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UPDATE: Gainey's work is 'probably done'
posted by Dave Stubbs at 21h22 EST on Jul 1
There might yet be conversations to be had with Alex Kovalev, though not in any hurry. An offer tabled to Kovy earlier in the day was removed when Mike Cammilleri signed, so l'Artiste might be painting his canvases elsewhere. Colour Alex Tanguay gone. Ditto long-time captain Saku Koivu, who told Gainey he's excited to be pursuing his career elsewhere.
Also gone from last season's roster: Francis Bouillon, Patrice Brisebois, Mathieu Dandenault, Christopher Higgins, Mike Komisarek, Tom Kostopoulos, Robert Lang and Mathieu Schneider.
Gainey said he was trying to find talent, not necessarily size, and feels he has achieved that. He said the neither Kovalev nor Komisarek exchanged contract numbers, hence the GM's immediate pursuit of other players.
Gainey added that chemistry played a role in his acquisitions, which is part of the reason why Brian Gionta was brought in to play with Scott Gomez and Cammilleri; Tanguay wasn't seen to be the solution there.
There was discussion about the new captain. Gainey said head coach Jacques Martin will be in town next week and the issue of the C will be talked about then.
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They need to sign Lang and Kovalev now more than ever. Currently this team doesn't have a single top line forward that could successfully screen even Darren Pang. Come on guys, who's going to stand in front of the net when the team has an entire roster of forwards that need tippy toes to break the 6' barrier.
Gionta, Gomez, Pleck, AK46, SK74, Camalleri, D'Ags all fall into this category. Come on, it's not asking too much to have just 1 forward that can go on all of the rides at Disney World is it?
SIGN KOIVU
SIGN KOIVU
"Rebuilding the team around Kovalev is a road to nowhere" - 24 Cups
You and me both.
Koivu - You will be missed.
Who cares about Kovy! Yes, he is talented, a magician with the puck, an entertainer, and a skilled shooter. So is Kyle Wellwood. The fact remains that he is 36 and inconsistant! The players that Gainey brought in are younger, bring more speed, and are part of the NEW Habs! I love Saku but, his skating and finishing skills looked very poor in the second half of the season. Even his faceoff win percentage dropped off as the season wore on. The team that finished first in the East in 2008 was very fast and always moving. The team that I saw at the end of this season looked slow and plodding. Like it or not, Gainey and his staff have always stressed skill and speed over size. That is the identity of this team and I think the FA moves will bring this team closer to Gainey's vision. Will it be successful? Only time will tell! My lines:
Line USA: Pacioretty-Gomez-Gionta
Line Canada: Cammalleri-Lapierre-Latendresse
Line Europe: A.Kostitsyn-Plekanec-S.Kostitsyn
Line Energy: Laraque-Chipchura-D'Agostini
Markov O'Byrne
Hamrlik Gorges
Spacek Gill
Extras: Metropolit, Stewart, Weber, Maxwell, and sign Zubov.
Saku, Merci! Best of luck!
POPS!!!! You rock!!!!! I love your lines and the concepts behind them, great!
Line USA
Line Canada
Line Euro
Line Energy
I thought about Zubov in the past, a bit fragile but if healthy another great puck moving D-man!
Good stuff!
Get Kovy back!
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
no... Tanguay....
call me Slideslacks, Goneffrey Slideslacks
Well, they DID sign Alex Henry earlier today...
FUCK YOUUU , GET TANGUAY BACK. BEST PLAYER...!!!!!
call me Slideslacks, Goneffrey Slideslacks
PLEASE sign Kovy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kovy could be seen in a Canadiens jersey next season, or as of lately a member of the Kings or Capitals. Cant picture him in any place but Montreal, come on Gainey sign Kovy!
Still holding out hope about Kovy maybe just maybe there is a side deal and they are just waiting for Koivu to get a deal somewhere else. If not I find it hard to believe that no other team has signed him yet. I don't think he is asking for a ridiculous amount of money. His heart I believe is in Montreal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS9dbVL7PKk
i'm going to miss this guy
Kovy should and will be back wearing the "C" just wait until Koivu is signed with the Wild. I've heard Gainey and Kovy are talking or already have today. You can welcome back Kovy, and the other major RFA's.
