Player Discussion Alex Galchenyuk: Time to loosen the restraints?

[Sorinth]

143 games the last 2 years? He played 61 games last year and the previous year he spent easily 30 games on the wing so that's around 110 games at the very most. My maths are off but so are yours.

BTW my point was just to say stats don't matter for AG so they should not matter for Drouin too. Statistically speaking AG clearly produced better while playing center than wing there's absolutely no questioning that. Is Drouin doing well on faceoffs and defensively? That's where the evaluation should be done. Like for AG.

He didn't spend 30 games on wing in 2015-2016.
http://www.cs.unb.ca/~mwf/habs/2015-16/regseason/forw_27AG.html

But you're right I had the wrong numbers too.

Regardless your point is dumb. We completly mishandled Galchenyuk, so you now want us to do the same to Drouin? Why? Not that I think they have learnt anything but shouldn't the goal be to not repeat the same stupid mistakes using the same stupid reasons?

 

[Kriss E]

Galchenyuk should have been played at center since day 1. But none of what you've said is really relevant to the point I made. Therrien and company used the fact that Galchenyuk had mostly played wing to justify moving him to wing whenever he struggled at center. You're doing the same with Drouin now.

Euh no. They said he was weak defensively, not that he was mostly used at center, and yes, of course having 3 other centers also plays a part.
Also, again, Galch was drafted as a center. He played a year on the wing in juniors. So if management said that, ya, so? They would be full of shit as he was mostly a center and drafted as one.
Yes, of course, after 3 years of using him on the wing, it's easy to say he's mostly been used on the wing.

In no way, shape or form is Drouin in the same boat. Drouin was drafted as a winger, and he's been used as a winger.

There is literally no similarity.

 

[Sorinth]

Euh no. They said he was weak defensively, not that he was mostly used at center, and yes, of course having 3 other centers also plays a part.
Also, again, Galch was drafted as a center. He played a year there.
Yes, of course, after 3 years of using him on the wing, it's easy to say he's mostly been used on the wing.

In no way, shape or form is Drouin in the same boat. Drouin was drafted as a winger, and he's been used as a winger.

There is literally no similarity.

Except Drouin wasn't drafted as a winger. He was a guy who could play both wing and center just like Galchenyuk.

Growing up Drouin played as a center, he was moved to wing in Juniors for a year and a half because the team had MacKinnon. He then went right back to being center until the NHL.

 

[Runner77]

Exactly right. Complaints, innuendo and outright criticism from management that the players are not responding to the "challenges" that they themselves created.

It's pathetically perverse, wouldn't you agree?

It would have been more of an irritant a few years back.

Now, I constructively look at it as an accelerant in the demise of the failed architect.

 

[groovejuice]

It would have been more of an irritant a few years back.

Now, I constructively look at it as an accelerant in the demise of the failed architect.

I'm sceptical that anything short of a indictable offense will accelerate the demise of Bergevin. Molson appears too comfortable with inadequate achievements in hockey - as long as the entries in the ledger are in deep black.

 

[Fozz]

Call me crazy but I'd like to see the coach loosen the restraints on both those guys and, to me, that mean playing them together but both as wingers. Put a strong defensive centre in between them to handle the d-zone responsibilities and let them fly. I liked what we saw from DLR in the few games he played with Galchenyuk and Byron and I wouldn't mind trying him in that spot.

 

[Runner77]

I'm sceptical that anything short of a indictable offense will accelerate the demise of Bergevin. Molson appears too comfortable with inadequate achievements in hockey - as long as the entries in the ledger are in deep black.

Deep Black Ops where the Habs, albeit a cash cow, are still a footnote somewhere within Molson's murky business empire.

 

[groovejuice]

Deep Black Ops where the Habs, albeit a cash cow, are still a footnote somewhere within Molson's murky business empire.

Don't underestimate the satisfaction of rubbing elbows with those who make others Wannabes. There is a delusion that it rubs off.

It doesn't.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

 

[Yoor]

my question is.....was MB really hoping JD to be better then AG at center??

fixed that for you...this management really likes to roll the dice on everything. sad

 

[Yoor]

I think it was about adding more options at center vs what we had last year.

interesting approach if thats the case...another approach would have been to obtain and actual real C instead of gambling on options. Gamblers sometime win big...but usually end up on the losing end of things most times.

 

[NobleSix]

Thanks for the graphic.

Anybody with a set of eyes and a functioning non-biased brain could have seen that by just watching the past 15 games or so.

 

[CauZuki]

Thanks for the graphic.

Anybody with a set of eyes and a functioning non-biased brain could have seen that by just watching the past 15 games or so.

Apparently playing a center with low confidence on the 4th line wing with grinders may lead to poor performance...Who could have predicted such a thing!

 

[Habs Halifax]

interesting approach if thats the case...another approach would have been to obtain and actual real C instead of gambling on options. Gamblers sometime win big...but usually end up on the losing end of things most times.

I would like a million bucks today but it's not happening unless I make smart moves today that will pay off later . Gamble yes? But it's a calculated gamble becuase you are not getting a "REAL CENTER" without paying a huge price and making another hole in the line-up.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Galchenyuk was put on the 4th line to prove himself and show he can grind with the grinders. He showed Julien his potential and earned a top line spot right?

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

One week ago Dany Dubé suggested unite the 3 francos just for a try.
Drouin-Danault-Hudon
At least they can take advantage of their strange particular language only them can understand on the ice like : passe-moé l'puck t*barnak, awèye astie, kriss le puck dans l'fond, étampe lé dans bande, etc.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

Some poster wrote we never needed to draft a top center like Kopitar or Getzlaf because we already drafted one : Galchenyuk. Eeeeh, is this was a joke ?

