Grading the Habs Offseason

[Redux91]

B for me, which is pretty good score all things considered

an average offseason would be C where its just business as usual, not much done transaction wise, resign normal players, most GM's get a C here

But petry, kassian, semin, smart deals with RFA's? thats ACTION baby, to me = Solid B

Only would of gotten an A if he moved Desharnais lol.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Okay overall. I think we missed the boat in chasing some of the bigger name players, but the potential for low risk, high reward is immense.

 

[Runner77]

Low risk, low regard. Plus DD and Semin on the same team.

I've never looked forward to the trading deadline as much and as early in any season I've been following the team.

 

[OldCraig71]

I can't wait to see how MT handles the new guys on the team and I fear it will be more of the same. He has a player to protect and unless that changes or he is fired I think we will see more of the same. I give a D grade because Therrien and his boy are still here.

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

I can't wait to see how MT handles the new guys on the team and I fear it will be more of the same. He has a player to protect and unless that changes or he is fired I think we will see more of the same. I give a D grade because Therrien and his boy are still here.

There was a whiff of deniability about the double-standard up to now, but if MT is still promoting DD after the influx of talent and the off-season training regimen that Galchenyuk is going through, to the detriment of the offense, then it will be clear to everyone, most of all MB, that double-standards are holding this team back. Especially if he does so against Craig Ramsay's explicit advice. The magnitude of the stupidity will then be undeniable.

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

We're a better team now, hard to deny, I think one of Bergevins better offseasons.

Which isn't saying much.

It's too hard to tell right now because Bergie made a bunch of low ris moves that could either pay off or fail. Great thing for him is if he fails he just has to say "low risk" and is absolved.

The biggest problems are still here, though so I'll give him a C and it can either go down or up depending on how things pan out.

Wake me up when Bergie makes a move to address the biggest problems on this team.

 

[Smokey Thompson]

Solid off season. Prust was becoming a lightning rod with his diving and goaltender charging, and isn't worth anything near his cap hit. Replacing him with Kassian is a net positive in terms of on ice play, and it saves us over $1m on the cap.

The Petry signing was crucial. Glad he's with us for another 6 years. Not many teams have 2 RHD like PK and Petry.

I can't believe MB actually signed Semin. I was hoping he would for cheap. Zero risk, and potential for significant help in goal scoring. He'll help our PP. He also allows us to move Galchenyuk to centre if we play him on the wing.

Basically, we needed to address our goalscoring / lack of depth on the wing, which we addressed with Semin and Kassian. We NEEDED to resign Petry, which we did.

Solid off season for Bergevin. The ball is in Therrien's court.

 

[Habset]

For me it's low risk, high reward and slim chance. I really hope that guys lik Semin and Kassian work out but guys like this move teams every off season and it rarely works out.

All in all our team didn't really get any better or any worst so i'm giving him a C for the off season.

 

[Fozz]

Quite happy with the off-season work to date. This year will be the one that shows if MT's record to date (since his return in Montreal) supports his coaching abilities. If he can motivate Semin and Kassian to be the players they can be and uses them efficiently, we're in for an amazing season.

 

[Soltantgris]

All in all our team didn't really get any better or any worst so i'm giving him a C for the off season.

It is this part that I don't understand. Basically MB :

Switched Mike Weiver for Jeff Petry.
Switched Pareanteau for Semin.
Switched Bourque for Kassian.

Added an analytic geek, a top proscout, a coach assistant adviser to help the PP.

How can this be ''not getting better'' ? Nothing is sure, ever, in hockey, but a quick look give a more then decent expectation to have a much improved team this year. Just Petry over Weiver is tremendous. Semin over Pareanteau is, at worst, a neutral value move, and at best a PP savior and a 20+ goals addition. Kassian-Prust is for the me biggest question mark, and bring some risks because of Prust ability to generate scoring chances and the fact he his a huge presence on this team. But even then, he is not cheap, he is not in his prime anymore, and Kassian may be a jackpot. He basically played for a messy team (Buffalo) when entering the league, and then for a team with identity problem under different coachs.

Good new we won't have to wait that long to figure out how all this take form.

 

[Justin11]

C- for me, for now.

Like the Semin signing and Kassian trade, but it's low risk high reward type of moves.

 

[HabsDood]

I think Bergevin did great, why? Because he's giving a chance to youth this training camp, remember, if ain't these kids crack the line-up, there's trade deadline, then he'll get that #1 C and RW IF... Till then, we'll see. We're not that far away from a SCF.. He'll get it done. I believe!

