I’m not saying I rather have streit, but I want to have kostitsyn or streit back. If we lose both that would suck. If we lose streit and get sundin I’ll be happy. Sundin will suck here in the begining in the first place. I would put him on the 3rd line until the midway part of the season. I think captain Koivu should be on the 1st line. Plekanec is going to be better this year, but put him on the 2nd line to give us a more balanced attack! Koivu is going to be awaesome this season, because he knows he didn’t have the greatest season last year.
and don’t think I’m excited about this sundin thing, It’sjust that I don’t want to lose these young guys and if the trade involves Higgins I would just wait until free Agency and give up on Streit. Sundin will just take a while to settle in but half way through the season he’s going to be on fire!I’m excited to see what happens. Bob Gainey is on a mission!!!!1
We are not going to lost Kostitsyn. However, we will have to ante up to get him. He will end up getting between $4.0-$4.5M — anything less than that would be a steal. As for losing young guys to get Sundin, let’s wait and see what the price is, shall we? Sending a guy like Grabovski to TO is not a bad deal for the Canadiens. There is no way Gainey is sending Higgins to TO for 10 days of Negotiating Rights with a player who is going to be a free agent on July 1st. Gainey is an intelligent and methodical GM, he has not made one stupid move yet. About the only thing he didn’t do that I disagree with, is not trading Streit at the trade deadline, when he could have probably gotten a 1st Round draft choice for him. Now, Streit is going to walk, and the Habs will get nothing.
I think Kostitsyn will take a better cut than that 4.5 Mill would be too much 2.5 or something would be fine. and I wouldn’t be surprised if Streit signs with us again, because I don’t think Sundin is coming here. I would like it, but I just can’t see it. Bob Gainey is smart and I think he’s going to re sign the good players. and look out for next year’s off season. Kovalev,Tanguay,koivu are all untrestricted free agents!!!
If you think Kostitsyn is going to sign for $2.5M you are dreaming. It’s wishful thinking, and just not going to happen. For sure Sundin is coming here, Gainey is not going to Sweden for nothing. I didn’t know both Kovalev and Koivu were coming up next season too. It will be hard to keep all of those players, but not impossible. A Stanley Cup parade down St. Catherine’s street would surely help.
Well I see everybody is excited including myself. This is a greaat time of year especially when we are involved in the process. Let’s take a look at what we have.
Tanguay should improve our first line, it lacked the offensive punch that our second line had.
Sundin, I am incline to agree that we have a better than 50-50 chance of getting him. As far as the trade thing there was no trade, it was acquiring the rights to talk to him. If we do not sign him the leafs get vertually nothing, if we sign him I expect that we give up a non-roster player in Hamilton maybe.
I can not understand why everyone is so down on Streit, firstly what does he bring to the table. He has a good shot for the PP point shot. He can play both defence or forward which makes him valuable. Everyone complains about how he played in the playoffs, but lets remember, he had the same injury that Komy had and was only out a week, whereas Komy was out almost a month and never did recover to is old self when it did come back. I cannot help but think that if Komy were fully healthy the series with Philly would have been a little closer. Streit was rated very highly by the coaching staff as well as Gainey so he does bring something to the table that few can. I for one would sign him at a reasonable $ value.
One thing we have not improved on yet is our defence and sorry I disagree that we have a strong enough defence to beat a team like Detroit. We still need a good top four defenseman. To complete with Detroit. At times Detroit made Pittsburg out like a Junior B team. We have a ways to go to be as good as them. I am not saying we cannot get there but we still need a power foward and one strong defenseman.
Sundin brings some size to us up front but Sundin is not a hitter or someone who likes to stand in front of the net. He is a perimeter player. Like Kovalev, and Koivu. All three are perimeter players, so we still have not addressed out need for a go to the net player, that is what we needed to beat Philly last year and it is not going to be any different this year.
Gainey should sign Streit and then trade him. Same thing for Ryder. It’s not a good idea letting these guys go for nothing. Somebody will take them, even if it’s only for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. Florida needs defencemen, and so do the Coyotes now. Maybe also trade Dandenault for either a 2nd Round draft choice or a switch in 1st Rounders, and give the minutes to O’Byrne, who is bigger and tougher, and ready to play in the NHL.
Reached at his home in Lac Beauport shortly after the trade was announced, Tanguay couldn’t contain his excitement about donning the Canadiens’ sweater.
“I couldn’t be happier about coming to Montreal,” admitted Tanguay, who helped lead the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 2001. “With my no-trade clause I could have said no, but I really want to play for the Canadiens. I know how strong a team we have and that I won’t have to be Mario Lemieux or even Guy Lafleur. I hope to contribute to getting this team to the next level.”