Don't funk with my heart, Jam. Don't give me false hope.
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
CALLING ALL HABS FANS WE CHEER FOR THE CREST ON THE FRONT NOT THE NAME ON THE BACK!!!
GO HABS GO!!!!! CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE SEASON STARTS AND AT THE END OF THE SEASON THEN YOU CAN B*$CH IF WE DON'T DO WELL!!
even if we can't see them when they disappear behind the boards when they go into the corner
"To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be it yours to hold high."
Sorry, but many, if not all of us, do in fact cheer for the name on the back as well. If we didn't, why would so many people use players as their avatar instead of the club's logo? Why would so many of us buy jerseys with player's names on them?
Why do we follow the draft, the free agent frenzy, training camp and the like? Half of the fun is that you get to know the guys on the team...you grow attached to them, you laugh or cringe at their antics...
No player is bigger than the team. But it does not mean that one should not try to get to know the guys wearing the jersey and feel a sense of disappointment when we have to bid so many of them adieu...
i love the fact that every news network is bashing the habs(ex except RDS) saying that they didn't get any better, i say its hard to say now before the first puck is dropped but i say its looking up cause last time when TSN THN and SI were not giving us a chance we finished 1st in the east.
I think Gainey missed the boat on addressing our needs on the blue line. The Kings signed Scuderi for 4 years at less than $4 per. This was the ex Penguin he should have gone after.
for that money you must be INSANE
you could've just saved your money on gill and scuderi in that case and brought back Komisarek
I believe KOVY will be signed (or already has). Gainey is waiting for the departure of KOIVU and then there will be the big press conference and the "C" being given to KOVY... obviously this can't happen with KOIVU still technically around.... its called "having some class" and Gainey / Habs understand this.
so don't worry fellow KOVY worshippers....yes, we are nothing without KOVY...and you have my word!, KOVY will return!
Sorry...if this whole theory, the only one with even a shread of logic to it, about the team needing to clean house and air out the rot is to be believed, than Kovy is gone. He represented a major part of that rot...if Kovalev comes back, it stunts the development of those younger players and puts the team that much further in the salary cap hole.
I think we have seen the last of Kovalev here, at least in Habs colours.
you obviously missed my pointers all last season, KOVY needs to play with linemates at his level, not rookie upstarts in sophomoric funks.
Gainey is too smart to let his most talented entertaining player slip through his fingers...
Nope, I didn't miss your posts...I replied to tons of them. :)
Nor did I miss Kovalev frequently quitting on his linemates or hogging the puck even more than previously.
But most importantly, I did not miss that Kovalev lost a step or two last year...he can still stickhandle inside a phone-booth, but he was getting pasted FAR more often than ever before, he was losing the puck far more often, and he just wasn't getting the job done the way he needed too.
Like it or not, Kovalev needed to elevate the play of his linemates. He did not.
Kovalev needed to lead the team when the offence was sputtering, even when he does not have the "C" on his jersey. He did not.
Kovalev is a great player, but he was also the single greatest problem ON the ice...I can't comment on the off the ice issues, because neither I nor anyone else here REALLY knows what went down. But I do feel that Kovalev was a destabilizing effect on Koivu's captaincy the past couple of years. A real leader does not undermine the guy with the "C" on his chest, he supports him. Souray did that. Rivet did that. Komisarek and Higgins did that.
Kovalev did not.
Kovalev was also at the top of the chart in points....and was responsible for several game winning goals. Not bad for his 'slump' season, along with the rest of the underachievers around him last year. But the logic is to dump the best, because he wasn't as good as he should have been!, sorry, it will be a boring game without Kovy on the ice...and I hate mediocrity, the Habs always had a special weapon, and Kovy brought that back, before him it was Richer (50 goals), and before that it was Lafleur....etc....without Kovy, who is it?
