Big T on the Habs

A New Hope

2012-03-18T13:22:00.001-04:00

Emerging from this season's dark clouds has been a couple of rays of sunshine including the obviously phenomenal play of the Canadiens first line and more specifically David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty. And although Erik Cole has also been a stud throughout this season, the hope was that he would be - just that - considering the contract that he was signed for. But what I wanted to focus on was another bright light, a light that may not have shown earlier on in this season and may have faded a tad more recently but that light is just as important to the future success of the Montreal Canadiens and is there new hope, Alexei Emelin.

Alexei Emelin has shown that he can play in the NHL and play well. Has he made mistakes? Most definitely. Has he looked lacked consistency? He most certainly has. But what he has shown is the ability to play important minutes against top-tier players and adjust to a North American game in a relatively short period of time. It's important to note that it takes longer for a defenseman to develop than it does a forward in this league and at the ripe old age of 25, Alexei is just entering his prime.

When you think about what he has gone through, it's really quite impressive the way he has developed and matured as a player so far. From being an outsider looking in under the Jacques Martin regime to leading the team with ice-time (for a period) under Randy Cunneyworth, the kid has seen the full spectrum of how easily you can go from a low to a high and back (being a recent healthy scratch). That's all part of the process of becoming a full-time NHL defenseman - just ask the younger and more talented P.K. Subban. What's most impressive is that he's adapted to a new rink-surface, a faster game, more highly skilled players all the while without a mentor on the ice to guide him in his native language. The thought process all along, must have been that Andrei Markov would be the perfect mentor to guide Alexei to becoming a successful NHLer.

The things that have impressed me most about Emelin has been his fearlessness on the ice. He will hit any player with ferociousness and not worry about the consequences. He skates extremely well and makes very quick decisions with the puck, both key assets for a defenseman to have. For the most part, he's a stay-at-home defenseman but with the ability to jump up and make an offensive play. He has a decent shot and he did score 11 goals in the defensive KHL while also playing on the powerplay. As with any player adjusting to defense in the NHL, first you concentrate on defense and then you go ahead and add offensive flair.

The issues that Emelin has to work out are his overall fitness and consistency (which I believe go hand in hand). I found it strange that he would punish player after player for a 4 or 5 game stretch and then 'disappear' for 3 or 4 games with almost no hits. He also needs to learn that hitting your opponent is just as important during a game that you're losing as it is during a game that you're winning. Finally and most importantly, he needs to work very hard on his overall physical fitness. The KHL season is only 50 or so games long whereas the long 82-game schedule of the NHL has clearly begun to take a toll on the young Russian. Although I'm sure it's not all physical, there must definitely be an added mental strain as well from all the added practices, flights, and related issues of a longer season. Knowing just what to expect for next year will most certainly help alleviate some of those problems.

What Emelin has shown me in just part of one season is that he has the potential to become a top defenseman in this league and be the cornerstone of a young developing team. Imagine a healthy Andrei Markov paired with a robust and punishing Alexei Emelin on your first pairing. A flamboyant and highly skilled PK Subban paired with a smooth-skating monster in Jarred Tinordi as your second pairing. And a dependable Josh Gorges paired with an emerging offensive star in Nathan Beaulieu. Yes that defensive picture is more likely the one that we'll see in 2 years time rather than next year but it does look mighty impressive from here.

As for next year, Markov-Emelin, Subban-Gorges, Diaz-(a free agent D-man).

Do you see the same potential in Emelin or are you seeing to many flaws in his game?

"You're Not a Wartime Consigliere, (Pierre)"

2012-03-15T00:17:00.020-04:00

From the Godfather (an exchange between Michael Corleone and his lawyer/advisor Tom Hagen)

Michael: "You're out Tom."

Tom: "Why?"

Michael: "You're not a wartime consigliere, Tom. Things may get rough with the move we're trying."

In a nutshell, that summarizes Pierre Gauthier's reign as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

I'll be the first to admit that although I was never a big fan of Pierre's prior to his promotion to GM, I also wasn't one who thought he didn't have the skill or know-how for the job. Starting with his first trade that brought Dominic Moore to the Canadiens (a trade that I was initially against), but he slowly and surely won me over with smart, rational and calculated moves that kept the Canadiens competitive and relatively successful.

What's clear to me today though, is that although Pierre Gauthier may be a worthy GM when it comes to tweaking or adjusting a winning team, he is certainly not a good GM when a crisis arises. The biggest mistake of his tenure so far surely has to be the Spacek for Kaberle trade. That mammoth of a mistake has had far-reaching repercussions that have forced further disaster and will continue to affect the Canadiens negatively.

To panic and get rid of a contract that had handicapped you for 3 years in Spacek's just about when it was coming to an end and saddling yourself with an even worse contract (that of Kaberle's) was unthinkable and a major mistake. Not only was the band-aid solution a complete failure but it added yet another 3 years to the Habs' payroll of an overpaid, underachieving defenseman just as we were about to rid ourselves of the exact same problem.

Kaberle even while producing somewhat respectable numbers wasn't the solution to the ailing Montreal Canadiens and to risk so much in such a tight cap-world was sheer lunacy. What it led to was the necessity for management to shed salary and to do so in a desperate fashion. So where did they shed that salary? They got rid of the best clutch playoff performer that Habs' fans had seen in quite some time - Michael Cammalleri.

You can believe the rumors, the poorly translated quotes and the rest of the garbage that surrounded Cammalleri's departure but at the end of the day what you lost was a bonafide goal-scorer and game-breaker who had proven on countless occasions that when the chips counted, you could count on him. The Montreal Canadiens lost a true first line winger and for what? Because he had a strong opinion about his team's poor play? Well guess what? He was dead on accurate! Just as Max Pacioretty was when he was blunt about not wanting to be called up to play in the bottom six. Look at how that turned out?

Show me all the numbers and statistics you want but at the end of the day, Pierre Gauthier due to that terrible Kaberle trade had no choice but to get rid of salary. What better player to get rid of than the one that just called out his team's poor play. So what did we get for a smart, cerebral and clutch player?

We got a borderline (if we're lucky) second-line winger with size (who doesn't use it nearly enough) and the hockey IQ of a dunce. I've never seen such a continuous string of poor decisions made by a player in such a short period of time. Does Rene Bourque have all the assets to be a great player? Sure! He has size, a certain skill-set and a solid shot but unfortunately, he doesn't know how to outsmart the opponent and at this level of the game, you need that!

And for the statisticians out there, sure Rene Bourque may have had similar numbers to Mike in the past couple of years but that's with the fact that Cammalleri clearly had under-par years. I guess we also all decided to forget the six or seven posts that Mike hit early in the season. Sometimes, that's all it takes. An inch here or there and a struggling player all of a sudden is doing alright and if they're doing alright then maybe they're carrying that added confidence that helps them push to the next level.

My feeling throughout is that when the tough got going, Pierre Gauthier went crumbling. He multiplied one mistake (Kaberle) with another (Cammalleri) and everything snow-balled from there. So, what's done is done but going forward what was it again that Michael Corleone said to his lawyer and consigliere?

Michael: "You're out Tom."
Tom: "Why?"
Michael: "You're not a wartime consigliere, Tom. Things may get rough with the move we're trying."

Things are certainly going to get rough with the move the Habs are going to try now (a rebuild) and Pierre Gauthier is most definitely not a wartime GM and should therefore be out as soon as the season comes to an end (which unfortunately will be far too early this year).

What do you think? Was Pierre a failure from the start, did he choke when things got tough or do you still think he's doing all he can? Post your thoughts below, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

"Le Club de Hockey Canadien" is Really A Public Relations Company

2012-02-16T00:43:00.005-05:00

When Geoff Molson lead a group of investors to buy the Montreal Canadiens, I was optimistic about the direction that the Montreal Canadiens were going to go in. I thought the George Gillett era was a resounding success. He took one of the most recognized franchises in sports from a beleaguered and non-profitable state and brought them back to a respected, successful and extremely profitable state. Not bad for an American who had a number of detractors fearing that he would pick up and move the team altogether below the 49th parallel. Not only did he not do that, but he hired Pierre Boivin to run the 'business' of the Montreal Canadiens as he saw fit.

