Player Discussion Erik Gustafsson: The "Don't Panic, It's Not Gudbranson" Edition

[angry pirate]

Jon Merrill has actually been having a good season. Gustafsson on the other hand, not so much. I'm thinking Gus is just extra depth because we are thin on the back end and need to call up someone from the AHL to play.

I believe Both Merrill and Gustafsson have a lot of experience playing the right side so I won't be shocked if we see a steady dose of both of them with Romonov on the 3rd pair. Once Chiarot comes back we may see Merrill bump Gus. Romonov already gets a healthy dose of Ozone starts so I would think for starters that a Romonov - Gustafsson pairing will make a lot of sense. Adds an offensive threat to the 3rd pair and lets Romonov continue to play and develop on the left side.

 

[Tuggy]

Jon Merrill has actually been having a good season. Gustafsson on the other hand, not so much. I'm thinking Gus is just extra depth because we are thin on the back end and need to call up someone from the AHL to play.

Agreed. I don't think Gustafsson was acquired to play every day. He may get a game here or there but I see him as mostly just depth in case of injury.

 

[Habs Halifax]

So why not play him at forward on the 4th line? And then on d for the pp?

I think they should have done that with Mete too. Imagine letting Mete loose with no defensive responsibility?

As far as Gustafsson.... Can anybody show us the typical partners he had with the Blackhawks, Flames, and Flyers? I'm curious to see where he excelled and where he did not.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Gustafsson will be an option to play depending on how we are playing offensively.

If we are struggling to score goals, he will likely be put into the lineup to try and help our offence. If our offence is clicking, he'll be in the press box while more defensively responsible players like Kulak or Merrill will play.

Price has put up a 1.81 GAA and .935 save % the last two playoffs, however we haven't won an actual playoff series due to our inability to score. If we go through the same shit where we can't score in the playoffs, having a guy like Gustafsson on hand is helpful to try and improve our offence.

 

[swimmer77]

So the Habs discarded the 22 year old Mete for a 29 year old Gustafsson. Couldn't give Mete a little more time to develop? I swear is last few games were not bad.

 

[Adam Michaels]

So the Habs discarded the 22 year old Mete for a 29 year old Gustafsson. Couldn't give Mete a little more time to develop? I swear is last few games were not bad.

Difference between the two is that Gustafsson can produce, particularly on the PP. Mete being 22 and Gustafsson being 29 shouldn't matter if the 29 year old can help you put the puck in the back of the net.

 

[swimmer77]

Difference between the two is that Gustafsson can produce, particularly on the PP. Mete being 22 and Gustafsson being 29 shouldn't matter if the 29 year old can help you put the puck in the back of the net.

I'll remember you said this.

 

[BLONG7]

So the Habs discarded the 22 year old Mete for a 29 year old Gustafsson. Couldn't give Mete a little more time to develop? I swear is last few games were not bad.

Mete was rushed.........a big mistake..................then the guy who rushed him, lost patience...
That being said, Mete just doesn't have anything going for him, but his speed...
He might have a decent career, but not so sure now.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I'll remember you said this.

I'm on the clock.

 

[EveryDay]

People are selling this guy shorts here..... He was playing top4 for Chicago for 2 years in a row and produce at a 40 pts rate and even with Calgary who were using him on the 3rd pairing, he did really well. It's just this year that he truly suck with Michel Therrien as his coach... Look how good are Myers and Sanheim this season under Michou!

 

[angry pirate]

So the Habs discarded the 22 year old Mete for a 29 year old Gustafsson. Couldn't give Mete a little more time to develop? I swear is last few games were not bad.

I don't think his last few games were very good at all. His skating was a good as it always was, but he was really struggling with his decision making. It was very noticeable when he was on the ice on the 3 on 3. His lag in decision making or hesitation, whatever it was, caused lots of missed opportunities because the passing lanes were quickly closing. As an undersized guy, he needs to have more than skating and unfortunately in my opinion it just wasn't there this year.

Maybe it was a lack in game time, or because he should have had a long stint in the AHL long ago but either way, I really wasn't that impressed by Mete's play this year. I think Ottawa will be a good opportunity for him to get some minutes to end this season and maybe start to see some positives again.

I hope Gustafsson and Merrill, who both have played on the right side with frequency can help Romonov along. With Gustafsson he'll need to be more defensively aware and consistent than with Mete but more offensive opportunities should be available. Especially as teams will have to respect his shot. In theory Gustafsson presence should create more room in the offensive zone than we had with Mete.

