Lean and hungry

sounds like a great prospect, lets hope he comes here some day.the rooskies pay huge bux now.

The word on Alexei Emelin from http://www.russianprospects.com/public/profile.php?player_id=398
Talent analysys;
Skating: A mobile, defensive defenseman with above-average skating...skates very well backwards. Shot: Shoots the puck very well...possesses a hard slapshot, but needs to work on his precision a bit...able to vary the delivery of his point shots, either lifting the puck or leaving it on the ice for a redirect. Technical Ability: A dependable player who can handle the puck and carry it out of the defensive zone...isn’t blessed with great hands, but is still above-average in this area, and doesn’t try to overhandle the puck. Pass: Capable of making straightforward passes with good precision, though he does not excel at creating scoring chances with his passing. Hockey Sense/Decision Making: Not a particularly creative player...understands how plays develop in his own end, but doesn’t see the ice that well in the attacking zone, and, as a result, tends to defer the playmaking chores to teammates...his offensive upside is mainly limited to his shooting ability. Defensive Play: Very reliable in his own zone...plays aggressive, proactive hockey, and likes to confront opponents...fights hard all over the ice...at times, can be overly physical and rough...routinely gets called for two or three roughing-type penalties each game. Physical Play: A very aggressive and physical player...uses his body well and can lay down some punishing checks...very effective near the boards...tends to commit an inordinate amount of fouls away from the puck. Overall: Given his mobility, aggressiveness and ability to hit, Yemelin’s style is somewhat reminiscent of a young Darius Kasparaitis.
NHL Outlook;
Alexei Emelin was one of the top Russian defensemen eligible for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens right where RussianProspects.com projected him – in the middle of the third round (84th overall). The young defenseamn not only packs the biggest physical punch among this year’s blueliners, but also displays the defensive upside to potentially develop into a top-four NHL rearguard. Offensively, he doesn’t have the makings of a power-play quarterback, as he lacks creativity and vision of the ice in the opponent’s zone, however, Emelin’s upside is still significant based on his strong shooting skills. Emelin has delivered several solid seasons in the Russian Super League and will likely make his jump to the NHL shortly, as he appears to be both physically and mentally ready for the challenge.

Engels has a 38-year-old 20-goal-scorer named Robert Lang making $4M again next year. More likely he makes $2.5M, and more likely than that he makes it somewhere else. With Chipchura in his spot, we're down from $60.4M to $56.4M already, and we're (just barely) under the cap. And that assumes the cap doesn't increase, which it seems to do every year.

Also, Engels has us with a bigger roster than we need -- 14 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 4 guys in the press box every night.

As well, I love Komi. He's great, he's solid, and I want to lock him up for 5 years as much as the next guy. But there's no way Gainey's giving him $5.75M -- let's say $5M max.

Lapierre's days in Montreal are numbered too, now that we've got both Laracque and Begin for grit and a solid centre like Maxwell coming up through the system and more centres than we know what to do with? Begin blocks shots, hits, fights, sticks up for his teammates and plays solid shutdown defense, and has way more defensive upside than Laps. And why would we call up Stewart for toughness with the roster we have now?

With Chipchura, Valentenko and Pacioretty waiting in the wings, I'd be surprised if Dandy, Lapierre, Kostopoulos (though I 'll miss him) or Bouillon (I'll miss him too) ended the season with the Habs, and together those outgoing players will make $5.2M this year. Brisebois's $750k won't be back next year either.

Gainey can keep this team's skill players together -- with the exception of either Lang or Tanguay -- and still stay under the cap. We have no reason to worry here.

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..."

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..."

Don't know if others have mentioned this, but I wonder what tune the KHL would be singing if Yemelin had bolted for North America a la Radulov before the transfer agreement with the NHL was signed? Would they still be claiming that there was no need to honour each other's contracts since the agreement was not in place? Too bad Yemelin didn't say f___ 'em and come here over the summer. We missed a chance.