One of Pierre's first moves was imposing on himself a directive that was wholly unnecessary and one that would eventually lead to the organization competing with a severe handicap. For whatever reason (and maybe it was to allay the fears of those vocal minority which were unhappy with an American owner), Pierre instituted a policy of only hiring a head coach that could communicate in French fluently. That policy may have been one that you could institute and get away with in years past when a team's payroll was limited to the wallet size of the owner. You could hire a sub-par coach and mitigate that by attracting the best players. But in the era of a salary-cap world and an uber-competitive landscape, you had to go out and hire the best coach out there, regardless of his linguistic abilities.

So, with Geoff Molson as the new owner of the Montreal Canadiens, that deep-rooted fear of a foreign owner should have dissipated. Here was a young successful local man who was perfectly bilingual and well-educated owning our treasured Habs. In my mind, I felt he stood with the right type of pedigree, background and authority to be able to make away with his predecessor's handicaps. I first felt that he commanded that respect and carried that aura when he came out with a strongly worded statement following the Zdena Chara and Max Pacioretty incident of last year and followed it up by taking an active role in reducing headshots in the league.

Fast-forward to this season, when the Montreal Canadiens promoted assistant Randy Cunneyworth to the role of head coach. This accomplished two things at once: 1) they ended the long-standing policy that Pierre Boivin had self-imposed to hire only a bilingual head coach; and 2) they opened up the possibility that going forward, the club would seek the strongest candidate to coach the team bar none. For those reasons alone, I was thrilled with the prospect of what may lie in the future of the Habs.

Unfortunately, that thrill turned to anguish and extreme disappointment only a few days later when due to a vocal minority (some of whom unfortunately, control some parts of the French media) Mr. Molson released the following statement. In it was one key sentence:

Although our main priority remains to win hockey games and to keep improving as a team, it is obvious that the ability for the head coach to express himself in both French and English will be a very important factor in the selection of the permanent head coach.

And just like that... we were back to square one. How did it become so "obvious" to what appeared to be such a strong leader after only a few days of discontent which were also compounded by a string of losses.

By no means, am I implying that a French-speaking coach might not be the best possible candidate out there. All I'm saying is that the best coaches are the best coaches regardless of language and that means 30 teams will be vying for their services. Considering there is no salary cap when it comes to coaching salary, this might be the one area where the Montreal Canadiens can outspend their rivals and gain a distinct advantage rather than create a handicap and play with a disadvantage.

What seems clear to me now, is that Mr. Molson's first, second and third priority is to try and appease the public in the short-term, all the while, losing the foresight to realize that a winning team is what would make the public the happiest. That my readers, is precisely what a public-relations company tries to do - appease the public and mitigate dissent. It's all about what the image of the Montreal Canadiens stands for and sadly enough, these past few decades that image is not a Stanley Cup.

The Jacques Martin Era Comes To An End

2011-12-24T00:38:00.008-05:00

What has been talked about for weeks and months not to mention years (for some of the most ardent critics) has finally occurred, Jacques Martin has been relieved of his duties. Most of you that read my blog know that I was never a Martin apologist but in a city where you're either with him or against him, I would have to classify myself as having been with him. I thought he was a solid coach with the record and results to prove it. Was his system perfect? Far from! Was it boring to watch the Habs play hockey? For the most part. Did the system actually work? Only when all 6 players on the ice did their job and did it with near perfection. Is that a sustainable strategy? Of course not.

Someone once said that the definition of insanity was repeating a process or task over and over yet expecting a different result or outcome. I present you with exhibit A, ex-coach Martin playing the same trapping style system in the 3rd periods of every game that the Canadiens were either leading or tied in. The result? More often than not, a loss (be it in regulation, overtime, or the shootout). Here's the kicker, although I'm not a fan of falling back and playing a tight defensive game in the 3rd when you're ahead; the strategy actually has and does work - when everyone buys in (example: see most of the 2010 Playoffs). The problem is, when it doesn't work, when you're not getting a total commitment from the players on the ice, you need to (as an experienced coach) be able to reach into your bag of coaching tricks and pull out another method to attain what it is that you need, a win!

If Jacques Martin had an Achilles' heal, it was precisely the above. His inability to conform or adapt, his extreme stubbornness and belief in the motto: "tried, tested and true" was in two words, frustrating to his supporters and absolutely maddening to his detractors. Anyone who wants to believe that the Canadiens lost games because Martin wasn't emotional enough or didn't rip into the referees enough simply doesn't get it. Someone who is overly emotional gets tuned out at some point (I'm looking at you Mr. Tortorella). Someone who is overly abusive to the officials is initially ignored and then punished (yes that's you, Mr. Therrien). The key to a good coach, a coach who can be successful over the long term is someone who is able to use multiple methods to achieve his goals. It's quite a difficult task and one that requires quite a bit of self-control and needs for one to check his ego at the door. Not so easy when you're dealing with 22 or 23 overly-inflated egos day in and day out not to mention a couple of officials every other day or so, on their own version of a "power-trip". The cards are inevitably stacked against you which is why the life of a coach in the NHL is as short as it is. The message can only be heard for so long before it just becomes background noise.

I read once that Brian Gionta needed a white-noise machine to help him go to sleep. For those unfamiliar with the device, it's simply a machine that creates some type of background noise to help someone doze off when things become too quiet. Alternatively, it can help drown out the ambient noise of kids playing outside your bedroom door, the neighbor mowing his lawn, or maybe the coach yelling the same set of instructions at you for the umpteenth time. Did Jacques Martin become ambient noise? That question is for you, my readers, to answer.
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It's a Bigger Problem Than Just Jacques Martin

2011-10-24T17:29:00.001-04:00

I share the frustration and sense the impending panic (for some they're already there) amongst Habs fans. Fire Jacques Martin, fire Pierre Gauthier and on and on. Yes it's true that the front-office has dropped the ball in terms of evaluation and preparation for the start of the season (Andreas Engqvist, really?). The coaching staff has done even worse to start off as we'll point out below but in all honesty, the worst job so far has come from the players. And before you start with the "it's the coach's job to get them going" (and I agree), you also need professional athletes making a lot of money to have the ability to self-start.

Even though Martin likes to blame his inexperienced blue-line for some of the problems we've been seeing in preventing goals, I think it's time to be honest with what's really going on. Hal Gill a notoriously slow-starter is off to another one of his anemic starts. If Gill isn't preventing goals he's not really adding much to your team and right now and he's not preventing goals. PK Subban is giving all of us that thought he would be immune to a sophomore slump a reason to pause and wonder why we thought he would be any different from almost every other NHL player coming off of a solid rookie season. Back is the old giveaway-prone Subban who's often covering the wrong man or off in his positioning during the mad goal-crease scrambles. Unfortunately, not back with that old Subban are the electrifying rushes that skirted past aggressive fore-checkers and penetrated the opposing team's zone with ease. But worst of all, Josh Gorges (aka Mr. Stability) has simply been awful. These three guys represent your 'veterans' on a defense-corps that's, once-again, decimated with injuries. None have been able play to even their expectations let-alone step up and exceed those expectations as is needed with you're beset with injuries as the Habs are.

Thanks to our ever-informative general manager and evasive coach, we have absolutely no idea when Andrei Markov will be back. And regardless of when he is back, please don't expect the Markov of old and don't forget to add in a few weeks for him to get his 'timing' back. In fairness, the Campoli signing was a solid one and could've surely helped this fragile team but his injury, although a freak accident, severely crippled this team. Even then, I'm not so sure how things would've panned out with Martin (2011 edition) behind the bench.

