Confirmed with Link: Simon Despres signs PTO with Laval (12-2)

[Dominator13]

I think he'll be on the team come November, maybe earlier, just my useless opinion though.

I think so too. A healthy Simon Depres is better than Benn, Schlemko and Alzner. Not only is he hungry for a comeback, he's working very bard on the things that were holding him back from a top 4 position. A better skating Depres is close to looking like a Darnell Nurse imo. He's. My favorite invite in a very long time.

 

[montreal]

Maybe but I think Despres will be on Petry level.

I would be shocked if he was even close to Petry's level since he's coming off back to back career years and should be the top D until Weber is back to form. I didn't see Despres in the KHL so I can't say too much about him, guess we'll see how he does in preseason games.

We could drop Benn, Schlemko, Alzner, without missing a beat and if Despres' play is good enough I could see him bumping one of these 3 rather easily.

No way can they easily get rid of Alzner. He makes 6M next season, you would need to pay someone a good bit to take such a terrible player at such a piss poor contract and that would be silly to do since he will help us get a better draft pick. I also don't see Molson agreeing to paying him 6M in the AHL or MB to admit what a huge mistake he made.

Schlemko I think if he stays healthy will actually be a decent bottom pairing D if put in that role. I like him more then Benn at least.

Benn should be the easiest to move since he can be sent to the AHL without impacting the cap (not that it matters). But not sure if MB would do that. They protected him from the expansion draft over Beaulieu, so to send him to the AHL a year later would surprise me. I could see him being traded for cheap though but until he's gone I think he's on the roster.

 

[LaP]

I think so too. A healthy Simon Depres is better than Benn, Schlemko and Alzner. Not only is he hungry for a comeback, he's working very bard on the things that were holding him back from a top 4 position. A better skating Depres is close to looking like a Darnell Nurse imo. He's. My favorite invite in a very long time.

I hope Schlemko is not back. What kind of message do you send to your kids if a vet can play like he did last year (uninspired) and still be part of the lineup. Benn should be the 7th dman unless he has a very good camp and redeem himself. At one point we must send the message that it's not okay to be bad and uninterested even if you have 10 years of experience there will be repercussion for not delivering.

IMO Schlemko and benn should already be out of the equation. Ouellet, Valiev, Reilly, Despres, Mete and the two czech should fight for the two spots remaining on the lest side. We must keep Alzner at least another year he is pretty much untradeable and since we signed him as a UFA we kind of need to keep him in the lineup or buy him out.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

I just noticed that Despres is listed as a RD on capfriendly? Can anybody confirm if that is the case? If it is, I like this even more. Means that Juulsen can be in Laval if Despres is decent.

EDIT: Seems like it is, he was playing with Fowler in Anaheim.

Reilly - Petry
Schlemko - Despres
Alzner - Benn
Valiev - Lernout

Benn GTFOs when Weber gets back.

#tank

 

[Treb]

How many of those were drafted in the top 10? You need to adjust your expectations based on draft position as well. We have 1 top 10 drafted prospect,everyone else should not be compared to that list.

1- McDavid 18
1- MackInnon 18
1 - Hall 18
1 - Crosby 18
1 - Ovechkin 20
1 - Stamkos 18
1 - Tavares 19
2 - Malkin 20
5 - Kessel 19
5 - Wheeler 22
7 - Voracek 19
10 - Kopitar 19
10 - Rantanen 20
16 - Barzal 20
22- Giroux 20
26 - Kuznetzov 22
58 - Kucherov 20
71 - Marchand 22
104 - Gaudreau 21
UDFA - Panarin 24

 

[De Montreal]

I just noticed that Despres is listed as a RD on capfriendly? Can anybody confirm if that is the case? If it is, I like this even more. Means that Juulsen can be in Laval if Despres is decent.

EDIT: Seems like it is, he was playing with Fowler in Anaheim.

Reilly - Petry
Schlemko - Despres
Alzner - Benn
Valiev - Lernout

Benn GTFOs when Weber gets back.

#tank

I agree Juulsen should be in the AHL especially if Després prove he can play a role in the NHL which I think he will but do you also send Mete to Laval? It's not that he doesnt have anything to learn there under Bouchard, I just think he's our 2nd best dman after Petry with Weber out so it's a bit weird to keep him out.