Sundin doesn’t owe Leafs anything
Bruce Arthur, National Post
Published: Monday, June 23, 2008
TORONTO — Let him go. Let Mats Sundin walk towards the sunrise, whether to Montreal or New York or Sweden.
Let him wear the bleu, blanc et rouge, or the blue, white and red, or whatever he happens to have in the closet that day. Maybe it will be purple pants and a lime-green turtleneck, and maybe he’ll look like an idiot. But it won’t matter, Toronto Maple Leafs fans, because he won’t be yours anymore….
The guys who stand in front of the net looking for deflections don’t last very long. They take a beating, are often injured, and most of them are journeymen hockey players. You don’t want a thoroughbred like Sundin taking abuse in front of the net. Mats is extremely strong, and very difficult to knock off the puck. With his strength, talent, and reach, he can score goals and make plays from up close.
Would be surprised if they sign Sundin, and don’t go a little further before the beginning of the season. They are getting top-heavy on left wing. Think Higgins, Ryder, and possibly one other player will be gone prior to the season with some effort made to solidify the D even more. A little more physical support on the back end will be really important. Maybe an experienced back up?
We have to get Kostitsyn back though! I rather give up Sundin than him any day!!! If we want size go after Sundin but if he wants too much just go after some 3rd line centre. Federov would love to play for Montreal! I would love Sundin, but I’m not prepared to lose all those young guys in the off season!
now the rangers are involved with Sundin…I say whatever if he comes great and if he doesn`t we can find someone else.
Federov.. really I heard Kovalev and Federov don`t get along??did anyone else heard that.
Stuo11, stop worrrying about Kostitsyn. Montreal is going to sign him, the only question will be for how much. I hope I’m wrong, but I still think around 4.0 M to get him back. He was quoted as saying he paid his dues in Hamilton and now the Canadiens have to be patient with him, because he’s going to take his time. That doesn’t sound like a guy that’s going to sign for less than market value. As for Sundin, I read on TSN where Bob McKenzie thinks Sundin is going to test the UFA waters after July 1 — if that’s the case, Sundin coming to Montreal is 50-50 at best. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=241537&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_main
If we don’t get Sundin, let’s re-sign Streit and bring in Fedorov who, as you said, would look good on the 3rd line, with maybe some power play duty. How about Jagr in Montreal?
Spike, I agree with you about another D-man. I would trade Higgins and Ryder any day to get a physical 4th defenceman. I also think O’Byrne could fill that role.
Senet 1….posts 60 and 61 made more sense than all the other posts combined…. Streit is the real deal and is still underrated, Gainey should NOT trade him. We still need to beef up our defense, another Komisarek/O’Byrne kind of guy would round it out very nicely with talent (Markov, Streit) and size (Komi, O’Byrne, +1)….and yes we still need a power forward who can play in front of the net. Radical Dude’s comment about those type of players not lasting long is completely unrelated. Who cares how long the guy lasts? We’re looking for a Cup not to further a guy’s career, and if he chooses to be that type of player, and has an opportunity to win the Cup so what? You’re telling me you would turn down a Tomas Holmstrom because you don’t think he will last long in the league? That’s ridiculous. He was key in the Redwing’s Cup run and to say otherwise is absolutely ludicrous.
I think it would be really easy for the habs to get someone like campbell. Campbell likes the east and he probably see’s what the habs are doing right now. Wade Redden would be nice also. But I don’t think Sundin is coming. If we sign Streit back, forget about all the D **** lol. O’Byrne is gonig to be really good next season, something like what Komi was this past year. I think that if we bring those valuable players back and just bring in a huge forward like Laraque or something we’ll do fine. with Tanguay I already think no one can take us in the east, but I’m worried about the west.
Radical Dude: Sorry I disagree, you cannot be a one dimension team because you can pass all day but if you do not get the shots through or screen the goalie then you are not going to win. Philly shut down our offense because we were not willing to go to the net, we made their goalie look good. Sure he stopped a lot of shots but most NHL goalie will stop 99% of the shots if they can see them. There is more than just standing in front of the net or deflecting the puck. It is a combination of screening, deflecting, fighting for position, creating space for the smaller players. This allows you to have a multi-dimensional offensive which is hard to defend against.
Streit is UFA. He can’t be traded! What real deal is he? at turning over the puck? and not being able to defend? Please watch reruns from the playoffs. he was awful! good riddans to him!
hab faithful: Well first of all I thing you are over stating his his erros and secondly, he played really well until he got injuried. Then we expect him to play as well as he did before his injury. Gainey himself said that he brought a lot to the table and when you have a player that can play both up front and back on the D give your coach a lot more options when setting the lineup. I for one thinks he is worth keeping.