The coach has confused me this season. I used to understand and even respect the fact that he protected his veteran players in his post-game press conferences. He'd usually point out how a rookie or young player made a mistake but would rarely if ever criticize his veterans - a noble gesture for those that have put in the time, blood and sweat to prove their belonging. So I kind of understood when after last game he blamed the loss on his inexperienced group of defenders even though a quick study of the tape showed that it was in fact his veterans that were mostly at fault. What I didn't understand however was how quickly he buried Erik Cole on two separate occasions during the last post-game presser. The first being when asked by reporter Jessica Rusnak about his use of Mathieu Darche over Erik Cole on the powerplay to which he ridiculously answered that she should do her research (when he clearly hadn't done his). And secondly, when questioned about the repeated 'too many men' penalties, a penalty where the coach usually takes the blame, he didn't hesitate in blaming Cole for one of those penalties. Even when the coach knows exactly who to blame, they rarely call out those players by name (especially not in a post-game presser). I don't care that it's up to the players to time when they leave the bench for a change, the fact remains that this team has led the league in 'too many men' penalties since last year. So if he wants to blame the players, he may not want to single out the one that been here the least amount of time. Maybe, just maybe, as a coach, you can run a few drills to teach your players exactly how to avoid that penalty in the future. To get back to the original point, isn't Cole a veteran - why are you calling him out in front of the media? It was so uncharacteristic of Martin's style that it actually made me wonder, for a minute, whether there is more to the Cole/Martin issue than meets the eye. I highly doubt there is a deeper issue there because I do believe in the professionalism of both Martin and Cole but maybe we saw a glimpse of a coach who for the first time during his tenure in Montreal has begun to feel the heat and pressure of his job and deservedly so.

I really don't care that Martin doesn't show as much emotion as a Lindy Ruff or act like a petulant Claude Julien does when a penalty gets called against his team. I don't even mind as much as my fellow fans how rigid he is in sticking to the system that has won him 500+ games in the NHL. What does bother me though, is his stubbornness when it comes to player evaluations. Martin decided late in the preseason that Diaz offered more than Emelin to which I don't have a major issue with. However, over the span of the last 6 games, Emelin has shown himself to be much more adept with his defensive-zone coverage and marking. Diaz has shown on more than one occasion that he is not quite ready for all the defensive aspects that are required from a NHL d-man. Additionally, from my perspective, one of the most difficult qualities for a d-man to acquire and master is the art of when to pinch in or not on a play. I have been overly impressed with Emelin's decision-making on that particular skill-set. Why the coach is ignoring that and other obvious signs of improvement from Emelin in order to play Diaz is beyond me. If it's for the powerplay, I would suggest Martin heed his own advice and do some research. Emelin led his team in defensemen scoring last year in the KHL with 11 goals, 7 of those coming on the powerplay.

Finally, let's take a look at Carey Price. I love Carey and I agree that he's not being helped by his defense but when your team is in a rut, your goalie needs to step up and make that extra unexpected and sometimes extraordinary save (more so when you're considered an elite goalie).

It's a difficult situation to win games when your top defensemen are playing well below their potential. It doesn't help when your elite goalie is playing just OK and struggling to steal a game or some points for you. You add the disturbing issue of Martin's mismanagement and apparent unfairness to Cole and it seems like a perfect storm.

How do you get out of it? It's funny, what was it that Hal Gill said last week? Winning creates confidence but you need confidence to win? Well, sometimes you just need a little luck or at least one referee that can properly recognize when a puck hits the netting and is out of play before your opponent ties the game.

Look, the article above is negative but I do think that Price will regain his stellar form, PK will get back into the groove and the team will find some chemistry and play better. I'm disappointed in the squad's start as I'm disappointed in Martin's start but just as I believe the team can improve, I also believe that Martin can also improve and get better. That being said, let this be a warning shot across the bow for Mr. Molson. It may be high-time to start setting up your emergency rescue plan - just in case.

Andrei Markov Update?

2011-10-11T14:46:00.002-04:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I guess that can be accurate if you really want to dissect the intricacies of what we're seeing here. This picture, taken 2 days ago at Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, shows Andrei Markov waiting to board a flight to Miami.

A few things come to mind: where is he going, is there any visible swelling, why is he lifting his leg (added comfort or due to discomfort)?

Dr. James Andrews

So where is Andrei Markov headed? Most logical answer would be to see his surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Alabama. A quick search on Expedia shows Miami as a possible transit en route to Birmingham. If that's the case, the next question becomes is he going there for a regular check-up, to get cleared for the next stage in his rehab or is it due to yet another setback? We'll have to wait to find out.

The most worrying aspect of the photo, in my opinion, (other than the choice of footwear) has to be the fact that Andrei has his leg elevated. As much as I don't want to speculate, I can't help but wonder if that elevated position is due to a lingering issue in his knee. However, as mentioned above, it could just be a more relaxed position. So take a look at the picture for yourselves and draw your own conclusions.

Hopefully, this subject will be moot in a couple of weeks with Andrei back on the ice and skating with the team.

***Update (11OCT11 @ 8:35pm) As per Arpon Basu, Dr. Andrews does have a clinic in Florida as well, so another option may be that Markov may be going directly to that facility. Either way, let's hope he gets some good news***

***Update (12OCT11 @ 12:25pm) Coach Jacques Martin has confirmed that Andrei Markov is in fact in Florida to meet with Dr. Andrews. Martin also added that this was an appointment which had been scheduled previously and was not an emergency-type appointment.***

The Injury Hex Continues

2011-10-08T18:08:00.000-04:00

It seems the Montreal Canadiens just can't seem to get away from this cloud that has cast a dark shadow on their aspirations of becoming an elite team. Injuries are a real part of hockey that affect all teams and are impossible to predict. Your best defense against them is to make sure your team depth is solid but even the deepest of teams are adversely affected when the injury bug hits.

The Habs, starting the season, had decent depth on the blue-line with the regulars being supported by the new acquisitions of Raphael Diaz, Alexei Emelin, Jeff Woywitka and Yannick Weber. But even with that, Pierre Gauthier did not rest on his laurels, we've discussed how Pierre Gauthier was proactive in signing Chris Campoli when Markov had a setback and the new guys didn't impress. After losing Jeff Woywitka to the same waiver system in which he added Blair Betts, Gauthier almost immediately signed defenseman Joe Callahan in order to maintain that depth. Now, with news that Campoli will be out months rather than weeks as had initially been hoped for, you wonder what options Gauthier has left. The next steps taken by the Habs General Manager will be very telling.

If we look at this situation in a logical manner, one can assume that the Habs are still OK. Yannick Weber has proved in the past that he is capable of playing the role of powerplay quarterback although he must step up and demonstrate that he can do so immediately and consistently. Raphael Diaz must also continue the steady play that he has shown through most of preseason and the season-opener in Toronto. Alexei Emelin will now have an opportunity to show whether or not he can adapt and adjust to the North American game and considering he likely wouldn't accept a demotion to the AHL, we may as well find out what his potential is right away.

The issue that should be clarified for everyone is just how long the doctors think it will be before Andrei Markov can resume play. The Habs have been a vault when it comes to any type of information regarding his health and while the Campoli signing could have been reasoned off as just a depth play, another defensive signing will more than likely be a desperation signing and a sure sign that Markov's near-term outlook is bleak. So let's hope that Diaz, Emelin, and Weber all step up to the plate and deliver because if Gauthier ends up signing Bryan McCabe then you'll know that Andrei Markov is gone long-term.

Thank You Paul Holmgren

2011-10-06T07:00:00.002-04:00

It's not a secret that I wasn't sold on Andreas Engqvist being the Habs 4th line center. Which is why I was a happy camper yesterday when I found out that the Montreal Canadiens had acquired Blair Betts off of waivers from the Philadelphia. Not to be overly critical of Engqvist but in my opinion, a 4th line (also known as your 'energy line') should exhibit just that, energy! I'm not sure why it appeared so but from my impressions it just seemed as though Andreas lacked intensity. Was it because this was preseason or did he somehow figure that with the injuries at camp that he would be a lock for the job? I really don't know, but in either case those are unacceptable excuses for a rookie/prospect trying to earn his way into the NHL. You can allow for some of that type of attitude from a well established veteran but not from someone in Engqvist's position.

No matter the cause, what I did see, I didn't like and that's why I slept much better last night knowing that the Habs now have a decent and useful NHL-caliber player manning their 4th line. The best part, is that it cost the Habs nothing (if you don't include the miniscule waiver fee). In fact, the Canadiens actually saved $200K off their cap by demoting Engqvist who stands to earn $900K in the NHL vs. Betts' $700K. The advantages don't stop there. Betts brings with him size at 6'3", very good penalty-killing skills, as well as a face-off winning percentage over 50% (a rarity among the current crop of Habs).

