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Habs sign last RFA D'Agostini to one-year deal
posted by Kevin Mio at 14h00 EST on Aug 14
Official team release:
MONTREAL (August 14, 2009) – Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey announced today the
signing of forward Matt D’Agostini to a one-year contract for the 2009-10 season. As per club policy, financial
terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Last season, D’Agostini amassed 21 points (12 goals, 9 assists) with an average ice time of 13:24 in 53
regular-season games with the Canadiens. The 22-year-old was the AHL’s third-leading scorer with 25 points (14
goals, 11 assists) and a plus-7 rating in 20 games when he was recalled by the Canadiens from the Hamilton
Bulldogs in November. D’Agostini also made his NHL playoff debut in 2008-09, taking part in three of the
Canadiens’ four quarter-final contests against the Boston Bruins.
In 2007-08, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native was the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer with 53 points (23
goals, 30 assists) and fired 235 shots on goal in 76 AHL games.
In 2006-07, in his first season as a pro, D’Agostini won the Calder Cup with the Bulldogs. The six-foot, 201-
pound right-winger registered 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) with a plus-5 rating in 22 AHL playoff contests. He
also scored 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) and posted a plus-18 rating in 63 regular-season games.
D’Agostini was selected in the sixth round, 190th overall by the Canadiens at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
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Moved to next thread.
Have been busy with the Rogers Cup here. Met Fleury and Kris Letang along with Marty Havlat, Michael Frolik and Milan Michalek. And tennis players are REALLY nice. Except for Andy Roddick, everyone else is chill. I've become real good buddies with Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. funny dudes. Will post tomoro...g2 leave for the finals. Watch on CBC if you can!
"All you need in hockey is good character, luck and skills" - Ovie
Djokovic is such a funny and charismatic person, I've always struggled to see why he comes across as such an idiot on tour. He's not all that well-liked amongst his compatriots in the top-10, quite odd given that Nadal and Federer fall over themselves complimenting one another. Part of the issue is his family, who can be quite boorish by tennis standards.
It would be awesome seeing tennis stars have to deal with 21 000 booing patrons like hockey players do. Don't think they would handle it nearly as well. :)
Rangers sign Prospal to a 1 year $1.1 million deal...Wow! Incredible signing for that amount of money. I cannot believe a team would not have offered him close to $2 mil...Maybe they did but he wanted to go back and play for Torts...Either way great signing by the Rags!!
Interesting signing. Depends on what Prospal they get...he is very Kovalev-esque in his up-and-down scoring pattern, and this year he is due for an up year.
Even at 45 points last season, he would have been the Habs' 4th leading scorer (behind Kovalev, Markov and Koivu) in what was a pretty brutal season for him. That's still a pretty good deal to get 19 goals and 45 points for a $1 million contract.
Chris - right you are, this is an "on year" for Prospal. For that amount of coin, we could have signed him to be the top six forward that the team is presently missing. However, there is really something that just doesn't click with this guy and we've had our fill of those type of players. I'd rather give some of our kids a shot at earning that spot even if it means there will be some major ups and downs along the way.
Agreed...we've had our fill. But a good season from Prospal makes the Rangers that much more dangerous, and I suspect they will be in the mix with the Habs and other teams for the final 4 playoff spots.
The Habs are the featured team in today's "30 in 30 Spotlight" on NHL.com: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=469995&navid=DL|NHL|Home
... How does this add to your coffee enjoyment - Does #8 look any different now ..... http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/
I almost threw up...
Ugh...
... Marc Messier is back in the Apple ... by Larry Brooks / NY Post ..... http://www.nypost.com/seven/08162009/sports/rangers/messiers_back__184732.htm ...................................... The Post has learned that coach Tom Renney approached Messier last season about the possibility of working with the coaching staff this season. It also has been learned that Messier interviewed this summer for the vacant coaching position in Edmonton that ultimately went to Pat Quinn (with Renney as his associate).
... from Kevin Paul Dupont - Sunday Hockey notes (tidbits) same old ..... http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articles/2009/08/16/camp_etiquette_take_it_easy/?page=1
Higgy once played in our rink.
Hard work couldn't hide all the pink.
No fiber in his dome,
So he went running back home.
