Market watch

Re: the Price article, it is right on in one respect, that is the apparent psychological need of many Habs fans to mythologize the goalie. It's not enough to cheer for the guy, or like him, some people need to put him on some kind of godly pedestal. Price is a great young goalie; he's not, however, a magical being with the ability to win a cup by himself, and I think that is the kind of hype the article in question was addressing. The hype is real and certainly very present on this site: witness the reaction anytime anyone even hints that his performance could have been better! Just to ward off that exact reaction, let me say again, Carey Price is a great young goalie! The thing is, it's ridiculous to focus so heavily on the goalie anyhow. A team doesn't need a "saviour" goalie to win the cup, or even just a great one. Lots of mediocre goalies have won cups, in fact. It's the team in front of him that matters most. Montreal has a really good goalie with the potential for greatness in Price; that's all they should really need.

Do you think BGL will play against Boston on Saturday? 09425

Prospect Pulse:Danny Kristo http://www.illegalcurve.com/2008/11/14/prospect-pulse-danny-kristo/ "We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don't even have to go to the hospital." ~Brad Park.

That Hurricane blog's "analysis" on Carey Price has to be one of the most blatant forms of anti-Habs propaganda I've ever read. Wow, I still can't believe that a guy would post THAT on the internet.

Maybe he should compare Price to his peers at his age. An outside perspective from a view who surely did not watch the Calder Cup playoff run. Here are his numbers compared to his peers at the age of 20. http://fantasysensearticles.blogspot.com/2008/10/carey-price-future-is-n...

Wings waived McCarty.

Are we being skeptical about the Priceberg now? Christ Almighty! If I keep reading this site every day I think I'm gonna have to go on anti-depressants. Josh Gorges: "Our job is to make sure Pricey sees the puck. Cause you know, when Pricey can see them, he stops them."

Since it's a slow news day, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that Ryder has 3 goals in 18 games and is on pace for a WHOPPING 13 goals this year! (Hey sneezer - isn't that what he had LAST year?? Yeah - I think it was!) To those who thought Ryder was the 2nd Gretzky, the new Crosby, he'd come back to haunt us, yadda, let's just say that you were wrong, those of us encouraging a trade while he had (inflated) value were right. Thank you. ____________________________________________________________ Why don't we have a defensive coach? Insanity? Or arrogance?

eklund is saying that the habs are going to announce a big signing in the next couple of days, for what it's worth

Can't say I really agree with the assessment of Price. I mean let's face it, the games where he's given up 6 goals, the rest of the team hasn't even shown up. It's basically been a shooting gallery... Odd man rushes, brutal turnovers, sloppy defensive play and non-existent back-checking... Not too mention, a supposed "potent" offense who has been scoring 1-2 goals a game lately? I don't believe Price or Halak's play has been the concern so far this season. It's been the play from the goaltenders-out. Yet we were supposed to stick with Huet, a proven playoff choker? _________________________________ "Obviously it would be great, but they don't really hang conference titles in this rink. They raise Stanley Cup banners." - Carey Price

For those who think a trade will happen - who do you think is the best trade-bait on the team? What's the strategy? For me, I think we'll EITHER ship a forward and a D for a puck-moving D or veteran PP QB. To fill the forward spot, we'll bring up a Bulldog. And Dandenault will become team clown, probably juggle during intermission, or maybe hang out in the press box with the girls. OR pick up a gritty veteran forward. Roberts did good thing with the Pens - rumour has it he's available. How about Dandy and Breezer for Roberts. Yes, that would be AWESOME.. get rid of two softies for one tough leader. ____________________________________________________________ Why don't we have a defensive coach? Insanity? Or arrogance?

Line of the day, from faceoff.com: "A few of the Canadiens didn't believe head coach Guy Carbonneau when he told them they had a day off yesterday. 'They know what a kidder I am,' Carbonneau said." 1. www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat 2. Josh Gorges on Montreal's attack: "They're comin', they're comin' and they keep comin'. Just line after line, wave after wave..."

dont panic.our goalies are fine. its our defence that sucks.we need stronger puck moving defencemen.also as a team we need to be tougher,harder hitting, more grit.in the playoffs we get smashed all over the ice.big george is only one player.

