The truth about this team

[Habs Icing]

This team is not a contender. We surely lack a coach, yes, but we lack much more than that. We signed 2 number 6-7 d-men, traded for another and we have them play in the top 5. Not a good situation.

On the top-6, you need more than what we have. And you can win all the faceoffs you need, fact of the matter is you need to score. Heck, even Jim Roberts scored at least one.

Yeah but this is a family forum so we don't talk about Jimmy Roberts one and only sex act.

(This lame joke becomes all the more funny for those that know what he looked like).

 

[Hoople]

All the talent in the world will not change the lazy perimeter play. Our guys don't want to check or pay the price so this is what you get.

For all that we do disagree on, I agree with you on this 100%.

 

[JayKing]

Absolutely zero reason that a team with as much talent as we have should be 27th in shots and have a dismal PP.

This x1000000

 

[Kriss E]

LOL, you must have your own basic math system. Here is what my math tells me:

He has a career .66 PPG average (54 over 82 avg). He hit 60 points last year and is on pace for 56. If that's a 70 point threat you need to do more to convince me. If you follow the guy you would know he is a sniper, he's not a guy that's going to put up big points.

And PAP is a plug, if you want to argue that he's a top 6 player I'm all ears. We can use your math or mine. 40 point guy all day long.

He scored 60pts in 73gp last year, not 82. Two years ago, he had 39 in 44gp.
So I don't see why you're surprised by this. It's entirely possible for Max to become more than just a 60pt guy if he wasn't paired with such a limited center.

If you follow your math, which is career pace, PAP is a 55pt player, not 40.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

This team's roster is as good as any in the East. Sure there are holes but we've got elite talent up front, on the backend and in net. Very few teams in the league can boast that.

As for us not having a number one center, that's fair enough but we've got three guys who are good enough to be number twos and one guy who should at least have been allowed to show what he could do.

We haven't played well for a long time now and folks have just pointed at the record. Now that the record is starting to slip we're hearing that we're just not all that good. It's total BS.

You want to know what's wrong with this team? Look no further than PK Subban and how we've stopped him from carrying the puck. We don't play to our strengths and it's actually a miracle that we've had the record we've had over the past two seasons.

Who's got a better roster? Pittsburgh has two elite centers and not much else. I'd say we're better than Boston who also have a good team. Tampa maybe?

There's no way we should be getting outplayed an relying on our goalies as much as we do.

 

[HuGo Sham]

every team has flaws in a cap era--habs are a very good team but imho these are the main issues:

-bergevin loading up D with old, slow, guys....get beaulieu and tinordi back in there-get some athleticism in there
-lack of RW scoring depth behind PAP and Gallagher
-DD as 1st line center

obviously i hate the PP and wish Therrien coached to teams strength more but those are top 3 i see

 

[Habs Icing]

This team's roster is as good as any in the East.

LOL.

I see the real good ganja has finally hit Montreal. You gotta tell me where you get it.

Islanders, Tampa Bay & Pens have a roster that is heads and shoulders better than Montreal.

And an argument can be made that Detroit, Rangers and Bruins (when they're healthy) have a better roster.

 

[Big Lurk]

LOL.

I see the real good ganja has finally hit Montreal. You gotta tell me where you get it.

Islanders, Tampa Bay & Pens have a roster that is heads and shoulders better than Montreal.

And an argument can be made that Detroit, Rangers and Bruins (when they're healthy) have a better roster.

But we were 1st in the league!!!

 

[Rapala]

This team does not believe in the game plan.
It is so evident in the way they approach games.
MB needs to get his ass downstairs and find out why real quick.
There are a number of us who have said over and over if you are playing God with proud athlete'(s) icetime
you'd better damn well be a just God.

 

[japhi]

He scored 60pts in 73gp last year, not 82. Two years ago, he had 39 in 44gp.
So I don't see why you're surprised by this. It's entirely possible for Max to become more than just a 60pt guy if he wasn't paired with such a limited center.

If you follow your math, which is career pace, PAP is a 55pt player, not 40.

Here is where you guys lose your head on these threads. You are telling me that he is a 65-70 point guy. I'm saying he is a 55-60 point guy.

If you are right and I'm wrong that puts Max in the elite of the NHL and would indicate that the guy he plays with at C is doing not too bad. And it validates Mt's use of DD and Max right? He put up 39 in 44 with DD, can you really argue he would have put up 50 in 44 with a different player?

So what is it, is the guy producing like a top 20 player or does he need a new C to reach that level?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

LOL.

I see the real good ganja has finally hit Montreal. You gotta tell me where you get it.

Islanders, Tampa Bay & Pens have a roster that is heads and shoulders better than Montreal.

And an argument can be made that Detroit, Rangers and Bruins (when they're healthy) have a better roster.

Judging by your post here, it's pretty clear you already found that ganja you were looking for.

 

[Hoople]

This team does not believe in the game plan.
It is so evident in the way they approach games.
MB needs to get his ass downstairs and find out why real quick.
There are a number of us who have said over and over if you are playing God with proud athlete'(s) icetime
you'd better damn well be a just God.