It was Ryder before the rest.
Hmmmm.....actually that is kind of interesting. I know we are stretching here but....maybe this is why multiple reports of a deal done keep popping up and then disappearing.
no stretching...just torture for the believing amongst us... but we'll just have to be patient, Gainey like.
If that's the case, then we had better hope that Saku signs with someone before training camp starts!
You guys are making me split my britches all day. Zingers I tell's ya!! Zingers!
;-)
That would make alot of sense.
it is the only explanation.
How is everyone forgetting about Robert Lang and what he did to the team when he was healthy last season? How can Gainey let him go? And Schneider to. Unbeiievable. I don't know how I'm going to cheer for the team anymore. At least with Koivu gone he needs to sign Kovy. It's one of the things he could do that's right.
You cheer for the Habs, no matter who wears the sweater, non?
If Lang remains available, don't be surprised if Gainey explores that option if he can make the cap dollars work (and Lang could prove that he's healthy).
He was the team's leading scorer at the time that he was hurt. Bob could do worse than to kick the tires on this one.
Lang was great while healthy last season. But, his age combined with the seriousness of his injury = nananana... heeeeeeyyyy... goodbye. He's damaged goods now.
Schneider would've been worth keeping as a 7th D-man, but I don't know if he would have been willing to take a significant pay cut.
Habs don't need Kovy either.
Ok, so question. If we don't need Kovy, who's the new leader in the locker room? Who can seriously do a better job than Koivu did on and off the ice. I can't think of any.
I think Gomez will quickly fill the captaincy role. But, not many guys already wearing the CH could do it. Markov, Laps, or Gorges will do fine wearing the "A".
Any news on Kovy or the other UFA's? 10 mil left Gainey, sign Kovy and rest of RFA's!
Canadiens sign Alex!!!
Henry, that is. Habs sign free agents Mathieu Darche, Alex Henry and Mike Glumac. Have fun in the AHL, boys!
My all time favorite KOVY moment when he pretends to lose the puck in the feet of Tucker and then just hammers him with an elbow to the face....Gonna miss him. Also going to miss the sick goals he scored. Wont miss the times he decided to take the night off or his give aways. Still one of my all time favorites and it will be strange to not see him out there. As for Koivu hope you get a good deal and a chance to win the cup no other player deserves it more than Captain K.
My favorite was when he showed us all what he could do after Souray called him out.
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
Sad that he had to be called out in the first place.
Kovalev frequently reminds me of my brother's favourite description of Stephane Richer: "Million dollar skills, ten cent brain".
Bob Gainey a cool cat? Bullshit. He was impatient as hell yesterday with respect to kovalev. The team wanted him back, he wanted to come back, and we wouldve had a true leader. Instead, he opted to get Gionta, claiming he couldnt risk losing both.
There was no goddamn risk of losing kovalev. He wanted to come back, his family lives here, and he hates the US. Cammalerri Gomez and Kovalev would've been better.
His impatience pisses me off.
it all comes down to risk vs reward... can't wait for ever, also if Kovy wanted back he would have not hesitated to sign.
"To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be it yours to hold high."
How the hell do you know....inside info.....don't think so.......
IMPATIENT?! what the... are you ON??
how long did bob flirt with sundin before sundin snubbed him?
bob learned his lesson with mats, he wasn't going to let kovalev play him for a fool, nosiree bob.
- thanks for everything, saku koivu.
Until he signs with another team I will be patient for his return. Every single goal he scored for the Canadiens was a crowd pleaser!
As for predicting that Bob was impatient, you don't know the whole story, there had to have been something to happen for Kovalev to go from Pri 1 to none.
sholi2000.com God Bless Our Infantry 2PPCLI
Kovalev a leader?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA
thanks dude. I needed that.
We're all aware of how much you hate Kovalev. You make it known every single fucking day.
You've got the children's foundation up as your photo, but are too dense to realize Kovalev's contributions to youth hockey in Russia or how much kids look up to him in our own city. When Koivu went down, he carried this team and they excelled for the most part.
