Pre-Game Talk: Boston @ Montreal: Tues. Nov. 5 @ 7:30pm

[Fenway]

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[Kriss E]

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oh how the league has changed...

 

[BLONG7]

Considering how he started the OT period against Vegas I doubt it. It seems like he'll give Byron as many chances as it takes till he finally scores.

CJ should protect Byron a little more......like he does the kids.

 

[Habs Halifax]

We need to take example on the Bruins, they work the right way.

Bergeron and Chara are a huge part of that team's culture and it's been like a decade now. Hitting with Pasta, Marchand and McAvoy helps.

Where would they be if Chara didn't sign with them back when? Not sure but that guy is a beast and he can shut you down even at 40+. Add Bergeron who is one of the best two way centers in the game with good goaltending and depth and you get what we see.

Curious though... Did they hit in the last 3 drafts? Will they hit again like Macharnd and Pasta in the next few drafts? How does the Habs last 3 or 4 drafts compare to earlier drafting by the Bruins? We will find out but it's too early.

Habs can only dream to be able to sign a UFA like Chara! Closest is Radulov and we signed him for 1 year and then let him walk cause of $1M extra AAV per year.

 

[Lshap]

Bergeron and Chara are a huge part of that team's culture and it's been like a decade now. Hitting with Pasta, Marchand and McAvoy helps.

Where would they be if Chara didn't sign with them back when? Not sure but that guy is a beast and he can shut you down even at 40+. Add Bergeron who is one of the best two way centers in the game with good goaltending and depth and you get what we see.

Curious though... Did they hit in the last 3 drafts? Will they hit again like Macharnd and Pasta in the next few drafts? How does the Habs last 3 or 4 drafts compare to earlier drafting by the Bruins? We will find out but it's too early.

Habs can only dream to be able to sign a UFA like Chara! Closest is Radulov and we signed him for 1 year and then let him walk cause of $1M extra AAV per year.

It's been so long that we've had homegrown talent that we've forgotten what it's like. Almost all of Boston's core was drafted by them, including finding un-drafted Krug. Habs have almost nothing to show for that same period of time.

 

[Habs Halifax]

It's been so long that we've had homegrown talent that we've forgotten what it's like. Almost all of Boston's core was drafted by them, including finding un-drafted Krug. Habs have almost nothing to show for that same period of time.

Yes, they had a good run. But lets not pretend they knew that Pasta and Marchand would be stars. Signing Chara also turned into something more than anybody thought he would be. I'm certainly jealous but I don't believe they are geniuses. If they were, they would of hit with all 3 picks in 2015 (13th, 14th, 15th). They did their homework and didn't trade away picks in a range of draft years. The more darts you have the better your luck probability is. That's the trend of good drafting teams. Reality. Habs have had this in recent draft years so lets see how it turns out.

Copy cat their model? We at first need to be able to sign a impact UFA like Chara which it appears we can't.

The city has been spoiled with all 4 major sports leagues and it's their time. It won't last forever

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Bergeron and Chara are a huge part of that team's culture and it's been like a decade now. Hitting with Pasta, Marchand and McAvoy helps.

Where would they be if Chara didn't sign with them back when? Not sure but that guy is a beast and he can shut you down even at 40+. Add Bergeron who is one of the best two way centers in the game with good goaltending and depth and you get what we see.

Curious though... Did they hit in the last 3 drafts? Will they hit again like Macharnd and Pasta in the next few drafts? How does the Habs last 3 or 4 drafts compare to earlier drafting by the Bruins? We will find out but it's too early.

Habs can only dream to be able to sign a UFA like Chara! Closest is Radulov and we signed him for 1 year and then let him walk cause of $1M extra AAV per year.

It really does all go back to Chara. He immediately changed the culture of the team and has been the voice in the locker room since 2006. Not to mention he's also a top 15-20 defenseman of all time who is still logging 4 SH min a game and 20 min in a shutdown role (9 total GA so far).

We've hit on a few picks in recent drafts, but 2015 1st round has arguably cost us a Cup so far. The Senyshyn reach when Barzal was sitting there is inexcusable. Especially since Barzal fits both draft strategies. He was BPA and filled the biggest franchise need, a young elite 1C.

It helps getting McAvoy, Carlo, DeBrusk, Heinen and Grzelcyk lately.

