j2c Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 This has not been confirmed on the Canadiens homepage, which is why I decided to put it here. As seen on Habinsideout Habs sign Swedish Forward According to Swedish media, the Canadiens have signed signed the 23-year old free-agent centre/LW Mikael Johansson, from the Swedish champion Farjestad (Karlstad). This has been confirmed by Farjestad's director of sports, ex-Hab Thomas Rundqvist (2 games for Canadiens in 84/85). Johansson, who's 5'10" and weighs 182 lbs., has scored 95 points in 203 games in the highest Swedish league with Farjestad. Johansson was originally drafted by Detroit in 2003 (9th round). He had an unspectacular 6 goals and 28 assists in 49 games and was minus-4 with Farjestad this year, down from 15-24 and plus-11 in '07-'08. He was 1+3 in 11 playoff games. From a European scouting site: Johansson has seen a great development as of late. A skilled player that can be used both on the wing as well as play center. He is a good skater with impressive hockey sense and fine technical skills. Controls the puck with ease and stickhandles smoothly through traffic. Not very big, but plays with some grit and handles larger opponents well. Could improve some aspects in his defensive game. This would be the fourth time a Farjestad player has been with the Canadians; Kjell Dahlin, Thomas Rundqvist and Jonas Höglund. The Canadiens reportedly signed Johansson to a one-year, two-way contract for $1.075 million. He is a bit small, his youtube video's seem to show that he has a lot of skill. ------------ EDIT: News has been confirmed. http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app/?service...rticleid=424017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babinator77 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 i guess it's something. his nos. aren't that impressive though. i'll have to check out th videos when i'm not at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourtrax Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Yay, Bob. Because our focus should really be signing smurf non-NHL centers to two-way contracts. Not, you know, actually taking care of the stuff that matters. Call this guy Janne Lahti v.2.0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Yay, Bob. Because our focus should really be signing smurf non-NHL centers to two-way contracts. Not, you know, actually taking care of the stuff that matters. Call this guy Janne Lahti v.2.0. Hehe. While thats true, I think Its a little unfair to suggest that this move is in lieu of signing our main guys. For all we know he's put offers on the tables to all the players he wants to resign. If anything I see this as a positive because it means Bob looks to be very much back at it in terms of working on contracts - after the first round sweep & the dejected nature of the team & staff I was concerned how long he would "take a break" for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourtrax Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Hehe. While thats true, I think Its a little unfair to suggest that this move is in lieu of signing our main guys. For all we know he's put offers on the tables to all the players he wants to resign. If anything I see this as a positive because it means Bob looks to be very much back at it in terms of working on contracts - after the first round sweep & the dejected nature of the team & staff I was concerned how long he would "take a break" for. We can speculate all we want about what he's doing behind the scenes, but after five years of Bob Gainey's incompetence, I no longer assume he is doing anything productive until and unless it is officially confirmed. In the meantime, all we're left with is the mediocre signing of yet another small forward coming off a poor season who will probably not even be with the team at this time next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmash Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Yay, Bob. Because our focus should really be signing smurf non-NHL centers to two-way contracts. Not, you know, actually taking care of the stuff that matters. Call this guy Janne Lahti v.2.0. Part of his job is building depth and a farm team. I doubt this is seriously affecting any negotiations with our current players. This isn't exactly a big deal, but I don't see how it's a bad thing the way you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourtrax Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Part of his job is building depth and a farm team. I doubt this is seriously affecting any negotiations with our current players. This isn't exactly a big deal, but I don't see how it's a bad thing the way you do. We have more than enough forward prospects as it is without clogging up the roster with a 23-year-old who'll make more money if he earns a roster spot than our own prospects like D'Agostini and Pacioretty. He's small, his numbers aren't even great, and his defensive game is questionable. So rather than give our existing youth core a chance to shine, Gainey is yet again stockpiling our lineup with mediocrity. And if he winds up in Hamilton this year instead, it's just a pointless signing. I'm frustrated because there are about 100 more important issues surrounding the team at the moment and this is what we get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
357908_1475251331 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 i presume he's a good talker and will be able to ploy a team spirit over the likes of pleks and higgins with his ability to change from center to wing and vice versa. odds aren't good, but that's the habs and its coaching mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA_Champion Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 We have more than enough forward prospects as it is without clogging up the roster with a 23-year-old who'll make more money if he earns a roster spot than our own prospects like D'Agostini and Pacioretty. He's small, his numbers aren't even great, and his defensive game is questionable. So rather than give our existing youth core a chance to shine, Gainey is yet again stockpiling our lineup with mediocrity. And if he winds up in Hamilton this year instead, it's just a pointless signing. I'm frustrated because there are about 100 more important issues surrounding the team at the moment and this is what we get. Excellent post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j2c Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Since he is reportedly making 1.075 million I doubt he will be in Hamilton for long. So I think the real question is who is he replacing or who isn't Bob able to re-sign? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteenIsThaFuture Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 We have more than enough forward prospects as it is without clogging up the roster with a 23-year-old who'll make more money if he earns a roster spot than our own prospects like D'Agostini and Pacioretty. He's small, his numbers aren't even great, and his defensive game is questionable. So rather than give our existing youth core a chance to shine, Gainey is yet again stockpiling our lineup with mediocrity. And if he winds up in Hamilton this year instead, it's just a pointless signing. I'm frustrated because there are about 100 more important issues surrounding the team at the moment and this is what we get. I don't think thats a fair statement for Gainey. I'm pretty confident this is not what hes only been working on. Theres free agency looming and the draft, on top of the ownership issues, I'm sure hes had his hands full the last little while. This is just one result of a bunch of processes hes probably going through. Saying there are 100 more important issues implies you don't believe Bob is trying at all to address them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs1119 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 He probably is just a depth signing that could be used as a barganing chip. And what if this guy turns out to be the next Filppulla or Zetterburg? They had similar #s and are similar styles. You never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA_Champion Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 I don't think thats a fair statement for Gainey. I'm pretty confident this is not what hes only been working on. Theres free agency looming and the draft, on top of the ownership issues, I'm sure hes had his hands full the last little while. This is just one result of a bunch of processes hes probably going through. Saying there are 100 more important issues implies you don't believe Bob is trying at all to address them. He has no problem with these signings and pickups, Danny Masse, Steve Gainey, TJ Kemp, that guy we picked up for Steve Begin, we hear about them all the time. We don't have two AHL teams, we don't have infinite spots on the 3rd line, 4th line and 3rd pairing D. We should reserve these valuable spots for our youth nucleus, and not continuing the 15-year failed strategy of filling up these positions with free agent mediocrities and cast offs nobody else wants. There was a lack of quality ice time this season for Ryan O'Byrne, Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt D'Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Gregory Stewart and Kyle Chipchura. If I were Gainey, I would empty Hamilton of all these third raters, and bring in as many NCAA players (Fischer, McDonagh, Kishel) as possible to accelerate their development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911fred Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 i guess it's something. his nos. aren't that impressive though. i'll have to check out th videos when i'm not at work. Numbers are never impressive in the swedish league. The stats he got last year are considered very impressive in the swedish league Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA_Champion Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 He probably is just a depth signing that could be used as a barganing chip. And what if this guy turns out to be the next Filppulla or Zetterburg? They had similar #s and are similar styles. You never know. There is a small possibility he will, And there is a larger possibility he won't, and he'll just get in the way of developing young players already with the team, as happened with Ribeiro, Hainsey, Beauchemin, et cetera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911fred Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 We have more than enough forward prospects as it is without clogging up the roster with a 23-year-old who'll make more money if he earns a roster spot than our own prospects like D'Agostini and Pacioretty. He's small, his numbers aren't even great, and his defensive game is questionable. So rather than give our existing youth core a chance to shine, Gainey is yet again stockpiling our lineup with mediocrity. And if he winds up in Hamilton this year instead, it's just a pointless signing. I'm frustrated because there are about 100 more important issues surrounding the team at the moment and this is what we get. Like I said in my previous posts, It's harder to rack up impressive numbers in the swedish league. If you want an example, go look at Brunnstrums stats, or even Ville Leino's stats. The numbers he got in 08-09 are considered very impressive, and how do you know if he has holes in his defensive play? Have you seen him play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911fred Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 I'm hearing that hes good defensively, But I'm also hearing that hes horrible defensively. So i dont know what to beleive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteenIsThaFuture Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 He has no problem with these signings and pickups, Danny Masse, Steve Gainey, TJ Kemp, that guy we picked up for Steve Begin, we hear about them all the time. We don't have two AHL teams, we don't have infinite spots on the 3rd line, 4th line and 3rd pairing D. We should reserve these valuable spots for our youth nucleus, and not continuing the 15-year failed strategy of filling up these positions with free agent mediocrities and cast offs nobody else wants. There was a lack of quality ice time this season for Ryan O'Byrne, Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt D'Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Gregory Stewart and Kyle Chipchura. If I were Gainey, I would empty Hamilton of all these third raters, and bring in as many NCAA players (Fischer, McDonagh, Kishel) as possible to accelerate their development. The Habs don't have an AHL team but there is an ECHL