An overlooked aspect of having a quality penalty-killer on the Habs is the fact that it will help lessen the load on Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez to do that same work. In theory, allowing them to exert more of their stamina and energy into scoring goals. That does not mean that Plekanec, who remains your best penalty-killer, will no longer kill penalties but it does mean that when the Canadiens end up taking 2 or more penalties in succession there will be a good chance that Plekanec and/or Gomez will not be completely exhausted once those penalties have been killed. And hey, should there be a makeup call to go the other way, well then you would have two of your best play-makers ready to jump on the ice and create some offense.

The one knock on Betts is that he is getting old and that he may have a bum shoulder but it should be noted that Philadelphia did not dispose of him easily. They had signed Maxime Talbot to an over-sized contract (in my opinion) and were obviously going to give him preference to takeover many of the same types of roles that Betts would've been utilized in. Add to that, the fact that they wanted to make some room for promising prospect Sean Couturier to play with the big club and develop.

At the end of the day, let's not get over-excited as Betts is a 4th line guy who'll most likely play less than 10 minutes a game. He's not the final piece of the puzzle but what he does is improve your Montreal Canadiens at almost no cost.

I'll take it.

***Update [3:41pm 09OCT11]: After failing his physical, Blair Betts has now been returned to the Philadelphia Flyers effectively reversing the waiver claim. So I'm back to worrying about the Habs 4th line and I guess the title should be rewritten to: "Thanks for Nothing Paul Holmgren"***

An Exciting Opportunity...

2011-10-04T12:59:00.001-04:00

Since starting this blog in June, I have really enjoyed writing and sharing my thoughts and views on the Habs with you, my readership. I've seen the the site grow in popularity and gain more and more readers.

One of those readers happened to be Topham from the well-respected and strongly followed Lions in Winter blog. As time passed and more articles were written, Topham (after discussing with his team) approached me with the idea of having me help in contributing to their blog. Considering their excellent reputation and loyal readership, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to join their team and help add my voice to the talented crew at LiW.

This does not mean the end for 'Big T on the Habs'. In fact, if anything the plan is ramp up the posts on this blog as we go through our first full season. However, should there be one or two of you that don't already follow LiW, I would hope that you would go ahead and add LiW to your bookmarks and follow both blogs closely.

So, thank you to Topham and the LiW crew for inviting me over to collaborate with you and thank you for this wonderful introduction.

THE SUSPENSION THAT WASN'T

2011-10-03T14:39:00.003-04:00

I’m not quite sure why but I didn’t think the Ryan Malone hit on Chris Campoli was a cut and dry suspension. It was definitely a headshot but I felt that it could possibly fall under one of the exceptions that Brendan Shanahan laid out earlier this year in the video that he sent out to all teams and players, where a player is reaching for the puck and puts himself into a vulnerable position (see video below).

What may have helped my mindset is the fact that I didn’t watch or listen to the game live. First, my Blackberry started buzzing with messages from some friends that were asking me how many games I thought it would be and with their predictions of about 5 games. So maybe it was the anticipation of a terrible hit that skewed my perception or maybe it was the fact that I wasn’t influenced by Malone’s apparent recklessness and borderline play leading up to the hit. I viewed the hit for what it was and to me, it looked somewhat similar to something that I had seen earlier in Shanahan’s video of legal hits. I’m not saying that it’s identical but it fit in that frame so to speak.
So my answer to my friends was, I think it’ll be 1 game but don’t go crazy if he gets nothing. They didn't like my answer and I guess that was a harbinger for the reaction of most Habs fans on twitter this morning.

Now let's take a look at the Malone hit on Campoli.

I find that Malone's hit is a bit similar to the first two 'legal' hits other than the fact that it appears to be a clear targeting of the head whereas the others seems to be a full body check that also caused a snap back of the head. Like I said, I felt like there should have been a suspension but I'm not surprised the NHL used one of their 'exceptions' to allow for leniency in this case. I almost feel as though Shanahan has been feeling the pressure from some of the latest quotes to come from unnamed league executives and a certain New Jersey goalie criticizing the severity of his suspensions. He was almost due for a play where he would come out and say, "See...I'm not that strict, I'm fair."

What the NHL has undertaken in trying to eliminate all headshots is commendable and will take time to get right. My worry on these so-called exceptions is that the next time a 'Matt Cooke-type' sees someone reaching for the puck it may give him a green-light to go ahead and hit that person's head as hard as they can knowing that there is a loophole out there to exploit.
I, for one, appreciate the transparency in the videos that were distributed earlier as it allowed me to properly temper my expectations with regards to the decision that was rendered today. All things being equal, I do believe that Shanahan has done a decent job so far but I'm far from giving him my stamp of approval. We await to crucial scenarios and need to see how he reacts in both of those cases:

What happens when a star or superstar player gets into trouble and how many games does he get?
Will Shanahan remain consistent in the length of his suspensions as we progress through the season.

We wait and see...

WHO GETS THE CREDIT THIS YEAR?

2011-09-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

Yes I know. I get it. Jacques Martin is not your ideal coach. He doesn't get mad when he needs to, he doesn't rip the referees when they deserve to be ripped, he's far too passive, he has no charisma, he has no imagination and no vision. Defense first, offense optional. Have we covered all the bases?

What about the 2010 Playoff run, you ask? Well, don't you remember, the Habs were down 3-1 to that offensive juggernaut known as the Washington Capitals. And do you remember what happened after that? A certain Mr. Halak decided that it was going to be his coming out party. But wait a second, weren't you watching the TSN telecast of the game? That GM-wannabe, Pierre McGuire, credited the Habs victory in Game 5 in Washington to Kirk Muller. Come again? Yep, apparently it was Kirk 'is work' Muller who had the brilliant idea of putting Travis Moen on the top line and that apparently single-handedly changed the whole dynamic of the Montreal attack. Please!

You know what else, that vaunted Habs powerplay that has been firing on all cylinders for as long as we can remember, yup that one...apparently, all credit goes to Mr. Muller. Well, here's my question to you. What happens next year when this team that was supposedly being held together by Kirk Muller ends up finishing in the top 5 of the conference? What happens when the powerplay doesn't flounder and remains as good as it's been for as long as we can remember? What happens when (hopefully) 5 on 5 scoring improves?

Who do we credit? Surely not Pierre Gauthier who according to some fans spent the off-season signing AHLers and definitely not Jacques Martin considering we've already established that he's not a top coach and that the only chance the Habs would've had to succeed is now in Tampa Bay coaching the Lightning. Perry Pearn? Come on, let's get serious. Oh I know, it's all Kirk's work (his leftover work that was dismissed without credit or praise). Funny how all those teams without coaches (how many was it, 5 or 6?) passed on the opportunity to hire him but we had a legion of armies ready to fire a coach who taken the team further than it had been since '93 and have him replaced by either an unproven commodity in Boucher or a guy who was passed over by 5 or 6 other teams. I'm sure all those fans knew better than each of those General Managers that sat with Kirk for an interview or two and decided to go another route.

Maybe you understand where I'm coming from and yes that is sarcasm you detect above. Don't take this the wrong way. I loved Kirk Muller, as a player and as an assistant coach but he really hasn't put in enough time as a head coach for us to judge his abilities properly. His first foray into coaching was with Queen's University? An initial season that could not be rated a success and if it weren't for old friend Guy Carbonneau who hired his old alternate captain from '93 and fast-tracked him to the NHL, well maybe we would've learned just how tactically sound Kirk as a head-coach would have been.

Flame me if you so desire but I'm just really tired of hearing how Gauthier is the worst GM and Martin is the worst coach anyone has ever seen. Meanwhile, I see 29 other teams that also failed to win the Stanley Cup this year. Oh and the one that did, your Habs - managed by one Pierre Gauthier and coached by one Jacques Martin, took them to within an inch of their lives without their premier offensive D-man in Markov, without their premier defensive D-man in Gorges and without their budding power-forward Max Pacioretty. You know what I call that? Good team management (replacing Markov with Wisniewski) and good coaching (getting the best out of what you have).