I say we play Price every game except for the odd one. He's young, he can do it. It's not like working in a factory. If Roberto Luongo can play most games, why can't Price. And I don't trust our backup. http://dennis-kane.com/

I had this really weird dream last night. I was watching Kovy and his agent (I don't have any idea who the agent is...but my mind created one) tell Gainey that he won't perform until his contract is settled. Gainey countered that by saying he won't discuss a contract with Kovy now, and will definitely not discuss a contract until Koivu's is settled. Then the whole team started bullying Kovy telling him that he is being disrespectful, and that OF COURSE the captain goes first in contract talks. To all this Kovy basically said "f#$k it!" and stopped trying to play. Then I woke up and realized I am way too emotionally invested in the Habs :)

Disclaimer: Every poster has a player that brings out the dark side in them, a player that they just can’t stand. For me, it’s Sergei Samsonov. The Habs welcomed him with open arms and a fat contract but he quit on them, just like he did with Chicago the following year. In Yashin like fashion, he rose like a phoenix in Carolina to play well enough to garner another long term contract, this time for three years. Then the ink dried on the contract and he was back to his old ways. I’ve decided to take the high road and not mention that he has not scored in 18 games despite getting ample playing time. In fact, he only has three assists and is minus 10 even though he gets to play with Staal and Brind’Amour. Regardless, I will not mention this fact and move on to tonight’s game. - Carolina unexpectedly won the Cup in 2006 but have missed the playoffs the past two years. Even in today’s NHL, that’s not easy to do. Playing in the soft Southeast division no longer guarantees a seeded playoff spot, especially in light of the fact that Washington is now a mover and a shaker. - Carolina is not noted for drafting well (Staal is an exception). This is a team that has basically been built by trades and free agent signings. - it’s always difficult to know if the glass is half full or half empty with Carolina. They kind of remind me of that rock group from the 60's, Question Mark(?) and the Mysterians. There are lots of mysterious question marks here. Pitkanen, Ruutu, Ward, Samsonov, and rookie Boychuk all have lots of ability but don’t always produce. 96 Tears to be sure. - same goes for injury prone guys like Eaves, Williams, Walker, Ruutu (again) and Kaberle. They have talent but half the time they can’t play. - Tuomo Ruutu is a guy to watch, tons of talent. Unfortunately, his name is synonymous with illegal, dirty hits so the Habs will have to be careful. - then there’s my favourite. You just have to love Eric Staal, would he ever look great in a Habs’ jersey - the centre we have always dreamed about. Size, skill, fluid skater, lots of grit and leadership. Did I mention that he’s only 24 years old? Franchise player. - centre ice is a Carolina strength and people like Brind’Amour, Cullen, and Sutter will certainly challenge Montreal tonight. They are also great at faceoffs. Pleks better be ready. - this team can score, but their defense isn’t stellar. Corvo was a good pickup but trading Jack Johnson was a major brain cramp. Gleason, who came the other way, isn’t too bad but has limited upside. Pitkanen is still an enigma (inconsistent and indifferent at times) but the Canes rolled the dice anyway and coughed up Erik Cole to get him. - Cam Ward is a good but not great goalie. He can be inconsistent and tends to run hot and cold. He needs to play like he did back in 06'. - Rod Brind’Amour is the consummate captain. Shades of Yzerman and Sakic in terms of his leadership style. Has really found his niche in Carolina after being screwed over in Philadelphia. Great on faceoffs and the PK. Staal and Sutter are learning from one of the best. It’s early in the year, but this game is kind of like a four pointer. Carolina won’t be able to back into the playoffs by winning their division so they are going to have to earn it the old fashioned way. Who knows, we might be in the same situation as well. Price gets the start. BTW, if Carolina wears their third jersey, you might want to pour yourself a stiff drink. Going For The Brass Ring - 25 Cups In 100 Years

Higgins and Komisarek? Sure... why not? Hey, how much do you guys want? Chris? Lets see... scoring a goal every 3-4 months here and there that qualifies you for about 6 mil per. Komi? You block all the shots dude, but now opposition players simply skate around you like you're not even there. And on top of that a 20 yo whooped you butt in a fight. Even Markov can't make you look good anymore. So... I would say 7 mil year. Lock them both up for 20 years. Sheesh. This is one of those things again. These guys, especially, Higgins, can be good somewhere else, there is such risk, of course. But so what? If Higgins can't do jackshit for the Habs, what good is he? How long are we supposed to wait for him to become that power forward and score 30+ goals a year?