I'll admit as a Bruins fan I'm getting some joy from the mediocrity you're in now, but it's not as fun as when both teams are good. And I know from history you guys are a sleeping giant.

I've got enough Bleu, Blanc et Rouge nightmares already...haha

 

[Lshap]

It really does all go back to Chara. He immediately changed the culture of the team and has been the voice in the locker room since 2006. Not to mention he's also a top 15-20 defenseman of all time who is still logging 4 SH min a game and 20 min in a shutdown role (9 total GA so far).

We've hit on a few picks in recent drafts, but 2015 1st round has arguably cost us a Cup so far. The Synyshen reach when Barzal was sitting there is inexcusable. Especially since Barzal fits both draft strategies. He was BPA and filled the biggest franchise need, a young elite 1C.

It helps getting McAvoy, Carlo, DeBrusk, Heinen and Grzelcyk lately.

I'll admit as a Bruins fan I'm getting some joy from the mediocrity you're in now, but it's not as fun as when both teams are good. And I know from history you guys are a sleeping giant

We had a pretty heated debate on our board over the value of leadership. It's one of those invisible qualities we fans have to infer from a distance. As a big Chara fan, it sounds like you're firmly on one side of the debate.

 

[Habs Halifax]

It really does all go back to Chara. He immediately changed the culture of the team and has been the voice in the locker room since 2006. Not to mention he's also a top 15-20 defenseman of all time who is still logging 4 SH min a game and 20 min in a shutdown role (9 total GA so far).

We've hit on a few picks in recent drafts, but 2015 1st round has arguably cost us a Cup so far. The Senyshyn reach when Barzal was sitting there is inexcusable. Especially since Barzal fits both draft strategies. He was BPA and filled the biggest franchise need, a young elite 1C.

It helps getting McAvoy, Carlo, DeBrusk, Heinen and Grzelcyk lately.

I'll admit as a Bruins fan I'm getting some joy from the mediocrity you're in now, but it's not as fun as when both teams are good. And I know from history you guys are a sleeping giant

I'll tell you one thing the Habs can learn about the Bruins current build... don't underestimate grit and skilled players who are strong leaders. That Chara/Bergeron skill/leadership last for more than a decade.

Dubas the dumbass in Toronto thinks you can win with skill and skating alone. Wrong! You need your skilled players who skate well to be physically strong and be able to compete at a high level. Leafs problem is not Babcock, it's Dubas!

Habs have a good direction but we have too many smurfs or soft style players. Pick a few (Mete, Drouin, Caufield) and unload the rest. The skilled guys are going to need physically strong players around them.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

We had a pretty heated debate on our board over the value of leadership. It's one of those invisible qualities we fans have to infer from a distance. As a big Chara fan, it sounds like you're firmly on one side of the debate.

It helped seeing both sides 1st hand.

First the Thornton led teams that underachieved and didn't feel always prepared to play and immediately go to the Chara led teams that win or lose they were professional and were always prepared and did the off ice things needed to succeed

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

I'll tell you one thing the Habs can learn about the Bruins current build... don't underestimate grit and skilled players who are strong leaders. That Chara/Bergeron skill/leadership last for more than a decade.

Dubas the dumbass in Toronto thinks you can win with skill and skating alone. Wrong! You need your skilled players who skate well to be physically strong and be able to compete at a high level.

Habs have a good direction but we have too many smurfs or soft style players. Pick a few (Mete, Drouin, Caufield) and unload the rest. The skilled guys are going to need physically strong players around them.

Smurfs with an edge can still get it done, like Marchand and Krug.

Especially if your 3rd and 4th lines can grind teams down

 

[Lshap]

Yes, they had a good run. But lets not pretend they knew that Pasta and Marchand would be stars. Signing Chara also turned into something more than anybody thought he would be. I'm certainly jealous but I don't believe they are geniuses. If they were, they would of hit with all 3 picks in 2015 (13th, 14th, 15th). They did their homework and didn't trade away picks in a range of draft years. The more darts you have the better your luck probability is. That's the trend of good drafting teams. Reality. Habs have had this in recent draft years so lets see how it turns out.

Copy cat their model? We at first need to be able to sign a impact UFA like Chara which it appears we can't.

The city has been spoiled with all 4 major sports leagues and it's their time. It won't last forever

Boston and many other top teams have stocked their team with core players they drafted themselves. Luck is part of it, naturally, but luck evens out over time. After multiple 2nd round picks over many years, the Habs' poor record is more than luck. Good scouting and intuition eventually separates the good teams from the bad.