And no, i'm not dissing DD or Therrien, could they do better? NO.. I think real fans stick to the team and don't publicly diss the organisation.. My opinion, as a fan i'm not controling the team, you don't either, stop bringing everybody down with the doom and gloom attitude... 30 teams are trying hard to win it all, well except for Edm and Ariz.. Maybe TO next year, as weird as that sounds.

We'll all enjoy our next cup soon, even though it's been too long since.. This is not the Rejean Houle era.. Now we have to Carey on.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

B+, really optimistic for this season and his moves has been solid (Draft, Staff acquisitions & FA signings/trades) this summer. I'm not gonna lie before the Semin signing I was starting to sour on him but I have nothing to complain about. We locked up Petry who's filled the hole that Hamrlik created in 2012 when he signed elsewhere. We have a legit 4th line center for next season. We have some decent options for Eller next season (Weise/Kassian) & we have a guy who could make some damage at a cheap show contract in Semin. I liked the Ramsey hiring and the two scouts that were hired on Monday. I'm a lot more confident in this team than around the same date last year. The defense should be better in front of Price and our PP problems could be somewhat fixed with Semin up front. Plus all of the deals given were well structured given our cap situation going forward and the kids in Hamilton like Scherbak and McCarron can develop at their own pace.

 

[mustardnight*]

A

Gained a top 3 dman long term.
Gained size and youth with a scoring touch in Kassian.
Gained a sniper for less than a 4th liner
Got a good 4th line centre

Gave up nothing.

 

[diskkkk]

I wonder how much of an impact the new Analytics guru (Matt Pfeffer) had on Semin's signing.

I remember a post of him on his blog (that was taken down) where he analyzed shot quality and where Semin had a great rating, way above average.

Edit: talking about this article (still available after a quick lookup):

http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/exploring-the-theoretical-limits-of-shot-quality/

Basically, Semin had a SH% roughly 4% over his expected SH% (factoring position, teammate, PP/PK ice time, opposition & goalie, etc), denoting his superior shooting skill. The fact that he was 4th from the top that year is simply amazing.

Anyways, for me those 2 additions (Pfeffer & Semin) are my favourite this offseason. I'll give MB a B- rating!

 

[missthenet]

I agree about this as well, but the price for trading with Toronto had to be incredibly prohibitive.

Three years ago we were complaining about being to small. Hopefully our top 6 this year will be Galchenyuk, patches, Semin, kassian, Eller and probably gally. The bottom 6 other than DD are not that small either and our D should be more mobile and bigger. Other than coaching being the same the makeup of the roster should ensure the habs are tough to play against.

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

Can't say it's been a great offseason, because I think Bergevin has to pull a bold move to definitely improve his offense, and yet he didn't. He went for low-risks moves, but it's hard to definitely improve your team with these, unless you're really lucky.

I would give Bergevin a grade of B. Re-signing Petry is great, getting Kassian is definitely a good move considering what we paid to get him, and Semin is a low-risk move that could pay off. I also think adding Ramsay is good, as it gives us a good option if Lacroix doesn't fix the PP quickly. He also gave Galchenyuk exactly what he should've gotten.

I still think he couldn't let Justin Williams slip between his fingers at that price, and that even Beleskey at this price would've been a great addition. I don't think we had what was required to get Oshie though.

I think it's disappointing he kept the same situation at C, as IMHO this was the summer where we had to move Plekanec, especially after his playoffs.

 

[Price is Wright]

B+. Didn't make any dumb signings that'll hamper the team later, cleared necessary cap, added the best possible coaching consultant based on team needs and added a lot of low risk, high reward players.

Still has some players going into the season with question marks but question marks (get rid of him?) are better than exclamation points (get rid of him!).

 

[jwrocks1]

B+

MB played more short game/small ball. He moved some age for youth, brought in a player looking for redemption and solidified the blueline.


We have the pieces in place to make that big move to address our top need (scoring) without gutting the team. Had he done that, I would have given him an A+

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

I wonder how much of an impact the new Analytics guru (Matt Pfeffer) had on Semin's signing.

I remember a post of him on his blog (that was taken down) where he analyzed shot quality and where Semin had a great rating, way above average.

Edit: talking about this article (still available after a quick lookup):

http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/exploring-the-theoretical-limits-of-shot-quality/

Basically, Semin had a SH% roughly 4% over his expected SH% (factoring position, teammate, PP/PK ice time, opposition & goalie, etc), denoting his superior shooting skill. The fact that he was 4th from the top that year is simply amazing.

Anyways, for me those 2 additions (Pfeffer & Semin) are my favourite this offseason. I'll give MB a B- rating!