Senet, I think what you want for Les Habitants is toughness. Sundin is plenty tough, and if you can’t see that, you’re blinder than my grandmother. He’s not a “hitter” but toughness cannot be measured just in the number of hits you dish out. Sundin cannot be knocked off the puck easily — to me, that is TOUGH, the kind of TOUGH that can win you a Stanley Cup. I agree that the Habs need more guys that will take the body, but expecting that from Sundin is barking up the wrong tree. Give O’Byrne more minutes on the ice, and watch him throw some big hits. Same thing for Latendresse, he can hurt people if given the green light by the Coach. Both of these guys need more ice time, in order to deliver the punishing hits that we both agree the Canadiens need to dish out.
Radical Dude: First of all there is no need to get personal. Secondly, I never said that Sundin was not tough I said he is a perimeter player and although I would like to see him on our team what I said was that we still have not addressed the issue of a power forward that will go to the net. We put 40+ shots on net almost every game against Philly. You cannot have a team that can only play the perimeter, that is what I said, that is what cost us a chance to play Pittsburg and that is what is going to stop us from winning the cup. We need to address that need because we cannot go into the playoff again next year without someone who is willing to screen the goalie and do all the little things that make an offense work. Yes we have a lot of goal scores and if Sundin signs with us we will have two more than we had last year. But philly showed us how to shut down the best offense in the league by playing the defense can we were willing to stay out on the perimeter and not cash the net. It is basic hockey and it is not rocket science.
Alias, you need to get your head out of your drawers, open your eyes, and stop putting words in my mouth. Did I say I didn’t like Tomas Holmstrom? Did I say I wouldn’t take a Holmstrom if he was available? Those kinds of players don’t grow on trees. Maybe Pacioretty can develop into a good power forward in a couple of years. But right now, there is nobody like that on the Habs, except maybe Latendresse, who has the size and the potential, but not the full confidence of the coach. When we had John LeClair, one of the great power forwards to play the game, we traded him for a song and a dance one year after winning the Stanley Cup where he was one of the leading scorers in the playoffs. Bad trades like that can destroy a team, and that’s exactly what happened.
I am sure Gainey and Carbo will not want there new acquistion IF HE SIGNS to stand in front of the net and screen goalies. Sundin was successful not only because of his talent but also for the last two years he had Tucker and then Antropov going to the net. Sundin was great on the rebounds and picking holes on screened goalies.
Senet, I’m not getting personal. We are in agreement that the Habs need some more physical forwards. What I disagree with you about is calling Sundin a “permimeter” player. He’s not a perimeter player, he is a lot tougher than you give him credit for, and a lot stronger on the puck. He will go to the net to score a goal, but he’s not going to live there — nor should he. He’s got more game than that. Anyway, I don’t want to belabour the point, ok? Let’s get him signed first, and then we can argue about how good or bad he is.
Radical Dude: Exactly right, your should never put words in someone elses mouth. But is seems that you did exactly that to me in regard to saying I said Sundin was not tough. You see this is why you should not get personal. We are all hockey fans who happen to cheer for the same team and we all are entitled to our own opinions. Seems to me that needs to be the first lesson about this blog.
Radical Dude: I agree with you that Sundin is as tough as they come and yes he will go to the net for the rebounds. But his skill level is the same as Kovelev, they live on the outside and take their best shot. Sundin ran the leafs offense and PP from the outside never from the slot or in front of the net. With a power foward on his line he would be terrific.
Latendresse: He has great potential, but he never should have made the team two years ago, he should have been sent back to Juniors, then this year he should have played in Hamilton. Then he would be ready for the big show this year. Unfortunately, If I were coaching I would send him down to Hamilton for a couple of months, give him instructions that if he wants to make the big team we want to see more phyiscal play out of him and good defensive play. If he gets the message then when he is brought back to Montreal he may be the power forward that we need?
Lets all just sit and wait to see what happens. The gods must be lining things up for the centennial. Last year was a practice run! I am all a twitter!!
I can’t recall who wrote the question but the answer is Yes it would be great to Mats raise the cup in the bleu blanc et rouge!!! I have so mant leaf fan friends it would be way too sweet!
