News Article: AK Bars interested in Valiev

[Habs Icing]

Right now if MB learned anything from last season the defense should be.

(ufa or trade)-Weber
Mete-Petry
Alzner-Juulsen

Unless we acquire two left handed dmen this off season i don't see how Mete doesn't fit into an healthy defense. He was our best LHD this season. Alzner is not good enough to play top 4 unless the top 3 is best in class which out top 3 is not. Benn and Schlemko are not NHL dmen. They can play a 7th dman role (as can Lernout) but they belong to the AHL or Europe.

At least can we pretend we acquired Weber to help kids? What's the point of Weber if the defense includes Benn, Schlemko and Alzner? I don't care if Schlemko has two years left Weber will be 35 by then. Schlemko is not a NHLer and he should not play in the NHL.

I'd like to see a little of Reilly before we dismiss him. He has good offensive talent but needs to work on his defence.

 

[habsgirl5000]

I'd like to see a little of Reilly before we dismiss him. He has good offensive talent but needs to work on his defence.

you don't win cups with defensemen like reilly and alzner.

 

[Scriptor]

Would be nice for Mete and Juulsen to spend a whole season in Laval with proper coaching and allow them to focus on honing both sides of their game, but especially offensively.

I hope the organization embraces this upcoming season as another opportunity to tank and gets themselves a good chance to draft Hughes. This guy is better than Matthews and the best chance a young player has of entering the McDavid tier.

You should start that post with, "I have a dream..."

 

[Scriptor]

you don't win cups with defensemen like reilly and alzner.

Definitely not as your go-to Ds. As depth Ds, I don't see the problem.

 

[habsgirl5000]

I hope the organization embraces this upcoming season as another opportunity to tank and gets themselves a good chance to draft Hughes.

they may not have to TRY to tank.....it could happen naturally, like it did last season

 

[Captain Mountain]

https://www.tsn.ca/agent-no-khl-decision-for-valiev-soshnikov-1.1080277

Milstein said Valiev, who was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Montreal Canadiens in the deal, was happy to get a look from the NHL club late in the season after playing in the AHL for three years. The 22-year-old is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1 and Milstein said that negotiations with the Canadiens will begin in early June.

 

[Kriss E]

It's no biggie. Yet....you wonder how a guy who has to know how bad we are defensively already took the decision to just leave. It's not like we were so deep that he knew he'd be No14 or something...

I'm guessing he just wants to go back home. If he wants to really make the NHL and believes in his chances, well as you said, the Habs are probably one the teams he'd have the best opportunities to crack the line up on. He only played 5 games in the AHL with us, so it's not like he spent a lot of time working with people he hated, but even if he had, we fired Lefebvre...

Altogher, I'm sure he just wanted to go back home. Not sure if we targeted him or he was put in by the Leafs.

 

[montreal]

https://www.rds.ca/hockey/canadiens...it-decide-de-se-tourner-vers-la-khl-1.6072014

I changed the title after the TSN article saying he hasn't made a decision yet. I had thought before it was announced he could be KHL bound so it won't surprise me if he goes but if I were him I would give it one more shot as the Habs could use him especially if they opt to give one or both of Mete/Juulsen AHL time.

 

[AcadiaAxeMan]

Can't blame him. When you are under guys like Schlemko and Benn on the depth chart it's better to leave. It's not like Valiev is 20 or 21. He will be 23 soon and you don't have any future with an organization if Schlemko and Benn are ahead of you.

Don't understand why we did not try him seriously at the end of last season.

I read that he ended the year on the DL with a LBI but liked that the HABS gave him a few games in the NHL.

https://www.tsn.ca/agent-no-khl-decision-for-valiev-soshnikov-1.1080277

 

[Habs76]

Definitely not as your go-to Ds. As depth Ds, I don't see the problem.

I do. You don't see Nashville employing a Karl Alzner level dman. Emelin, who is far better can hardly crack the lineup.

 

[Treb]

I do. You don't see Nashville employing a Karl Alzner level dman. Emelin, who is far better can hardly crack the lineup.

Nashville didn't win the Cup though.

Penguins had guy like Ruhwedel and Streit as depth D last year.
They had Lovejoy and Pouliot in 2016.
Hawks had Rundblad, Cumiskey and last legs Rozsival and Timonen in 2015.

 

[Habs76]

Nashville didn't win the Cup though.

Penguins had guy like Ruhwedel and Streit as depth D last year.
They had Lovejoy and Pouliot in 2016.
Hawks had Rundblad, Cumiskey and last legs Rozsival and Timonen in 2015.

Nashville is a Cup-level team, though.

Streit played 3 games in the playoffs
Ruhwedel played 6.
Lovejoy is far from a bad dman.
Pouliot played 2 games.
Rundblad played 5.
Roszival played 12 games throughout the playoffs and although was not in his prime was still playing alright.
Cumiskey played 9 GP.
Timonen I recall got a pretty good return at the TDL and was a good smart defenseman.

Those are bad examples for the most part. Cumiskey is the best one, and even he only playerd 9 GP.

 

[Treb]

Nashville is a Cup-level team, though.

Streit played 3 games in the playoffs
Ruhwedel played 6.
Lovejoy is far from a bad dman.
Pouliot played 2 games.
Rundblad played 5.
Roszival played 12 games throughout the playoffs and although was not in his prime was still playing alright.
Cumiskey played 9 GP.
Timonen I recall got a pretty good return at the TDL and was a good smart defenseman.

Those are bad examples for the most part. Cumiskey is the best one, and even he only playerd 9 GP.

What do you think a depth D is?

 

[habsfan909]

Definitely not as your go-to Ds. As depth Ds, I don't see the problem.

Alzner should be no higher than #7 on the depth chart. Heck, the Caps knew this and didn't even play him in the playoffs. I wonder what part of that strategy sounded off an alarm bell so loud than Bergevin decided to sign him the 1st chance he got.

 

[habsfan909]

Nashville didn't win the Cup though.

Penguins had guy like Ruhwedel and Streit as depth D last year.
They had Lovejoy and Pouliot in 2016.
Hawks had Rundblad, Cumiskey and last legs Rozsival and Timonen in 2015.

Well when we have the Pens or Hawks strength at centre, then we can worry about employing s***ty depth D... until then, we cannot.

 

[Habs76]

What do you think a depth D is?

This conversation goes back to a post that lists Alzner on the third pair, which means he would be a regular. "Depth D" wasn't the best termonology.

 

[Treb]

This conversation goes back to a post that lists Alzner on the third pair, which means he would be a regular. "Depth D" wasn't the best termonology.

Fair point.

Reilly (and Alzner I guess) would be fine 7/8th D.

 

[Habs76]

Fair point.

Reilly (and Alzner I guess) would be fine 7/8th D.

Sure, I wouldn't want Alzner in that role at that cap hit though