Great post. I don't recall the timeline, but you may be bang on. I personally would see Semin being signed again if he meets expectations and his wrist is healed. Even if Scherbak and McCarron make the team, I could envision Semin remaining relevant because of his shooting ability and because athletes at this level take pretty good care of themselves (as long as there are no lingering injury issues). He may do so at a reasonable price, because he likes it here and because of Carolina buyout money.

B+
MB played more short game/small ball. He moved some age for youth, brought in a player looking for redemption and solidified the blueline.
We have the pieces in place to make that big move to address our top need (scoring) without gutting the team. Had he done that, I would have given him an A+

The optimal timing for buying low a star player may be in the spring, in Petry fashion, assuming that there is enough talent now to make the playoffs, and there certainly is. While Vanek is a counterexample to that approach, had he played at a higher level in the playoffs two years ago he might now be a Hab.

 

[Soltantgris]

Can't say it's been a great offseason, because I think Bergevin has to pull a bold move to definitely improve his offense, and yet he didn't. He went for low-risks moves, but it's hard to definitely improve your team with these, unless you're really lucky.

I would give Bergevin a grade of B. Re-signing Petry is great, getting Kassian is definitely a good move considering what we paid to get him, and Semin is a low-risk move that could pay off. I also think adding Ramsay is good, as it gives us a good option if Lacroix doesn't fix the PP quickly. He also gave Galchenyuk exactly what he should've gotten.

I still think he couldn't let Justin Williams slip between his fingers at that price, and that even Beleskey at this price would've been a great addition. I don't think we had what was required to get Oshie though.

I think it's disappointing he kept the same situation at C, as IMHO this was the summer where we had to move Plekanec, especially after his playoffs.

Beleskey circle 30 year old have a total of 1 good NHL year, still he got healthy scratch if i remember well. May be or not a good signing, but it is the exact contrary then Semin signing, High Risk, Low Reward. Even if he continue to play decently, he still get paid 4M per long term.

Williams is a decent piece, and i too was hoping his signing, still, he is miles away from Semin potential impact, a cost way more, and for more years. I would still take him at this cost, but i consider Semin the best signing of this UFA year.

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

Beleskey circle 30 year old have a total of 1 good NHL year, still he got healthy scratch if i remember well. May be or not a good signing, but it is the exact contrary then Semin signing, High Risk, Low Reward. Even if he continue to play decently, he still get paid 4M per long term.

Williams is a decent piece, and i too was hoping his signing, still, he is miles away from Semin potential impact, a cost way more, and for more years. I would still take him at this cost, but i consider Semin the best signing of this UFA year.

You are, like many here, still stuck with the image from the Semin of the past. The reality what it is; he had multiple wrist concerns in the past years, and he's not that young anymore. More likely than not he's damaged goods. He admitted himself in a press conference he himself isn't even sure if he can rebound.

He's a very low risk, but the reward isn't exactly as high as people here expect it.

Williams' potential impact is the one from a player who is one year removed from winning the Conn Smythe trophy. I'd say it's probably more than anything Semin has ever accomplished in his career.

As for Beleskey, his impact goes way beyond his offensive production. Creates lots of space on the ice for his linemates.

 

[diskkkk]

You are, like many here, still stuck with the image from the Semin of the past. The reality what it is; he had multiple wrist concerns in the past years, and he's not that young anymore. More likely than not he's damaged goods. He admitted himself in a press conference he himself isn't even sure if he can rebound.

He's a very low risk, but the reward isn't exactly as high as people here expect it.

I really enjoyed this piece by Jack Han over on EOTP. He has a similar point of view. It may or may not apply to Semin, only time will tell.

Basically Han believes that the players having the following traits tend to have a longer career... (see his comment in the EOTP post)

1) being able to consistently create controlled dzone exit and ozone entries (ex: anyone on the blackhawks, kessel)

2) being very good playing east-west hockey (sedins, datsyuk, crosby, joe thornton)

3) having a good shot ane using it on a regular basis evn from low danger areas (ovechkin, pacioretty)

4) crashing the net for rebounds (hornqviwt, holmstrom, franzen)

I would love to see Semin showcasing a bit of point #2 and #3 next year, but yeah I've got an optimist nature I mean, this guy has such a great shot.

 

[NobleSix]

For me it's low risk, high reward and slim chance. I really hope that guys lik Semin and Kassian work out but guys like this move teams every off season and it rarely works out.

All in all our team didn't really get any better or any worst so i'm giving him a C for the off season.

The Habs certainly did get better on paper.

 

[Hackett]

B-

Certainly, adding the likes of semin and Kassian has added a whole lot of interesting potential, and are upgrades to the team as it stands, but I was wishing for more bonafide talent to insert in the top 6.

I'm glad MB was able to lock up petry though. He's a better player than I ever gave him credit for in Edmonton.