Speculation: Ryan Clowe was THIS close to being a Hab

[Beendair Donedat]

Clowe is all day everyday over no good Briere... Briere just sucks and is small... Clowe would open up a lot more space out there and would have a clear role on this team.

 

[yianik]

lots of hate for briere. not sure why, he hasn't been that bad---outside the fact he's a redundant player.

him pleks and gionta have chemistry, and could prove large down the road. the problem is therrien keeps juggling him around and it really doesn't make sense..

not sure what happens when everyone is healthy, but someone needs to be moved.

Pacioretty Pleks Briere

Galchenyuk Eller Gallagher

bourque dd Prust

bournival white weise

that's without moen and gionta..

you think someone would have to move. i like the young energy line, and really really like their potential to contribute and create havoc on the ice.

Bro, no chance Patches and DD are broken up. I bet Patches is trying to get DD to become an American just so he could get, by acclamation, put on the American Team for 2018.

 

[Whitesnake]

You are not part of A PLAN when you sign for 1 or 2 years.....If so, it's a band-aid plan...nothing more.

 

[PricePkPatch*]

So I suppose the sweet-spot for our massive build-up will be in about 2 years. With the arrival of developping prospect as well as a freed-up Cap space.

 

[Monctonscout]

At 2-3 years I'd prefer Clowe to Briere, mostly due to a better fit, not necessarily a better player.

BUT at current contracts I'd EASILY chose Briere. Clowe has already missed a bunch of games and has 3 goals. His physicality would be nice but not at 5 years and almost 5 mil/year.

 

[Analyzer*]

In Clowe's last 67 games he has 6 goals and 4 concussions. (suffered 3 last year and 1 this year)

In Briere's last 80 games, he has 15 goals and 2 concussions (1 last year, 1 this year)

People freak out at Briere because he isn't scoring...

 

[MathMan]

Would take Clowe all day over Briere.

Not convinced. Clowe is not very good at all.

But hey, size, I guess?

Would've been a very Bergevin signing, alas.

 

[Video Coach]

At least we know Bergevin is willing to take risks, but not risks that will hurt the long term direction of the team.

He went after Clowe and Lecavalier first, offering 2-3 deals, lost, then went on to Briere (or maybe others too that we don't know about). Obviously, Briere doesn't bring the size that Clowe and Lecavalier do, but that's why he wasn't their first choice. He was brought in for secondary offense and for his positional versatility. The bet on Briere was he would provide offense in the playoffs...so we'll just have to wait and see.

Clowe at 5 years, just like Lecavalier at 5 years is a mistake, either at 2-3 is fine. I'd rather have Briere on his contract over Clarkson or Clowe.

On the flip side I'd rather have Jagr for 1-2 than Briere for the same. Unless Briere really does go all playoff hero on us.

 

[TheGoalJudge]

This is what I knew all along. Bergevin will not make any crippling long-term moves.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Ryane Clowe was close to becoming a Montreal Canadien. Real close. He had grown up a Habs fan, played junior hockey at the Bell Centre before the Rocket packed their bags and headed down the road to the Maurice Richard Arena, and, ultimately, P.E.I.

The Canadiens wanted to get bigger up front, making Clowe, who carved out a pretty fine career as a crash and bang winger with the San Jose Sharks and, for a short while, the New York Rangers, an attractive package.

Montreal was prepared to offer up two or three years for the 31-year-old player, and Clowe was all ears.

Until the call came from Lou Lamoriello. The Devils’ general manager, one of the craftiest in all of hockey, came bearing gifts in the form of 24 and a quarter million dollars, or $4.85 million a season, which would make him the third-highest paid player on the team. Best part was the contract was for five years.

Clowe’s reaction was predictable: where do I sign?

I bet he was pinching himself to make sure he was awake.

Anyways him or Briere should not have been given contracts, Bournival made the team and the cap space is insanely more valuable to have. You never know when a team will want to unload a player and with no cap space you cant do ****.

 

[Video Coach]

You are not part of A PLAN when you sign for 1 or 2 years.....If so, it's a band-aid plan...nothing more.