Waging war on the HockeyNews comments-section.
Dude is saying our new pickups are too slow for the team and it will disrupt production. Dude is saying the chemistry is completely unbalanced and it will disrupt production. Dude is saying Kovy's gonna bust. Dude is saying the Flyers STOMPED us (i.e.: dominated us). Dude is saying we're drinking KoolAid.
I'm tryin' to show the Light but the clown ain't givin' up.
http://thehockeynews.com/comments/17905-Wellrested-Senators-return-to-ca...
What do YOU think?
Peace Out.

Hi guys...i don't write here very often. usually only when i have something i absolutely feel i must say, and mostly because i can't logon from home for some reason, so i'm only able to read and not respond to what i see most of the time. I'm loggin on from work today though, reaching out to see if anyone out there can help out a long time Habs fan. I wrote in a blog posting the other week about my feelings towards Patrick Roy's number being raised to the rafters. You can access that posting here:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=14943184...

I hope some of you read it, cause in writing it, it was hope that other Hab fans would be able to relate to some of the moments i describe in the entry. Anyway, in short, the day i found out about Nov. 22, I bought my plane ticket back to Montreal for that weekend. Wasn't cheap but it was gonna be worth it. Unfortunately, as many others have found, i have been unable to secure a ticket to the game. I am ultimately willing to pay the scalpers what they want for the ticket, but i really don't want a pair and that's what most are selling. i'm flying in on my own, and only want one ticket. also, if i'm going to give someone my hard earned money, i'd rather it be an ACTUAL Habs fan.

So my question is this: does anyone out there have a single extra ticket that they might be willing to sell to someone who has been waiting for this day for 13 years? I will pay the going rate for it. I just need a chance to see this day go down in person. Thanks for reading and i hope, if nothing else, you enjoy the blog entry. please let me know if people are having trouble accessing it. Thanks!

Is it just me, or does nobody notice that neither Engels nor anyone commenting on his projections seem to remember that we are already currently at 24 players? Dandenault will be gone before the start of the season and will not need to be replaced.

Can anyone give me a bit of insight into the KHL situation? Can they offer a contract to a player who has their rights retained by an NHL club? IE...can Yemelin be offered a contract, and the Habs get into a bidding war? What does this do to the CBA rokie contract caps, etc?

Whoever didnt get tickets yesterday should log on NOW!!!! Im at 5-10 minutes...

"We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don't even have to go to the hospital."
~Brad Park.

Eric Engels makes some interesting assumptions when looking at the Habs cap situation for next year. Who's to say that Lang will come back for another year, especially at $4mil a season? I was under the impression he was a one year rental that reflected our special cap window for this year. (although the never ending search for a big centre will still need to be addressed in 09') I also wouldn't assume that there will be a huge bump in the cap next year, not with the Canadian dollar being so unstable. I also wonder if Pleks and Higgins will settle for under $4 mil a year, especially if they have a banner season in 2008-09. They are RFAs and could be looking at an offer sheet. In terms of moving out vets, there is something to be gained by dropping players such as Bouillon, Begin, TTB, and Brisebois, but you still have to replace them with another young player, which essentially cuts the cap savings in half. Lastly, if Max-Pac makes the Habs next year then it would appear that LW may be a little crowded. Unless AK46 slides over to the right side, we may not need both Tanguay and Higgins. One of the two could be expendable. There are lots of options that will come into play. For me, it all begins with re-signing Komisarek and Koivu. After that, we can move on to the other unsigned players.

Speaking of the salary cap, I'm still not sure why Gainey gave Brisebois the opportunity to make up to 1.5 mil this year (including bonuses). I'm assuming the bonus is for games played, but I would have thought we could have picked him up for a straight $750000. It's not like anyone else was going to sign him. That money could come in handy down the road, although I doubt Brisebois will reach the full bonus. Regardless, we still have to budget for it.

The Original 24 Cups

The Virtual Waiting room is re-opened today at 10:00 A.M For anyone who still wants to get tickets...

"We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don't even have to go to the hospital."
~Brad Park.

If Yemelin comes to the NHL next year, then he should be able to automatically make the team and take Bouillon's spot in the lineup. Worst case scenario, he would battle Valentenko for the job. Hopefully, McDonagh will eventually replace Hamrlik which would give us a solid defense (not to mention all the other young D prospects we have in the system).

By the way, is it Yemelin or Emelin?

The Original 24 Cups