axnguyen Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Just popped up on twitter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 TSN.ca has it on their trade tracker, as well. Sopel should add some depth to our depleted defensive core. Dawes looks to be career minor league player, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axnguyen Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Yeah, I admit I don't know much about either player, but according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, "Sopel is a good PK man and shot blocker: two things that Habs have missed dearly since Josh Gorges went down" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSD Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Not a fan of this really. Sopel is another 34 year old defenceman and I'm more concerned about our scoring right now. PG WE CAN'T SCORE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiLla Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=355210 I don't mind Sopel, he can be a valuable lower-pairing guy and may well be useful for the playoffs. No clue what we want with another undersized forward like Dawes though? I rather we kept that that fourth rounder. Maxwell wasn't part of the plan any longer, Desharnais and Eller are fighting for his spot in the lineup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axnguyen Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Sopel's cap hit is 2.33 million and he is UFA after this season. Nigel Dawes is on a 2-way contract and makes $650K at the NHL level. RFA after this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick-Habs4Life Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 The Habs overpaid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 The addition of Dawes is to replace Maxwell's production for Hamilton. Nothing else. I guess Atlanta wanted Maxwell. Sopel will be a good addition for the stretch and post-season. I don't mind this deal as we didn't give up too much, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfoundlandHab Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Nigel Dawes Stats Good AHL numbers and okay NHL stats.. i only see him getting time if the same thing that happens to our D happens to our forwards(im scared just thinking about it) We only gave up a 4th rounder and a prospect who clearly did not fit into the organizations plans anytime soon so i don't mind this trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiLla Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 We clearly don't need Dawes, that's why I find acquiring him a little weird, unless Atlanta insisted on getting some contracts off the books. Sopel itself could be a nice addition, a pending UFA plus he and Hainsey were Atlanta's only defencemen with a positive +/- rating. Bogosian and Oduya are -16 and -14 respectively, just saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axnguyen Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Also, according to Arpon Basu, "Sopel led the Thrashers in shorthanded TOI at 3:21 per game and was 2nd in blocked shots with 130 in 59 GP." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiLla Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Also, according to Arpon Basu, "Sopel led the Thrashers in shorthanded TOI at 3:21 per game and was 2nd in blocked shots with 130 in 59 GP." Sounds like a nice replacement for Gorges with more size. we'll need that if we're going to make any noise in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfoundlandHab Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Does this mean another Dman is on the way out of MTL? With this trade we now have Sopel, Subban, The Wiz, Weber, Hamrlik, Gill, Mara, Picard and possibly Spacek on D. That could be 9 defenceman depending on Spacek's status. Someone's got to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTed3 Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Does this mean another Dman is on the way out of MTL? With this trade we now have Sopel, Subban, The Wiz, Weber, Hamrlik, Gill, Mara, Picard and possibly Spacek on D. That could be 9 defenceman depending on Spacek's status. Someone's got to go. I like this deal more than the Mara one. I think Sopel brings a better overall package and some experience from his Cup win last year. It also gives us a good PK guy who can play the right side, since all our other defensive D men are lefties. Maxwell wasn't part of the plan, so Dawes for Maxwell is essentially a wash and may even benefit us in the long run. I agree that there is now a log-jam on D though. Throw in Gorges and MArkov for next season and the Habs will have a lot of chocies to make, since only Subban and Spacek are signed through 2012 and the other 9 are UFA's or RFA's. There should be some serious competition within the D corps now to show who should be given a job next year. For this season, I think Picard is getting squeezed out, possibly back down to the minors (unless the unlikely happens and he is claimed). I imagine Spacek is out long-term, and then the other 7 become the guys we carry, with Weber likely being the 7th guy. If Spacek is ready to go, ot if the Habs decide to hang on to Picard, Weber could either go back down or be used as trade bait. However, i think it's in the Habs best interest to hang onto Weber for next year unless we can parlay him into a decent forward or unless we know for sure we can lock up Wis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiLla Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 According to RDS, he won't be in the lineup against the Leafs tonight. http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/315586.