Pre-Game Talk: Habs @ Rangers - tonight at 7.

[Censored Toad]

Yeah and we have Engels and Basu preparing us for the stupid trade.

The modus operandi is to make the playoffs at all cost. Our only hope is that we fall off so horribly that we can't make that trade in time.

I would welcome that. Not even a glimmer of hope so we can do what needs to be done which is rebuild this team.. of course with a new GM.

 

[Censored Toad]

Cap Space is having another big year though, so that’s important, Molson is looking like a genius. He hired a high school dropout to run his club that is so incompetent that even after losing 9 out of 10, while not spending close to the cap limit for two years, nobody expects that he will ever be replaced or that cap space filled with anything other than some other team’s garbage.

The only GM in the league that’s trying to win and actively failing his way into a rebuild. It’s impressive to be that bad at ones profession and still be employed.

I still can't beleive despite our losing ways Capspace is still sitting at a cool +- of zero!
Like our defense is so poor this year yet a big fat 0!! truly r e*marc*able

 

[Andy]

If the Habs play like the third period yesterday, then it should be a fairly easy win.

 

[Slashers98]

If the Habs play like the third period yesterday, then it should be a fairly easy win.

They won't and they will come out flat!

 

[beh3moth]

Sucks that the goalposts have been moved from winning the playoffs to making the playoffs. Lol. Getting 4 extra games on the season is our Stanley Cup

 

[Le Tricolore]

I was thinking in terms that if both teams are traveling, it would have made sense for the call-up to be with the Habs as soon as possible, but now I have my answer.

RIGHT. I forgot that the game was on the road. Logistically, I doubt we'd call anyone up then, but I guess it wouldn't be impossible.

 

[The Real Timo]

That's BS. You don't need to deflate everything we have cause you don't like the GM.

Tatar - Danault - Gallagher
Cousins - Suzuki - Armia
Vejdemo - Domi - Lehkonen
Peca - Thompson - Weal

OR

Tatar - Danault - Gallagher
Domi - Suzuki - Armia
Cousins - Thompson - Lehkonen
Peca - Vejdemo - Weal

Am I really deflating?

 

[mitchmagic]

Probably the worst roster we've had in 10+ years. 8 years as GM and this is where you end up!

Weal and Cousins on your PP. Danault your top C.

Great job.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Poehling or Vejdemo up to replace KK?

Might as well throw another rookie in there...

Initially I thought someone would get called up. But Laval is a little banged up, too. So even they're a little short staffed.

They just called up Verbeek from the ECHL. Belzile won't play tonight. Poehling will play wing because of Belzile's absence. Varone is still out with an injury, Hudon and Peca are in Montreal. So even Laval has key players out of the line-up.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Sucks that the goalposts have been moved from winning the playoffs to making the playoffs. Lol. Getting 4 extra games on the season is our Stanley Cup

This is the biggest problem with Bergevin/Molson for sure. They have been dealt a poker hand this year where they are chasing the straight and even if we get that straight, we are up against a Full House or Royal Flush. Fold the hand for this year please. Lets go after the best pick we can get and play the kids more. Call up Alzner, Play Lindgren more, Keep Drouin and Kotkaniemi out for as long as we can.

There are lots of things we can do where we turn the pressure to win dial down and let our fan base enjoy watching our youth (win or lose) and our management can evaluate them with more ice time.

It's opportunity to test our youth while we try to pick in the top 10 again. Come on man! You can do it Molson. We will support you if you make the right move... lots of empty seats in the Bell centers last night! . If you continue to chase the straight, you won't fool our fan base and it might get worse for your pocket of money

 

[Adam Michaels]

RIGHT. I forgot that the game was on the road. Logistically, I doubt we'd call anyone up then, but I guess it wouldn't be impossible.

Keep in mind that Laval is in Syracuse right now, which is in the State of New York. Montreal is a little over an hour away by plane in New York City.

But I think they would have made the call up already. Or they already did call someone up but haven't officially announced it yet?

 

[Tuggy]

They've got 12 forwards for tonight, so they should be fine. If someone gets hurt in warm up then you could always dress an extra defenseman.

 

[Habs 4 Life]

Is there even a point of watching games anymore?

Seeing all the empty seats and tickets available so far, the answer is no!

 

[Habs4Life]

Probably the worst roster we've had in 10+ years. 8 years as GM and this is where you end up!

Weal and Cousins on your PP. Danault your top C.

Great job.

100% agreed. I thought depth was suppose to be our strong suit?

 

[FLHabs]

It's funny to think that even after 8 losses in a row, if they win tonight they will jump to second in the Atlantic lmao! The teams below will have a couple games in hand but still, they could've really solidified a good chance at a playoff spot if not for this losing streak. Crazy that the Atlantic was looking like a bloodbath of a divison at the start of the year.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

That's BS. You don't need to deflate everything we have cause you don't like the GM.

Please read carefully before replying. I know you'll reply about the prospects yaddi yaddi yadda, but take this into consideration:



-In our worst period in the last half century, Habs made playoffs only once in 5 consecutive seasons, with Houle at the helm.

If we miss the playoffs this year, which is likely, we will have made the playoffs only once in 5 consecutive seasons, just like our previous worst sequence.



-In our previous worst sequence, we won 1 round of hockey in the span of 5 seasons.

If we don't win a playoff round in 2020, we won't have won a single round in 5 years. You have to go far back to between 37-38 and 42-43 to find a worst sequence, with 6 straight years without winning a round of playoffs. Even Houle didnt go 5 years without winning at least one round.