Don’t believe me? Then check out this link:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2009/08/15/2009-08-15_c...
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
How is being traded "running back home"?
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
Matt D'Agostini Compilation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl5dWGSEjjI
Dag's is gonna be da bomb this year!
Excellent job as usual. Does Ryerson still have their "mind police"?
Mike Cammalleri (from his Kings days) is on MTV Cribs right now.
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Ya! The Habs Rule! now on Twitter!
Go Als Go
Bob Dylan, age 68, is asked for ID as he is walking through Jersey and gets pulled over by two cops who have been alerted by neighbors of house he checks out that's for sale. Cops arrive and he hasn't ID so walks back with them for a bit to his tour bus after telling them his name. They knew name, but were nor sure I was indeed him. He is polite and walks them back and produces ID. Cops report he was unfailingly obliging, polite, and unassuming. That's how i treat police officers, too. Had he said 'do you know who I am?', would we have another beer summit at the white house, professor gates?
I hope you're not asserting that Henry Louis Gates was in the wrong in the situation he dealt with?
No asserting whatsoever. I'll flat out say it - HLG WAS WRONG! A DUMBA$$ IDIOT! If my kid had a professor like him, I'd want a refund!
You were pretty clear to me the first time doug.
how are things, adriano?
Peace Out
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Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vicount of Vernersvurgh, Duke of Dickleberger and Follower Extraordinaire of The St.Flannel.
Classic. Where'd you se this bit of news?
Update: never mind, found it. Was out golfing today so haven't seen any news.
Part three of my series of one-game NHL players that were with the Habs.
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Ya! The Habs Rule! now on Twitter!
Kevin, Interesting read,not sure if getting in one game would not be worse then not making it at all. Almost a charity give me.
I'd give my left leg (rather redundant) to play a shift for the Habs!
Back in the infancy of the Canadiens you have to remember there was little to no pre season and much smaller rosters.
So players in those early years would get their try-outs based on one game alone.
Most of the goalies in the lists were brought in for injury replacements.
I'll be adding a list (small) of one-timers in the NHA Canadiens later.
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Ya! The Habs Rule! now on Twitter!
If I got that close by hard work and drive with minimum talent. I would sooner drink my honest beer instead of having 1 only sip of champagne. Each to their own.
off topic:
its saturday, im hanging havin a beer on the balcony and a lil bored:
What do you guys think about Andrei Kostitsyn? (Sergei too, but mainly Andrei)
1) What do you think is keeping Andrei in the NHL?
2) Do Russian (NHL) Players really hope to get a bigger "Audience" by coming to the NHL or do they believe that the KHL is not legit/reliable/run properly to handle there services?
3) Do you think think Andrei would transfer to the KHL?
4) Does anyone believe Andrei, or Sergei for that matter, to succeed in the NHL?
~ To answer my own questions, I believe Andrei wants to succeed and for that matter and that matter only, Sergei will follow. These brothers are close (Remember the Montreal/Phoenix game this past season when Andrei was hit hard and Sergei was visibly affected by his bro's condish) Andrei is a bull on skates, he's only 24, he can hit, his only problem is he doesn't use his strength as much as he should, but its been witnessed by all (except the ignorant fans here who do not know what potential is.) that his accurate shooting, his slick moves and his speed is enough to drive defensemen mad, again this is where consistency comes to play. On a bad year Andrei scores 23 goals, we (should) know what he's capable of. IMO I dont think its about Andrei. It should be more about Sergei, who has LOTS of room to grow, A Chris stated, Sergei can be an exciting player but he is only 22 (Prime can be about 2-5 years) he just needs to mature and with his brother, along with Jacques Martin's system, im very hopeful both of there play this upcoming year will be a big one.
P.S. Please lets not bother with the 2003 Draft and Ryan Getzlaf Argument (im still broken about it)
"I went to see a fight the other night...And A hockey game broke out!" ~Rodney Dangerfield~
Andrei played in AHL for about 3 years before coming to the NHL, and Sergei came to N.A. at 18, playing for the Knights, in order to get accustomed to the N.A. style. To me, it looks like they wanna play in the NHL.
all i have to say is if we let the kostitsyn's go we will be very very very sorry.
imagine if phily woudl have traded jeff carter 2 seasons ago.