LMAO
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA
AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
A lot of NHL players do the same. Spare me the sanctimonious BS.
care about how he performs and works on the ice. He is CRAP. He is LAZY. He is SELFISH.
Why did he have to wait for Koivu to go down to play?
While you ponder that answer. He's laughing in Russia thinking of his new payday to come so he can continue to fly his little planes.
LOL
Thanks Teach, you made my day. Well-said!!
Koivu - You will be missed.
I wouldn't say CRAP. He's extremely talented but carries a 'prima-donna' attitude which substantiates the LAZY & SELFISH part of your description.
You're right. The ovations, the excitement, the C on his chest, the dedication shown to him by Bob Gainey - those were all because he is a selfish, crap, lazy player. You know more than the 21273 who chanted his name, and our GM who took the time to try to help him figure things out and made him the captain when koivu was gone.
Why do you think kids love him you clod? And what is it exactly that you teach? How to respond to posts with generalities and fake laughter? The guy lead our team in scoring even when he had a god awful year you moron, get your head out of your ***.
He is worth the price of admission, but evidently your online world of warcraft girlfriend made some remark about wanting to blow him and you now have some sort of personal vendetta.
dedication ?????, ya he dedicated him all the way to the press box for lack of effort!!!!
Here, here!
You must have a Kovalev jersey with a big "C" on the left shoulder. Listen dude, Kovalev played without heart, thats what pisses me off.... he's a bum and no longer part of our team. Put the jersey in the closet and do what I did, buy a Chipchura #28.
I wish I had a Kovalev jersey with a big C on it. No, the last jersey with a C that I have is Vincent Damphousse.
Kovalev was unhappy when he was mismanaged. When he wore the C for us he played some of his best hockey in his career.
mismanaged, eh? is that the new excuse?
poor kovalev, boo hoo hoo, he was mismanaged...PLEASE!
Kovalev doesnt hate the US. He loved NY and his main home is in Connecticut.
Kovalev loved new york?
Have you ever heard his interviews on leaving New York and how thrilled he was to get out?
These guys have been told all their lives that they are "too small", even after 2 Stanley cup championships, they are still getting dished the same crap. I say keep talking because thats what these "smurfs" use as fuel when they need to prove everyone wrong, over and over again.
Saw this on Boone's Kovy thread:
http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=...
Apparently Kovy is done in Montreal :(
“As it stands now, this would mark the end for Alex with the Canadiens.”
Bob's language is very important, in that he doesn't talk in definites like he did with Saku. To me it sounds like the ball is in Kovy's court.
Trade Scott Gomez and a 1st rounder to Ottawa for Dany Heatley.
I would in a heart beat !
Heatley's a drunk
And a killer. But he can also put the puck in the net. It's amazing what you can get forgiveness for if you have the capability of scoring 40.
Very, very harsh. And probably not something to take lightly.
Is it true Gainey does not negotiate contracts during the regular season ? ...and if it is true ...would have he not been able to keep some of those so called players we lost for nothing if he was willing to ?
I know Souray (would have left anyway)
Striet we could have kept.
Komosarik we could have kept but he is over-hyped and not worth 6 - 7mil anyway.
I like all the moves Gainey made in last couple days accept for the Gomez trade. Call be crazy but I think Higgins potential is better than Gomez current status. Nobody did anything with the Habs last year...as they say...a player can not do good if not surrounded by good players ... so I am sorry Higgins 1.8mil to whatever it would have ended up would have been so much better than Gomez at 7.3mil.
....and we still would have got those other players anyway....so Higgins would have sounded just as good along side Cammerelli and Gionta.
...and just another small little rant.... Price need vetran leadership.... we should have kept Huet instead of trading for a 2nd round draft pick which I believe we ended up trading away anyway.
Peace out..... Go Habs Go !
Chris Higgins could never hit the f***ing net!
Him and a handful of others...single him out ! Gomez had a whopping impressive 16 goals !!!