Or what ? I must be d*mb because I'm not convinced.
Or wake me up when he's gonna show us he is a top center, I find curling more exciting, lol.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

It was a storm cloud at the beginning of the season that nobody predicted to be as bad as it was. It has stabilized with some winning and losing streaks with the Habs now being in the second 3rd in NHL standings. Most realistic people think we are a middle of the pack team and better than the start we had. So yeah, I say the hockey gods did us a favor to help us realize we need to take a few steps back... we should take the off season and run with it.

(BTW... it's just an expression)

Habs can win some games because there is two kind of teams in the league, a little bit like rich countries (G8) and third world countries. Habs can win against Ottawa, Carolina, Florida, Buffalo, Avs and maybe Columbus, Islanders, Rangers, Devils, Bruins, Minnesota, Flames, Oilers, Vancouver and Coyotes. Maybe. The other teams, don't even think about it, they are too strong.

We are a bad bad team. Without Price doing miracles saves, we are done.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Habs can win some games because there is two kind of teams in the league, a little bit like rich countries (G8) and third world countries. Habs can win against Ottawa, Carolina, Florida, Buffalo, Avs and maybe Columbus, Islanders, Rangers, Devils, Bruins, Minnesota, Flames, Oilers, Vancouver and Coyotes. Maybe. The other teams, don't even think about it, they are too strong.

We are a bad bad team. Without Price doing miracles saves, we are done.

I agree we are not cup contenders and we need to take a few steps back. I don't think we are a bad team and done without Price because to me that is negative propaganda and I want nothing to do with that as a Habs fan regardless of who is our GM or President. Habs need to make a few moves (Trade Patch and Pleky) now, put themselves in a position for a lottery pick win, have a good draft and off season and we can be a much younger, faster, and tougher team to play against next year. We are not likely cup contenders next year either but it's no reason to throw our team under the bus. If we can add to our age 25 and under core and be lead by Price/Weber, we will be in very good shape. That doesn't include what can do with our cap space either.

We are not doomed. All teams go through ups and downs.

 

[OldCraig71]

One week ago Dany Dubé suggested unite the 3 francos just for a try.
Drouin-Danault-Hudon
At least they can take advantage of their strange particular language only them can understand on the ice like : passe-moé l'puck t*barnak, awèye astie, kriss le puck dans l'fond, étampe lé dans bande, etc.

There is the problem with this franchise, it is as much or more about politics than it is about winning. We just gutted a very valuable portion of our team that happened to be Russian and not even a chirp was made about it, how come?

 

[Wats]

Trade him now. He should return decent value, even for Bergevin. If he breaks out, management gets exposed faster. If he falters, good on the team for getting something in return. He's going to be UFA in 2.5 years so better now than never..

 

[sandviper]

Trade him now. He should return decent value, even for Bergevin. If he breaks out, management gets exposed faster. If he falters, good on the team for getting something in return. He's going to be UFA in 2.5 years so better now than never..

I've been defending Chucky all year (and past years) but yeah, I'm at the point where moving him may be both in the team's and his best interest. I still personally think he can (re)break-out, but it is friggen crystal clear the coaches and management have no faith in him. I was joking with a co-worker, a Leafs fan no less, that he's probably on the first line just so the team can prop up his trade value.

Look, Chuck isn't blameless at all here. He doesn't put in that work night-in and night-out say like Gallagher, but with that skill he has, he could and should be a lot more lethal. At the same time, at least for the first quarter of the season, he hasn't been given the same opportunities to succeed like certain other players...

He has a decent contract given his potential, and I think we'd get something decent for him. That said, #67 better be on the block also because whether he turns it on this year, or next (or not at all), I don't want him getting a $35m contract over 5-years for the offence he HAD provided.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Bergevin should not be allowed to trade Galchenyuk. Unless it's a can't miss trade. Still.

MB should likely be gone at the end of the year. I think Galchenyuk would play much better under a different regime. Molson should not allow MB to trade him.

 

[gillyguzzler]

I couldn't vote for any of the 4 options.

I say leave him on the wing with Drouin but consider that line as your #1. Play Chucky 17-19 minutes a night at least and have him on the #1 PP as your right side trigger man.

Keep telling him (in private, not through the media) to win the board battles and give him the important ice time that a guy like Patches gets no matter what.

During the last game, he did a lot a things right. He was tougher to play against and made many many smart plays out of his zone and entering the O zone. I thought it was one of his most complete games in a while.

At this point, I'd add Gallaguer to their line and make it a true first line.

 

[Native]

you must exhaust all possibilities prior to giving up on a player, especially with one that does possess some skills that are above average. exercise due diligence and see what happens, at this point, you have nothing to lose. just stick chuck at center, drouin on this wing, and another player that has some offensive skills and rounds out the shortcomings of both chuck and drouin (defensive ability, dirty work).

drouin is wasted at center. he is overwhelmed. its not working.

chuck has regressed from how he has been used and by his own weak play.

however, just perhaps some faith shown to him will enable him to overcome some obstacles and just help him succeed to develop himself into a more responsible and consistent player. i believe he's the type of person that requires psychological support in order to succeed. he needs additional coddling, petted, and given positive constructive reinforcement.

i believe bergevin's arrogance has hindered chuck's develop. MB was adamant, and stated chuck is not a center. it is like he's given a moratorium on chuck not playing center, just in order for himself to feel right.

julien needs to run his lineup without this restriction.

bergevin has done some good things; but has done alot more bad. his cool confident seemingly competent tough act was worn out. the charade is over and his incompetence has been exposed. molson was played and he, himself, is the bigger fool.