 

[MTL-rules]

So the Habs discarded the 22 year old Mete for a 29 year old Gustafsson. Couldn't give Mete a little more time to develop? I swear is last few games were not bad.

Can Mete develop a shot, because without it, he's totaly useless.

 

[salbutera]

SCOUTING REPORT

Is a quality puck-moving defenseman who can put up solid offensive totals at lower levels. Can be used a lot because he's a minute muncher. Does not have ideal size for the blueline position at the National Hockey League level, so he needs to get stronger physically to maximize output.
Long Range Potential:	Solid puck-moving defenseman.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[1909]

You need to watch hockey and not just repeat the odd old stat...ask yourself why Philly did this, for a 7th and retained 50% of his cap...why Chicago traded him the very next year after he got 60 points for a 3rd (give you a hint; even in that fluke year where he scored all those points, he was a -6 and consistently the worst player on the ice)...why Calgary saw him for 7 games and said "no thanks" and let him walk for nothing after just spending a 3rd to obtain him...cuz he's garbage...Bargain Bin waived Mete and then traded for a worse Mete...you'd know that if you watched...

I am watching hockey since 1966.... I have seen some of the best Habs teams of the 20th century, and I know this team is far from them.

NOW.....

And why did Habs waived Mete ? By the way, Merrill is the one replacing Mete, not Gustafson.

hey. Gustafson is certainly not a saviour, but if he could help the PP once in a while, he would already be more useful than Mete. Don't panic. The guy is gonna be UFA in July.

It's quite easy to do more mistakes when you play 18-19 minutes than when you are sheltered and play 12-14 like Mete.

And WHY did Vigneault used Gustafson so much IF he was so useless ?

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

I am watching hockey since 1966.... I have seen some of the best Habs teams of the 20th century, and I know this team is far from them.

NOW.....

And why did Habs waived Mete ? By the way, Merrill is the one replacing Mete, not Gustafson.

hey. Gustafson is certainly not a saviour, but if he could help the PP once in a while, he would already be more useful than Mete. Don't panic. The guy is gonna be UFA in July.

It's quite easy to do more mistakes when you play 18-19 minutes than when you are sheltered and play 12-14 like Mete.

I apologize if my sarcasm offended, I should have clarified my watch hockey comment; I meant watch hockey other than just the games your own team are involved in...I wasn't trying to imply that you don't watch, however I do find that most people here and honestly hockey fans in general only watch their own team's play and yet believe themselves experts on the subject...if I "jumped the gun" and lumped you in unfairly, again I apologize...

As for the TDL...waiving Mete was stupid, plain and simple...even a Gustafsson/Gudbranson were turned into something and Mete is worth more than both of them combined...waiving Mete to trade for a worse Mete, regardless of the slight cost, is just pathetic and that's why I had enough of Bargain Bin yesterday...Gustafsson, while being "better" on the PP than Mete, really isn't...I've watched this kid, he kills as many or more PP chances as he succeeds on just because he is absolutely 100% Natural Talent-driven and has ZERO Hockey IQ...and that (the PP) is his ONLY so-called strength; if there is an obvious play in front of him, he can hit his man with a crisp pass, and he has a decent shot...a less-talented Marc-Andre Bergeron is what we waived Mete for and I wasn't a Mete fan (when he first was drafted I was hopeful)...it's the point that even when it comes to the small details, Bargain Bin f*cks them up horribly and yet here we are in Year 9 of Da Foxhole and I don't expect Year 10 to be any different except we'll rush Caufield up just like every other good prospect we've had in the Bargain Bin Era...and so I bitch and moan about it cuz that's all we can do as fans and I'm too old and cranky to bother trying to refrain from shooting off about it..remember how much fun we Habs fans has with the Leaf fans during the Burke years, teasing them about their inability to ice a good team or make the playoffs and how much of a moron their GM was??...yeah, well now it's our turn and our idiot owner is too dumb to fire this idiot GM and actually try to improve the team; at least the Leafs eventually pulled their heads out of their arse...I have far less hope Molson will fire Bargain Bin as long as we keep up the mediocrity, cuz that still sells and that's all Molson cares about; money...

 

[finnishflash13]

St-Louis were not willing to trade Dunn away.

