Trading Places LEAFS HABS

[Clark4Ever]

I'm just glad that Habs fans finally know what the rest of the league knew all along; that their team is not even close to as good as their record over the last few years indicates without Price in goal.

I thought they would at least be a playoff bubble team without Price, but they have basically been a lottery team in his absence.

 

[Eb]

What a silly question.

Montreal are closer to the cup, but we don't know where they expect to be in 5 years.

The Leafs are nowhere near the cup, and we have a sense of what their plan is for the next 5 years.

Their fans will pick their system, and our fans will pick our system.

The big kicker for me? Bergevin is smarter than any exec from either of the 2 teams.

I could talk about the bolded all day. What an outlandish claim. Care to explain why you think this?

 

[Tak7]

Bergevin is a very good GM who had success in a secondary role on the Blackhawks, but his resume pales in comparison to Lou Lamoriello's.

You mean the guy who ran New Jersey into the ground with his stubborn, outdated approach?

That Lamoriello?

 

[Pi]

What a silly question.

Montreal are closer to the cup, but we don't know where they expect to be in 5 years.

The Leafs are nowhere near the cup, and we have a sense of what their plan is for the next 5 years.

Their fans will pick their system, and our fans will pick our system.

The big kicker for me? Bergevin is smarter than any exec from either of the 2 teams.

Montreal is not closer to the Cup unless Price can replicate his regular season in the playoffs. The have essentially depleted their entire cupboard. They have nobody they can trade off their roster to get an upgrade. They rely on grinders and terrible low value trades and signings to provide a spark.

Bargainbin has nothing on Lou in terms of experience. Heck Lou likely has more years of experience in hockey than Bergevin has lived so far.

 

[Pi]

You mean the guy who ran New Jersey into the ground with his stubborn, outdated approach?

That Lamoriello?

The same Lou that traded for Schneider and gave them a reliable goalie for a decade. That Lou who went from a HHOF goalie to a top 5 goalie without breaking a sweat.

 

[Eb]

You mean the guy who ran New Jersey into the ground with his stubborn, outdated approach?

That Lamoriello?

Let's forget about Lou for a second. Why don't you explain why you think Beregevin is so good?

 

[Daisy Jane]

You mean the guy who ran New Jersey into the ground with his stubborn, outdated approach?

That Lamoriello?

what on earth are you talking about?

 

[Daisy Jane]

The same Lou that traded for Schneider and gave them a reliable goalie for a decade. That Lou who went from a HHOF goalie to a top 5 goalie without breaking a sweat.

I think Lou gets a lot of flack for a lot things that he didn't have control over. talking to a lot of Devils fans, reading what they said when it was announced that Lou was gone - a lot things Lou did (if i read it right) - had a lot to do with the fact that the Meadowlands basically did not draw money and the Devils themselves did not draw money (hence a lot of wonky signings - Kolvachuk - then the Parise thing, etc).

but he did a lot of amazing things for that organization, "stubborn, outdated approach" and all - and quietly set them up with a good defense core moving forward and getting Schneider for ONLY a first round pick. most Devils fans have said he simply did not have time to address the forwards.

again. there's a lot of things you can call Lou - "not smart" wouldn't be one of them and unless I'm missing something significantly with Bergevin, I don't see how you could argue that he is smarter than Lou.

 

[tolwyn]

I'd take Subban over Karlsson any day of the week, and I suspect most markets in the NHL would do the same.

Why? Who? Karlsson is better in basically every aspect of the game. Regardless of what some people would have you think, he plays a very good defensive game. Very few players can control a game like EK, and Subban isn't one of them.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Our coaching staff and management are light years beyond what they are currently working with. Our prospects are also much better. The only thing they really have is Price and to a much lesser extent, Subban.

Why anyone here would want to trade places with them is beyond me.

 

[LeafsEqualDaBest]

Most Habs fans I know feel sorry for the Leafs more than wanting to make fun of them. They think it's so ****ing pathetic that we've been pathetic for so long that they can't even hate us or wish us to fail more.

Of course the moment the Habs start playing like ****, we see posts by Leafs fans wishing them failure and laughing at their misfortune. Leafs definitely have the classiest fans

 

[Apotheosis]

Most Habs fans I know feel sorry for the Leafs more than wanting to make fun of them. They think it's so ****ing pathetic that we've been pathetic for so long that they can't even hate us or wish us to fail more.

Of course the moment the Habs start playing like ****, we see posts by Leafs fans wishing them failure and laughing at their misfortune. Leafs definitely have the classiest fans

I don't know which Habs fans you're talking to. Every single Hab fan I know always laughs at me when I say I'm a Leaf fan or even remotely start talking about the Leafs. Being a fan of an NHL team doesn't come with a title saying "be classy to your most hated rival". I don't care about Montreal, and you shouldn't either. They're historically our biggest rival. You're not supposed to feel sorry.

 

[Mystifo]

Price and sometimes Subban and Gallagher are the only pieces on the Habs I'm interested in. The rest I wouldn't even give the time of day. That team is only good because of Price. Take him away and they're nothing.

Somethimes For Gallagher? I hate the Habs as much as most leaf fans but I will take Gallagher on my team every single night. He is just one of those guys who never quits and just puts it all on the line every night. He's just one of those players coaches and fans love. Similar to Komarov.