--- we need a kovalev
1) Like most athletes, the money probably comes first. But secondly, I do believe that both Andrei and Sergei are pretty competitive guys and would therefore want to test themselves against the best in the world.
2) See above...its the competition and the money. We will see more and more of the Europeans potentially taking the KHL route if it continues to develop. The way of life is closer to their own, as is the style of play. Just as most North Americans would feel very clueless in the Russian league, many of the Europeans can get a little overwhelmed coming across the pond as youngsters: new language(s), new culture, lack of family and friends support network...its a lot to ask of an 18-20 year old kid. As the competition ramps up in that league, it will become a much more viable option.
3) Possibly, but I don't see it for a little while.
4) I think that Andrei already has succeeded in the NHL, to be honest. He's put up back-to-back 20 goal seasons, with 23 in his "Sophomore Slump" year. People forget that last year was only Andrei's second complete year in the NHL. There are a ton of guys that have hit their stride once they turn 24-25 years old. This year will be interesting for AK. And while I don't believe Kovalev did much to Plekanec's play (he was responsible for that himself with his decreased playmaking aptitude), Kovalev and Kostitsyn the Elder both need the puck on their stick to be effective. Kovalev was getting the puck, Kostitsyn not so much. We'll see how he does this year as "the man" on his line.
I'm sure we will all see what Andrei is capable of this coming season... I have said it before and I'll say it again.. I think he will match his number with goals this year. You have to remember his "off" year last year was affected by: The "number 1" line he was on the previous year being supplanted by the Koivu-Tanguay-whoever line... Playing with a sometimes disinterested, sometimes selfish Kovy, and an underachieving Pleky... The Russian "Mobgate" media-fest... Post concussion symptoms from Sauer hit in October? We'll see how the new line combos pan out, but I think the infusion of new talent and a fresh 2009 sheet of ice will inspire both the existing Habs and the newcomers.. Hey after all... aren't we all excited?
Love summer, but hurry up October :)
Vancouver Island Canadiens www.westcoasthockeypool.com
We're in an awkward position development-wise.
We have all of these 1-year RFA's, some of whom may not even see enough time to evaluate their worth on the team. If this is a 'building' year (unless a miracle happens, then it is), we have too many bodies clogging up the development of some of our young (and not-so-young-anymore) players. Unless Gainey REALLY just wants to win that Memorial Cup again (since Stanley seems pretty unlikely at this point).
Chips and Dags at the very least DESERVE a real shot (assuming they have a good camp), and others probably will too. But some won't get it. And we'll be losing good prospects without fully testing them.
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`Could this team miss the playoffs? Who knows?' - Bob Gainey on the new Habs.
do you mean Calder Cup?
Eklund says the Habs are back in a 3-way with Ottawa & SJ ...
Montreal gets Jonathan Cheechoo - RW & Christian Ehrhoff - D from SJ & Brian Lee - D from Ottawa
does not say who the Habs ship
Nor does it say who SJ Gets (assume Heatley)
I wish people would just boycott that guy's site altogether...
I agree. The guy makes money off of every click, yet he provides what as a service????? He's the Jerry Springer of hockey..........nothing but garbage, yet people still tune in. I don't.
sholi2000.com God Bless Our Infantry 2PPCLI
Dog days of summer - even claims made by fools is worthy of discussion - thus the reason I saved anyone else the trouble of clicking on his site.
The links you will note are TSN based lol ;)
On the bright side, i am moving into a new house and will be getting Bell satellite, and hence RDS in HD. Woo!!! Btw, does anybody living in Alberta or west in general have anything to say about Bell's service? I know couple of people in Mtl who installed satellite and say it was a nightmare getting things setup, but once everything was up and running there are no complaints.
Bell is fine. The odd service interruption due to weather is annoying, and they want to charge you every time something goes wrong, but the product is excellent, and that"s what matters.
I love Bell, and Center Ice is the way to go if you like to watch a lot of different teams. Other wise just get RDS and turn down the volume while listening to CJAD on your computer. Hardly any delay, and Murray Wilson and Rick Moffat are as good as any out there.
sholi2000.com God Bless Our Infantry 2PPCLI
I don't even mind listening the RDS guys. I have a little elementary school french, so I understand everything they say, but my wife, who hasn't got a lick of french, can follow along with frenglish they use. How anyone could call that french anyways is beyond me.
don't feel bad , I live in Miami and have a bell Expressvu setup....lol
Congrats on the new Home !