Ghost has a huge salary that Habs cannot absorb right now.

Thank you for saying it. How so many Habs fans thought Dunn was available to them is mind boggling.

 

[Vachon23]

So will the Habs go with 7D going forward?

Chiarot - Weber
Eddy - Petry
Merrill - Romy
Kulak - Gustofwind

A rotation between Kulak and Merrill with Gusty on tne PP and favorable matchups?

I don't think Merrill and Kulak will rotate to be honest. I think it won't take that much time before they see that Merrill is better then Kulak

 

[tazsub3]

He is definitely worse than Mete.

So a guy that scored 29 goals and 129 points in 245 games and sucks defensively is worst then mete that was held scorless in 3 out of 4 seasons, scored 4 goals total in the nhl and a total 34 points in 186 games while sucked even more defensively.

Seems many are caught in the myth that mete is good offensively.

 

[dinodebino]

I apologize if my sarcasm offended, I should have clarified my watch hockey comment; I meant watch hockey other than just the games your own team are involved in...I wasn't trying to imply that you don't watch, however I do find that most people here and honestly hockey fans in general only watch their own team's play and yet believe themselves experts on the subject...if I "jumped the gun" and lumped you in unfairly, again I apologize...

As for the TDL...waiving Mete was stupid, plain and simple...even a Gustafsson/Gudbranson were turned into something and Mete is worth more than both of them combined...waiving Mete to trade for a worse Mete, regardless of the slight cost, is just pathetic and that's why I had enough of Bargain Bin yesterday...Gustafsson, while being "better" on the PP than Mete, really isn't...I've watched this kid, he kills as many or more PP chances as he succeeds on just because he is absolutely 100% Natural Talent-driven and has ZERO Hockey IQ...and that (the PP) is his ONLY so-called strength; if there is an obvious play in front of him, he can hit his man with a crisp pass, and he has a decent shot...a less-talented Marc-Andre Bergeron is what we waived Mete for and I wasn't a Mete fan (when he first was drafted I was hopeful)...it's the point that even when it comes to the small details, Bargain Bin f*cks them up horribly and yet here we are in Year 9 of Da Foxhole and I don't expect Year 10 to be any different except we'll rush Caufield up just like every other good prospect we've had in the Bargain Bin Era...and so I bitch and moan about it cuz that's all we can do as fans and I'm too old and cranky to bother trying to refrain from shooting off about it..remember how much fun we Habs fans has with the Leaf fans during the Burke years, teasing them about their inability to ice a good team or make the playoffs and how much of a moron their GM was??...yeah, well now it's our turn and our idiot owner is too dumb to fire this idiot GM and actually try to improve the team; at least the Leafs eventually pulled their heads out of their arse...I have far less hope Molson will fire Bargain Bin as long as we keep up the mediocrity, cuz that still sells and that's all Molson cares about; money...

Now, tell us how you REALLY feel.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

So why not play him at forward on the 4th line? And then on d for the pp?

True, I always wondered why he didn't choose to be a forward!

 

[1909]

I apologize if my sarcasm offended, I should have clarified my watch hockey comment; I meant watch hockey other than just the games your own team are involved in...I wasn't trying to imply that you don't watch, however I do find that most people here and honestly hockey fans in general only watch their own team's play and yet believe themselves experts on the subject...if I "jumped the gun" and lumped you in unfairly, again I apologize...

As for the TDL...waiving Mete was stupid, plain and simple...even a Gustafsson/Gudbranson were turned into something and Mete is worth more than both of them combined...waiving Mete to trade for a worse Mete, regardless of the slight cost, is just pathetic and that's why I had enough of Bargain Bin yesterday...Gustafsson, while being "better" on the PP than Mete, really isn't...I've watched this kid, he kills as many or more PP chances as he succeeds on just because he is absolutely 100% Natural Talent-driven and has ZERO Hockey IQ...and that (the PP) is his ONLY so-called strength; if there is an obvious play in front of him, he can hit his man with a crisp pass, and he has a decent shot...a less-talented Marc-Andre Bergeron is what we waived Mete for and I wasn't a Mete fan (when he first was drafted I was hopeful)...it's the point that even when it comes to the small details, Bargain Bin f*cks them up horribly and yet here we are in Year 9 of Da Foxhole and I don't expect Year 10 to be any different except we'll rush Caufield up just like every other good prospect we've had in the Bargain Bin Era...and so I bitch and moan about it cuz that's all we can do as fans and I'm too old and cranky to bother trying to refrain from shooting off about it..remember how much fun we Habs fans has with the Leaf fans during the Burke years, teasing them about their inability to ice a good team or make the playoffs and how much of a moron their GM was??...yeah, well now it's our turn and our idiot owner is too dumb to fire this idiot GM and actually try to improve the team; at least the Leafs eventually pulled their heads out of their arse...I have far less hope Molson will fire Bargain Bin as long as we keep up the mediocrity, cuz that still sells and that's all Molson cares about; money...