And as I make my case, I can already hear the groans, the bitching and moaning about how those Bruins only got better and better with each progressive series. Well, who says that your Montreal Canadiens wouldn't have been able to mimic that type of amelioration in their play? Other than the obvious mental boost to their collective psyche that the players would've felt from knocking off the Bruins (especially considering the mitigating circumstances of the season), we know that the Habs medical staff had cleared Max Pacioretty for play in the 2nd round.

It's easy to criticize with the advent of hindsight and it's even easier to speculate on what could've been. Sometimes you need to look past the micro-situation and take a more macro approach. Don't forget that last year's success was largely due Carey Price's phenomenal play. Going into the season, none of us knew what to expect of Carey. If Martin's defensive emphasis is what allowed Price to build back his confidence and regain his mojo then that was a small price to pay in order to secure what should be solid goaltending for the foreseeable future. As any good coach, I expect to see Martin evolve (a bit) considering his new personnel and trust in Carey to allow a more offensive style.
That aside, from what I've seen, Mr. Jacques Martin deserves just a little bit more credit that he's been given and I sit here and wonder who, just who will that ever-critical contingent of fans credit for this year's success.

IS CHRIS DRURY IN THE HABS PLANS?

2011-08-15T16:45:00.005-04:00

Ever since Glen Sather bought out Chris Drury's massive contract, there has been speculation on whether or not Habs management would be interested in securing Drury's services as their 4th line center.

It's not a secret (and we have touched on it in the past) that Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin are trying to build a team built on speed and skill up front and veteran leadership at the back. A definite bonus is if a player has been an established or proven winner throughout his career.

This blueprint has looked very promising that it can and will deliver results in the post-lockout NHL. Clearly though, there have been some exceptions especially when it came to filling in the role of 4th line center. Starting with Bryan Smolinski, continuing through to Glen Metropolit, and last year's foray with Jeff Halpern. All of those signings ended up working albeit with varying levels of success.

The problem here is that all of those guys were signed to fill a lessor role knowing that they had lost a step (or two) due to age and they were willing to do whatever was being asked of them in order to remain in the NHL. I'm not sure that same scenario would play out as smoothly with Chris Drury.

First off, it should be noted that Drury's career is being threatened by a degenerative knee condition (that almost didn't allow the Rangers to complete their buyout of him). So the whole premise of this debate is contingent on the notion that Drury believes that he will recover. My fear, is that when a player loses his ability to compete and play due to injury rather than age, it's much harder to come to terms with it as the degradation occurs rather quickly not over an extended period of time.

Drury is a proven winner, a heart and soul guy with a ton of character and compete in him. Is he going to be okay accepting a $1M-1.5M/yr contract? Maybe. Is he going to be fine when he falters and Martin makes his a healthy scratch for the first time (how about the 10th time)? Maybe. Those are just two of many possible scenarios that Drury would have to deal with and you can imagine the effect it would have on the dynamic of the room when someone as respected as he is would be upset. Especially, if his friends on the team played a part in his signing as Gionta had on Cole.

For arguments sake, let's say that he is fine with both of my hypotheticals, then what exactly has he proven? That he's a team player, who can contribute and show that he's a playoff performer? All of these qualities are already attributed to Drury. If anything, it may be actually highlight his lack of speed on a team filled with speedy forwards.

If I'm Chris Drury or his agent. I'm actually looking for a team that's really lacking any depth at the center position and hoping that I can possibly move up the ladder through the season to prove that I have what it takes to play at a high-level once again. Drury should be looking at a team where he might be able to play some powerplay minutes and some decent 2nd/3rd line center minutes. I'm not saying that can happen, I'm just saying that's what Drury should be looking at.

If anything, I believe this may be the year for Habs management to stop making exceptions and stick to that age-old mantra of: speed kills!

***Update [1:51pm 21AUG11]: As most of you are aware now, Chris Drury has announced his retirement. Clearly, his knee injury being degenerative was accurate and considering his past contract, I think it's prudent and relatively smart of Chris to make sure his quality of life going forward takes precedence over another contract.***

NUMBERS VS. INTANGIBLES - THE GORGES STORY

2011-07-27T15:31:00.001-04:00

It's been a few days now that Josh Gorges has signed his 1-year, $2.5M deal with the Montreal Canadiens and the reaction from Habs fans has been expectedly mixed. We've seen varied reactions but the general consensus (from what I've read and heard) seems to be that one year was simply not enough and that the Habs seem to have short-changed Gorges. Being a numbers guy through and through and looking at the deal, I cannot help but think that the contract seems like a fair one for both sides. And yes, I can already hear you yelling out, "but what about the intangibles" that Gorges offers. So you know what? Let's take a look at those intangibles on BOTH sides of the coin. Just as a disclaimer, I'll add right here, that I would've preferred to see Gorges signed for 3 years at $3M per (but not a penny more).

Josh Gorges is not the most skilled or gifted defenseman in the NHL. His offensive contribution is extremely limited, his foot-speed is average and his size, definitely below-average. Despite these apparent shortcomings, Josh is an extremely effective player when utilized properly. Playing the penalty-kill with Hal Gill has definitely helped develop his game.

If you look back at the 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, you'll remember the effective shutdown duo of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. Both of those players, took advantage of that playoff run to ink rich new contracts with new teams. Gill, as you all know, signed with the Habs and Scuderi signed with the LA Kings for $3.4M (where for the most part, he hasn't been as effective as he was playing with Gill). Until we see that kind of full on 2-month performance from Gorges, it's not warranted to pay him in those figures. In my eyes, Josh Gorges is your classic 4-5 defenseman. He's definitely good enough to step up and play quality minutes on the 2nd pairing but is ideally suited to excel on a 3rd pairing. Considering, that Gill might not be around after next year, I'd be interested to see Jacques Martin (from time to time) play Gorges with another D-man on the PK this year in order to properly gauge his shutdown ability.

So, what about Gorges' heart and unrelenting team-first attitude, does it make up for the areas where he's lacking? Yes and No. Clearly, Josh's 'heart & soul' attitude is greatly appreciated by teammates and more importantly, it can be quite infectious (especially during the playoffs). The problem here is that all that extra drive one gets from playing bigger than you are can and will get you into trouble. From what I've noticed, Gorges wears down relatively fast. He might be tough enough to play through pain and minor injuries but those bumps and bruises adversely influence his effectiveness. He loses an extra step and gets outmuscled more easily after around 30-40 games. His "never quit" attitude has made me hold my breath on more than one occasion where an opposing player on a clear breakaway either scores or is initially stopped only to have a furiously back-checking Gorges crash into Carey Price and the net at top-speed risking an injury to Price or Gorges himself with the added insult of sometimes having the puck carom off of him and into the net. That kind of play can be as deflating to a team's morale as a fearless block can be uplifting.

What you cannot accuse Gorges of is not caring. He cares so deeply for this team and works hard everyday to show that. He is a natural leader and some have described him as a "glue-guy" in the locker-room. You definitely need to reward that. But in the salary cap world that the Habs live and operate in, it's even more important for you to reward it fairly and within reason. Considering that Gorges' UFA years would commence as of next year, those were always going to be the most expensive years to buy. None of us know just how much he was asking for but we do know certain things:

We are all aware that Gorges had major reconstructive knee surgery this year and none of us has seen him play since. Considering his all or nothing style of play, I think it's warranted to have a wait and see approach. With all due respect, Josh is not Andrei Markov where his skill-set allows for him to conserve energy and effort wherever he can.
We also know that the current CBA is up for renegotiation at the end of next season and none of us know what it will look like next summer. It can mean a tighter cap system in which we would all be regretting an overpayment or it might include some clauses where the Habs might more easily find dollars to reward Gorges with.
Moreover, we've established that Alexei Yemelin will be given an opportunity to showcase what he can do in the NHL and we have no clue if he'll make it or not but rest-assured that should he impress, he won't be staying for another sub-$1M contract next year. Don't forget, he has a solid international reputation as a strong defensive player with offensive ability and he's not undersized.
Finally,we are all cognizant of the reality that faces the Habs should Carey Price and PK Subban have stellar seasons once again. Serious dollars need to be set aside for those two rising stars. And if this off-season has taught us anything, it's that the best defense against offer-sheets being tendered to your RFAs is to ensure you have enough cap space to easily match.

