Post-Game Talk: Habs lose to the Canes and KK in very convincing fashion

[Kimota]

He played 13 games under Bouchard. I'm sure he enjoyed it (he was a point a game player).
In the same way, he rarely misses an opportunity to complain about his ex-habs coaches.
My narrative is that all parties were responsible for his failure in Montreal.
And that's a shame

I was so pissed at how they handled him, esp. in the playoffs. But at the same time I thought he overracted when he asked to be traded. I think he probably would have played second center the next year with Danault leaving.

 

[1909]

I was so pissed at how they handled him, esp. in the playoffs. But at the same time I thought he overracted when he asked to be traded. I think he probably would have played second center the next year with Danault leaving.

By default: yes. Ideally Danault and Tatar would had stayed, KK would had played on the 3rd, Toffoli and LehKonen would not had been traded. No Hoffman, Dadonov, Dvorak & cie around !!!!

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

I was so pissed at how they handled him, esp. in the playoffs. But at the same time I thought he overracted when he asked to be traded. I think he probably would have played second center the next year with Danault leaving.

The issue was after the season ended in a press conference Bergevin put basically no faith in him and said he'd only put Kotkaniemi on the second line if he absolutely had to. After seeing Danault leave, KK probably felt no reason to sign given Bergevin didn't give him any confidence he could take over the 2nd line.

It was mind blowing how we went from having solid centre depth in Suzuki, Danault, Domi and KK to having only one of them like a year later.

 

[MasterD]

The issue was after the season ended in a press conference Bergevin put basically no faith in him and said he'd only put Kotkaniemi on the second line if he absolutely had to. After seeing Danault leave, KK probably felt no reason to sign given Bergevin didn't give him any confidence he could take over the 2nd line.

It was mind blowing how we went from having solid centre depth in Suzuki, Danault, Domi and KK to having only one of them like a year later.

"centers are not available"

 

[Kimota]

The issue was after the season ended in a press conference Bergevin put basically no faith in him and said he'd only put Kotkaniemi on the second line if he absolutely had to. After seeing Danault leave, KK probably felt no reason to sign given Bergevin didn't give him any confidence he could take over the 2nd line.

It was mind blowing how we went from having solid centre depth in Suzuki, Danault, Domi and KK to having only one of them like a year later.

I mean I sort of get it in the sense that even with the Canes, they don't play him on the second line. I think Bergevin and Co wanted him to push his way to the second line. So that it's not handed to him. But I think there is definitely a sort of favoritism with coachs and GMs where guys get big minutes easily and others have to struggle to get it. And it was the case for KK. The fact that Ducharme didn't play him last game of the playoffs was an example of that. I felt like KK had proved enough of himself that he was part of the crew and was playing his heart out enough to be full time with the team. At that point in time in the playoffs, you wanted him outthere. And DD still did not want him on the ice.

 

[LaP]

I mean I sort of get it in the sense that even with the Canes, they don't play him on the second line. I think Bergevin and Co wanted him to push his way to the second line. So that it's not handed to him. But I think there is definitely a sort of favoritism with coachs and GMs where guys get big minutes easily and others have to struggle to get it. And it was the case for KK. The fact that Ducharme didn't play him last game of the playoffs was an example of that. I felt like KK had proved enough of himself that he was part of the crew and was playing his heart out enough to be full time with the team. At that point in time in the playoffs, you wanted him outthere. And DD still did not want him on the ice.

The problem was not really that he did not play the last game but that Evans played it. Nothing against Evans but it should have been clear by that time that JK was a better player. Evans is okay but he's really nothing special. He also did not have more experience than JK. Evans was also returning from a serious injury like why in gods name would you ice a 4th liner returning from a serious injury instead of a good 3rd line center drafted 3rd overall like JK ? It's not like JK had bad playoffs he was actually playing well. We lost that elimination game 1-0 and it reminds me the elimination game we lost 1-0 against the Rangers where MT refused to replace DD by Eller. Both time the coach was as much to blame as the players for the elimination.

 

[Kimota]

The problem was not really that he did not play the last game but that Evans played it. Nothing against Evans but it should have been clear by that time that JK was a better player. Evans is okay but he's really nothing special. He also did not have more experience than JK. Evans was also returning from a serious injury like why in gods name would you ice a 4th liner returning from a serious injury instead of a good 3rd line center drafted 3rd overall like JK ? It's not like JK had bad playoffs he was actually playing well. We lost that elimination game 1-0 and it reminds me the elimination game we lost 1-0 against the Rangers where MT refused to replace DD by Eller. Both time the coach was as much to blame as the players for the elimination.

My issue was Staal who could barely move at this point in the series. And he chose him over KK. But yea Eller got very short-changed under MT.

 

[LaP]

My issue was Staal who could barely move at this point in the series. And he chose him over KK. But yea Eller got very short-changed under MT.

Or Staal yeah i forgot that one ...