I say we just get Georges Laraque and re-Sign the guys we have already. When the trade deadline rolls around trade some of our players like Streit etc. and get some one huge. Our team right now will already be first place in the east. I hope Pittsburgh keeps loosing people. and what about brining in Darcy Tucker? He’s a huge grinder but he can also put the puck in the net. and he used to be a hab.
but remember what Bob Gainey said, he wants to get someone who will get our players ready for the playoffs. Mats Sundin is perfect. But if we just keep everything the way it is right now we should be fine. Our guys didn’t get in front of the net because they were too young to know what it was all about. The habs know now. I think Wade Redden would be awesome Brian campbell is offensive and we don’t need that! Redden fights and scores! I really hate redden though, but if he comes here I think I can change how I feel.lol
YES!!!!!!!1 Andrei Kostitsyn and all the other RFA’S are locked up!!! now all we have to do is resign Streit or sign Sundin/rolston/federov/gratton/larague/avery/hossa/campbell/redden/Brunette/ rusinski etc.
You can forget any of those guys. None of them have the size and the physical play that we need. As we’ve been saying here the past few days, the Canadiens need more physical forwards. I think Gainey should go after George Laraque, who is probably the toughest guy in the NHL. Then, if we are also able to sign Sundin, next year we will have added 3 huge guys in Sundin, Laraque, and O’Byrne. If we can get both Sundin and Laraque, with the addition of Tanguay, I would put money on the Habs winning the Cup next year.
Radical Dude:
“The guys who stand in front of the net looking for deflections don’t last very long. They take a beating, are often injured, and most of them are journeymen hockey players.”
That statement implies you do not want a “stand in front the net” guy because they don’t last very long. Where exactly did I put words in your mouth? I never said you don’t like Holmstrom, I used him as an example of a guy who stands in front of the net, takes the abuse, and produces, who is not a “journeyman hockey player” That is the kind of guy I think the Habs need and your post led me to believe that you thought otherwise. Laraque also would be a great addition.
Hab Faithful:
Senet 1 responded nicely to the Streit comment….he was hurt in the playoffs and a guy who can play both sides of the puck, and on the PP, is extremely valuable. Look at Byfuglien in Chicago, he did well in that exact same role this year. 62 points with 34 PP points is as close to “the real deal” for that type of player as you’re going to get. League’s leading scorer among defensemen, Lidstrom had only 8 points more on the top team in the league. How much better do you want Streit to be?
P.S. On a side note, I had a chance to see O’Byrne put a Marlie through the glass when he was in Hamilton from 9 rows up….absolutely bone crushing hit. Komi and O’Byrne will definitely make a nice 1-2 “punch” (pun intended) on the blue line
HabsLoseAgain : He is a ufa if I am not mistaken. Seems to be having a good playoff so far.
HabsLoseAgain : Wonder if marc bergevin with his old Chicago ties might be able to bring bickell on board. He would be just what the habs are looking for imo
HabsLoseAgain : Not sure if this has been discussed already but what does everyone think of roland melanson coming out and say how prices game has fallen apart since he was let go by the habs. Does not really say much when he is the goalie coach for the canucks in my opinion
Senet1 : Signing Drewiske may tell us that there are plans to remove Diaz, Weber and maybe even Markov. Drewiske did not have enough time to learn our defensive system and I am thinking that he was signed because they feel he can be a good defenceman for us with time to learn the system. It also tells me that probably only one of the young D-men will make our team that being Tinordi. Beaulieau will probably play (start) in Hamilton.
Mats Naslund : Habs sign Davis Drewiske to a 2 year extension. He basically makes league minimum. I like the signing. Nothing exciting - but you want him to hold the last spot until a young guy forces his way onto the roster.
Mats Naslund : Hey everyone, HB has deleted the previous messages in order to get rid of spam. I'll post to get things back up and running.. PK Subban - Norris winner. Thoughts?
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June 23, 2008 at 9:29 am
I’m not saying I rather have streit, but I want to have kostitsyn or streit back. If we lose both that would suck. If we lose streit and get sundin I’ll be happy. Sundin will suck here in the begining in the first place. I would put him on the 3rd line until the midway part of the season. I think captain Koivu should be on the 1st line. Plekanec is going to be better this year, but put him on the 2nd line to give us a more balanced attack! Koivu is going to be awaesome this season, because he knows he didn’t have the greatest season last year.