team. Anyways, Johansson isn't a TJ Kemp, he actually is a 23 year old with some upside. And its not like Gainey is the only idiot to fill his minors with depth, plenty of other organazations do it, usually the GM has Discussions with the officials and coaching staff from their minor league club to see if they need a guy to fill certain minutes/roles or whatever. Was there a lack of ice time for them at the NHL or AHL level? Because I understand you want to develop your players and you want to give them a chance to succeed, but at some point they have to force your hand and make you want to give them more chances to succeed. I'm not saying to blackball them, you should value development and long-term success, but the Habs can't just hand them a role if they're not ready to produce just because they're a good prospect. On the NCAA thing, Fischer should be in Hamilton, but someone like McDonaugh, it depends on where he is in his development. I understand wanting to accelerate his competetion level to the pro stage, and I'm all for giving kids a taste of failure with a higher degree of difficulty, but if Ryan is going to be in completely over his head, then maybe a Junior year is the right move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habcup Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 We have more than enough forward prospects as it is without clogging up the roster with a 23-year-old who'll make more money if he earns a roster spot than our own prospects like D'Agostini and Pacioretty. He's small, his numbers aren't even great, and his defensive game is questionable. So rather than give our existing youth core a chance to shine, Gainey is yet again stockpiling our lineup with mediocrity. And if he winds up in Hamilton this year instead, it's just a pointless signing. I'm frustrated because there are about 100 more important issues surrounding the team at the moment and this is what we get. But if we trade for Vinny we will need to give a lot of prospects in addition to roster players. This could be a sign that Gainey is setup the ground work for a big deal! or not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babinator77 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Since he is reportedly making 1.075 million I doubt he will be in Hamilton for long. So I think the real question is who is he replacing or who isn't Bob able to re-sign? it's a two-way contract though. my bet is he will be in hamilton - unless we're underestimating him due to numbers that don't translate well. I don't think thats a fair statement for Gainey. I'm pretty confident this is not what hes only been working on. Theres free agency looming and the draft, on top of the ownership issues, I'm sure hes had his hands full the last little while. This is just one result of a bunch of processes hes probably going through. Saying there are 100 more important issues implies you don't believe Bob is trying at all to address them. +1 There was a lack of quality ice time this season for Ryan O'Byrne, Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt D'Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Gregory Stewart and Kyle Chipchura. i disagree. especially in relation to d'ags, stewart, pacioretty and o'byrne (unless you meant while they were playing in hamilton). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manatee-X Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 it's a two-way contract though. my bet is he will be in hamilton - unless we're underestimating him due to numbers that don't translate well. Yeah, and from what I understand they pay significantly less than the full contract value if he plays in Hamilton. I don't get the arguement that he could steal a roster spot from a young prospect....he IS a young prospect. He's not being handed a spot, but if he earns it in training camp why would we value the development of another 23 year old over his? i disagree. especially in relation to d'ags, stewart, pacioretty and o'byrne (unless you meant while they were playing in hamilton). O'byrne you could maybe say that he didn't play much at the end of the year (he played himself into that role), but I've got to agree with you here Bigsby. Anyone who says that D'Ags was not given enough quality ice time this season was not watching the same team as I was. That guy probably played more minutes on our top two lines this year than Tanguay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leafs_rock_go_mccabe Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Whoop-De-Doo! Welcome to Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911fred Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 it's a two-way contract though. my bet is he will be in hamilton - unless we're underestimating him due to numbers that don't translate well. I don't know how many times I'll have to repeat this, But there's no such thing as putting up big numbers in the swedish league. Zetterberg wasn't able to do it. Neither was Brunnstrom. This years top scorer was Per-Age Skroder with 59 points in 55 games. I'm not saying that Johansson is gonna come out and score a 100 point season. Im just saying that his point totals were pretty good considering he was playing in the swedish league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-1 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 I don't know why people are really frustrated with this signing. It's a one year rookie deal (two-way). He would make 1,05 million IF he reaches his bonuses. If he makes the team and can contribute, good. If not, he's going down to Hamilton. It's not like this guy's going to take away playing time from other young players, he's a young player himself. Remember Fabian Brunnstrom? Well Johansson is younger than him and put up more points in less games while on the same team, including 9 pts in 11 playoff games for Johansson versus 1 in 11 for Brunnstrom. Low risk, medium-high reward. It's worth a shot, you never know what can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitbull12 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Who? From the highlights he looks decent but that is what highlights are, highlights of a players good plays. He looks a little small, but it is a low risk, high reward if it all pans out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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