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#45 Mike Blunden 2012-2013


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Unless possibly someone else sits out (White, Moen, Armstrong?) and Eller centers the 4th line perhaps.

I doubt it, and I don't want it either. Now that Pacman is injured Eller will be in the top nine(probably in Pacman's place). I don't think we should overvalue Blunden, I like our 4th line the way it is.

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I doubt it, and I don't want it either. Now that Pacman is injured Eller will be in the top nine(probably in Pacman's place). I don't think we should overvalue Blunden, I like our 4th line the way it is.

Overvalue? He may not be as good a fighter as White, but IMO he is the better player with more speed and greater size. He has also shown he can score as well as any of the 4th liners (perhaps moreso). Being a right-hand shot remains an asset as well. As much as White he can play center as well from past experience.

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Overvalue? He may not be as good a fighter as White, but IMO he is the better player with more speed and greater size. He has also shown he can score as well as any of the 4th liners (perhaps moreso). Being a right-hand shot remains an asset as well. As much as White he can play center as well from past experience.

White had 3 points in 20 games last year and Blunden had 4 in almost twice as many games(39). White had 5 points in 27 games the year before, while Blunden only played 1 NHL game that year. Blunden is 26 and White is 24 so White has more room for improvement. Blunden may be bigger but I'll argue that White plays bigger. Scoring as well as any other of the 4th liners? I disagree. I actually think Blunden might be better at scoring than White but the statement you said is something I don't agree with. He scored 2 with us last year and has 4 in 90 NHL games. But now let's look at our other 4th liners. Moen had 9 goals in 48 games for us last year and in his career he has 52 in 573 games. Armstrong has 87 in 442 games. Moen and Armstrong are both a lot better defensively and so I will be very surprised if Blunden plays over them. Blunden has 8 points in 90 games while White has 10 in 66. They're both okay defensively, but overall White is the better player and not just in dropping the gloves, IMO.

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White had 3 points in 20 games last year and Blunden had 4 in almost twice as many games(39). White had 5 points in 27 games the year before, while Blunden only played 1 NHL game that year. Blunden is 26 and White is 24 so White has more room for improvement. Blunden may be bigger but I'll argue that White plays bigger. Scoring as well as any other of the 4th liners? I disagree. I actually think Blunden might be better at scoring than White but the statement you said is something I don't agree with. He scored 2 with us last year and has 4 in 90 NHL games. But now let's look at our other 4th liners. Moen had 9 goals in 48 games for us last year and in his career he has 52 in 573 games. Armstrong has 87 in 442 games. Moen and Armstrong are both a lot better defensively and so I will be very surprised if Blunden plays over them. Blunden has 8 points in 90 games while White has 10 in 66. They're both okay defensively, but overall White is the better player and not just in dropping the gloves, IMO.

Good information... but how does that look in terms of actual ice-time vs. games played as well as some other factors regarding who each has played with and against who?

I only go on a gut feeling when I've seen each player actually play and how each player can compliment the team overall. I may be very wrong.

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Good information... but how does that look in terms of actual ice-time vs. games played as well as some other factors regarding who each has played with and against who?

I only go on a gut feeling when I've seen each player actually play and how each player can compliment the team overall. I may be very wrong.

Honestly, I'm not sure how much ice-time and what kind of linemates they get and who plays against tougher opposition, but I would think that both of them get 4th line linemates against 4th liners and 4th line ice time...2 years ago I remember White on a 3rd line with Pouliot and DD(who seemed to have chemistry)and that might have been a reason for his points that year(was a carreer year for him). And I also remember last year when Pleks was getting all kinds of linemates, Blunden was on his line for a fair amount of games. Other than this I don't really remember much...

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Honestly, I'm not sure how much ice-time and what kind of linemates they get and who plays against tougher opposition, but I would think that both of them get 4th line linemates against 4th liners and 4th line ice time...2 years ago I remember White on a 3rd line with Pouliot and DD(who seemed to have chemistry)and that might have been a reason for his points that year(was a carreer year for him). And I also remember last year when Pleks was getting all kinds of linemates, Blunden was on his line for a fair amount of games. Other than this I don't really remember much...

Don't get me wrong, I like White alot. But I like what I see as potential with Blunden given a real opportunity for an entire season. Both in the line-up would be better still I guess,

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  • 2 weeks later...

The bottom line when we're talking about whether to call up Blunden or Dumont is that neither one of them is going to alter the course of the Habs season all that much. We're talking about role players here, and the Habs have those in abundance already with Armstrong, Prust, White, Noke, Moen, etc. The team doesn't need to swap White for Blunden or Armstrong for Dumont, it needs to get its top line players playing better hockey.