So although Gorges' value could be debated due to the intangibles he provides, offering him a multi-year contract based on those intangibles would have been irresponsible considering the many unknowns and variables that surround the team. I for one am happy that the Habs did not commit (or over-commit) on a multi-year deal. At the end of the day, Gorges is the ultimate team guy and that means he understands (better than most) if the Montreal Canadiens priority list doesn't have him labelled as priority number one. If he truly loves the city and loves the organization as much as he says he does (and I believe he does), then he'll be happy to prove his worth on the ice this year; let the team take care of its priorities (Price, Subban, etc) and trust them to then offer him a multi-year deal that values his work properly and within reason.

WHAT IS PIERRE GAUTHIER DOING?

2011-07-08T01:59:00.002-04:00

That's the question I have been hearing from Habs fans throughout the day yesterday as the Canadiens starting July 5th announced an array of minor deals. Gauthier started the week with the signings of goaltenders Peter Delmas and Nathan Lawson. He then inked veteran forward Brian Willsie and concluded with the minor-league trade sending Ryan Russell to the Blue Jackets organization in exchange for 6'4" Michael Blunden.

So, who are these no-name players and why is Gauthier wasting his time signing and trading for them? The answer is both simple and complex. As you all know, the Hamilton Bulldogs are the Canadiens' farm team and as such, Gauthier's required to also assemble their roster. That's the simple part. The complex? Well, it's not that complex actually. Hamilton is where Habs management sends their most prized prospects to develop into (hopefully) future NHLers. That's right, the future success or failure of your Montreal Canadiens depends on the kids currently (or about to start) playing with the Bulldogs.

You might argue that some of these guys are not really prospects and most of them have never or will never even make it to the NHL. You know what? You're probably right! That's not really the point though. The idea here is to make sure that your prospects (the ones that do make it) develop in a positive environment. Is it smart to surround young and impressionable players with veteran leadership and guidance? You bet. How about a winning attitude? Shouldn't these young guns be nurtured in a winning milieu that strongly frowns upon losing and avoids it all costs? I would think so.

That is the reason why you have deals like the ones you've seen in the past week from Pierre Gauthier. How do you replace proven goal-scorers like Jason Dawes and Dustin Boyd (who bolted to the KHL)? Well, you start be re-signing Brock Trotter (who was lured back from the KHL) and add a veteran like Brian Willsie. Both are capable of scoring 30 goals in the AHL and with Willsie, he comes from a perennially successful AHL franchise (Hershey Bears). Add to that some decent NHL experience and he might qualify as one of the better AHL signings of the year. Add some size and muscle to the mix along with some promising goaltending and all of a sudden things begin to look a bit auspicious.

At the end of the day, it's about surrounding your best hopes for the future with the best "teachers" available to make them the players that we all wish for them to be when the NHL comes calling their name. You can't just work on the present, you also have to work on the future.

THE KONOPKA NON-DEAL...A HEAD-SCRATCHER

2011-07-05T14:30:00.003-04:00

Today came news that Zenon Konopka had signed with the divisional-rival Ottawa Senators. That is not good news for Habs fans. Seeing that it only took a 1-year deal worth $700K to ink Konopka, I'm really quite befuddled that Habs management didn't up the ante a bit and secure his services. I was really hoping that Konopka was in Gauthier's target list of players to acquire during this off-season. I also thought that someone would overpay him in dollars and term and thus make it a difficult signing to accomplish. Obviously, this didn't happen so from my point of view, today's failure falls squarely on the GM's shoulders.

Other than the obvious toughness and fighting element that Konopka brings which is important and needed, he also brings another essential skill, prowess on face-offs. This particular facet of his skill-set is why I thought Konopka would be a perfect fit for the Habs. Considering that face-offs were a major area of concern for the Habs last year, it boggles the mind to not add depth in that area at such a reasonable cap hit.

Plekanec had a below par season at the face-off dot last year and can be expected to bounce back a little. But beyond that the team really has a glaring weakness when it comes to the all important face-off. Gomez was awful and has never been a face-off guy. Eller struggled so much that Martin tried to force him into becoming a winger (an experiment that didn't work out too well). David Desharnais was commendable and did relatively well but due to his lack of strength against the bigger centres, he struggled when facing off against the opposition top 2 lines. Andreas Engvist, who was called up for a couple of games as a defensive specialist also fared poorly at draws. Finally, Halpern, you're face-off specialist, was not offered a contract extension and recently signed with the Washington Capitals.

I simply don't understand this move and hope that it doesn't come back to haunt the
Canadiens midway through the season when they realize just how essential someone with that quality is. It's that much harder to defend when your opponent gets control of the puck in your zone and it's that much harder to play a puck-possession game when you don't have to puck to start with.
Putting everything into perspective, the most important hole for the Habs was filled with the signing of Erik Cole. The toughness issue is even a debatable one as to how important fighting really is. I think I've outlined why face-offs are important and I'm sure the team will manage. But sometimes, you have to make smart business decisions and I feel like Gauthier dropped the ball. He could've had two birds with one stone that would've cost him 800-850K (or less if he had been proactive on Konopka).

Let's hope that when it comes time for Gauthier to finally acquire that toughness and face-off ability, it doesn't end up costing the Canadiens a lot more than just 800-850K.

ERIK COLE - THE MISSING PIECE?

2011-07-04T15:29:00.003-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens made their splash of the off-season on the first day of free agency, locking up power-forward Erik Cole to a 4-year deal worth $18M (AAV of $4.5M). The move clearly plugs a long-time hole that has plagued the Canadiens for many years. The Habs finally have a legitimate crease-crashing forward who will not hesitate to abuse opposing defenders with every chance he gets.

At first glance, the term seems a bit on the long side and the money a tad high but this has become a necessary evil these days. More and more, the realization has begun to set in that to get who you want in the face of 29 other competing General Managers, you will have to sweeten the pot a bit more than would be ideal. Comparing Cole's contract to what other players signed for as the day progressed made it seem more palatable.

There were many Habs fans hoping that the Canadiens would target and sign Erik Cole. Although Cole would not have been my first target, I am fully cognizant that what he brings to the team is something special and something that was missing.

Erik Cole's signing doesn't deviate from the strategy that Bob Gainey along with Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin decided to implement when they made-over the Canadiens roster just a couple of years ago. That strategy: to build a team comprised of proven winners, with both speed and skill. Erik Cole fits that mold to a T. He's not only a Stanley-Cup winner but also brings considerable foot speed to go along with his skill and bruising size.

Although Max Pacioretty seemed to be coming into his own last year as a young power-forward, it will be an added benefit for him to have Cole as a mentor, especially when he slumps (which is inevitable). As well, is there better motivation for Pacioretty than to see how Cole was able to successfully recover from his own serious neck injury?

This is how I see the top 2 forward lines for next year:

Cammalleri - Plekanec - Cole

Pacioretty - Gomez - Gionta

The lost man in the shuffle...Andrei Kostitsyn.

Although, there have been some rumors that AK46 might be on the trading block, I think it would be a mistake. Signed at $3.25M for next year and capable of scoring 25 goals, I believe that Kostitsyn may actually be in a position to benefit the most from the Cole signing.

The Canadiens would have some decent scoring depth if they could throw out a 3rd line with Kostitsyn and Eller or Desharnais. Andrei would benefit from being paired against weaker defensive pairings and would also gain from seeing how Cole uses his size on a daily basis. It's one thing when you're being told what you have to do versus being able to see it in action from a teammate.

I also believe it would lead to healthy competition and allow for each of the players to push each other if they were given powerplay time according to their performance and efforts.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Cole's two biggest question marks and concerns are his health and how he would play outside of Carolina. Cole has missed some significant time due to injuries throughout his career and especially in the last three years. That being said, it is promising that he did play in all 82 games last year. The other issue is of less concern to me. Erik's one foray away from Carolina was for one year with Edmonton where he only scored 27 points in 63 games. That kind of performance, in Montreal, would be extremely disappointing but with Cole's history of playing well at the Bell Centre, those worries, hopefully, will not materialize.