June 23, 2008 at 9:35 am
and don’t think I’m excited about this sundin thing, It’sjust that I don’t want to lose these young guys and if the trade involves Higgins I would just wait until free Agency and give up on Streit. Sundin will just take a while to settle in but half way through the season he’s going to be on fire!I’m excited to see what happens. Bob Gainey is on a mission!!!!1
June 23, 2008 at 3:17 pm
We are not going to lost Kostitsyn. However, we will have to ante up to get him. He will end up getting between $4.0-$4.5M — anything less than that would be a steal. As for losing young guys to get Sundin, let’s wait and see what the price is, shall we? Sending a guy like Grabovski to TO is not a bad deal for the Canadiens. There is no way Gainey is sending Higgins to TO for 10 days of Negotiating Rights with a player who is going to be a free agent on July 1st. Gainey is an intelligent and methodical GM, he has not made one stupid move yet. About the only thing he didn’t do that I disagree with, is not trading Streit at the trade deadline, when he could have probably gotten a 1st Round draft choice for him. Now, Streit is going to walk, and the Habs will get nothing.
June 23, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I think Kostitsyn will take a better cut than that 4.5 Mill would be too much 2.5 or something would be fine. and I wouldn’t be surprised if Streit signs with us again, because I don’t think Sundin is coming here. I would like it, but I just can’t see it. Bob Gainey is smart and I think he’s going to re sign the good players. and look out for next year’s off season. Kovalev,Tanguay,koivu are all untrestricted free agents!!!
June 23, 2008 at 4:09 pm
If you think Kostitsyn is going to sign for $2.5M you are dreaming. It’s wishful thinking, and just not going to happen. For sure Sundin is coming here, Gainey is not going to Sweden for nothing. I didn’t know both Kovalev and Koivu were coming up next season too. It will be hard to keep all of those players, but not impossible. A Stanley Cup parade down St. Catherine’s street would surely help.
June 23, 2008 at 4:19 pm
lol yeah lets hope they win it all next year!
June 23, 2008 at 4:27 pm
imagine seeing koivu,kovalev and sundin picking up the cup!
June 23, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Kostitsyn will sign for around 3 million. 3.5 max.
June 23, 2008 at 6:28 pm
thank u! lol
June 23, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Well I see everybody is excited including myself. This is a greaat time of year especially when we are involved in the process. Let’s take a look at what we have.
Tanguay should improve our first line, it lacked the offensive punch that our second line had.
Sundin, I am incline to agree that we have a better than 50-50 chance of getting him. As far as the trade thing there was no trade, it was acquiring the rights to talk to him. If we do not sign him the leafs get vertually nothing, if we sign him I expect that we give up a non-roster player in Hamilton maybe.
I can not understand why everyone is so down on Streit, firstly what does he bring to the table. He has a good shot for the PP point shot. He can play both defence or forward which makes him valuable. Everyone complains about how he played in the playoffs, but lets remember, he had the same injury that Komy had and was only out a week, whereas Komy was out almost a month and never did recover to is old self when it did come back. I cannot help but think that if Komy were fully healthy the series with Philly would have been a little closer. Streit was rated very highly by the coaching staff as well as Gainey so he does bring something to the table that few can. I for one would sign him at a reasonable $ value.
One thing we have not improved on yet is our defence and sorry I disagree that we have a strong enough defence to beat a team like Detroit. We still need a good top four defenseman. To complete with Detroit. At times Detroit made Pittsburg out like a Junior B team. We have a ways to go to be as good as them. I am not saying we cannot get there but we still need a power foward and one strong defenseman.
June 23, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Sundin brings some size to us up front but Sundin is not a hitter or someone who likes to stand in front of the net. He is a perimeter player. Like Kovalev, and Koivu. All three are perimeter players, so we still have not addressed out need for a go to the net player, that is what we needed to beat Philly last year and it is not going to be any different this year.
June 23, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Gainey should sign Streit and then trade him. Same thing for Ryder. It’s not a good idea letting these guys go for nothing. Somebody will take them, even if it’s only for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. Florida needs defencemen, and so do the Coyotes now. Maybe also trade Dandenault for either a 2nd Round draft choice or a switch in 1st Rounders, and give the minutes to O’Byrne, who is bigger and tougher, and ready to play in the NHL.
June 23, 2008 at 9:09 pm
On Tanguay:
Reached at his home in Lac Beauport shortly after the trade was announced, Tanguay couldn’t contain his excitement about donning the Canadiens’ sweater.
“I couldn’t be happier about coming to Montreal,” admitted Tanguay, who helped lead the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 2001. “With my no-trade clause I could have said no, but I really want to play for the Canadiens. I know how strong a team we have and that I won’t have to be Mario Lemieux or even Guy Lafleur. I hope to contribute to getting this team to the next level.”
June 23, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Sundin doesn’t owe Leafs anything
Bruce Arthur, National Post
Published: Monday, June 23, 2008
TORONTO — Let him go. Let Mats Sundin walk towards the sunrise, whether to Montreal or New York or Sweden.