 

[Bluelines]

Was on a couple of Montreal news websites today and the replies to articles about the Habs are over the top. One guy called Price a "sieve" , another guy said PK's fire-wagon approach to hockey is the cause, apparently he takes too many risks, a lot of posters were piling on Bergeron calling him a popcorn salesman...not sure what that means. Others were confident that if the Habs lose vs the Leafs this weekend, Therrien will be fired...its very odd how the fans can go from I love PK, I love Bergeron, I love Therrien, I love Price , everythign is perfect in Habs land to the polar opposite in 2 months.

Yesterday on Leafs lunch they asked ... "For Leaf fans what is a worse scenario...? The Habs winning the cup or the lottery?"

For me it would the Habs winning the lottery..Matthews is ours!!!

 

[Bluelines]

I don't know which Habs fans you're talking to. Every single Hab fan I know always laughs at me when I say I'm a Leaf fan or even remotely start talking about the Leafs. Being a fan of an NHL team doesn't come with a title saying "be classy to your most hated rival". I don't care about Montreal, and you shouldn't either. They're historically our biggest rival. You're not supposed to feel sorry.

Every Hab fan I know makes a point of telling/asking me (often) ..Why do Leaf fans think that they are a hated rival of the Habs? Like they are trying to tell me the Leafs are so pathetic, Hab fans think the Leafs are irrelevant ... I think they might have a point...

 

[Jack Bauer]

You mean the guy who ran New Jersey into the ground with his stubborn, outdated approach?

That Lamoriello?

I'll take a guy running my team into the ground while making the Cup Finals any day.

It's like people ignore reality then throw out comments on athletes or managers.

Lou managed that team to Cup wins in 95, 2000, and 2003 while making the finals in 01 and 2012. In 17 seasons he took a team to the finals 5 times and less then 4 years after that last finals appearance you're saying he ran that team into the ground.

Unless Ken Holland is your only measuring stick, your comment is laughable.

 

[BlueBaron]

Every Hab fan I know makes a point of telling/asking me (often) ..Why do Leaf fans think that they are a hated rival of the Habs? Like they are trying to tell me the Leafs are so pathetic, Hab fans think the Leafs are irrelevant ... I think they might have a point...

A rivalry isn't much fun when one side is in a different class than the other. I know a few Habs and Sens fans and most of them want us to be good so that beating us means something. A lot also do not like seeing an original 6 franchise suck so much.

You see a homeless person trip and fall in a puddle it's not so funny, you see some guy in his Armani suit do it, its a lot more enjoyable.

I think their insults are just reflex, and implying we are not good enough to be a rival is just an extension of that. Get back to regular playoffs and that talk stops real fast.

 

[as Pure as Evil]

as sad as it is to say, they're slide is great news for leaf land. It will somewhat make people forget the collapse we did the last couple years. just cause they're slide is a lot larger at this point

 

[zeke]

The second they started handing out the Norris to Karlsson, was the same second it stopped becoming relevant in discussions of who / what is a true #1 in this league.

I'd take Subban over Karlsson any day of the week, and I suspect most markets in the NHL would do the same.

Karlsson is so much better than Subban it's not even really worth discussion.

Karlsson carries his team the same way Price carries his.

 

[MJ65]

The difference is Price and Subban (at this point)

 

[garyjones93]

The thing that annoys me about it is how everyone is politically correct about the situation. Montreal should be called Montreal Price. Without him they are a bubble team, that is what we are seeing. Patchs is basically a JVR level Pretty good-to Good 1st line winger, Subban is an average 2/3 + Good offense, and can hit, kinda like Phaneuf, which would be my Comparable for him. rest are just average players, Price though is a Superstar goalie, best goalie in the game, put him on any team and they are a playoff team, well except Edmonton

So no it's not surprising where they are and people should call it as it is. Montreal is nothing without Price.

 

[The CyNick]

I'll take the Leafs for sure. Habs draws MANY comparisons to what the Leafs were experiencing last year and the year before.

Leafs had the best Goalie in the league and true #1 D? I gotta stop doing so many drugs.

 

[The CyNick]

Right now nobody has Price.

For the 2nd year in a row he is experiencing a 'lower body injury' that seems to be nagging him.

I would be quite concerned as a Habs fan. The window to win with that core is with guys like Price, Subban, Pacioretty in their prime.

They are a team that, in my opinion, should be going all out to ice the absolute best team every spring in the hopes of keeping everyone healthy and winning the weak Eastern Conference and hoping the best goaltender in the game can beat the West champ 4 times out of 7.

Instead they operate like a middle of the pack team, drafting kids and letting them develop but not capitalizing on their value and cashing it out for current proven NHL talent.

Stick to the question, which was would you trade places. They have more core pieces than we do, so the only answer is yes.

We could be rebuilding for 10 more years and still never get a sniff at a guy at the level of Price to play goal.

 

[The CyNick]

What good is it if you're basically the 90s Sabres?

I would take the 90s Sabres over us as well.

Not sure what your point is here.

 

[The CyNick]

Our coaching staff and management are light years beyond what they are currently working with. Our prospects are also much better. The only thing they really have is Price and to a much lesser extent, Subban.

Why anyone here would want to trade places with them is beyond me.

Because we're 29th, and when Price was healthy they were the best or 2nd best team in the Conference. So yeah, thats why.