I live in Ontario and enjoy a great reception & quite honestly good service from the Bell TV Team.
It is great living in "Toronto" country and being able to watch quality hockey on RDS !!! lol
I think both webber and pacioretty will start in hamilton and stay there for the majority of the season since they are the youngest ones and will benefit most from more AHL experience.
I expect that D'Ags and Chipchurra will be the spare forwards and O Byrne the spare D. I'm assuming S. Kosts will be on the roster and Stewart will be a regular on the 4th line left wing position. S. Kosts and D'Ags will likely be rotating on and off the roster as necessary in 2nd or 3rd line roles. With Chips subbing in on the 4th line for Metro or even Laraque if his back keeps acting up.
While it is safe to say Chips will be in the NHL.
a) will it be in Montreal ? (trade bait ??)
b) he will fill one of the spare forward positions in Montreal.
Leaving one other spot "presumably" I think MaxPac may surprise... Dags has great offensive upside, but a year with Boucher would help his defensive liabilities (unless he worked on this this off-season).
Either way - I do not neccesarily think Dags is secured to be in Montreal this season (baring injuries)
Chips ain't that good. Trade bait, perhaps, but he doesn't make this roster. Neither will PAc or D'Ags. Weber is Hamilton bound, as well. Ain't it about time the Habs have a little depth?
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Beliveau is the best that ever was.
Why can't Chips take Metropolit's spot? He must be a better player at this point.
chipchura can't skate and can't win faceoffs. pretty important for a center
--- we need a kovalev
Ball is in his court, he has to take the job. No gimme's in the bigs.
I meant safe to say because he has a 1 way NHL contract - so he's in Montreal or he is Trade bait.
His 1-way deal does not mean he has to be in the NHL...it means that he will be paid $500 k regardless of where he lands. Since the going rate for 4th liners seems to be $0.7-1.0 million, generally, it strikes me that he and his agent settled for a much smaller amount on the condition that it be a 1-way deal so that he doesn't make a more paltry amount while in Hamilton on a 2-way deal.
The more likely loss of Chipchura will be via the waiver wire.
Uhm - allow me to correct you
IF Chipper is a Hab - he takes a roster spot on the team, and for the purpose of this conversation. That is exactly what we are talking about.
Let me ask you a question, what does 1-way contract mean?
It means he can not be sent down to the Minors without clearing waivers. Anyone who thinks Gainey will put Chipchura on waivers this year does not know Gainey very well.
2-way means the player can freely bounce between the two leagues without clearing waivers.
Sorry, but Chris was accurate in his comments. It is the most common misconception out there.
One or two way contracts refers only to pay rates and has nothing to do with movement between NHL and AHL which is covered under the waiver rules.
One way means the player gets paid the same rate whether he is in the NHL or AHL and two way means he has a different rate in his contract for the two leagues.
You are a prolific poster and it is important that you are accurate when you present your view points.
Yes, we are being anal (at least me) and if you don't believe us. Please check it out for yourself.
Fair Enough as you stated it is a popular miss-conception. I stand corrected.
NOW...
Re: your holier then thou Statement
"it is important that you are accurate when you present your view points"
I am human - maybe you think you know it all, but as you said "it is a popular miss-conception"
Maybe next time you can just point out the fault (as you did) without the little jab at the end ?
Oh and assuming I would argue without checking is also kinda "***-U-ME'ing" next time again keep the little jabs to yourself.
Fair Enough ?
as Bugs would say
PEACE OUT!
Must commend you, that is how you tell someone off while maintaining some class. Good job and my bad, guilty of all charges except the " you think you know it all" but your not the first to accuse me of it. No excuses other then some frustation (your excuse to Bugs yesterday). Actually wish more could see this fine example, we have too many that go off the board for less.
And Peace Out to you, too.
Fully agree... too many people go the extreme (I myself was once guilty of this) I've taken the approach (unless the heat has gotten to me lol) talk it out... keeping the personal out of the equation...