First off, Huet wouldn't have gotten us past Boston in teh playoffs had we kept him. No offense to Huet, love the guy, but he's not Cup material goaltending. Second, if things keep up with this powerplay... which i have a feeling it will... Sit OB, call up either Carle or WEber, because those kids have great shots. Pair tehm with Hammer and they're defence shouldn't suffer too much (no one gives him enough credit i don't think, the guy is ridiculous good. Note when he's out of the lineup WE ALWAYS LOSE! AND BY A LOT!) This way we can have our huge point slapshot, a new face on the team, a motivator for some players to do better (*cough* OB *cough*) and best of all, A DAMN PP GOAL! Go Habs!

I wasn't a huge fan of the Huet trade inthe first place but I agree with the decision to play Price down the stretch. Maybe Gainey figured Huet would be a distraction, so they moved him. I have no idea. I do think they would have been better served having Huet backing up Price in the play-offs. They win as a team and lose as a team but with decent goaltending, they beat the Flyers in the playoffs. On the flip side, though, without Price, I'm not sure they beat the Bruins. Stastny is the spitting image of his amazing father, the contract maybe a little to rich but this kid is the real deal. I see him play a lot against the Western Canadian teams and he's a beaut. Plekanec's point production may be close but Statsny but any GM that would trade Stasnty for Plekanec straight up would be laffed out of the league. This might lead people to realize signing Komisarek, Higgins and Plekanec won't be a cheap endeavor. Compare the salaries of similar players and you will see these three are going to command a bunch of $$. Not Hossa bucks, or Stastny bucks, but a lot of $$ just the same. I think Higgins will be the cheapest but it will still be a pretty big contract. Komisarek is the hard one to figure. Bone-crunching Dman with limited offensive ability, very,very good defensively. Plays big minutes, other teams avoid him and Markov like the plague with their top lines because usually Komisarek and Markov win that battle. He hasn't been this year but by the end of last year, he was Montreal's 2nd best Dman. I expect he will be again this year once he works out the kinks. It won't be for less than Jay McKee money, that's for sure.

I really like Robert L.'s idea of trying Kovy on the right point for part of the powerplay. By playing Markov on the right point, the Habs are taking space away from Kovalev (neutralizing him so to speak) and playing right into their opposition's strategy to key on the right side. Put AK46 on the right wing and Tanguay or SK74 on the left wing as the set-up men. I don't see the Habs trading for an experienced goalie unless it is part of a larger deal that addresses some of the team's key immediate needs. IMO goaltending isn't one of them, although I know there are many doubters.

Interesting talk (below) of trading Komi. Not that I think we should but we have so many guys with contracts ending this year, Gainey should trade SOMEBODY that he knows he'll probably lose. Otherwise it's a waste. We know the team is a little too strong on finess, not strong enough on grit. That by itself suggests some people. ____________________________________________________________ Why don't we have a defensive coach? Insanity? Or arrogance?

There's one thing I have to comment on from the article about Price found on a Canes' fan site. Price was shaky in the playoffs, but we can't blame it all on him. We had to say goodbye to our playoff chances not only because of his play, but also because the rest of the team didn't capitalize on its chances. Does anyone else remember all the scoring chances we missed? Why else do you think we had to go all the way to game seven against the Bruins? The writer of the article does say that Price is a phenomenal goalie, he just doesn't know what all the hype is about. I'm going to sound very biased because I play goalie as well and I'm a big fan of Price. I just think that he doesn't need to take the exact path Dryden or Roy took to be considered as great as them. Okay, he didn't win the Conn Smythe yet. Who's to say he won't win it this year and for years to come? He's only 21, he's got so much time ahead of him. He's already an amazing goalie, why would he stop now? You know where this is going, so I'll end this now. I just wonder how many of you agree with me.

I'm not overly concerned about Gainey sitting down with the agents for Higgins and Komisarek right at the moment. Both of them will have to play a heck of a lot better if they hope to argue they're worth that kind of coin. Kovalev and Plekanec too. So far, I'm more worried about what it will cost to keep Koivu and Tanguay. Frankly, I think the Stastny signing is more than a little crazy, considering the uncertain economic climate and as-yet-unpredictable consequences of that to the NHL salary cap. Those kinds of deals are going to tie some GMs' hands very tightly in the next couple of years. As for the goaltending...sure they've had their downs, but I've yet to see Price lose a game the team wasn't already doing very well at losing on its own. In both the leafs and the Bruins games, the team was sleepwalking and the D screwed up more than showed up. I mean, there's holding the fort in a close one, then there's heroically facing 35+ shots against you, with no one stopping the onslaught at your net or preventing interlopers into your crease. I'll only worry about Price when the team plays well and he loses the game by allowing a couple of stinkers. http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com

Dustin Penner might be avalible from the Oilers,big player with good hands......