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The bottom line when we're talking about whether to call up Blunden or Dumont is that neither one of them is going to alter the course of the Habs season all that much. We're talking about role players here, and the Habs have those in abundance already with Armstrong, Prust, White, Noke, Moen, etc. The team doesn't need to swap White for Blunden or Armstrong for Dumont, it needs to get its top line players playing better hockey.

I would argue that Armstrong and Noke serve no role

The Armstrong signing ( remember low risk / high reward ) - after 11 games, other than being a good guy in the dressing room what has he done .

And Noke .....wasn't he one of those dumb PG trades .

Enquist wasn't working out as 3rd lien centre , so let's pick up Blair Betts from Philly , only to find out he was injured . SO lets trade for Noke ...........Who ?

Sometimes it's Better to bite the bullet and let some young guy play and see if he has any chacne of maikng the NHL than signing or trading for players who are just taking up a salary

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I would argue that Armstrong and Noke serve no role

The Armstrong signing ( remember low risk / high reward ) - after 11 games, other than being a good guy in the dressing room what has he done .

And Noke .....wasn't he one of those dumb PG trades .

Enquist wasn't working out as 3rd lien centre , so let's pick up Blair Betts from Philly , only to find out he was injured . SO lets trade for Noke ...........Who ?

Sometimes it's Better to bite the bullet and let some young guy play and see if he has any chacne of maikng the NHL than signing or trading for players who are just taking up a salary

Right-on! I didn't see the reason to sign Armstrong and would have preferred to see if Blunden could add a new dimension to the mix for the Habs.

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I would argue that Armstrong and Noke serve no role

The Armstrong signing ( remember low risk / high reward ) - after 11 games, other than being a good guy in the dressing room what has he done .

And Noke .....wasn't he one of those dumb PG trades .

Enquist wasn't working out as 3rd lien centre , so let's pick up Blair Betts from Philly , only to find out he was injured . SO lets trade for Noke ...........Who ?

Sometimes it's Better to bite the bullet and let some young guy play and see if he has any chacne of maikng the NHL than signing or trading for players who are just taking up a salary

Yeah I kinda wished the habs left Engqvist up even though he was invisible in alot of games. I think it was just a trade to show he was trying to keep us in the playoff hunt early in the year. Trading a prospect for a role player doesnt and obviously didn't keep us in the hunt.

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Yeah I kinda wished the habs left Engqvist up even though he was invisible in alot of games. I think it was just a trade to show he was trying to keep us in the playoff hunt early in the year. Trading a prospect for a role player doesnt and obviously didn't keep us in the hunt.

In his defense, it's not like Enquist has amounted to much.

We got a fringe NHLer with experience to centre our 4th line, we lost a prospect who wasn't going anywhere in the organization.

Nokie never was the offensive player they though he'd become. If anything, he gives us depth, nothing more.

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In his defense, it's not like Enquist has amounted to much.

We got a fringe NHLer with experience to centre our 4th line, we lost a prospect who wasn't going anywhere in the organization.

Nokie never was the offensive player they though he'd become. If anything, he gives us depth, nothing more.

WE moved brock trotter for Noke. Engqvist hasn't done much but I think if we gave him more of a chance it could have helped

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Sometimes it's Better to bite the bullet and let some young guy play and see if he has any chacne of maikng the NHL than signing or trading for players who are just taking up a salary

I think you need a mix of vets and youngsters, but I generally agree with the philosophy you presented. I don't see much point in going after a guy like Nokelainen when you can use Dumont. I don't see the point in using Armstrong when you have Blunden, White, or Leblanc. In any case, all these guys are being cheaply-paid and are short-term solutions. I doubt we'll see Colby here for more than a year or two. As far as Blunden goes though, he's actually born in 1986, which makes him older than White and the same age as Nokelainen. He's younger than Armstrong and only a touch younger than Prust. In the end, Blunden's as good as any of Armstrong, White, or Noke, but none of them are particularly attractive options.

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  • 1 month later...

Confirmed by RDS. Taking Ryder's spot who apparently is injured (lower body) and not going to Jersey.

http://www.rds.ca/hockey/canadiens/ryder-bless%C3%A9-blunden-rappel%C3%A9-1.596641

After missing parts of last game I'm not surprised. I was hoping it was something minor and wouldn't miss too much time.

So, blunden obviously won't be playing next to pleks. That means Moen's probably taking ryder's spot.

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