All's good :)
The type of contract is not linked to waiver rules. Those are determined by a combination of the player's age and their experience. You could sign a waiver eligible player to a two-way contract, although it would probably encourage them to be poached off your roster.
In Kyle Chipchura's case, he will have signed his first pro contract 4 seasons ago and is currently 23 years old. As such, regardless of what contract he signs (1- or 2-way), he is waiver eligible and must pass through waivers to be sent down or brought up.
He's a center so we need him, or we need to be able to trade him for another center. I think Chips has the goods, but it's up to him to deal with the nay-sayers this year. He knows that too. If he's not working his *** off in the gym right now, he's a fool.
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`Could this team miss the playoffs? Who knows?' - Bob Gainey on the new Habs.
Yeah I know he was a Leaf, but the late Teeder Kennedy was almost a Hab.
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Ya! The Habs Rule! now on Twitter!
MAX PACIORETTY WILL PLAY THE FULL SEASON IN HAMILTON.
MATT D'AGOSTINI WILL PLAY THE FULL SEASON IN HAMILTON.
P.K. SUBBAN WILL PLAY THE FULL SEASON IN HAMILTON.
Too many one year, one way contracts for these guys to crack the roster. Too close to the cap to call them up. With Gill, Mara and Moen there is a possibility that George gets bought out this season too or sent down to see if he can clear waivers.
No, No and (barring injuries) Yes
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Ya! The Habs Rule! now on Twitter!
can i correct your statements with more likely scenarios?
MAX PAC will start the season in hamilton but end it in montreal
MATT D'ags will start and finish the season in montreal
PK subban will not see the NHL at all this season unless one of the top 4 go down to injury
BGL will probably be put on waivers simply because they will see he wont play much due to low demand as well as frequent injuries and we will need the cap space
Unless traded, I'd wager that SENTENCES 1 and 2 are wrong.
SENTENCE 3 is possible, even likely.
As for the last paragraph; if BGL is put on waivers either MaxPac or MatDags would need to see full time duty.
Both will see time in MTL this year. Max Pac is most likely to spend most of the season in Hamilton but Dags will be up most of the year.
Subban will probably get a looksee once or twice. He will show well in pre-season but be sent down for seasoning.
Dags has outlived his AHL usefulness. He will be taxi squad or make the team outright.
Chipper will make the team or be released. His size makes him a better option than Metro.
I posted this earlier and am reposting it again in case any of y'all missed it! It's required reading to understand some of the vernacular being bandied about here.
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eklund (pronounced: eck-loond) verb:
1) to make ridiculously random NHL trade predictions, as if pulled out of a hat
If you eklund like that you'll get a brain cramp.
eklunding --> verb
2) to make a prediction that has no basis in fact and is not supported by sources
example: His eklunding was getting on my nerves.
adjective:
1) to have a 3% prediction rate
That trade has an eklunds chance of happening.
noun: 1) an NHL trade prediction that is pure speculation
example: I've noticed that posts on HIO have become filled with many eklunds as of late.
His eklund was off by a mile.
i like verbing words. it's fun.
Yes. It is. a few good ones are "loser", (stop losering!) "stupid", (stop stupiding!) and "ugly". (he's uglying all over the place!)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TML = Too Many Losses
Guys i actually had a weird dream last night (not making any of it up) that sergei was traded, yes just sergei not both brothers. To what team you ask? i remember red, so maybe calgary or something. but yeah very odd, could this be a sign? probably not but very odd isnt it?
It's a sign alright.
You missed the red point of your dream, I had the same one. The RED was blinking behind the oppositions net very often. Now does it come back for you.??
I wish that were the case! I just dont see sergei having a very good season this year, he lacks the drive and speed and wheels of pacioretty or d'agostini which kills in the new nhl, those 2 i think will be the ones with big seasons this year, both in the NHL
Which ever player outplays the other in camp will stay. Simple, the best player makes the team!!!
Dags is as one-dimensional as Ryder, with LESS scoring ability. Sergei has an excellent shot, is a great passer, and is responsible in his own end. something Dags will never be.