It will be interesting to see how Erik Cole changes the face of this Habs team. He has the potential to be that piece that allows everything else to snap into place.

PETER BUDAJ - A SLIGHT RISK WITH UPSIDE

2011-07-03T13:57:00.003-04:00

Went off to the country over the Canada Day weekend expecting a nice and usual day from Pierre Gauthier (read: quiet) and low and behold, not one but two signings! Both of the moves are significant enough that they've changed the complexion of the team.

The first signing was that of Peter Budaj and I must say, it surprised me as I didn't expect the Habs to go after someone that was going to cost more than $1M/yr nor did I think that they would go after someone who wasn't already designated as a clear back-up. One could argue that Budaj is just that but I'd rather think of him as that goalie who battled it out with Jose Theodore and won the #1 spot a few years ago.

Yes, Budaj has struggled as a starter in this league but it's worth noting that the teams, with which he had his worst stats, also were terrible. He has also played very well in stints, throughout his career, which shows promise and ability.

From a technical standpoint, Budaj plays the position correctly and efficiently and his raw talent has allowed him to make it to the sharp-shooter filled NHL. He has had issues by leaving his catching glove too low and then corrected it by holding it too high. In my opinion, I believe that his lack of further development has been directly linked to the Avs' failure in hiring a proper goalie coach - a real 'faux-pas' in today's hockey.

What's important to note here is that the Avalanche have never hired a goaltending coach with experience over his years with that organization. Jeff Hackett, whom Habs fans should be familiar with, became their goalie coach after a long bout with vertigo ended his career a bit prematurely. Hackett was unable to fix whatever was ailing Jose Theodore and was subsequently fired from his position 3 years later. Again, the Avs decided to hire an ex-goalie that had just retired in Jocelyn Thibault to take over the role of goalie consultant (as they call it). The goalie consultant would offer advice and help with the development of the younger goalies and only on a part-time basis. That experiment lasted only one year and last year they replaced Thibault with Kirk McLean (ex-Canucks goalie) to fill the role as consultant.

I think what the Habs saw with Alex Auld was that he had plateaued. He's a backup goalie with a big body that was always going to play deep in his net. He was almost always going to let in that one soft goal per game and he was also going to give you a couple of great games, which only makes sense, as he is in fact an NHL quality goalie. A lot of fans have pointed to Auld's record (6-2-2) and said that you can't expect more. Well the way I see that record is 6 wins and 4 losses, so 1 game over .500 against the "weaker" teams of the league. For a team striving to be in the upper echelons of the league, that is simply not good enough.

Although, I would've liked for the Canadiens to spend a little bit less, I'm comfortable with the fact that the Habs have retained Budaj's services for the next two years at a relatively decent cap hit. I also, think the upside of the move is significant. Working with Pierre Groulx, the Canadiens' goaltending coach, will help Peter Budaj take that next step in using his technique to compliment his raw talent.

Pierre Groulx, although never having played the position, has proven his worth as a goaltending coach in helping develop Craig Andersen and keeping Tomas Vokoun sharp in Florida before coming over to Montreal and helping Carey Price rediscover his form. I believe that he'll help Budaj become a very effective backup which should help lessen Price's workload and improve the the team's record without Price to something better than 1 game above .500.

WIN, WIN.....WIN situation with WIZ?

2011-06-30T12:14:00.003-04:00

Chris Botta

Former New York Islander employee, reporter and blogger, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) reported on his twitter account that James Wisniewski would be signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets within 24 hrs.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, I'm not saying this is definitely going to happen. I'm just relaying what I've read and considering the source, I wouldn't be surprised if it did indeed pan out as Mr. Botta is reporting. One has to think logically that during Wiz's time in Long Island he may have built a professional rapport with Chris and therefore may have some inside knowledge as to what James is planning on doing.

If Wisniewski does indeed sign with the Blue Jackets, this has to be seen as a win, win, win situation for the Habs. Not only does the return for Wisniewski become a respectable 5th round pick but you've also managed to ship Wiz off to the Western Conference and keep him away from your bitter rivals, the Boston Bruins, who will be desperately looking for a powerplay quarterback.

Although, I still think the most logical destination for Wisniewski is to go back home to Detroit, I would be more than happy to see Detroit not gain the services of Wisniewski considering their already potent firepower.

ASSESSING THE "D" BEFORE JULY 1st

2011-06-29T23:25:00.003-04:00

So we've learned quite a bit today on how your Montreal Canadiens defense is shaping up before the free agency frenzy that starts on July 1st.

We know that James Wisniewski is not signing in Montreal after being shipped off to Columbus earlier this afternoon for a 7th round pick (to be upgraded to a 5th round pick should the Blue Jackets succeed in signing him). We also know that Roman Hamrlik has refused to accept the 1 year deal that Pierre Gauthier offered him. According to Petr Svoboda, Hamrlik's agent, the dollar amount was decent but the term was not with Hamrlik looking for a 2 to 3 year deal.

Finally, a news release from the Canadiens indicating that Yannick Weber had agreed to a 2 year deal that would pay him $1.7M over the term of the contract. A cap hit of 850K is reasonable and well-deserved for Weber who continues to develop and showed glimpses of really solid play in the postseason last year.

Although there is a still a slight possibility that Hamrlik could potentially re-sign with the Habs, I would consider that possibility remote. Considering the lack of free agents this year, I have little doubt that Roman will get his 2 year deal from another team and I don't blame him for going after it. This is most likely his final NHL contract and he should maximize his earnings before he retires or goes the way of the KHL. He provided the Habs organization with solid and effective play over his 4 years with the club and was handsomely rewarded for his efforts.
Wisniewski is gone. If there was any desire to keep him, the effort has already been put forth to keep him and has failed. With that, I commend Pierre Gauthier for shopping Wiz's negotiating rights and receiving what he could for them. It's likely that most GMs in the league believe that the Detroit Red Wings are the front-runners to acquire Wisniewski's services come July 1st. They have the cap space, they need a capable replacement for Brian Rafalski (who retired this year) and as a bonus, Wiz is a local boy. Other suitors include the Boston Bruins, who are looking to replace the ineffective Tomas Kaberle and secure a legitimate powerplay quarterback. The Blackhawks could also be in play here after successfully unloading Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers.

Considering the competition, I'm not surprised that Blue Jackets only offered a 7th rounder (possible 5th) for Wisniewski's rights. They know quite well that they are a serious underdog in being able to sign him but I think this move represents something more important. On the heels of the trade that brought Jeff Carter to Columbus, it seems clear that the Blue Jackets are going to do all they can to prove their legitimacy as a playoff contender. I believe they are ready to offer Wiz a very rich contract in order to make a serious push towards the playoffs and to appease their newly acquired center from Philadelphia.

Getting back to the Canadiens, this is how the defense stacks up in my opinion:
Markov - Gorges
Subban - Gill
Spacek/Yemelin/Weber
Your rover between Hamilton and Montreal as a depth guy would be Diaz.

Alexei Yemelin

The most glaring issue is a lack of size and toughness. Yemelin comes touted as a tough customer who plays with a mean edge. But Yemelin alone is not enough and putting all your toughness in the hands of a rookie who may not cut it in the NHL is extremely risky. The Habs are missing a depth D man with size and grit. Mara could be re-signed for cheap and Sopel is another option with whom the Canadiens enjoy exclusive negotiating rights until noon Friday. For those that are negative on Sopel, don't forget that he played injured from almost the first week that he arrived right through till the end.

Of course, free agency will offer even more options. Should be interesting to see how it all shapes up but as outlined, toughness and crease-clearing will be an issue yet again for your Montreal Canadiens.