Let him wear the bleu, blanc et rouge, or the blue, white and red, or whatever he happens to have in the closet that day. Maybe it will be purple pants and a lime-green turtleneck, and maybe he’ll look like an idiot. But it won’t matter, Toronto Maple Leafs fans, because he won’t be yours anymore….
http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=608605
June 23, 2008 at 10:23 pm
The guys who stand in front of the net looking for deflections don’t last very long. They take a beating, are often injured, and most of them are journeymen hockey players. You don’t want a thoroughbred like Sundin taking abuse in front of the net. Mats is extremely strong, and very difficult to knock off the puck. With his strength, talent, and reach, he can score goals and make plays from up close.
June 23, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I say we go after Brad Suart if we let Streit walk
June 24, 2008 at 8:40 am
Would be surprised if they sign Sundin, and don’t go a little further before the beginning of the season. They are getting top-heavy on left wing. Think Higgins, Ryder, and possibly one other player will be gone prior to the season with some effort made to solidify the D even more. A little more physical support on the back end will be really important. Maybe an experienced back up?
June 24, 2008 at 12:07 pm
We have to get Kostitsyn back though! I rather give up Sundin than him any day!!! If we want size go after Sundin but if he wants too much just go after some 3rd line centre. Federov would love to play for Montreal! I would love Sundin, but I’m not prepared to lose all those young guys in the off season!
June 24, 2008 at 4:53 pm
now the rangers are involved with Sundin…I say whatever if he comes great and if he doesn`t we can find someone else.
Federov.. really I heard Kovalev and Federov don`t get along??did anyone else heard that.
June 24, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Stuo11, stop worrrying about Kostitsyn. Montreal is going to sign him, the only question will be for how much. I hope I’m wrong, but I still think around 4.0 M to get him back. He was quoted as saying he paid his dues in Hamilton and now the Canadiens have to be patient with him, because he’s going to take his time. That doesn’t sound like a guy that’s going to sign for less than market value. As for Sundin, I read on TSN where Bob McKenzie thinks Sundin is going to test the UFA waters after July 1 — if that’s the case, Sundin coming to Montreal is 50-50 at best.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=241537&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_main
If we don’t get Sundin, let’s re-sign Streit and bring in Fedorov who, as you said, would look good on the 3rd line, with maybe some power play duty. How about Jagr in Montreal?
Spike, I agree with you about another D-man. I would trade Higgins and Ryder any day to get a physical 4th defenceman. I also think O’Byrne could fill that role.
June 24, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Senet 1….posts 60 and 61 made more sense than all the other posts combined…. Streit is the real deal and is still underrated, Gainey should NOT trade him. We still need to beef up our defense, another Komisarek/O’Byrne kind of guy would round it out very nicely with talent (Markov, Streit) and size (Komi, O’Byrne, +1)….and yes we still need a power forward who can play in front of the net. Radical Dude’s comment about those type of players not lasting long is completely unrelated. Who cares how long the guy lasts? We’re looking for a Cup not to further a guy’s career, and if he chooses to be that type of player, and has an opportunity to win the Cup so what? You’re telling me you would turn down a Tomas Holmstrom because you don’t think he will last long in the league? That’s ridiculous. He was key in the Redwing’s Cup run and to say otherwise is absolutely ludicrous.
June 24, 2008 at 7:07 pm
I think it would be really easy for the habs to get someone like campbell. Campbell likes the east and he probably see’s what the habs are doing right now. Wade Redden would be nice also. But I don’t think Sundin is coming. If we sign Streit back, forget about all the D **** lol. O’Byrne is gonig to be really good next season, something like what Komi was this past year. I think that if we bring those valuable players back and just bring in a huge forward like Laraque or something we’ll do fine. with Tanguay I already think no one can take us in the east, but I’m worried about the west.
June 24, 2008 at 8:47 pm
campbell is overated to me
June 24, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Radical Dude: Sorry I disagree, you cannot be a one dimension team because you can pass all day but if you do not get the shots through or screen the goalie then you are not going to win. Philly shut down our offense because we were not willing to go to the net, we made their goalie look good. Sure he stopped a lot of shots but most NHL goalie will stop 99% of the shots if they can see them. There is more than just standing in front of the net or deflecting the puck. It is a combination of screening, deflecting, fighting for position, creating space for the smaller players. This allows you to have a multi-dimensional offensive which is hard to defend against.
June 24, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Streit is UFA. He can’t be traded! What real deal is he? at turning over the puck? and not being able to defend? Please watch reruns from the playoffs. he was awful! good riddans to him!
