trade rumours always implicate the teams furthest apart geographically, remember? – hey where’s Anaheim?). Others want to wait and then trade Huet as soon as the boys prove their worth.
Our goaltender depth, if you go by the chatter in the air, is unprecedented in Habs history, maybe even the NHLs. After all, we do have Cristobal Huet (all-star), Jaroslav Halak (21-year old AHL success) and of course Carey Price (junior all-world golden child).
I think the depth is nice, and things are looking up for the Habs; however, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We were talking about great depth last year too, with Huet and Aebischer. We know how shallow it looked in February. Furthermore, an injury and we don’t have much depth, two injuries and we are panicking. Halak and Danis on the big club anyone? How about Cedrick Desjardins? We’ll start callin LA about their AHL goalie.
Basically, I don’t think Gainey should be openly looking for a trade. Simple.
- Danis is the only expendable body in the mix, and his value (judging by his safe passage through waivers) is higher to all of us than it is to opposition GMs.
- Huet’s value is not very high right at the moment and would only take a hit if his GM were making calls trying to unload him
- Halak is a prospect, plain and simple. Apart from last season (which some GMs may view as an anomaly), his value is not great either
- Price has value. It’s high. But there’s no way we should actively shop him. We have to play hard to get if we deal this one and draw out more than Rucinsky and Thibault in return (apologies to Kovalenko…)
As it stands, we have a nice situation for the team. Huet and Halak/Price with the Habs, then Price/Halak with the Bulldogs. Their status means they could be shuttled up and down without clearing waivers, which is a huge plus. Danis, not so. He has to clear waivers to make the jump. The waiver-free movement makes keeping both Halak and Price very sensible.
Now, if someone comes offering a top offensive talent or defense prospect – for the sake of argument let’s say Jack Johnson – then we should listen.
Even then, I would hope to get an NHL-capable goalie with waiver-free movement capability in return to keep that flexibility. After all, management has worked hard to create depth so the Montreal Canadiens can win. If a trade gets us closer to winning, and hurts the Bulldogs, so be it. If we trade a top goaltending prospect for a top defenseman/forward prospect and more, then so be it.
In Bob we trust, right?
Whether it’s full-time random rumour generators or casual fans, 3 goalies in Habs camp seems to equate to trade these days. We’ve been hearing for some time that Halak would be traded to San Jose or Los Angeles (real trade rumours always implicate the teams furthest apart geographically, remember? – hey where’s Anaheim?). Others want to wait and then trade Huet as soon as the boys prove their worth.
Our goaltender depth, if you go by the chatter in the air, is unprecedented in Habs history, maybe even the NHLs. After all, we do have Cristobal Huet (all-star), Jaroslav Halak (21-year old AHL success) and of course Carey Price (junior all-world golden child).
I think the depth is nice, and things are looking up for the Habs; however, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We were talking about great depth last year too, with Huet and Aebischer. We know how shallow it looked in February. Furthermore, an injury and we don’t have much depth, two injuries and we are panicking. Halak and Danis on the big club anyone? How about Cedrick Desjardins? We’ll start callin LA about their AHL goalie.
Basically, I don’t think Gainey should be openly looking for a trade. Simple.
- Danis is the only expendable body in the mix, and his value (judging by his safe passage through waivers) is higher to all of us than it is to opposition GMs.
- Huet’s value is not very high right at the moment and would only take a hit if his GM were making calls trying to unload him
- Halak is a prospect, plain and simple. Apart from last season (which some GMs may view as an anomaly), his value is not great either
- Price has value. It’s high. But there’s no way we should actively shop him. We have to play hard to get if we deal this one and draw out more than Rucinsky and Thibault in return (apologies to Kovalenko…)
As it stands, we have a nice situation for the team. Huet and Halak/Price with the Habs, then Price/Halak with the Bulldogs. Their status means they could be shuttled up and down without clearing waivers, which is a huge plus. Danis, not so. He has to clear waivers to make the jump. The waiver-free movement makes keeping both Halak and Price very sensible.
Now, if someone comes offering a top offensive talent or defense prospect – for the sake of argument let’s say Jack Johnson – then we should listen.
Even then, I would hope to get an NHL-capable goalie with waiver-free movement capability in return to keep that flexibility. After all, management has worked hard to create depth so the Montreal Canadiens can win. If a trade gets us closer to winning, and hurts the Bulldogs, so be it. If we trade a top goaltending prospect for a top defenseman/forward prospect and more, then so be it.
In Bob we trust, right?
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