trade kovalev well his value is high….

Hi Joseph, I realize if we traded Kovalev away we would be trading a large part of our offense. However, Kovalev is not going to be around forever and we have no guarantee that he will have another season like this one. I would use him as trade bait if we could move up in the draft, or make a trade for a top centreman or defenceman.
Koivu is a good second line centre but we already have one in Plex so if the right player is available again I would trade him while he still has value as well. I would offer him plus another player to Vinny or even expand the deal with more players if we could get Vinny. There is a good chance if TB has another year like this year he is going to want out and what better place to come than the habs.

As to Lecavalier, I’d take him in a heartbeat.

Jarret Stoll or Chris Gratton ,that’s all I’m saying. And look out next year’s trade deadline. Vincent Lecavelier is a free agent in 2010. Montreal should offer Dandenault,grabovski,pacioretty and a 1st rounder for him.

don’t trade alex because it just shows, if u play good, your out of montreal. Montreal I don’t think needs any more offensive guys, we already have the best offence, we just need a big centremen and Chris Gratton and Stoll are in the top 10 for best face off men.(I don’t know about Stoll though.) Gratton is big and gets around 40 pts a season so he’s so much better than smolinski. Did u guys know that Kolzig isn’t playing for washington anymore and is an unrestricted free agent? Because just incase Price fails again next year in the playoffs, we would have a stalwart back up. But I’m confident with Price as he will get VEZINA next season.

Good points, all, STUO11. This team just requires some sandpaper and some leadership. That’s the missing piece of the puzzle. And their lack of it is the only reason that they lost to the lowly Flyers in Round 2.

Evgeni Malkin is quickly becoming a hockey god.

The 4-2 score tonight was a flattering one for the Flyers as the Penguins owned them whenever they felt like it. Pittsburgh in 4. Any win by the Flyers in this series would be a complete accident.

I actually don’t mind Smolinski, but I do appreciate your point. My greatest concern, however, involves the possible movement of Kovalev. Has anyone considered how his absence might affect the play of Plekanec and the Kostitsins?

I wouldn’t be looking to move him.

I think if Philly beat us in 5 and Pitts beats Philly in 4or 5,then big changes must be made on the Habs .Let it be so…go habs go…

Kovalev had a real good year in league play, but was dud in the playoffs,
yeah he did get a couple ok, but overall went into his disappearing act again,
because he played good this year he will be invisible again this coming year.

Fill the team with Canadians, Euro’s Scando’s and Ruskies all do not understand what the Stanley cup means, they don’t have the heart to step
it up in the playoffs, it’s a long season, why do all the long playoff grind, I’ll just take my millions and go back home—They don’t get the picture.

Kovalev wasn’t the problem. In fact, if just one other forward had stepped up in the clutch as much as he did, then we’d likely be talking about the Habs and Penguins right now.

As I stated earlier, moving Kovalev would mean more than losing his offense; it would also mean losing the mentor of Plekanec and the Kostitins. That offensive core is in place, at least for the time being, and the Habs need to add the missing pieces to that core. They need Canadian/American grit and leadership. And perhaps a veteran goaltender to mentor Price.

Hossa is yet another skilled player that can backcheck. He won’t bring the leadership that this team requires. If the Habs can get both, great, but I wouldn’t invest everything in to just Hossa. That wouldn’t be progress, in my opinion.

Jagr might retire.

Jag’s only 36,and then there is Sundin

Gainey said that he’s pretty much just getting players for the playoffs, he won’t be getting hossa and that’s a good thing. ALL THE PLAYERS GOING AFTER HOSSA, would you really want to pay him 9 Million?

Habs does NOT need Hossa kind of players.

We need inspiring player, not necessarily wearing “C” or “A”, like Milan Lucic, like S Crosby, like Ovechkin.

Before injury, KOMI did a lot of inspiring work, but after injury, we couldn’t expect more from him.

A “bla bla bla” big forward is what Hab needs.

Michael Landsberg just threw out a good question tonight. He asked Patrick Lalime if he’d accept a back-up role as a mentor to Price next season, if he was offered a contract. He said he’d take it in a heart-beat.

Discuss…

No trading Higgins.

Well after reading a number of entries, I have to reiterate what I said before, if the right player is available then I would trade Kovelev. The Right player would be someone who could replace him in offense yet bring some leadership to the table as well. Kovalev did not fight for his ice space in the playoff and someone said that Boston figured out our PP well Kovalev was a big part of that. So would I want to lose him no but if the right player was available in a trade or a top draft pick then yes. I think the young kids will do just fine without him.