-Our worst record in the modern era (80+ games), is 70 point (Houle) at a time where there weren't any extra points for shootouts.

Bergevin's worst record is 71 points, second worst record in the modern era.



- Rejean Houle is the habs gm recordman for losses, at 41.

Bergevin is also at 41.



-the worst losing sequence in the Houle era was 6 games

Bergevin just hit 8.



In Rejean Houle's final year, we had many good prospects hitting at the door, Markov, Ribs, Ryder, and we also had hope as Theodore was starting to dominate, so please, it's historical revisionism to say there's more hope with our prospects today, especially since we're not even sure we'll be getting as good as Ribs and Markov were.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Please read carefully before replying. I know you'll reply about the prospects yaddi yaddi yadda, but take this into consideration:



-In our worst period in the last half century, Habs made playoffs only once in 5 consecutive seasons, with Houle at the helm.

If we miss the playoffs this year, which is likely, we will have made the playoffs only once in 5 consecutive seasons, just like our previous worst sequence.



-In our previous worst sequence, we won 1 round of hockey in the span of 5 seasons.

If we don't win a playoff round in 2020, we won't have won a single round in 5 years. You have to go far back to between 37-38 and 42-43 to find a worst sequence, with 6 straight years without winning a round of playoffs. Even Houle didnt go 5 years without winning at least one round.



-Our worst record in the modern era (80+ games), is 70 point (Houle) at a time where there weren't any extra points for shootouts.

Bergevin's worst record is 71 points, second worst record in the modern era.



- Rejean Houle is the habs gm recordman for losses, at 41.

Bergevin is also at 41.



-the worst losing sequence in the Houle era was 6

Bergevin just hit 8.



In Rejean Houle's final year, we had many good prospects hitting at the door, Markov, Ribs, Ryder, and we also had hope as Theodore was starting to dominate, so please, it's historical revisionism to say there's more hope with our prospects today, especially since we're not even sure we'll be getting as good as Ribs and Markov were.

The Habs situation today is not like it was with Houle. Period. You can keep trying to say I don't understand if you wish. Don't care.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Probably the worst roster we've had in 10+ years. 8 years as GM and this is where you end up!

Weal and Cousins on your PP. Danault your top C.

Great job.

Make that 20 years

-Ozy

 

[Death]

Engels is Bergys mouth piece, and if the shills in the media are talking about desperation to make the playoffs, then I believe it's the mandate.

I used to have a good time reading his articles on hockeybuzz ... now he never ever says anything that could begin to seem negative about the players or management. He even avoids giving his opinion if it could be a knock on the club. The only reason I keep reading his tweets is the mandate thing which you're talking about. Whatever he says seems to be a reflection of the management's mindset.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

The Habs situation today is not like it was with Houle. Period. You can keep trying to say I don't understand if you wish. Don't care.

Period! That's a pretty solid argument

Pretty sure you didn't read it, you replied really quickly.

How about all those mediocrity records? Don't they look the same?


Yeah i'll do just that, say you don't get it, here's another reason why: teams have more talent today than 20 years ago because before adding Vegas, we spent 15 years without an expansion which hadn't happened since the first expansion. This filled the league with more talent, but also because recruitment and development also took a major upward turn in the last 20 years. All of this has made the league more competitive. Even the worst of teams have good talent on them. It takes more talent intake today to upgrade a team than it did back then.

 

[Riddick412]

Pretty sad that we've come to the point where we're arguing over who's worse, the current GM or the worst GM in history.

At this point it's 100 percent on Molson for being blind and uninvolved. Can't wait to see the response when they start actually losing money or at least fall flat on their growth projections.

 

[26Mats]

These are the lines I would go with tonight:

Cousins - Domi - Gallagher
(time to get our best center going by giving him our best winger - only reason I don't have Tatar there is Suzuki needs someone to play with)

Lehkonen - Danault - Armia
(shut down line - plays against opposition's best line - Panarin line)

Tatar - Suzuki - Weal
(Weal and Suzuki had chemistry in the pre-season.

Hudon/Vejdemo/Belzile/Poehling - Thompson - Peca
(this line gets minimal ice time)

 

[Rafafouille]

Rangers point blank announced to their fans that they were blowing up the team and starting a rebuild...less than 2 years later they are over 500 and a decent young team is emerging.

Which has nothing to do with their rebuild. Their #1 defenseman forced the Jets to trade him on the cheap to the rangers or he'd not play for the team and they got a stud elite winger in free agency who wanted to play for the rangers. THAT is why they're playing well. Their rebuild didn't lead them there, they were mostly lucky.

 

[Habs]

That lineup is scary. It reminds me of all the times as a young mind growing up posting childish lineups with the likes of Steve Kariya and other underachievers in the early 2ks; with tanking and development in mind. I dare to think drafting Lafrenière is possible; especially since it would make the perfect marketing tool.

The way things are going, the Leafs could get a better draft pick, and that's scary. They cannot let this happen, Pittsburgh knew how to tank for Sid and Malkin, its the only way out of this mess in Montreal.

 

[LaP]

Sucks that the goalposts have been moved from winning the playoffs to making the playoffs. Lol. Getting 4 extra games on the season is our Stanley Cup

It's not even making the playoffs anymore. It's just having kids with potential. No ... not even that ... i mean they are all struggling in the AHL outside of Primeau. No it's just have kids period. Randomly draft players and you're a good GM now.