BeanCountingHab Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 I was most excited about signing Cammalleri, if I remember. I was down on the Gomez trade because of his contract, and I liked the signing of Gionta, albeit I questioned whether we needed another guy with small stature. I was not overly happy about signing Spacek or Gill, but in the end, I actually remember just being excited the Habs finally did something at the start of free agency after having done nothing tangible for a long time. I'd actually forgotten that Moen is still here too and has signed a second deal to boot, but he was less of a key acquisition then the others and more of a complementary player. In all the off season discussions that year, Cammy was my pick to be our first line center. So I was disappointed when the Gomez trade happened, then happy when we signed Cammy but confused and even more disappointed with the Gomez trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTed3 Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 In all the off season discussions that year, Cammy was my pick to be our first line center. So I was disappointed when the Gomez trade happened, then happy when we signed Cammy but confused and even more disappointed with the Gomez trade. The Gomez trade was a baffler to being with and even moreso now that we've seen what McDonaugh's become and heard that Timmins tried his best to dissuade BG from dealing him. Gionta's given somewhat conflicting statements about Gomez, saying on the one hand that he didn't come here purely because of Gomez and that he would have considered Montreal even without Scotty. But on the other hand, he's also stated that Gomez being here was a factor that played in Montreal's favor. I don't think Gomez's signing affected Gill, Moen, or Spacek coming here. I think it did help to lure Gionta here, and to a lesser extent Cammalleri. In the end, I think the biggest factor was money though. In essence, the Habs gave up Koivu, Kovy, Tanguay, Higgins, and McDonaugh for Gomez, Gionta, and Cammalleri. They've since turned Cammalleri into Bourque and ditched Gomez for nothing. I don't see us getting much for Bourque in a trade nor do I see him being a key piece here, so at the end of the day when we look back at things, we ended up getting one surprise playoff run and whatever Gionta gives us over the next two years as positives in the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs_Hockey_Nutz Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Brian Gionta still has the speed he needs to play in the NHL, but he has seemed to back away from the dirty areas a bit. Could have something to do with the resurgence of Rene Bourque perhaps... wait and see if he can still put up the points that can continue to make him valuable to the Habs going forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 The Gomez trade was a baffler to being with and even moreso now that we've seen what McDonaugh's become and heard that Timmins tried his best to dissuade BG from dealing him. Gionta's given somewhat conflicting statements about Gomez, saying on the one hand that he didn't come here purely because of Gomez and that he would have considered Montreal even without Scotty. But on the other hand, he's also stated that Gomez being here was a factor that played in Montreal's favor. I don't think Gomez's signing affected Gill, Moen, or Spacek coming here. I think it did help to lure Gionta here, and to a lesser extent Cammalleri. In the end, I think the biggest factor was money though. Gomez and Gionta have a history so I suppose anything's possible but Gomez isn't the kind of talent you'd see people flock to play with, even in his prime. It was almost certainly money motivated with both Brian and Cammy. Now, I suppose it's believable that it sent a message to both that we intended to try and win and were willing to spend money to win right away, that tends to appeal to players but the reality is we almost certainly offered both players the best combination of cash/term they got and that's why they signed here. Brian Gionta still has the speed he needs to play in the NHL, but he has seemed to back away from the dirty areas a bit. Could have something to do with the resurgence of Rene Bourque perhaps... wait and see if he can still put up the points that can continue to make him valuable to the Habs going forward. Bourque being the net presence on that line does alter the scheme a bit and it seems like there's less room for Gio to play there but I think his poor start has been overstated, he hasn't been great but he's been OK. He's a streaky scorer, low SH% thus far. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get hot and pot a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwdemonwolf Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Gionta hasn't been bad, I am not sure where that comes from. He's working hard every shift and he's provided some great passes. He has an extra gear for sure, but I think calling his start poor is a bit unfair. He has played a dozen games in a year, I don't doubt he'll find his way into the dirty areas before long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noob616 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 He hasn't been that bad, the points aren't really there as much but he's definitely been a threat out there. His corsi numbers aren't fantastic but they're not that bad either. I fully expect him to come around, and as was mentioned his shooting percentage is sitting at 6.9%, his career percentage is 11%, so we should see the luck turn around a bit soon. I'm not incredibly worried about Gionta yet, but it's really a shame that he, and the two and a half men line are all having a scoring slump. Hard to rely on Pleks, Bourque, and rookies and plugs to do our scoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted February 22, 2013 Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 Gionta, IMO, has been somewhat of a disappointment so far this season. 17 games... 3 goals and 5 assists. Nothing in his last three games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs_Hockey_Nutz Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Moving Cole down to the third line helped him... could it help Gionta too? Moving Galchenyuk or Eller up could yield two possible line scenarios... Cole-Eller/Galchenyuk-Gionta Eller/Galchenyuk-Plekanec-Bourque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIASUN Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 I think if you watch his play, he has been on the puck and creating chances, players like him tend to score 3 goals in 5 games and then start getting praised for great seasons. If he stops getting chances that's when you worry but I see him around the puck and slot and his line as a whole has been productive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 I really hope Brian has a good game tonight. 