Here's a thought - Hamrlik was signed before he was 35 right? So we theoretically could dump him in Hamilton for the year and use the extra cap space to sign Beauchemin AND either Kovalev or Tanguay.
Then if there's a long term injury, we have a pretty decent player to call up :)
(this is doable right?)
I have a confession to make. I loved it when Jacques Lemaire was coach of the Habs, when he took them, on the back of some incredible goaltending by Steve Penny, to within 2 games of the final, against the champion Islanders at that. The next year if memory serves me correctly he got canned because Montreal couldn't stomach his defensive system. He hadn't created the "trap", as we all affectionately call it, yet but he was tinkering with the concept way back when.
I did however hate it that Lemaire went on to create the style of play that made the Devils champions. I hated it because it wasn't the Habs team that was owning the game with stifling defense and opportunistic goal scoring, not to mention some crushing Scott Stevens hits, but that's another matter, no, it was the *ugh* Devils!
So here we are with Jacques Martin and three new players either known for or on record supporting playing well in a defensive system. I said this earlier, the Habs will be stingy, hard to score against, and lethal on the counter attack. If they succeed at playing a puck possession game moreso!
Price will excel in the system.
The so called "system" you said Lemaire created has been around a long, long time..the Canadiens played that style to shut teams down when they had a lead back in the 50's. So its nothing new
typo i meant 70's when he was playing...origins back to 50's
Well hopefully we can get back to our roots!
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
Kovy sucks dude.
"Rebuilding the team around Kovalev is a road to nowhere" - 24 Cups
Kovi, for 10 mil for 5 years, maybe! If not, we can do without all of his turnovers.
You must have a Kovalev jersey.
Musta paid 400$ for it...
I feel for ya buddy.
Hopefully, I have better explained my position to you instead of making sarcastic suppositions on your preferences that have nothing to do with the subject at hand.
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
The problem with Kovy is that his switch isn't/wasn't Full On consistently. Didn't he go 18 games last season without scoring? He was electrifying to watch at times but also very frustrating when he was floating, pouting, misusing his linemates, etc. We asked for changes - well, we got them. Call me Elmer Fudd, but iI's time to move on and support the 'new' Habs.
Thanks to Saku for all his years of dedication and leadership!
well Duke, i have a habs jersey as well, and it sure doesnt say kovalev on the back. the only name that will never be traded, my own, is on my sweater.
i respect your passion, and i agree that when kovy is 'on' hes sick, but hes not 'on' enough in my opinion. and that brings down the TEAM.
: )
He was given an offer. There's still wiggle room cap-wise and time-wise. Relax. If Kovy doesn't come back see ya later then. As much as I want him back I wont cry if he doesn't return. It'll suck, but I'll move on! Suck it up dude. Be a man!
No, no, now, we gotta do this thing. No joking around; some things aren't funny. I'm sorry for all the bad things I did. Just re-sign Kovy and I'll be nice. Whatever it takes; I'm sorry.
Just tell Bob to stop funking with my heart and to re-sign the guy before I completely lose it.
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
Cammalleri, Gomez, Gionta, Spacek & Gill verus Orr, Komisarek and Exelby.
Discuss.
But isn't Blowhard Burke the best GM in the NHL? Colton Orr? hahahahahahahahaha! Grabs for $8.7 over 3? hahhahahahhahahahahahah. Komi for $4.5 fir 5? hahahhahahahahahhah!
Yep, he's building those buds up he is...hahahhahahahahhah!
__________________________________________________________________________________
Beliveau is the best that ever was.
No comparison really. Burke must think you get points for winning fights? Orr is a non-factor. Exelby and Komisarek are both solid, physical d-men, though not much more than that. The Canadiens have about seven forwards who could spend the entire night making Exelby and Komisarek look stupid, and if Orr wants to get involved ... maybe Jacques Martin can persuade BGL to adjust his code?
We're all focussed on the Habs' problems here, of course, but I do wonder how Toronto fans are liking Burke's moves? Who the hell is going to score goals for them?