Alzner - Petry
Mete - Després
Schlemko - Reilly
Benn/Valiev

 

[montreal]

I just noticed that Despres is listed as a RD on capfriendly? Can anybody confirm if that is the case? If it is, I like this even more. Means that Juulsen can be in Laval if Despres is decent.

EDIT: Seems like it is, he was playing with Fowler in Anaheim.

Reilly - Petry
Schlemko - Despres
Alzner - Benn
Valiev - Lernout

Benn GTFOs when Weber gets back.

#tank

I doubt they carry 8 D, so Valiev should be in Laval unless he has a great camp. I don't know where Despres played in the KHL other then he's left handed.

I agree Juulsen should be in the AHL especially if Després prove he can play a role in the NHL which I think he will but do you also send Mete to Laval? It's not that he doesnt have anything to learn there under Bouchard, I just think he's our 2nd best dman after Petry with Weber out so it's a bit weird to keep him out.

Alzner - Petry
Mete - Després
Schlemko - Reilly
Benn/Valiev

Reilly is a LD and he had more points in 19 games then Mete had in 49. If Weber were healthy I would put Reilly with him to cover up his terrible defensive play and it would give the pairing a good puck mover with mobility.

 

[HABitual Fan]

1- McDavid 18
1- MackInnon 18
1 - Hall 18
1 - Crosby 18
1 - Ovechkin 20
1 - Stamkos 18
1 - Tavares 19
2 - Malkin 20
5 - Kessel 19
5 - Wheeler 22
7 - Voracek 19
10 - Kopitar 19
10 - Rantanen 20
16 - Barzal 20
22- Giroux 20
26 - Kuznetzov 22
58 - Kucherov 20
71 - Marchand 22
104 - Gaudreau 21
UDFA - Panarin 24

Thanks, was on my cell so couldn't check myself.

 

[FerrisRox]

I don't agree, I think that it's beneficial if the Habs can get local, and yes French Canadian, players to contribute in a constructive manner to their roster. Nominally, French Canadians are a majority in Quebec, we should only evaluate everybody on skill, and we live in a post-racial society, but ...

In practice sports are part of civic pride and it's good to see communities represented. It's not altogether different from how American sports teams probably benefit when they have Black and Hispanic players on their roster -- it helps them reach out and grow their fanbase, by including Black and Hispanic fans, and giving them a favorite player as well. Meanwhile, English Canadian fans in every other Canadian city get to watch English Canadian players do well, over time of course.

Second, if there are multiple good French Canadian players on the roster, the extra media attention gets diluted and that reduces the pressure on that player. If there's only one Quebecois player on the roster, he will be stalked by RDS/TVA after every period, that's no good. You guys might not like this second argument but it's a fact of life.

This doesn't mean that I want any particular player pushed above their level of competency, as happened with Desharnais, Danault, and Drouin. I want players to play at roughly their level of competency, and ideally, there should be a few French Canadian players on the roster in various roles.

Right now,
Drouin, top-6 winger
Danault, middle-6 centre
Hudon, middle-6 winger
Ouellet, depth dman
Despres, depth dman, with potential to rise up the charts

This is not a lot if we're honest. It can only hold the team back if they're mismanaged, which is what would happen under Therrien.

So Montreal is the only team that needs to have players from their province, and the rest of Canada is fine with "English Canadians?"

This is absolute nonsense and has nothing to do with how you build a winner. Let's go back to focusing on that. Bringing in the best players and the best coaches and managers is how you build a winner.

Straying from that simple fact - and Montreal has most definitely strayed from it handicaps your ability to be successful and that's an idiotic thing to do.

Also, I'm little confused that you think it's so important to have French Canadians on the roster and then you list Oullet, who isn't French Canadian.

 

[FerrisRox]

Success rate to get a legitimate top player out of a reclamation project is probably around 0.000001%.

If they are tradeable for an asset they are highly successful.

And this number seems really low. Just in recent years we've seen Martin St. Louis, Devan Dubnyk and Jonathan Marchessault go from reclamation project to top players.