I understand your frustration and I am sharing the same. It's a weirdly built team who had drafted and developed badly since ages. This team seems completely out of sync with modern NHL trends. MB (and other key management members) should had been fired long time ago, and a real hockey president should had been named to stir the boat to the right direction.

On paper, this team looks "good", but without a constant 100% effort from every single player, this team has no chance to win anything soon. You cannot win either without proper PK and PP. Right now Habs have some quite talented youngsters (no superstars), surrounded by very old (ex-star) slow vets.

As for Mete, he was nothing special to start with. Just too bad they rushed him so fast at NHL level without finishing his OHL career and playing two good seasons at AHL level under Bouchard.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

So a guy that scored 29 goals and 129 points in 245 games and sucks defensively is worst then mete that was held scorless in 3 out of 4 seasons, scored 4 goals total in the nhl and a total 34 points in 186 games while sucked even more defensively.

Seems many are caught in the myth that mete is good offensively.

No one, not Mete or Kulak or Ouellet or my 6 year old grandson are worse defensively than Gustafsson; that's the issue...this kid has the worst hockey IQ I've ever seen...if it were possible to only play this kid on the PP while not wasting a spot on the bench, then it would be fine...but that's not what's going to happen; he either plays at least some 5 v 5, which will be an absolute disaster, or we dress 7 D and waste a roster spot hoping he does something on the PP while pulling an actual productive player from the lineup (and we all know that it'll either be Lehky or Evans and not someone who should sit...looking at you, Drou Drou)...when this kid is on the ice outside the offensive zone, it's pretty much like having 1 Dman on the ice; that's how bad this kid is, hence why no one wants him despite his "offensive prowess"...and he's not a good transition guy, like we needed; he can't go get the puck in the D-zone and move it out smartly and efficiently, he's easily pushed off the puck by a mild fart because he's softer than melting butter, and he doesn't make smart plays with or without the puck...how many players, not just Dmen, have been traded for a 7th with half of their already low salary retained less than 3 years after a 60 point season??...doesn't it at least make you wonder why??...just watch him play for a game or two and you'll see exactly why; this kid wouldn't, or at least shouldn't, make the Laval Taxi Squad...

...Bargain Bin screwed up again, that's why I, as I can't speak for other posters, am pissed about yesterday and this whole mess...Mete should have fetched something; Hell, Eric Gudbranson fetched something and Mete at least provides more than that big waste of space does...teams were looking for D depth and that's what Mete is...Bargain Bin failed there...then, he goes out and wastes a pick, be it a 7th or whatever, to acquire someone who's worse than Mete...and that's been the story for 9 years; for every step we may take forward (and there haven't been all that many), we take five steps backwards...the last 9 years have literally been the definition of Insanity and I hold no hope that Year 10 will be any different (no, I do not see any scenario where we make the playoffs and Bargain Bin gets fired; Molson doesn't give a shyte as long as we make money, which the Habs always will)...so I'm at the point now where I'll relentlessly bitch about it and people can put me on ignore if they don't want to see it...I'm old, cranky, and retired; not much else to do these days...

 

[tazsub3]

No one, not Mete or Kulak or Ouellet or my 6 year old grandson are worse defensively than Gustafsson; that's the issue...this kid has the worst hockey IQ I've ever seen...if it were possible to only play this kid on the PP while not wasting a spot on the bench, then it would be fine...but that's not what's going to happen; he either plays at least some 5 v 5, which will be an absolute disaster, or we dress 7 D and waste a roster spot hoping he does something on the PP while pulling an actual productive player from the lineup (and we all know that it'll either be Lehky or Evans and not someone who should sit...looking at you, Drou Drou)...when this kid is on the ice outside the offensive zone, it's pretty much like having 1 Dman on the ice; that's how bad this kid is, hence why no one wants him despite his "offensive prowess"...and he's not a good transition guy, like we needed; he can't go get the puck in the D-zone and move it out smartly and efficiently, he's easily pushed off the puck by a mild fart because he's softer than melting butter, and he doesn't make smart plays with or without the puck...how many players, not just Dmen, have been traded for a 7th with half of their already low salary retained less than 3 years after a 60 point season??...doesn't it at least make you wonder why??...just watch him play for a game or two and you'll see exactly why; this kid wouldn't, or at least shouldn't, make the Laval Taxi Squad...