June 24, 2008 at 9:37 pm
hab faithful: Well first of all I thing you are over stating his his erros and secondly, he played really well until he got injuried. Then we expect him to play as well as he did before his injury. Gainey himself said that he brought a lot to the table and when you have a player that can play both up front and back on the D give your coach a lot more options when setting the lineup. I for one thinks he is worth keeping.
June 24, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Senet, I think what you want for Les Habitants is toughness. Sundin is plenty tough, and if you can’t see that, you’re blinder than my grandmother. He’s not a “hitter” but toughness cannot be measured just in the number of hits you dish out. Sundin cannot be knocked off the puck easily — to me, that is TOUGH, the kind of TOUGH that can win you a Stanley Cup. I agree that the Habs need more guys that will take the body, but expecting that from Sundin is barking up the wrong tree. Give O’Byrne more minutes on the ice, and watch him throw some big hits. Same thing for Latendresse, he can hurt people if given the green light by the Coach. Both of these guys need more ice time, in order to deliver the punishing hits that we both agree the Canadiens need to dish out.
June 24, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Radical Dude: First of all there is no need to get personal. Secondly, I never said that Sundin was not tough I said he is a perimeter player and although I would like to see him on our team what I said was that we still have not addressed the issue of a power forward that will go to the net. We put 40+ shots on net almost every game against Philly. You cannot have a team that can only play the perimeter, that is what I said, that is what cost us a chance to play Pittsburg and that is what is going to stop us from winning the cup. We need to address that need because we cannot go into the playoff again next year without someone who is willing to screen the goalie and do all the little things that make an offense work. Yes we have a lot of goal scores and if Sundin signs with us we will have two more than we had last year. But philly showed us how to shut down the best offense in the league by playing the defense can we were willing to stay out on the perimeter and not cash the net. It is basic hockey and it is not rocket science.
June 24, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Alias, you need to get your head out of your drawers, open your eyes, and stop putting words in my mouth. Did I say I didn’t like Tomas Holmstrom? Did I say I wouldn’t take a Holmstrom if he was available? Those kinds of players don’t grow on trees. Maybe Pacioretty can develop into a good power forward in a couple of years. But right now, there is nobody like that on the Habs, except maybe Latendresse, who has the size and the potential, but not the full confidence of the coach. When we had John LeClair, one of the great power forwards to play the game, we traded him for a song and a dance one year after winning the Stanley Cup where he was one of the leading scorers in the playoffs. Bad trades like that can destroy a team, and that’s exactly what happened.
June 24, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I am sure Gainey and Carbo will not want there new acquistion IF HE SIGNS to stand in front of the net and screen goalies. Sundin was successful not only because of his talent but also for the last two years he had Tucker and then Antropov going to the net. Sundin was great on the rebounds and picking holes on screened goalies.
June 24, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Senet, I’m not getting personal. We are in agreement that the Habs need some more physical forwards. What I disagree with you about is calling Sundin a “permimeter” player. He’s not a perimeter player, he is a lot tougher than you give him credit for, and a lot stronger on the puck. He will go to the net to score a goal, but he’s not going to live there — nor should he. He’s got more game than that. Anyway, I don’t want to belabour the point, ok? Let’s get him signed first, and then we can argue about how good or bad he is.
June 24, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Radical Dude: Exactly right, your should never put words in someone elses mouth. But is seems that you did exactly that to me in regard to saying I said Sundin was not tough. You see this is why you should not get personal. We are all hockey fans who happen to cheer for the same team and we all are entitled to our own opinions. Seems to me that needs to be the first lesson about this blog.
June 24, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Radical Dude: I agree with you that Sundin is as tough as they come and yes he will go to the net for the rebounds. But his skill level is the same as Kovelev, they live on the outside and take their best shot. Sundin ran the leafs offense and PP from the outside never from the slot or in front of the net. With a power foward on his line he would be terrific.
June 24, 2008 at 10:19 pm
hey guys a dirty guy like that is Sean Avery lol but him a hab? He screened the hell out of Brodeur!
June 24, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Latendresse: He has great potential, but he never should have made the team two years ago, he should have been sent back to Juniors, then this year he should have played in Hamilton. Then he would be ready for the big show this year. Unfortunately, If I were coaching I would send him down to Hamilton for a couple of months, give him instructions that if he wants to make the big team we want to see more phyiscal play out of him and good defensive play. If he gets the message then when he is brought back to Montreal he may be the power forward that we need?
June 24, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Somehow I just cannot see Avery as a hab. Maybe he would be great with our team but somehow to me he lacks integrity.