Actually he's faster than Ryder. And isn't quite as good with/without the puck yet, but consider the age difference. people like you need to think before you post.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________TML TML = Too Many Losses
I would make the argument that Sergei is faster already than both Pacioretty and D'Agostini, and I feel he is already a better player with a higher ceiling. He is also younger than D'Agostini and only a year older than Pacioretty. I saw a lot of Sergei in the OHL, and he is an exciting player.
He is feisty, he knows how to play defence and he has great vision. Carbonneau did not know what to do with Sergei Kostitsyn, but I would like to see what Jacques Martin can do with him before running him out of town.
I seriously doubt in a foot race sergei would beat dags, look at this goal by dags and the speed he uses, if he uses this speed all season long then we have a 25 goal man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr-yrS_DynQ&NR=1
Watched both of them play a ton of games against each other here in the OHL: D'Agostini for the hometown Storm, Kostitsyn for the London Knights. Kostitsyn was hands down the better player...it wasn't even close.
People keep saying "If D'Agostini does ______, he will score 25 goals". He might, but I think people need to realize he has NEVER been a goal-scorer at any level on a consistent basis. He had a torrid start last season and raised expectations. I simply do not believe that is the kind of player he is based on his career as a whole. Hope I'm wrong.
I see all these players with major upsides, and areas that need work. Why do we need to say so-and-so is better than this-player-or-that. SergeiK, Pacioretty, Latendresse and D'Agostini are all good players to have on a team. They're all young and have good years ahead.
SergeiK has great vision as is defensively responsible. Wasn't he being considered for centre at one point?
Pacioretty has size and speed and can score.
D'Agostini, ditto, although needs to work on his defensive game or his play without the puck.
Lats has already shown that he wants to improve, and his skating has gotten better.
The team is blessed with solid young players to support the cast of young veterans, not HP's veteran youth, but the Cammy's, Giontas and the Gomez'.
The bottom line is that the Habs are moving to player development with the hiring of JMartin and Guy Boucher on the farm. Another thing is that Gainey has finally been able to put his stamp on the team. I think that was his original 5 year plan. Assess and then address, then undress, and impress. No duress or stress, but hopefully finesse and success!
HH - Good call on our young players, bad call on Gainey and his plan. His plan failed and then he quickly went about patching the dike. I also think it's nuts for people to say we should be trading our young guys for people like Marleau. If that's the case, then we should have done that in late June. Chipchura is on the clock for sure but Dags still might fit the bill on the 3rd line. His two way contract worrries me but it also might act as a form of motivation. Neither guy would get past waivers so there's that to consider as well. We've lost quite a few young players in the past two years so we have to be careful. It's pretty clear we are short a top six forward so we might as well play the kids and see what happens.
My take on BG's plan is that with having 10 UFA's it put him in a position to remake the team and really start from square one. This is the first year in the next 100. Why does 5 year plan mean 5 years to the Cup? I think what it means is that the Habs are going to build, slowly and methodically, player development and defensive system being key elements of this renaissance. I've read this elsewhere as posted by other fans, "This is Gainey's team now!" The stamp is indelible!
Loved this post HH - agree on all counts.
The 5 year plan DID improve the team on ALL levels. It ended on a bad note, but what better position to clean house & sort of build around your future ?
IE Get great Defencemen for Carey Price. Gill will quickly make us forget about Komisarek. He can't skate that great - BUT the thing Komisarek lacked was his "scaryness" he made opponents feel. Gill will protect Price, ask Fleury in Pittsburgh after 20 games if he misses Gill.
Price will have his bodyguard, the one Laracque in a way SHOULD have been last year.
Mara & Spacek provide quality D improvements for the Canadiens, another boost to Price's stats.
Add Moen at forward, a western boy who will NOT let anyone mess with Price.
Anyone getting the point ? lol the 5 year plan was to make the team competitive. Granted some flops and a few errors of judgement (happens all around the league) along the way, fact remains the team is LEAPS and bounds better then the previous 10 years prior to this 5 year plan starting.
With the exception of Price (a lottery pick) the Habs have improved by having middle of the road picks or low picks in the 1st round.
The fact that a few have been traded (Higgins / McDonagh) and others we invested in walked, is the price a team must pay in a way to improve.
I think we as fans will NOT have to wait 5 years to see a team worthy to challenge.