 

[DangerDave]

It's been so long that we've had homegrown talent that we've forgotten what it's like. Almost all of Boston's core was drafted by them, including finding un-drafted Krug. Habs have almost nothing to show for that same period of time.

At least we've been drafting well lately. I think we have anyways. I had high hopes for Chucky, Beaulieu, Tinordi etc...

It looks like Suzuki and KK will become impact players for us though. If two or three of the rest of our prospects could break through l, that would be great.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Smurfs with an edge can still get it done, like Marchand and Krug.

Especially if your 3rd and 4th lines can grind teams down

True but I don't consider Domi and Gallagher smurfs. I have no problem with size. I have a problem with players who are not physically strong and can't win puck battles. Lots of focus today on skill/skating but don't kid yourself, you need those players to be physically strong if you want to go on deep playoff runs.

Last two cup winners had it all.... Skill, Skating, Size, Grit. You don't neglect the entire formula unless you think you can win with that flashy slam dunk (Vince Carter in the NBA for example).

Drouin, Mete, Lehkonen, Byron, Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Tatar are not the types who win puck battles. Some will get stronger but we can only have so much. Then we have Caufield coming as well. I'd like to see a bit more balance

 

[Tuggy]

You guys say you respect the Bruins, but just go read their PGT for tonight. f*** those guys. It will only get worse.

I get our fans have turned pretty apathetic towards the Habs but at least hate the Bruins. Have some damn pride...

 

[Habs Halifax]

Boston and many other top teams have stocked their team with core players they drafted themselves. Luck is part of it, naturally, but luck evens out over time. After multiple 2nd round picks over many years, the Habs' poor record is more than luck. Good scouting and intuition eventually separates the good teams from the bad.

How many missing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks did we have from 08-16? I count 9. That reduces our probability of hitting by a wide margin and our fan base blames drafting and developing? Blame the GM's for trading away picks on middle of the pack teams hoping for short term gains.

Not all drafts are equal and there is only so much talent to hit with after the middle part of the 1st round. Sucks that the 12 and 13 drafts were not deep cause we did have lots of picks. Our GM has finally stopped trading away picks and started accumulating them. That's when things started to turn around.

08: Missing a 1st
09: Missing a 2nd (had two 3rd's)
10: Missing a 2nd and 3rd (had two 4ths)
11: Missing a 2nd and 3rd (had three 4ths)
12: Had all our picks and one extra 2nd
13: Had all our picks and two extra 2nd's and one extra 3rd
14: Missing a 2nd
15: Missing a 2nd
16: Missing a 2nd

We had a decade of miserable results come right after our crazy good 07 draft. That's why we are where we are today. Stop trading away picks and only do it when it's move all in time. We have never been in a position where we should of moved all in cause we have not had a center in decades.

 

[Lshap]

You guys say you respect the Bruins, but just go read their PGT for tonight. **** those guys. It will only get worse.

I get our fans have turned pretty apathetic towards the Habs but at least hate the Bruins. Have some damn pride...

Fair enough. Thing is, the Bruins board skews somewhat older than ours. Many of their posters are old enough to remember being dummied by the Habs for decades, and carry that hate like a PTSD trauma. I'm part of that generation so I get where they're coming from.

 

[DangerDave]

How many missing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks did we have from 08-16? I count 9. That reduces our probability of hitting by a wide margin and our fan base blames drafting and developing? Blame the GM's for trading away picks on middle of the pack teams hoping for short term gains.

Not all drafts are equal and there is only so much talent to hit with after the middle part of the 1st round. Sucks that the 12 and 13 drafts were not deep cause we did have lots of picks. Our GM has finally stopped trading away picks and started accumulating them. That's when things started to turn around.

08: Missing a 1st
09: Missing a 2nd (had two 3rd's)
10: Missing a 2nd and 3rd (had two 4ths)
11: Missing a 2nd and 3rd (had three 4ths)
12: Had all our picks and one extra 2nd
13: Had all our picks and two extra 2nd's and one extra 3rd
14: Missing a 2nd
15: Missing a 2nd
16: Missing a 2nd

We had a decade of miserable results come right after our crazy good 07 draft. That's why we are where we are today. Stop trading away picks and only do it when it's move all in time. We have never been in a position where we should of moved all in cause we have not had a center in decades.