...Bargain Bin screwed up again, that's why I, as I can't speak for other posters, am pissed about yesterday and this whole mess...Mete should have fetched something; Hell, Eric Gudbranson fetched something and Mete at least provides more than that big waste of space does...teams were looking for D depth and that's what Mete is...Bargain Bin failed there...then, he goes out and wastes a pick, be it a 7th or whatever, to acquire someone who's worse than Mete...and that's been the story for 9 years; for every step we may take forward (and there haven't been all that many), we take five steps backwards...the last 9 years have literally been the definition of Insanity and I hold no hope that Year 10 will be any different (no, I do not see any scenario where we make the playoffs and Bargain Bin gets fired; Molson doesn't give a shyte as long as we make money, which the Habs always will)...so I'm at the point now where I'll relentlessly bitch about it and people can put me on ignore if they don't want to see it...I'm old, cranky, and retired; not much else to do these days...

I think you low on him as much as i low on mete.
Logic say we both right and its shit and shitier.
Mete is beyond horrible though, dont over estimate him cause he is younger or a good speed/figure skater and no it should be telling no one gave even a 7th for him.

 

[Schwang]

No one, not Mete or Kulak or Ouellet or my 6 year old grandson are worse defensively than Gustafsson; that's the issue...this kid has the worst hockey IQ I've ever seen...if it were possible to only play this kid on the PP while not wasting a spot on the bench, then it would be fine...but that's not what's going to happen; he either plays at least some 5 v 5, which will be an absolute disaster, or we dress 7 D and waste a roster spot hoping he does something on the PP while pulling an actual productive player from the lineup (and we all know that it'll either be Lehky or Evans and not someone who should sit...looking at you, Drou Drou)...when this kid is on the ice outside the offensive zone, it's pretty much like having 1 Dman on the ice; that's how bad this kid is, hence why no one wants him despite his "offensive prowess"...and he's not a good transition guy, like we needed; he can't go get the puck in the D-zone and move it out smartly and efficiently, he's easily pushed off the puck by a mild fart because he's softer than melting butter, and he doesn't make smart plays with or without the puck...how many players, not just Dmen, have been traded for a 7th with half of their already low salary retained less than 3 years after a 60 point season??...doesn't it at least make you wonder why??...just watch him play for a game or two and you'll see exactly why; this kid wouldn't, or at least shouldn't, make the Laval Taxi Squad...

...Bargain Bin screwed up again, that's why I, as I can't speak for other posters, am pissed about yesterday and this whole mess...Mete should have fetched something; Hell, Eric Gudbranson fetched something and Mete at least provides more than that big waste of space does...teams were looking for D depth and that's what Mete is...Bargain Bin failed there...then, he goes out and wastes a pick, be it a 7th or whatever, to acquire someone who's worse than Mete...and that's been the story for 9 years; for every step we may take forward (and there haven't been all that many), we take five steps backwards...the last 9 years have literally been the definition of Insanity and I hold no hope that Year 10 will be any different (no, I do not see any scenario where we make the playoffs and Bargain Bin gets fired; Molson doesn't give a shyte as long as we make money, which the Habs always will)...so I'm at the point now where I'll relentlessly bitch about it and people can put me on ignore if they don't want to see it...I'm old, cranky, and retired; not much else to do these days...

Mete is too small and lacks offense. Even his much heralded speed has not been evident for a while now. I'm sure he was shopped but there were no takers. Saying MB "screwed up" on a guy that can't hold a FT nhl job is over exaggeration.

 

[26Mats]

True, I always wondered why he didn't choose to be a forward!

I feel like we won't try that, but we should! In today's game, not too many offensive dmen that are trainwreck in their own end playing 4th line forward and pp specialist.

It's a copycat league. Not too many teams innovate.