June 24, 2008 at 11:03 pm
On another note, do any of you guys think Wade Redden is worth pursuing? If Sundin doesn’t sign, we should have the money.
June 24, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Lets all just sit and wait to see what happens. The gods must be lining things up for the centennial. Last year was a practice run! I am all a twitter!!
I can’t recall who wrote the question but the answer is Yes it would be great to Mats raise the cup in the bleu blanc et rouge!!! I have so mant leaf fan friends it would be way too sweet!
June 24, 2008 at 11:15 pm
NEVER Avery! The guy has no class and that’s that! He even played a greaseball in “The Rocket” movie. Hate him with a passion. Almost as much as Hasek
June 24, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I like Stuo11′s idea. If all we want is someone to stand in front of the net to create, bring in the biggest baddest of then all, George Laraque.
June 24, 2008 at 11:19 pm
to create “havoc” …
June 25, 2008 at 4:18 am
Ok so lets say we get Sundin…wat u guys think of these lines?
A.Kostitsyn-Sundin-Kovalev
S.Kostitysn- Koivu- Tanguay
Higgins-Plekanec- ?? ( Lats maybe)
Kostopolis-Chipchura-Begin
Lats has the potential to be good but we all know how he is…. Higgy and Pleks are proven now….they sould be able to carry him
June 25, 2008 at 6:52 am
I say we just get Georges Laraque and re-Sign the guys we have already. When the trade deadline rolls around trade some of our players like Streit etc. and get some one huge. Our team right now will already be first place in the east. I hope Pittsburgh keeps loosing people. and what about brining in Darcy Tucker? He’s a huge grinder but he can also put the puck in the net. and he used to be a hab.
June 25, 2008 at 7:06 am
but remember what Bob Gainey said, he wants to get someone who will get our players ready for the playoffs. Mats Sundin is perfect. But if we just keep everything the way it is right now we should be fine. Our guys didn’t get in front of the net because they were too young to know what it was all about. The habs know now. I think Wade Redden would be awesome Brian campbell is offensive and we don’t need that! Redden fights and scores! I really hate redden though, but if he comes here I think I can change how I feel.lol
June 25, 2008 at 1:53 pm
YES!!!!!!!1 Andrei Kostitsyn and all the other RFA’S are locked up!!! now all we have to do is resign Streit or sign Sundin/rolston/federov/gratton/larague/avery/hossa/campbell/redden/Brunette/ rusinski etc.
June 25, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I would sign Tucker for a year at 1 mil. And then get either Demitra, Rolston,Nasland,etc. Forget Hossa(going to Boston).
June 25, 2008 at 3:39 pm
You can forget any of those guys. None of them have the size and the physical play that we need. As we’ve been saying here the past few days, the Canadiens need more physical forwards. I think Gainey should go after George Laraque, who is probably the toughest guy in the NHL. Then, if we are also able to sign Sundin, next year we will have added 3 huge guys in Sundin, Laraque, and O’Byrne. If we can get both Sundin and Laraque, with the addition of Tanguay, I would put money on the Habs winning the Cup next year.
June 25, 2008 at 4:05 pm
hossa. Boston? yeah right where did u hear that?
June 25, 2008 at 4:07 pm
rolston,sundin laraque and redden are the only guys that fit in our cup winning team!!!!!!!!
June 25, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Radical Dude:
“The guys who stand in front of the net looking for deflections don’t last very long. They take a beating, are often injured, and most of them are journeymen hockey players.”
That statement implies you do not want a “stand in front the net” guy because they don’t last very long. Where exactly did I put words in your mouth? I never said you don’t like Holmstrom, I used him as an example of a guy who stands in front of the net, takes the abuse, and produces, who is not a “journeyman hockey player” That is the kind of guy I think the Habs need and your post led me to believe that you thought otherwise. Laraque also would be a great addition.
Hab Faithful:
Senet 1 responded nicely to the Streit comment….he was hurt in the playoffs and a guy who can play both sides of the puck, and on the PP, is extremely valuable. Look at Byfuglien in Chicago, he did well in that exact same role this year. 62 points with 34 PP points is as close to “the real deal” for that type of player as you’re going to get. League’s leading scorer among defensemen, Lidstrom had only 8 points more on the top team in the league. How much better do you want Streit to be?
P.S. On a side note, I had a chance to see O’Byrne put a Marlie through the glass when he was in Hamilton from 9 rows up….absolutely bone crushing hit. Komi and O’Byrne will definitely make a nice 1-2 “punch” (pun intended) on the blue line