0 points in his last 4 games. Please have a multi-point outing, Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaas Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Moving Cole down to the third line helped him... could it help Gionta too? Moving Galchenyuk or Eller up could yield two possible line scenarios... Cole-Eller/Galchenyuk-Gionta Eller/Galchenyuk-Plekanec-Bourque Except that I really like Eller-Gally together. Maybe Gio with those 2, although Cole seems to be clicking (albeit in a very small sample size) so far. Gio will come around i think. his big point total days are behind him but he's still playing smart hockey and a sound defensive game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 OK, what's going on out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weepingminotaur Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 OK, what's going on out there? Dunno, but it hasn't been pretty for a few weeks now. With Subban tonight, you can say he just had a bad game and move on, because you know he'll bounce back. Gionta has been pretty listless the whole season thus far, except for a few short bursts of productivity, usually on the power play. I'm not impressed at all, especially coming from the captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Dunno, but it hasn't been pretty for a few weeks now. With Subban tonight, you can say he just had a bad game and move on, because you know he'll bounce back. Gionta has been pretty listless the whole season thus far, except for a few short bursts of productivity, usually on the power play. I'm not impressed at all, especially coming from the captain. We knew he was going to be overpaid the last year or 2 so it may just be that we're running into that now. Not sure, he still tries and his D is good enough but he's being force fed key minutes. At this point maybe just put AGally or someone on his PP spot, reduce his role, hope he's a 15-20 goal 2nd or more likely 3rd line caliber guy who can do it a bit of everything in a pinch? Therrien seems to adore him and I'm glad but he's hurting us right now in offensive situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weepingminotaur Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 We knew he was going to be overpaid the last year or 2 so it may just be that we're running into that now. Not sure, he still tries and his D is good enough but he's being force fed key minutes. At this point maybe just put AGally or someone on his PP spot, reduce his role, hope he's a 15-20 goal 2nd or more likely 3rd line caliber guy who can do it a bit of everything in a pinch? Therrien seems to adore him and I'm glad but he's hurting us right now in offensive situations. I'd be fine with someone taking his spot on the Plekanec line, he's sabotaging the offense and even his D hasn't been good enough to warrant keeping him in that role. He's having trouble picking up his man in coverage. I'm just surprised to see such a steep drop. He's been such good value for us in the past that I really thought his decline wouldn't be that perceptible until next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I'd be fine with someone taking his spot on the Plekanec line, he's sabotaging the offense and even his D hasn't been good enough to warrant keeping him in that role. He's having trouble picking up his man in coverage. I'm just surprised to see such a steep drop. He's been such good value for us in the past that I really thought his decline wouldn't be that perceptible until next year. It could be that he went a year without playing and that he's always been highly streaky, so we'll see but his role needs to be reduced until he shows signs of going on 1 of his streaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs-24 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 It could be that he went a year without playing and that he's always been highly streaky, so we'll see but his role needs to be reduced until he shows signs of going on 1 of his streaks. your right, the injury and not having played in a year hasnt helped him.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeanCountingHab Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Agreed he doesn't seem to have it going offensively. I'd probably leave him where he's at until Bourque gets back though. May as well leave Prust there and have them match up and contain the other team's top line for now while letting the other two lines do their thing. It was interesting though, one of the French advanced stat guys at eyes on the prize noted that line's possession was like off the charts good vs the Rangers' top line they were matched up against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weepingminotaur Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 It was interesting though, one of the French advanced stat guys at eyes on the prize noted that line's possession was like off the charts good vs the Rangers' top line they were matched up against. Well, he's always been a great possession guy, no question, but at some point possession and defense can't be enough in a top-six role when you're the captain getting paid $5 million per year. He's on that line precisely because he's shown in the past that he can take on the tough matchups but still produce at a decent clip. So far, he's done very little, and what's more worrisome is: he's not doing the things he needs to do to score. In fact, he's kind of a drag on offense right now, whether it's playing a perimeter game, missing a pass, going offside, etc. He's just not helping on that front and it's starting to be close to the time where excuses run out and he has to produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramcharger440 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 i think he is doing fine for a guy his age and size. i am never worried he is going to do somthing stupid when he is on the ice. and i am having a hard time deciding which line is #1 or #2 or #3 it is so well balanced this year. now by next season we may have some more young talent ready to go,then i would be much more concerned about his production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Sigh. He needs to come out and have a strong game against Toronto. I don't really see the benefit of having so many small "top six" players on the roster if they're not producing. And it's not like Therrien is going to banish the team captain to the press-box for a game or two. It would be embarrassing to lose to Toronto for the third time in a row. I really hope Brian has a good game on Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manatee-X Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I agree that he hasn't been playing well lately, but I didn't actually think he had a bad game against Ottawa. He took it to the net a few times, not to mention that beauty of a play to feed Pleky on the 3 on 2. If a few of those great chances had made it past Bishop I think the tone in this thread would be different this morning. Obviously he needs to pick up his play from the last few games, but I don't think he's a lost cause just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I agree that he hasn't been playing well lately, but I didn't actually think he had a bad game against Ottawa. He took it to the net a few times, not to mention that beauty of a play to feed Pleky on the 3 on 2. If a few of those great chances had made it past Bishop I think the tone in this thread would be different this morning. Obviously he needs to pick up his play from the last few games, but I don't think he's a lost cause just yet. Certainly not a lost cause, but he's being paid to produce. He needs to get something in the net soon. I don't expect any single player on this roster to light the lamp every night. We're not that kind of team. But we do need everyone to be contributing in every second or third match to be successful. Brian hasn't scored a single point in five games now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTed3 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hoping that EN goal does for him what the long-distance flip goal did for Pacman. Gio played a very good 1st period, strong on the puck. Hopefully this continues going forward, we're going to need him this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeanCountingHab Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 +1. I was really glad it was him that scored it, everybody seemed to get a real kick out of it. (It was pretty funny the way it happened). Random question: not that it really matters, but will that officially be recorded as an empty net goal given that Scrivens was only half way to the bench and still on the ice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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