maas_art Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 With July 1 coming, I guess its time to start a thread. What do you think MB should do? What do you think he will do? Discuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 I think Bergevin will sign Tomas Plekanec. He'll make pitches for other players, but for us to entice any free agents I think we are going to have to over-pay and offer longer term. Which would be depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs1952 Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 40 minutes ago, maas_art said: With July 1 coming, I guess its time to start a thread. What do you think MB should do? What do you think he will do? Discuss. MB should quit. MB will take us to 31st place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maas_art Posted June 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 11 minutes ago, habs1952 said: MB will take us to 31st place. Unfortunately I think it will be worse than that. I think he will take us to like 24th place. Good enough to miss out on another top prospect, but bad enough to be horrible to watch and cheer for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noob616 Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 The only notable guy I'm somewhat hopeful for is De Haan. He's nothing particularly special or exciting but he's a perfectly cromulent top 4 defenseman on the left side and the Habs currently have *checks notes*, uh — zero of those. He'll get overpaid to some degree but overpaying a completely serviceable top 4 guy that fills your team's biggest need isn't a big deal. He's 27 so a 5 year deal isn't super concerning IMO, and De Haan actually is what Bergevin thought Alzner would be. If I had to predict what the Habs will do in free agency, it'll be Plekanec at 1X3M, Thomas Hickey 3X3.5M, a couple Froese/Holland type 1-year signings for around 1M each, and then an extension around 5X4M for Danault. I think there'll be a forward signing too, maybe Riley Nash or Tyler Bozak, hopefully Nash. I don't expect them to get Stastny, they'll be in on him but he'll end up back in Winnipeg I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maas_art Posted June 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Interesting article by Marc Dumont here: Slim pickings for Canadiens at NHL free agent buffet I tend to agree with most of his assessments. Unless MB can somehow acquire a top pairing defensman in a trade, id frankly forgo all of the D except DeHaan or maybe Hickey. Id offer a contract but I hear there's over 10 teams interested in Dehaan (dont know about Hickey) so the chances of us getting him are slim. The one thing we have going for us is the opportunity for him to play next to Weber. I know advanced stats guys here are down on him but i bet you a huge majority of NHL blueliners who would love to be to his left. Assuming we cant get DeHaan though, I dont think we should pick up any LHD. The best UFA LD available are DeHaan, Enstrom (always injured and older), Johnson (NO!), Ouellet (decent but better than Mete, Rielly etc? I dont think so), and Hickey. The way I look at our blueline: Weber - Petry - Juulsen Thats 3 very good RHD. We're set. At LHD we have Mete who is probably a #4 right now and about 7 guys who are all 5-6. Reilly is probably the best of them but we also have Benn, Schlemko, Valiet, Alzner, and now we have Sklenicka and Moravcik in the mix too. Unless we can get an UFA who is a LHD and as good or better than Mete, what is the point? We already have up to 7 guys all vying for 2 LHD spots. without a significant upgrade on all of them, it doesnt make sense to sign someone IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 13 minutes ago, maas_art said: Interesting article by Marc Dumont here: Slim pickings for Canadiens at NHL free agent buffet I tend to agree with most of his assessments. Unless MB can somehow acquire a top pairing defensman in a trade, id frankly forgo all of the D except DeHaan or maybe Hickey. Id offer a contract but I hear there's over 10 teams interested in Dehaan (dont know about Hickey) so the chances of us getting him are slim. The one thing we have going for us is the opportunity for him to play next to Weber. I know advanced stats guys here are down on him but i bet you a huge majority of NHL blueliners who would love to be to his left. Assuming we cant get DeHaan though, I dont think we should pick up any LHD. The best UFA LD available are DeHaan, Enstrom (always injured and older), Johnson (NO!), Ouellet (decent but better than Mete, Rielly etc? I dont think so), and Hickey. The way I look at our blueline: Weber - Petry - Juulsen Thats 3 very good RHD. We're set. At LHD we have Mete who is probably a #4 right now and about 7 guys who are all 5-6. Reilly is probably the best of them but we also have Benn, Schlemko, Valiet, Alzner, and now we have Sklenicka and Moravcik in the mix too. Unless we can get an UFA who is a LHD and as good or better than Mete, what is the point? We already have up to 7 guys all vying for 2 LHD spots. without a significant upgrade on all of them, it doesnt make sense to sign someone IMHO. I'd consider offering Thomas Hickey a contract. I'd go 2-3 