 

[1909]

So Montreal is the only team that needs to have players from their province, and the rest of Canada is fine with "English Canadians?"

This is absolute nonsense and has nothing to do with how you build a winner. Let's go back to focusing on that. Bringing in the best players and the best coaches and managers is how you build a winner.

Straying from that simple fact - and Montreal has most definitely strayed from it handicaps your ability to be successful and that's an idiotic thing to do.

Also, I'm little confused that you think it's so important to have French Canadians on the roster and then you list Oullet, who isn't French Canadian.

You need a bit of information because you are obviously clueless.

Ouellet is indeed born in France but he grew up and played all his minor hockey in Quebec. His father is a Quebecer. I dunno about his mom. And he definitely doesn't have a French accent from France. (if YOU can make the difference...)

That Montreal Canadiens team won 24 Cups with lineups made at least of 50% with French Canadian players. If History is not your forte, that's not my problem.

 

[1909]

Like Eric Gelinas? Bergevin is nothing more than a dumpster diver. So embarrassing

Després is a way better d-man than Gelinas. Too bad he has been concussed twice two years ago.

 

[Whitesnake]

You need a bit of information because you are obviously clueless.

Ouellet is indeed born in France but he grew up and played all his minor hockey in Quebec. His father is a Quebecer. I dunno about his mom. And he definitely doesn't have a French accent from France. (if YOU can make the difference...)

That Montreal Canadiens team won 24 Cups with lineups made at least of 50% with French Canadian players. If History is not your forte, that's not my problem.

While I'M a big advocate in bringing more local players....and feel that we are disrespecting the product....we won 24 Cups with lineups made of a lot of franco players because there were less americans and european players playing the game. And because there were actually more franco players playing the game on a prorata basis because now kids have more other sports to choose from. And in the end, if we really want to play the history card, I guess we should have more franco players....but we'd have to get anglo coaches and GM's has they have won more Cups than the franco ones.

The whole language debate is mostly driven by people who couldn't care less about the sport and the team. Still, I think we have to do a much better job 'cause if other teams disregard the Q, we should benefitiate from that. Other teams don't disregard other league but the Q? Great. Let's NOT do it. So that the Marchessault, Gourde, and others are ours.

And yes, Xavier Ouellet will be seen as a Franco Quebecer.

 

[LaP]

If they are tradeable for an asset they are highly successful.

And this number seems really low. Just in recent years we've seen Martin St. Louis, Devan Dubnyk and Jonathan Marchessault go from reclamation project to top players.

I agree. But this management has to prove they have the guts to do it. Paul Byron is still part of this lineup ...

 

[FerrisRox]

You need a bit of information because you are obviously clueless.

Ouellet is indeed born in France but he grew up and played all his minor hockey in Quebec. His father is a Quebecer. I dunno about his mom. And he definitely doesn't have a French accent from France. (if YOU can make the difference...)

That Montreal Canadiens team won 24 Cups with lineups made at least of 50% with French Canadian players. If History is not your forte, that's not my problem.

They did not win those Stanley Cups by drafting only players from Quebec. They built the bulk of their Quebec-centric rosters at a time when they first refusal on players from the province before the draft system was in place.

They also built the vast majority of those Stanley Cup rosters when a very high percentage of the players in the National Hockey League came from Canada. Now its closer to fifty percent of the league players come from Canada. If you are suggesting the way things were done in the 1950's and 60's is the way things should be done now because it was successful back then is absurdly naive and completely ignores the massive changes in where players for the league are coming from.

Additionally, your claim about "at least fifty percent French Canadian rosters" for their Cup winning clubs ignores the reality of no longer have a feeder system coming out of the province, and, quite frankly, it ignores facts.

 

[Rapala]

Considering these reclamation projects are low or no risk, I don't see what the issue is and what's "pathetic" about it. It's one of the few things that Bergevin has done that I think is smart.

Giving chances to guys like Semin, Fleishmann, Streit, Gelinas, Hemsky and Despres is a chance to add a guy, for literally nothing and if it works, great, and if it doesn't cut them loose, no harm no foul.

Fleishmann was able to carve out a spot and get flipped for an asset. I don't see what the problem is.

