Brian Gionta (negotiations w/Habs are underway)

[LyricalLyricist]

I doubt I'll get much support on this but I think guy is treated a little harshly by habs fans.

I'm not saying I'd keep him till he retires but I was looking at the numbers, he's one of the highest in ESP on the entire team despite playing very difficult minutes at ES. Considering we do **** all 5 on 5 this is an asset isn't it?

Assuming we can shed some dead weight, I'd even consider keeping him for a 3rd line role because he can play those difficult minutes.

I assume most will want him gone and that's fine but reasonably speaking, I'm not sure what else we'd get on the market. I'd keep gionta if we can drop Bourque because Gionta is a significantly better PKer, offensive and defensive player at this point.

If we don't keep him which is very possible, who do you think we can slot into that top two-way line with Plekanec and can play PK? Doesn't have to be an internal option btw. I'm sure Bournival can fill the gap in some areas but those ESP are fairly good.

Oh and before someone thinks I'm crazy, no I don't want him on the PP. I think the kids would be significantly better, namely Galchenyuk. I'm just trying to be fair on my assessment of Gionta and who might replace him.

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[BigDaddyLurch]

 

[HeShootsHeScores]

I think Gionta is a hard worker but at this point he's easily replacable on a 3rd line role for a faster player with more punch physically. I don't hate Gionta as much as Therrien for using him waaaaay too much. The way gionta is used right now, he is killing this team. He is a rotten potato in a bag of talented players.

Not signing him next year will be a big breath of fresh air. I'd use his spot to try to reboost a more talented player (briere, bourque, eller, whatever).

 

[LyricalLyricist]

I think Gionta is a hard worker but at this point he's easily replacable on a 3rd line role for a faster player with more punch physically. I don't hate Gionta as much as Therrien for using him waaaaay too much. The way gionta is used right now, he is killing this team. He is a rotten potato in a bag of talented players.

Not signing him next year will be a big breath of fresh air. I'd use his spot to try to reboost a more talented player (briere, bourque, eller, whatever).

Fair enough but what if Bourque isn't reboosted? That's my concern. I'm all for going internal though, I'm just not confident in Bourque anymore.

 

[ProspectsFanatic]

Like every other midgets on this team, Gionta is being criticism. Is it fair? Maybe it is exaggerated, but it's true that we have too many of the them on the team. If we want to be real contender, I can't see Gionta being resign.

 

[habsfanatics*]

I would love to retain gionta for the bottom 6, insurance in the top 6. He gets way too much heat. He's still a very serviceable guy who can handle tough match ups. As long as he would accept the bottom 6 role with limited pp time, I would offer 3m.

He's not a top 6 guy, people harp on him simply because he's short. Size in our top 6 is a problem. If you can get a big RWer for the top 6, having Gionta on the 3rd would be a luxury.

 

[overlords]

I think Gionta is a hard worker but at this point he's easily replacable on a 3rd line role for a faster player with more punch physically. I don't hate Gionta as much as Therrien for using him waaaaay too much. The way gionta is used right now, he is killing this team. He is a rotten potato in a bag of talented players.

Not signing him next year will be a big breath of fresh air. I'd use his spot to try to reboost a more talented player (briere, bourque, eller, whatever).

Easily replaceable? Find me a player that plays the minutes he does with more goals/points. Now find that same kind of player as a ufa. Now hope that player gets to ufa. And now pay that guy 5+million.

Otherwise, go back in time to last summer, read my posts regarding clarke mcarthur , call bergevin and yell at him until he signs the guy.

 

[Redux91]

was done with him after year 3,

lets put that money into something else plz.

 

[HeShootsHeScores]

Fair enough but what if Bourque isn't reboosted? That's my concern. I'm all for going internal though, I'm just not confident in Bourque anymore.

To me it appears as a risk a team needs to take sometimes. Therrien seems afraid of relying on his talented players to do the work. He had no choice but to try and reboost DD earlier, and it worked.

Therrien should stop hiding behind his captain and he should work really hard at giving his offense a boost. Give your most talented players the most minutes, wait for 5-6 games and see what happens. This team has the talent right now to outscore most teams.

This team right now should look like the 2007-2008 team. A bad game here and there, but stellar talent display and solid defense on most nights. The next 2 weeks are gonna be huge for me to judge MT's talent handling efficiency.