Yeah I don't like how we just seem to give away seconds. Sometimes it's fine like Petry but a lot of great players are second rounders.

Seems like a lot of teams find success drafting Dmen in the second round since they're a little tougher to evaluate than forwards. Many go under the radar as their offensive game takes longer to develop

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yeah I don't like how we just seem to give away seconds. Sometimes it's fine like Petry but a lot of great players are second rounders.

Seems like a lot of teams find success drafting Dmen in the second round since they're a little tougher to evaluate than forwards. Many go under the radar as their offensive game takes longer to develop

Lets look at the Petry situation for a second though. What if we don't have him and we don't trade the 2nd? What about other picks we traded? Doesn't that help you get to the bottom and not stay in the middle? Don't get me wrong, I like Petry with us and how he has grown. He's a keeper in my books. But where are we today if we traded Pleky and Markov and we kept our picks?

The biggest problem is trading away picks when you are a hopeful team. If we are not careful, we stay in the middle for another decade.

Leafs traded picks away for Muzzin and Pleky and had to trade a 1st to unload Marleau. They better hope Muzzin signs for a fair deal cause those missing picks are going to hurt big time! They moved all in at the wrong time cause they have been meh for so long. Now they are forced to fill holes with meh depth signings and are up against the cap. They messed up and should of focused on keeping their prospect pool one of the strongest

 

[DangerDave]

Lets look at the Petry situation for a second though. What if we don't have him and we don't trade the 2nd? What about other picks we traded? Doesn't that help you get to the bottom and not stay in the middle? Don't get me wrong, I like Petry with us and how he has grown. He's a keeper in my books. But where are we today if we traded Pleky and Markov and we kept our picks?

The biggest problem is trading away picks when you are a hopeful team. If we are not careful, we stay in the middle for another decade.

Leafs traded picks away for Muzzin and Pleky and had to trade a 1st to unload Marleau. They better hope Muzzin signs for a fair deal cause those missing picks are going to hurt big time! They moved all in at the wrong time cause they have been meh for so long. Now they are forced to fill holes with meh depth signings and are up against the cap. They messed up and should of focused on keeping their prospect pool one of the strongest

Yeah that's another matter. I'm a firm believer that a rebuild is the best way to build a cup contender. I'm not saying you need to trade everyone because I think veterans can help rookies out a lot but some guys need to be moved. This management values it's non core players way too much. Time to move guys like Byron and Weal and try out some prospects.

At the time of the Petry trade, the Habs were a somewhat competitive team and I can't fault them for going for it. The issue is that we never go all in. We had an excellent blue line and goaltending but still no center. I know it's hard to get a legit top line center but if you're gonna go for it, just commit. If it fails, you can just blow it up. I think we struck gold with Petry though. We could flip him now for a kings ransom if we commit to a full rebuild

Now many will tell you that building from the net out is the way to go. I disagree completely. Centers come first, then defense, then goaltending and wingers last. It seems like we finally got them memo which is why I'm hopeful for the first time in forever.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

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Bouchard was huge! Lol

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

They are damn good. But the Cup winning team that included Horton, Lucic in his prime, Riecchi the cagey vet, Seguin the rookie as a spare part, Thomas with Rask as a back up, Vintage Chara,. Plus Marchand, Kretchi, Bergeron and Ryder. That was one hell of a team.

But the 011 team did not have a red hot Pasternac. Who right now is the best forward in the league.

That club was one of the weakest to win the cup. But they did have Tim Thomas who was absolutely incredible that year.

We were one OT goal away from knocking them off too.

 

[Tighthead]

Hi guys - Enjoyed a nice smoked meat at the Main Deli just now

View attachment 273375

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Mitch Melnick argues that the best order at Schwartz's when hungry is two sandwiches no fries. As someone who rarely gets to Montreal I concur. But maybe some extra pickles and a side of slaw.

 

[Alicat]

Congrats Claude!

I just want a good game with no injuries.

 

[Guess]

Bruins have been crazy good after they fired Clod.....getting Cassidy has paid off big time.

This is one of the major reasons why I want Clod canned. The same thing is happening to us as with the Bruins (actually we score a lot of goals now, but most of our shots in the O zone are low danger perimeter shots and we don't have much size to get all the rebounds at the net) .