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#52 Mathieu Darche 2010-11


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#52 Mathieu Darche

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“I've been changing teams the last seven or eight years so it's nice to come back to the same team and same organization and not having to wait for July 1,” the Montreal native said. ”From the day the season ended my first choice was to stay in Montreal and I got my wish.” The Globe and Mail, June 22 2010
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#52 Mathieu Darche

8468463.jpg

BioStatsVideo

QUOTE LIBRARY

“I've been changing teams the last seven or eight years so it's nice to come back to the same team and same organization and not having to wait for July 1,” the Montreal native said. ”From the day the season ended my first choice was to stay in Montreal and I got my wish.” The Globe and Mail, June 22 2010

Mathieu played great checking the competition to distraction and getting timely scoring in also, glad to see he got his wish the Habs did too.

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*Insert picture of Marc-Andre Fleury being wiped out behind the net by Darche here*

MD might not have the greatest natural talent, but he is living the dream by playing for us and he gives the effort to match.

I don't know how much ice time he'll get and his prospects beyond this year look bleak with players like Ryan White and the new guy Schultz in the system, but he's a reliable grinder to have on the books right now.

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I too was very surprised he was returned. Although, I guess you need a few of the 500K grinders on every team, just to balance out the cap hits.

Realistically though, I thought we may try to bring up a younger kid with a little more pop to his game to fill the role. Darche is a -decent- filler. Doesn't bring anything fantastic, doesnt defend great or have a degree of offensive potential. But, outside of his on ice role, he could be a decent roster filler for that number 22-23 spot, as he has before and will again be relegated to the press box several times throughout the season.

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I too was very surprised he was returned. Although, I guess you need a few of the 500K grinders on every team, just to balance out the cap hits.

Realistically though, I thought we may try to bring up a younger kid with a little more pop to his game to fill the role. Darche is a -decent- filler. Doesn't bring anything fantastic, doesnt defend great or have a degree of offensive potential. But, outside of his on ice role, he could be a decent roster filler for that number 22-23 spot, as he has before and will again be relegated to the press box several times throughout the season.

This is a very valid point.

The potential Bulldog callups for this roster spot might well be better served right now by playing night-in and night-out for Hamilton rather than spending lots of time doing nothing in the press boxes of the NHL arenas.

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Am I the only one surprised (a little) that he got a contract with the Habs?

bonne chance Mathieu!

I was disappointed, but not surprised... Or, well, I wasn't too disappointed, but... I don't like Darche. :mellow: I find he was hyped up because he contributed a few goals early on. He is a disaster defensively and weak along the boards. The fact that he signed for so little makes me okay with it. If he fails to perform he has zero job security so the onus will be on him to earn playing time.

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This is a good signing because it commits us to nothing. We're paying Darche just about the league minimum, but he's a veteran whom we can sit in the pressbox for long stretches without any problem. If injuries strike, he can play competent fourth-line minutes. It's a very low-risk signing. I like it.

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This is a good signing because it commits us to nothing. We're paying Darche just about the league minimum, but he's a veteran whom we can sit in the pressbox for long stretches without any problem. If injuries strike, he can play competent fourth-line minutes. It's a very low-risk signing. I like it.

Our bottom 6 has slowly started to become a great mix of cheap, young players or bargain bin veterans who can fill a role cheap on 1 year deals.

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Our bottom 6 has slowly started to become a great mix of cheap, young players or bargain bin veterans who can fill a role cheap on 1 year deals.

Exactly, what it should be. I like what Gauthier is doing with our bottom 6. No long-term commitments, just a good mix of hard workers on short-term contracts, players who can be cycled in and out depending on our cap needs in a given year.

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Darche in the press box ( at 500K) sounds a lot better then a prospect ( at 850K) up there.

This is what I was going to say. I guess when everyone is/stays healthy He will be the one eating hot dogs in the press box (for now that is what it seems).

Hope he has a good season.

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Darche in the press box ( at 500K) sounds a lot better then a prospect ( at 850K) up there.

Exactly. Not just from a cap point of view, as you correctly noted, but because you won't alienate a guy like Darche by keeping him in the pressbox the way you would if you did the same to a prospect looking to break into the NHL. Darche has no illusions; he's 33, a career minor-leaguer, and is happy just to be playing on a one-way contract. He has no leverage and no job security. Just the type of player you can stick in the pressbox and slot into the lineup when it's convenient.

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I like the signing, for all reasons stated. At the same time, I feel he's just not really NHL calibre. But, he's excited, and he is not without the ability to score, so he may even reach 10 goals, and I would be extremely happy with that. We did see him play on the Plekanec line last year, hopefully we don't see this again, but it would help him get those 10 goals I just promised

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
I still don't understand why we kept him when we need room for prospects

The answer to that is Salary Cap issues, the Habs save money by having him play instead of paying a couple of hundred thousand more for one of their prospects. Darche brings a lot of energy and works his butt off, so anyone who wants to be in the lineup will have to outwork him.

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