Habs on some nights don't have fun playing, and Gionta is captain no fun right now. Low hockey IQ, can't preach by example anymore. At least koivu could grab a game by the balls and
give it a ride. Gionta doesn't have that "let's kick butts" attitude. His players don't follow him.

Vanek is an important Therrien coaching abilities barometer. It's like MB told Therrien : "let's see how you manage a talented team".

 

[Le Barron de HF]

I'd rather give the opportunity to Andrighetto who should be NHL ready next season.

 

[HeShootsHeScores]

Easily replaceable? Find me a player that plays the minutes he does with more goals/points. Now find that same kind of player as a ufa. Now hope that player gets to ufa. And now pay that guy 5+million.

Otherwise, go back in time to last summer, read my posts regarding clarke mcarthur , call bergevin and yell at him until he signs the guy.

I just don't see MT giving Gionta 3rd line minutes. MT uses Gionta like he is still in his NJ glorious years.

 

[AntonCH]

As much as I like Gionta
Say buh-bye
I said good-bye now

Not top 2 line material anymore
too expensive for what he is, let lou sign him at a discount

 

[Habs13]

Gionta IS the dead wood that needs to be cast out. I was really, really hoping he was going to be dealt at the trade deadline, but no. I guess, like Bourque, nobody else wants him.

 

[Whitesnake]

Gionta isn't a bad player. He will be in the NHL next year and will provide some neat services to his new team.....but with the idea that we need a greater mix, Gionta HAS to go.....pending to the fact that we indeed get a greater mix. Now, it is also possible that we replace Gionta by Andrighetto....not a different mix, just maybe a younger one.....less defensive oriented. But I just think that Gionta is part of an era that we need to change.

 

[coolasprICE]

You know I think deep down you must have pitty for him for all the midget jokes. You have a good heart L.L


Serious question, is there anyone in this world who's been called a midget more than gionta?

But ya I don't want to see this ****ing midget after this season

 

[MasterDecoy]

yes, gionta is not being treated fairly but that goes to the whole size deficiencies of the habs, not to the player himself. wont bother listing his flaws, but he is one of our better performers in the playoffs, gets the toughest assignments, never takes a night off, doesn't shy away from the hard areas and is a good role model.

actually, i think bournival could easily take his spot and do well, if not even better, than what gionta is doing with plek now. he is a serious concern for concussions however so i wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket.

therrien is another concern with how he utilizes gionta but with the free agency the way it is, i wouldn't hesitate to sign him to 2 years at reasonable money. i'd think about it more if it was 3 years and would probably balk at 4 unless the cap hit is low enough. he would be a great role player on any team.

 

[MasterDecoy]

cant edit my post but bourque is the one that needs to be dealt with, not our captain. gionta plays bigger than him anyways

 

[pine*]

**** desharnais

 

[Sorinth]

Everyone remembers Cammy's playoff heroics, but no one seems to remember all the clutch goals Gionta scored. Cammy was God for scoring 13 goals and 19pts, Gionta was average even though he had 9 goals and 15pts.

Gionta is really unappreciated probably because people expect Captains to singlehandedly carry the team to the Stanley Cup. I'd have no problems re-signing him, though we should try to sign Vanek, Markov, Subban first so we have an idea of how much we can actually spend.

And for those that think we can easily replace him on the FA market, how did replacing Ryder with Briere work out for us?

 

[AllanMTL46]

Nice guy and everything, and can still be effective defensively and get some points here and there, but he simply doesn't fit anymore. Thanks for everything, but we need to move on here.

 

[Stjonnypopo]

I'd re-sign him at half the money. He still works hard and he seems like a good captain (albeit quiet). If we can play him on the 3rd line then I think he's good to keep around.

If they re-sign him to stick him on the 1st or 2nd line then I won't be as happy.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

 

[JohnLennon]

I'd be happy to keep Gionta at a reasonable salary. He still produces points, is reliable defensively, and plays big minutes. He's been the captain of this team for a while and has served us well. Good player with lots of heart, would be glad to see him continue to be such a positive role model for this team.

 

[Ezpz]

He gets used in a bigger role than he should. Though yesterday he was taken off the PP which is a step in the right direction.

 

[CP31]

He still produces points

Ehhhh less than .50 PPG playing with our best center and regular PP time (aside from the last few games). Wouldn't say producing points Is still one of his strong suits.