I don't think it's as cut and dry as that. The plan is to not hobble a team that is developing young players by eating up cap with long term deals on risky players. But that doesn't mean they're done after the 1-2 years. You can re-sign them if they work with the team, but if younger player push them out, or they underperform, at least you don't have to carry them or buy them out 3-5 years of a contract.

You don't know how players are going to develop, who's going to get injured, who's going to have chemistry in the lineup. That takes time. Signing vets on shorter term deals give the team flexibility, but also options. If the vet works out you can choose to trade another chip and hold onto your vet.

 

[DJ Breadman]

Clowe would of been good for 2 years but not at the money New Jersey gave him

 

[overlords]

Yeesh. Sound the alarms. Someone get bergy a life raft out of this city.

 

[PricePkPatch*]

Clowe would of been good for 2 years but not at the money New Jersey gave him

I don't think a single UFA signed this summer would have satisfied us at the terms they eventually accepted.

Closest was, ironically, Briere. His 2 years term is a godsend compared to some of the nightmare contracts

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

If I'm not mistaken, Briere is still 6th on our team in goals scored, despite playing 4th line and being scratched for a multitude of games.

 

[Andy]

If I'm not mistaken, Briere is still 6th on our team in goals scored, despite playing 4th line and being scratched for a multitude of games.

Says more of the Habs struggling offense under Therrien than it does of Briere.

 

[PricePkPatch*]

Says more of the Habs struggling offense under Therrien than it does of Briere.

There's a saying for that

"Beggers can't be choosers"

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

I didn't want him here and he is maybe a redundant player but I think Brière wouldn't be a bad signing if he was used properly by Therrien. I mean 4th line duties, seriously?

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Says more of the Habs struggling offense under Therrien than it does of Briere.

Therrien isn't responsible for the players not scoring, he's responsible for the style of game that we play, but he's not responsible for personal struggles.

Sure I understand that therrien favors players like Desharnais or Bouillon, but I wouldn't blame him for Eller's putrid play.

I'd take Briere with his contract over Clowe with his contract 100 times out of 100. Believe it or not but I don't want to start building our 3rd 4th line, which is what Clowe would help us do.

 

[Wats]

There's a saying for that

"Beggers can't be choosers"

He's actually mistaken. Briere is 8th among forwards in goals while being 9th among forwards in icetime/game.

 

[Agnostic]

Nice to see Lou lamoriello having the same type of brain cramps we associate with Gainey. Really nice.

Stopgaps are stopgaps Bergevin obviously kicked the tires on a few options but wouldn't hamper the team with the weight of a risky long term deal. I like this report reflects on Bergevin well.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Good on MB for not making a long term offer here. Ditto with Lecavalier.

 

[Andy]

Therrien isn't responsible for the players not scoring, he's responsible for the style of game that we play, but he's not responsible for personal struggles.

Sure I understand that therrien favors players like Desharnais or Bouillon, but I wouldn't blame him for Eller's putrid play.

I'd take Briere with his contract over Clowe with his contract 100 times out of 100. Believe it or not but I don't want to start building our 3rd 4th line, which is what Clowe would help us do.

I would take neither. The fact that we chose Briere over Clowe with that contract isn't a justification for the acquisition of Briere. Both would have been crap.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

This is what I knew all along. Bergevin will not make any crippling long-term moves.

Except for DD's contract right?

 

[Whitesnake]

I don't think it's as cut and dry as that. The plan is to not hobble a team that is developing young players by eating up cap with long term deals on risky players. But that doesn't mean they're done after the 1-2 years. You can re-sign them if they work with the team, but if younger player push them out, or they underperform, at least you don't have to carry them or buy them out 3-5 years of a contract.

You don't know how players are going to develop, who's going to get injured, who's going to have chemistry in the lineup. That takes time. Signing vets on shorter term deals give the team flexibility, but also options. If the vet works out you can choose to trade another chip and hold onto your vet.

I really think that's a band-aid plan though. Sign a vet, that you don't know how he'll do because you don't have rookies that can do the job and see from there and hope for the best. Just that for me, to have a biggest chance to be relevant, is that with the guys we have right now, you either sell or buy. But not obscure 1-commtion away guy....you go for the throat and be relevant. Or sell, have at the most 1 or 2 tough years, pick up some great prospects that could be up in 2 years and make us a contender.

My problem with that team is that it's the constant averageness of it.