franck5890 Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app?page=Pla...age&tab=prf Position: Defenceman Shoots: Left Height: 6' 4" Weight: 212 Born: 07 Sep '79 (Age 29) Born in: Ridgewood, NJ, United States Drafted: Tampa Bay's 1st round choice, 7th overall, in 1997 Acquired: Signed as an unrestricted free agent in July 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialboyMikey Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Should Be our New Captain and Locked Up for rest of his Career! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leafs_rock_go_mccabe Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Should Be our New Captain and Locked Up for rest of his Career! I didn't realize he possessed such leadership qualities. I, too, was interested to find out why we only signed him to a one year deal. It seemed he would have been a better candidate (possibly) to sign 2 year deal than Gill. Heck, I wish we had also taken a chance on Kurtis Foster. But anyway... This is the Mara thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 I think Mara will quickly become a fan favorite. Im not sure Id make him captain - especially with the large amount of young, skilled players we have - Id much rather make a skilled guy like Gomez captain - but I do think Mara should & will get consideration for an alternate captain. When I found out we signed him I was very happy - but when I heard it was for one year only i was scratching my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcarsonj Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 At over half the price of Komi I think this was one of the best moves Gainey pulled. He should be very comparable defensively and offensive stats wise to Komi. A little older but perhaps wiser and more consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catt-_mtlc Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 This guy is my favorite new Hab I hope they give him an assistant or maybe even captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 This guy is my favorite new Hab I hope they give him an assistant or maybe even captain. Maybe he can work his way to becoming an assistant captain but this guy hasn't played a game in a Hab jersey, he's a lower pairing defenseman and is on a 1 year deal. He can add leadership without the C, which he will but I just don't see him as our captain going forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QbGamer Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Maybe he can work his way to becoming an assistant captain but this guy hasn't played a game in a Hab jersey, he's a lower pairing defenseman and is on a 1 year deal. He can add leadership without the C, which he will but I just don't see him as our captain going forward. Neither A or C this season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babinator77 Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 At over half the price of Komi I think this was one of the best moves Gainey pulled. He should be very comparable defensively and offensive stats wise to Komi. A little older but perhaps wiser and more consistent. i hope you're right as it looks like martin has him paired with markov so far. (consistency would be nice. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 i hope you're right as it looks like martin has him paired with markov so far. (consistency would be nice. ) If he can handle the minutes (he's been used to playing 2nd pairing) then I think he'll do great. Its where I would have wanted to try him anyway - then keep countrymen Spacek & Hamrlik together & what a top 4! But if this experiment does work out its just one more reason why I am scratching my head over signing Mara to only a 1 year deal! If he successfully spends a whole year pairing with Markov he's going to be wanting (and deserving) a huge raise next summer. It should have been 2 years imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manatee-X Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 If he can handle the minutes (he's been used to playing 2nd pairing) then I think he'll do great. Its where I would have wanted to try him anyway - then keep countrymen Spacek & Hamrlik together & what a top 4! But if this experiment does work out its just one more reason why I am scratching my head over signing Mara to only a 1 year deal! If he successfully spends a whole year pairing with Markov he's going to be wanting (and deserving) a huge raise next summer. It should have been 2 years imho. Just pure speculation, but maybe he wanted a bit of a raise this summer? This might be a deal akin to what Tanguay signed with Tampa: he couldn't get a better contract so he took a short term one on the cheap as a sort of audition for next year's free agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourtrax Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 I'm not sold on Mara as a top-2 d-man, but I am going to trust Martin's judgment, as well as his ability to adjust if Mara doesn't work out playing with Markov. Markov on the second pairing would be ideal IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babinator77 Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 If he can handle the minutes (he's been used to playing 2nd pairing) then I think he'll do great. Its where I would have wanted to try him anyway - then keep countrymen Spacek & Hamrlik together & what a top 4! But if this experiment does work out its just one more reason why I am scratching my head over signing Mara to only a 1 year deal! If he successfully spends a whole year pairing with Markov he's going to be wanting (and deserving) a huge raise next summer. It should have been 2 years imho. from what i've read, martin wants to spread his ice time evenly among his d so minutes might not be a factor (at least not early on). i'm not a huge fan of the idea - if you have an all star dman use him - but martin knows how to play d more than anything so i'll wait and see how it plays out. Just pure speculation, but maybe he wanted a bit of a raise this summer? This might be a deal akin to what Tanguay signed with Tampa: he couldn't get a better contract so he took a short term one on the cheap as a sort of audition for next year's free agency. i'm of your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebchenier Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 from what i've read, martin wants to spread his ice time evenly among his d so minutes might not be a factor ( If Markov is on the ice as much as O'Byrne when he is dressed then I will throw things at the television. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtl_-Habs4Life-_mtlc Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 I'm not sold on Mara as a top-2 d-man, but I am going to trust Martin's judgment, as well as his ability to adjust if Mara doesn't work out playing with Markov. Markov on the second pairing would be ideal IMO. Hopefully you mean Mara on the 2nd pairing. I have never considered Komisarek to be anywhere close to a top pairing d-man, but he played fairly well in that position with Markov to cover his shortcomings. Mara is better than Komisarek at most aspects of the game, so it's possible that he could play well with Markov. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs-24 Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Mara is no stranger to minutes, and it looks like he will be given a chance to start the year with Markov as Jacq is leaning spacek with roman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourtrax Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Hopefully you mean Mara on the 2nd pairing. Haha, Freudian slip. Yes, I meant Mara. I have never considered Komisarek to be anywhere close to a top pairing d-man, but he played fairly well in that position with Markov to cover his shortcomings. Mara is better than Komisarek at most aspects of the game, so it's possible that he could play well with Markov. To me, Komisarek had one good season on the top pairing (07-08). The rest of the time, he was either inconsistent or subpar. Hopefully Mara will do better, but I also hope we put him in a position to succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BriBri Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 I am glad that Paul Mara is a part of our team He isn't afraid of anybody, even Brashear... / URL : With Moen, Mara and Gill... our stars players will play with confidence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 from what i've read, martin wants to spread his ice time evenly among his d so minutes might not be a factor (at least not early on). i'm not a huge fan of the idea - if you have an all star dman use him - but martin knows how to play d more than anything so i'll wait and see how it plays out. Interesting. I highly doubt this is how Martin will actually play things though. In Markov, Hammer & Spacek you have 2 very good defensmen and 1 elite. While I like the depth of many of our other D not giving at least Markov more minutes than the 3rd pairing will be a big mistake. That said, if Martin feels we have enough quality depth with our top 6 and we are able to win like that, there's a huge advantage to not playing Markov 24+ minutes a game because it will mean he's more likely to be fresh and ready to go, come playoff time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Interesting. I highly doubt this is how Martin will actually play things though. In Markov, Hammer & Spacek you have 2 very good defensmen and 1 elite. While I like the depth of many of our other D not giving at least Markov more minutes than the 3rd pairing will be a big mistake. That said, if Martin feels we have enough quality depth with our top 6 and we are able to win like that, there's a huge advantage to not playing Markov 24+ minutes a game because it will mean he's more likely to be fresh and ready to go, come playoff time. I dont have a problem playing close to even minutes at even strength if the guys can do the job. I imagine Markov will still get those extra PP minutes to up his on ice total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmerpuck Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Math problem: Montreal signed a former Tampa Bay defenseman who was that team's 1st round pick, 1st overall in 1992. Montreal signed a former Tampa Bay defenseman who was that team's 1st round pick, 7th overall in 1997. When does Montreal sign the Tampa Bay defenseman who was that team's 1st round pick, 2nd overall in 2009? Or will he be traded with Vincent Lecavalier? __________________________________________________ Okay...........back to Mara. I'm not crazy about evenly distributing minutes but at the same time it's been extremely lopsided over the last couple of years with Hamrlik and Markov carrying the load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 This guy was a very good signing to round out the D and to me shows exactly why Bob didn't have to rush to overpay guy's like Gill on July 1. There were plenty of veteran bargains to be had later in July and even August. I do like Gill, but there are still some very useful part's still unemployed right now that could be had for a song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bell75 Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 mara didn't look that good to me out there last night...granted its a pre-season game...but he didn't look like a top line d man. i have high hopes for him though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 mara didn't look that good to me out there last night...granted its a pre-season game...but he didn't look like a top line d man. i have high hopes for him though! He's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franck5890 Posted September 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 He's not. Weren't they going to try and use him with Markov though? Or did I hear incorrectly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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