years, if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H_T_L Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 He should fill some of our gapping holes. He will tell us how tough it is, after he fills those holes with overpriced and under performing has beens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 He might sign Duclair. I would be okay with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramcharger440 Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 49 minutes ago, jennifer_rocket said: He might sign Duclair. I would be okay with that. me too i think it would be low risk as i don't feel he is worth much but it could pay off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maas_art Posted June 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 1 hour ago, jennifer_rocket said: He might sign Duclair. I would be okay with that. Yeah, i have no doubt MB will do his usual tinkering & most of the time that works out fine. But its a bit like painting your kitchen when your house is on fire. Doesnt matter how good the paint job is, you're still in big trouble. Roussel is another guy i could see us signing. I think he'd be a decent addition but we're still going to have massive holes to fill unless MB finally gets a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs_Hockey_Nutz Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 I would be happy to see the Habs sign Riley Nash (center) and Duclair as a winger... Roussell out of Dallas as a 4th liner to play with Deslauriers and Plekanec as a player coach to work with the penalty kill and spot duty at center as needed so he can reach his milestone. As far as other holes it doesn't matter so much for this season in any case... play the kids as much as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maas_art Posted June 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Today Pittsburgh traded Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick. This is a pure salary dump move from Pittsburgh but both players will be useful in the bottom six and bottom pair for Buffalo. In pure value, each is worth more than a 4th rounder (you could probably move one for that at the trade deadline) so essentially, Buffalo used its cap space creatively to acquire assets. This is something MB should be doing. Tampa Bay has a meeting with Tavares & clearly has NO cap space for him. Winnipeg is in a massive cap hell. How can we use that to our advantage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTed3 Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Gord Miller reporting today that he's spoken to a player agent who supports the notion that tax differences between provinces/states is a big deal to many players. Renaud Lavoie adds that he has heard this from Alex Radulov's agent as well (which presumably a factor in Radulov bolting to a tax-free state). Until Bettman does something to undo the unfairness of a hard cap, we're doomed. We have a GM with no creativity and we're disadvantaged by the current cap situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer_rocket Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Is Jack Johnson going to sign with Pittsburgh? If so, thank goodness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H_T_L Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 1 hour ago, maas_art said: Today Pittsburgh traded Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick. This is a pure salary dump move from Pittsburgh but both players will be useful in the bottom six and bottom pair for Buffalo. In pure value, each is worth more than a 4th rounder (you could probably move one for that at the trade deadline) so essentially, Buffalo used its cap space creatively to acquire assets. This is something MB should be doing. Maybe they're clearing room for Max?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkgoalie Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 6 hours ago, jennifer_rocket said: I think Bergevin will sign Tomas Plekanec. He'll make pitches for other players, but for us to entice any free agents I think we are going to have to over-pay and offer longer term. Which would be depressing. we need more grit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maas_art Posted June 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 27 minutes ago, jennifer_rocket said: Is Jack Johnson going to sign with Pittsburgh? If so, thank goodness! Its possible. Him and Crosby are best friends & apparently Sid was campaigning hard for him. But there are other guys they may be gearing up for. In reality they probably have only a couple more years of optimum cup window so going all in for a couple of years isnt a bad idea. 22 minutes ago, H_T_L said: Maybe they're clearing room for Max?? I could see it actually. They will have to blow up that team in a few years so why not give it all you got. Tinkering will never win you the cup... oh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis22 Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 1 hour ago, jennifer_rocket said: Is Jack Johnson going to sign with Pittsburgh? If so, thank goodness! On TSN Overdrive, Bob McKenzie said its a done deal just like Montreal will resign TP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis22 Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 8 hours ago, maas_art said: What do you think MB should do? What do you think he will do? He's already done a lot of stupid things , that's why the team is in the state it is . He'll probably sign a bunch of slugs to fill the holes he created Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windoe Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 2 hours ago, BigTed3 said: Gord Miller reporting today that he's spoken to a player agent who supports the notion that tax differences between provinces/states is a big deal to many players. Renaud Lavoie adds that he has heard this from Alex Radulov's agent as well (which presumably a factor in Radulov bolting to a tax-free state). Until Bettman does something to undo the unfairness of a hard cap, we're doomed. We have a GM with no creativity and we're disadvantaged by the current cap situation. I agree with this, either the NHL needs to equalize the tax environments somehow, or the government of Canada / province of Quebec needs to tax NHL players less (doubtful). After tax dollars is important to alot of players, and I believe Montreal is the worst in the league in this regard. Add on the media pressure, the language aspect, and Montreal is very unique city to live/play in. I think that's why when MB says so-and-so is excited to play in Montreal its actually an important attribute in a player. That makes the PK trade even worse, and driving Patches out of town as well is hard because both of those players love(d) Montreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs1952 Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 2 hours ago, BigTed3 said: Gord Miller reporting today that he's spoken to a player agent who supports the notion that tax differences between provinces/states is a big deal to many players. Renaud Lavoie adds that he has heard this from Alex Radulov's agent as well (which presumably a factor in Radulov bolting to a tax-free state). Until Bettman does something to undo the unfairness of a hard cap, we're doomed. We have a GM with no creativity and we're disadvantaged by the current cap situation. The Habs should relocate to Champlain, New York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs1952 Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 6 hours ago, maas_art said: Interesting article by Marc Dumont here: Slim pickings for Canadiens at NHL free agent buffet I tend to agree with most of his assessments. Unless MB can somehow acquire a top pairing defensman in a trade, id frankly forgo all of the D except DeHaan or maybe Hickey. Id offer a contract but I hear there's over 10 teams interested in Dehaan (dont know about Hickey) so the chances of us getting him are slim. The one thing we have going for us is the opportunity for him to play next to Weber. I know advanced stats guys here are down on him but i bet you a huge majority of NHL blueliners who would love to be to his left. Assuming we cant get DeHaan though, I dont think we should pick up any LHD. The best UFA LD available are DeHaan, Enstrom (always injured and older), Johnson (NO!), Ouellet (decent but better than Mete, Rielly etc? I dont think so), and Hickey. The way I look at our blueline: Weber - Petry - Juulsen Thats 3 very good RHD. We're set. At LHD we have Mete who is probably a #4 right now and about 7 guys who are all 5-6. Reilly is probably the best of them but we also have Benn, Schlemko, Valiet, Alzner, and now we have Sklenicka and Moravcik in the mix too. Unless we can get an UFA who is a LHD and as good or better than Mete, what is the point? We already have up to 7 guys all vying for 2 LHD spots. without a significant upgrade on all of them, it doesnt make sense to sign someone IMHO. I would think winning is more important to players than playing along side Weber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windoe Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 In years past MB would sign guys to try and get us into the playoffs, because hey once you're in, you never know. It should be clear though that we're not making the playoffs next year, so I'd agree with signing as little UFAs as possible. Play the kids, grow their asset values, trade our aging veterans for more picks and prospects, and embrace the rebuild. Set the expectations very low for the next few years, and draft and develop internally. The answer is in the room (the draft room). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs1952 Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 6 minutes ago, Windoe said: In years past MB would sign guys to try and get us into the playoffs, because hey once you're in, you never know. It should be clear though that we're not making the playoffs next year, so I'd agree with signing as little UFAs as possible. Play the kids, grow their asset values, trade our aging veterans for more picks and prospects, and embrace the rebuild. Set the expectations very low for the next few years, and draft and develop internally. The answer is in the room (the draft room). The answer is in the boardroom......Molson's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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