Likewise Koivu did show some leadership but is offense has fallen off and without a game breaking forward on his line his offense will be worse next year. So again if the right player is available that can bring something to the table then yes I would trade him but not for a Gratton or Stole. The player we have to get is got to be in our top 3 in scoring and be a team leader offensively as well as in the dressing room. Yes we need a faceoff man, but we also need someone with a little more grit, or a game breaking foward/centreman.

Maybe we just found one piece to the puzzle see below.

Canadiens sign Ryan White Montreal Canadiens May 12, 2008, 4:12 PM EDT
White PRESS RELEASE

MONTREAL – Canadiens GM Bob Gainey announced Monday that forward Ryan White agreed to a three-year contract (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11). As per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

White ended his four-year junior career with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen with 237 points (91 goals, 146 assists) and 411 penalty minutes in 275 regular-season games. A native of Brandon, Manitoba, White led his team in scoring in each of the past three seasons. In 59 career playoff games with the Hitmen, White amassed 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) and 88 penalty minutes.
In 2007-08, the 20-year-old recorded 72 points (28 goals, 44 assists), 98 penalty minutes, eight power-play goals and had a plus-24 rating in 68 games.

White, 6-feet, 213 pounds, was named the CHL Player of the Week twice during the 2007-08 campaign. He scored 10 points (five goals, five assists) in a four-game span that ended on February 4 and registered 12 points (four goals, eight assists) and had a plus-6 rating in four playoff games last April, helping the Calgary Hitmen eliminate the Swift Current Broncos in six games.

Selected in the third round, 66th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, White also had two assists in as many games for Team WHL at the 2007 Canada-Russia Challenge.

I know It’s a dream but Lecavelier would be sooo nice! I would even want to have St.Louis. just on of the 2! I would trade:Chipchura,grabovski,Fischer and a 1st rounder for him! And getting in the playoffs should be a piece of cake.

Nice to see the Flyers essentially playing for their playoff lives tonight, and losing.

All things in their rightful place.

Thumbs up to the White signing. Now, if Gainey could just get one or two experienced playoff warriors…

The Silence of the Lambs

Hannibal Lecter: First principles, Troll. Simplicity. Read your NHL history. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature? What do they do, the Habs you worship?
Typical Flyer Troll: They get eliminated…
Hannibal Lecter: No. That is incidental. What is the first and principal thing they do? What needs do they serve by being eliminated?
Typical Flyer Troll: Anger, um, social rejection, and, huh, frustrations, sir…
Hannibal Lecter: No! They learn. That is their nature. And how do we begin to learn, Troll? Do we seek out things to improve upon? Make an effort to answer now.
Typical Flyer Troll: No. We just…
Hannibal Lecter: No. We begin by learning what we’re lacking. We begin by learning our weaknesses. And the Habs have learned which pieces are missing from their puzzle. They will acquire those pieces and win their 25th Stanley Cup in the next season. Their 100th season, Troll. Meanwhile, your Flyers are merely lambs sent to slaughter, year after year. Lambs being silenced. Much like you.

And… the big mouths of the Flyers have collectively shut. Resigned to silence for the remainder of the season.

My goodness! Am I ever relieved that Daniel Briere signed with Philadlphia and not Montreal. One less mistake to worry about.

I would even do this: Plekanec,Chipchura and a 1st rounder for Lecavelier! We have the money obviously. I don’t think it’s about our size I just think we need more grit. Lecavelier isn’t a grinder but come on, He’s amazing!!! and if Tampa is 12 or something lecavelier will be going somewhere!

Don’t get me wrong I would love to have Vinny over here but the way I see if we need to get him here for the long term, therefore, as he becomes UFA next year and if Tampa is not in the playoffs, then that is when we go for him. With players to be named later if we sign him. We cannot afford to trade four or five of our good yound players away and find out Vinny is not committed to stay in Montreal.

Having said that I would trade both Markov and Kiovu and a first rounder if I thought I could get Vinny here for the entire year and if Bob could be assured he could sign him.

We definitely need to add some size to our line up but we also need to find someone to replace Kiovu as our number # centreman. I like Plex as our #2 guy and I like Andrea on his line, I would put a big winger on that line though not a skilled guy unless he is big and skilled. Stewart may be the answer, speed, size and skill.

I would send Latendresse down to the minors next year for about a month to wake him up, he has got to come back with an attitude and use his body more next year. He needs a wakeup call. Should never have stayed up last year all year, needed to either play one more year of Junior or in the minors for a year at least.

I like Chipchura to replace Smolinski on our checking line.

I like Byrnes to replace Brisebois.
I like to see this Stewart up with Lapierre and give him some stop time on the first line as well.

So now Bob need to go out and get another big defenseman, and another big forward with an attitude and some skill. Free agency is probably the only way we will get someone like that.

I not against adding some skill but the skill has to have some size. What I am afraid of is Bob may go after Hossa???? Not sure he fits out team.