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmarcello Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 The Habs overpaid. Dawes is basically a straight swap for Maxwell... neither of them will be playing for the club regularly. That leaves Sopel for a 4th round pick. I'd say it's probably a pretty even trade. I'm a little curious though as to who Sopel replaces in the top 6. I'm assuming Spacek is out long term, so that leaves Subban, Hammer, Gill, Wisniewski, and then the best 2 out of 3 of Mara, Weber, and Sopel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Mac Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Sopel isn't exactly great at skating or stick handling, but he makes up for the lack of speed and stick work with his will to sacrifice the body. He is definitely a good guy all around and is a shot blocking machine. Sometimes I hated watching him in Chicago because he isn't the most skilled defenseman when compared to Keith, Seabrook, etc., but he definitely can make a difference on the blue line and is one of the elite shot blockers in the league. He is a very graet guy and brought the Stanley Cup to the Chicago Gay Pride Parade this summer in honor of Brendan Burke. His family still resides in Chicago and I cannot help but hope he comes back after this season, as he has expressed love for the city and a desire to live there after hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiLla Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanahan1024 Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Gauthier has now traded two draft picks and a top prospect who hasnt worked out so far but is still young for two #6 D-Men who were healthy scratches on two average team. I would have rathered him package it all together for a #4 D-Man who can actually contribute instead of just finding two guys to plug holes. Nothing against Sopel hes had a pretty solid career but come on Gauthier take a risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaas Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 The addition of Dawes is to replace Maxwell's production for Hamilton. Nothing else. I guess Atlanta wanted Maxwell. Sopel will be a good addition for the stretch and post-season. I don't mind this deal as we didn't give up too much, IMO. Agreed. This move was a short term fix to replace Gorges imho. Adding a guy fresh off a stanley cup win doesnt hurt either. Its definitely a rental move, but lets face it, Maxwell was likely never going to get a shot here. Would have rather not given up a 4th, but such is life. I suspect Pierre will find a way to regain some picks with future deals anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuniorSTLB Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 I'm fine with the Maxwell trade... but the Sopel trade is kinda weird to me. We have too many defensive defensemen (lol?) IMO. I'd pick either him or Mara... not both haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiLla Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Gauthier has now traded two draft picks and a top prospect who hasnt worked out so far but is still young for two #6 D-Men who were healthy scratches on two average team. I would have rathered him package it all together for a #4 D-Man who can actually contribute instead of just finding two guys to plug holes. Nothing against Sopel hes had a pretty solid career but come on Gauthier take a risk. I thought Gauthier already acquired a top 4 guy in Wisniewski this year. IMO now is not the time for our GM to take unnecessary risks, we're not going to win the Cup this year and I don't think there's a trade out there that'll change this overnight. Besides, you're not going to get a top 4 Dman for spare parts like 4th and a 5th rounder plus a guy like Maxwell who hasn't shown anything at the NHL level yet. Look at the Kaberle or even the Goligoski trades, they tend to come at a steep price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmarcello Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Besides, you're not going to get a top 4 Dman for spare parts like 4th and a 5th rounder plus a guy like Maxwell who hasn't shown anything at the NHL level yet. Look at the Kaberle or even the Goligoski trades, they tend to come at a steep price. Exactly. That would be like PG trading away a healthy Markov for a whole whack of 5th and 6th rounders. It just doesn't work that way. Quantity is not the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncivilengineer Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 I thought Gauthier already acquired a top 4 guy in Wisniewski this year. IMO now is not the time for our GM to take unnecessary risks, we're not going to win the Cup this year and I don't think there's a trade out there that'll change this overnight. Besides, you're not going to get a top 4 Dman for spare parts like 4th and a 5th rounder plus a guy like Maxwell who hasn't shown anything at the NHL level yet. Look at the Kaberle or even the Goligoski trades, they tend to come at a steep price. Not to mention we'd have to compete with Pittsburgh for D now with Orpik out 4-6 weeks Also, we essentially got Mara and Festerling for Lapierre, since we traded that 5th round pick back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Bah Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 Pierre has got a screaming deal getting Sopel when his team is undermanned on defence the way it is right now.Nigel Dawes will help the Bulldogs stay in the hunt for the Calder Cup in a big way,which gives our prospects in Hamilton more experience.Pierre Gauthier will not let this ship sink,and he moves swiftly to get them back into their proper shipping lane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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