We wouldn't have to add guys for literally nothing if we didn't lose guys for literally nothing...

 

[Rapala]

His off-ice issues are not alledged. He confirmed to TVA Sports a long time ago that he drank a lot, causing him a lot of health issues. He also had problems controlling his low blood pressure.

Should we be warning the trees off Cote St Luc road?

 

[DAChampion]

They did not win those Stanley Cups by drafting only players from Quebec. They built the bulk of their Quebec-centric rosters at a time when they first refusal on players from the province before the draft system was in place.

They also built the vast majority of those Stanley Cup rosters when a very high percentage of the players in the National Hockey League came from Canada. Now its closer to fifty percent of the league players come from Canada. If you are suggesting the way things were done in the 1950's and 60's is the way things should be done now because it was successful back then is absurdly naive and completely ignores the massive changes in where players for the league are coming from.

Additionally, your claim about "at least fifty percent French Canadian rosters" for their Cup winning clubs ignores the reality of no longer have a feeder system coming out of the province, and, quite frankly, it ignores facts.

Nobody has suggested that the Habs have an entirely French Canadian roster. What I suggested was a few good players. Say something like 3 to 6.

 

[Big Lurk]

I agree. But this management has to prove they have the guts to do it. Paul Byron is still part of this lineup ...

We have too many wingers.
Someone is bound to get traded :


Byron
Domi
Pacioretty
Scherbak
Shaw
Hudon
Armia
Deslauriers
Gallagher
Lehkonen

 

[DAChampion]

We have too many wingers.
Someone is bound to get traded :


Byron
Domi
Pacioretty
Scherbak
Shaw
Hudon
Armia
Deslauriers
Gallagher
Lehkonen

10 wingers for 8 overall spots, including four top six spots and power play spots .

However, Pacioretty can be traded, Scherbak can go to Laval, and Deslauriers and Byron should ideally be on the 4th line. That would make things easier. You can then factor in likely injuries.

 

[Treb]

10 wingers for 8 overall spots, including four top six spots and power play spots .

However, Pacioretty can be traded, Scherbak can go to Laval, and Deslauriers and Byron should ideally be on the 4th line. That would make things easier. You can then factor in likely injuries.

Scherbak will be waiver eligible.

 

[FerrisRox]

Nobody has suggested that the Habs have an entirely French Canadian roster. What I suggested was a few good players. Say something like 3 to 6.

Actually, you quite clearly stated the Canadiens won 24 Stanley Cups with rosters made up of "at least fifty percent french Canadians" a claim that hasn't been true for several decades.

Clearly false for the wins in the 90's and 80's and the four-in-a-row clubs from the 70's had more Ontario born players than Quebec sometimes and definitely weren't fifty percent French Canadian. You're talking out of your ass.

 

[Adam Michaels]

10 wingers for 8 overall spots, including four top six spots and power play spots .

However, Pacioretty can be traded, Scherbak can go to Laval, and Deslauriers and Byron should ideally be on the 4th line. That would make things easier. You can then factor in likely injuries.

Scherbak will need to go through waivers. And he will be claimed for sure. Also, Byron has two consecutive seasons of 20+ goals, I think he's earned to be more than a 4th liner.

 

[MaxDummy]

I don't get why people are writing him off as a Laval bound player.

He was a solid NHLer before he had his concussion issues.

Voilà. You answered yourself

 

[Scriptor]

I agree Juulsen should be in the AHL especially if Després prove he can play a role in the NHL which I think he will but do you also send Mete to Laval? It's not that he doesnt have anything to learn there under Bouchard, I just think he's our 2nd best dman after Petry with Weber out so it's a bit weird to keep him out.

Alzner - Petry
Mete - Després
Schlemko - Reilly
Benn/Valiev

Didn't work at all between those two last year. Really bad idea.

And why play a youngster like Reilly out of position at RD?

I don't mind Mete-Després because Després, albeit a LHD, has NHL experience playing as a RHD. He brings size to a pairing with Mete, which I think is needed for the younger D.

Really, the only hope I have is that Moravcik ultimately slides in alongside Petry this fall, leaving the following tentative D:

Moravcik - Petry
Mete - Després
Alzner - Juulsen