***Update 30JUN11 @ 12:31pm - The Oilers have decided to put Sheldon Souray on waivers in anticipation of buying him out. I would believe that he could also fill the role for the Habs as that veteran defenseman with crease-clearing capabilities who can add to your depth and should be available for cheap (i.e. less than $2M for 1 year).***

THE CASE FOR ROMAN HAMRLIK

2011-06-29T01:39:00.010-04:00

Let me preface this article by saying that my first option if I were Pierre Gauthier would be to re-sign James Wisniewski. I would be more than willing to give him a 5 year deal paying $5 to $5.5M per year with one stipulation, I wouldn't offer him a no-trade clause. And if it was absolutely necessary, then I would offer a limited no-trade, one where he can specify a maximum of up to 5 or 6 teams where he would not to be traded to.

I truly believe that having Wiz in your bottom pairing would sufficiently shield him from any minor defensive woes that he may have; yet it would allow for the Habs to have his offensive capabilities available to them on the power-play and whenever they would be trailing in a game. Wiz would also be the ideal insurance policy on Andrei Markov being healthy. If Markov were to re-injure his knee, you could then start to think about LTIR for Markov and an eventual trade or buyout of his contract. Point is, you would have Wisniewski, a capable substitute, under contract and ready to go. Should Markov show that he has in fact recovered and become his dominant self once again, you could then use Wiz as trade bait at the trade deadline to get that missing piece (whatever it may be at the time). At worst, you should be able to trade Wiz during the off-season next year and open up enough cap space for the re-signing on Price, Subban and a top 6 forward.

What we don't know is whether or not Gauthier has already attempted all of the above or more only to be rebuffed by Wiz having decided that he would like to test free agency come July 1st. What we do know is that Gauthier has offered Roman Hamrlik a 1-year deal to re-sign with the Montreal Canadiens and it has been suggested that Roman will make his decision today. Although Hamrlik would not be my first choice, I have come to conclude that signing Roman Hamrlik would not be such a terrible backup plan.
The former first overall pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft has had a solid playing career and a true testament to his overall quality is the fact that he has been successful at transforming himself from a solid offensive defenceman into an effective defensive one. No one is going to sit here and tell you that Hamrlik is the same key defenceman that he was 4 years ago. He has clearly lost a step (maybe two) and as such has been prone to more mistakes than what we've been accustomed to.

However, as with his earlier transformation, I've noticed that Hamrlik was in the difficult process of making one more transition as last year progressed. He began to understand that with his deteriorating foot speed he had to adjust once more. How did he do it? He began to play less aggressively and adjusted his positioning to better defend against the younger and speedier forwards. He took a little bit of Hal Gill's strategy in defending and incorporated into a mix with his own.

Considering his size at 6'2" and weight at 223lbs, he's definitely a decently sized guy who'll be missed on a team like the Canadiens, especially if you were to replace him with a James Wisniewski (5'10" 205lbs.) or a Yannick Weber (5'10" 193lbs).

My biggest issue here is Spacek. The fact that the Habs are committed to Spacek with no way to remove his cap hit from the Canadiens payroll other than through a trade makes it very hard to accept another aging defenceman. This is why, if Hamrlik were to accept Gauthier's one year deal today, it would be imperative that Gauthier do everything in his power to trade Jaroslav Spacek for whatever he can get. The unfortunate part is that Spacek may have to be packaged with a prospect in order to make the trade more palpable for the other side and that would not be good asset management. Only Pierre Gauthier knows what the market is like for Jaroslav Spacek as he was offering Hamrlik his one year deal.

The X-factor in all this in which Hamrlik becomes a real positive is in terms of player development. The way I see the defensive pairings (should Hamrlik re-sign) would be as follows:

Markov - Gorges
Gill - Subban
Hamrlik - Yemelin
Spacek/Weber

Although it's entirely conceivable that Markov might be eased back into his role as top D, I think it would be self-defeating if he wasn't logging top minutes again with little delay. The same mentality can be applied to Alexei Yemelin (in reverse). It would be only fair to ease the rookie into the NHL, with its smaller rink surface, facing the opposition's 3rd and 4th lines on the last defensive pairing. In such a case, Roman Hamrlik might be your ideal defensive partner for Yemelin. Not only is he capable of understanding and speaking some Russian (due to his Czech upbringing) but Roman has proven to be very adept at helping young defensive prospects come into their own in this league. He did it before with Dion Phaneuf (in Calgary and again -at times- with PK Subban here in Montreal).

Again, when you look at the pairings, Spacek's presence poses a problem where he pushes Weber back to Hamilton. I would think that Weber believes he has earned himself the role as the Canadiens' 7th defenceman.

So, the puck is in your zone Roman. We await the decision.

WHY THE HABS SHOULD PASS ON BROOKS LAICH

2011-06-28T00:46:00.006-04:00

In the weeks leading up to free agency, there has been a lot of chatter about how Brooks Laich would be an ideal signing for the Habs on July 1st and why not?

Currently under contract with the Washington Capitals, Laich is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st should the Caps fail to re-sign him before then. Listed at 6'2" and weighing in at an even 200 lbs., Laich represents that missing component of size and grit, in a forward, that that Habs have been missing for several years. Of course, it's not just his size that matters but also his knack for getting into the dirty areas and his willingness to deliver a crushing hit to an opponents' D. If only Benoit Pouliot had some of the heart and edge that Laich possesses.

So, a forward with size and isn't afraid to use it and can put up some decent numbers offensively. Sounds like a match made in heaven? Not if you're asking me.

Brooks Laich is one of the most coveted forwards in this year's UFA class that is very thin. After Brad Richards and Teemu Selanne (who will only re-sign in Anaheim if he does return to play), there is a gap in points produced, to the next group of players, of which Laich belongs. If we then remove all the players who are moving past their prime and those who do not fit the power-forward profile, we're left with the oft-injured Erik Cole.

All of this just means that for what he gives you, Laich will be overpaid and not just in dollars but also on term. His agent will be looking for a minimum of a $4M per year deal that extends for 4 years. And the latter part is what I'd like most Habs fans clamoring for the organization to sign Laich to pay close attention to. If the Montreal Canadiens, were truly 1 power forward away from contending for the Stanley Cup, then it would be conceivable for them to over-commit to a player in that magnitude. However, they are not. And Laich is not a player to overspend on when you're current payroll already has 2 over-inflated contracts in Gomez and Spacek.
Worth it you say? Well, let's take a look at Laich's stats over the last few years. Over the last 3 years, Laich scored: 16, 25 and 23 goals while putting up 32, 34, and 30 assists respectively.

He's shown that he's a durable and relatively consistent performer. I would consider his offensive upside limited however especially considering that he was on a relatively offensive Caps team (excluding last year). His numbers also make me think of another player that the Habs currently have under contract - Andrei Kostitsyn. By comparison, his stats over the last 3 years show 20, 15 and 23 goals. He missed 24 games in 09/10 when he put up 15 goals.

I'm sure that fans would be calling for Gauthier's head (not that some aren't already doing so) if Habs management had signed Andrei Kostitsyn to a 4-year / $4M contract. In fact, many have made their displeasure known and this is a kid with more offensive upside than Laich. Although, I can see the added-value of Laich's grit, you cannot discount that Kostitsyn has tried to be a more aggressive player although hasn't done so on quite a consistent basis. The difference however, is talent. AK46's talent allows for the end-production to be awfully similar to that of Laich's.

So how will you feel when Laich goes through similar stretches of non-productiveness knowing that he is being paid $4M and that you're stuck with him for 4 years? Is Laich a big body that can help the Canadiens? Most definitely but he is not the ideal fit and due to the reasons outlined above I think the Habs would be better off passing on Brooks Laich and keeping the cap space for a better fit (via trade or via free agency next year). Let Max Pacioretty take a run at becoming the team's premier power-forward and let Kostitsyn (hopefully) have a chance to remain with the same line-mates and continue with his evolution into a hitting forward.

Hopefully, management has the foresight to envision the need to have cap space available for when that ideal fit comes into play.

What scares me, is that many of those fans that are screaming and yelling for the Habs to sign Laich will also be the same ones criticizing management for having offered Laich such a rich and long contract after a year or maybe two.

***Update: So the very next morning after I publish my first blog, the Washington Capitals make my whole posting moot by going ahead and re-signing Brooks Laich to a 6-year deal worth $4.5M annually! Be happy Habs fans that you're not stuck paying that much for that long to a 20-goal scorer, when you already have one that you pay only $3.25.***