You can change icetimes for all the players.

Dial up the ones who you think deserve what and even zero out players who you feel deserves none.

And as long as the slot becomes a "Vacant" area for the Habs a majority of the time we are in our offensive zone, not much will change.

The Habs expend so much energy dumping the puck in the zone (even the Stars announcers had fun mocking the Habs for this last night) that it becomes counter-productive. When they do gain possession, it becomes a perimeter based offensive approach.

There is no offensive creativity from this team on offense. When was the last time you saw this team execute a give-and-go?

Ice times be damned. Its the coaching and the systems they employ that is keeping this team from reaching the next level needed to compete for a Cup.

 

[japhi]

LOL.

I see the real good ganja has finally hit Montreal. You gotta tell me where you get it.

Islanders, Tampa Bay & Pens have a roster that is heads and shoulders better than Montreal.

And an argument can be made that Detroit, Rangers and Bruins (when they're healthy) have a better roster.

Exactly, up front we don't have any player that can hold Stamkos or Tavares jock strap. Tavares has played with plugs his whole career and puts up a PPG. Stamkos looses his set up guy and is still crushing it. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are both better than any forwards the Habs have had in my lifetime. Crosby and Malkin are two of the best players I've ever seen play. That Pens have traded two forwards in Benn and Neal that are as good as our best forward and they still win games.

Such a lack of of perspective here.

 

[Rapala]

You can change icetimes for all the players.

Dial up the ones who you think deserve what and even zero out players who you feel deserves none.

And as long as the slot becomes a "Vacant" area for the Habs a majority of the time we are in our offensive zone, not much will change.

The Habs expend so much energy dumping the puck in the zone (even the Stars announcers had fun mocking the Habs for this last night) that it becomes counter-productive. When they do gain possession, it becomes a perimeter based offensive approach.

There is no offensive creativity from this team on offense. When was the last time you saw this team execute a give-and-go?

Ice times be damned. Its the coaching and the systems they employ that is keeping this team from reaching the next level needed to compete for a Cup.

You can have the best system ever created but the players are still the ones who need to execute it.
Sadly we have a coach who has become bigger than the team. IMO

 

[S Bah]

LOL.

I see the real good ganja has finally hit Montreal. You gotta tell me where you get it.

It's called B.C.Bud for a reason, it doesn't lose any potency worldwide, I'm sure the Aliens must have something to do with it being so good!

 

[Habsawce]

I hate looking at Therrien's face on the bench.

 

[Habs Icing]

Judging by your post here, it's pretty clear you already found that ganja you were looking for.

I don't go around making preposterous statements about the Habs' roster. To do that you need the really really REALLY good stuff. So tell us where did you get it?

 

[Habs Icing]

I hate looking at Therrien's face on the bench.

Someone should tell him to remove it from the bench. Some poor player may sit on it.

 

[Bob b smith]

Here is where you guys lose your head on these threads. You are telling me that he is a 65-70 point guy. I'm saying he is a 55-60 point guy.

If you are right and I'm wrong that puts Max in the elite of the NHL and would indicate that the guy he plays with at C is doing not too bad. And it validates Mt's use of DD and Max right? He put up 39 in 44 with DD, can you really argue he would have put up 50 in 44 with a different player?

So what is it, is the guy producing like a top 20 player or does he need a new C to reach that level?

What do you think? We should keep DD on the first line to maximize offense? And you'd keep Galchenyuk away from the first line and the first wave of the PP?

 

[Habsawce]

Someone should tell him to remove it from the bench. Some poor player may sit on it.

If he wore a Guy Fawkes mask it would be a lot better.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Exactly, up front we don't have any player that can hold Stamkos or Tavares jock strap.

So what?

Seriously man, we're not asking who has the best first line center it's who has the best roster. Who do the Islanders have behind Tavares at center? Who do they have who compares to Subban? Who do they have in net?

They have John Tavares so they have the better team? Okay man...

And btw, on this team John Tavares would STILL be used as our 2nd line center behind DD.

Tavares has played with plugs his whole career and puts up a PPG. Stamkos looses his set up guy and is still crushing it. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are both better than any forwards the Habs have had in my lifetime. Crosby and Malkin are two of the best players I've ever seen play. That Pens have traded two forwards in Benn and Neal that are as good as our best forward and they still win games.

See my comments above.

Such a lack of of perspective here.

You've summed up your own post really well here.

I don't go around making preposterous statements about the Habs' roster.

Yeah... right.

 

[Habsawce]

Out of curiosity, does anyone think the biggest issue with this team isn't the coaching staff?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Out of curiosity, does anyone think the biggest issue with this team isn't the coaching staff?

Hilarious that we read from these apologists that we "lack perspective" on the roster when our coach is using DD as our number one center. As though that's somehow his only choice.

Us using DD as our first line center is not a roster problem... it's a coaching problem. Just as putting Allen into the starting lineup is not a roster problem it's a coaching issue.

The system sucks. The PP sucks. Roster management sucks. 27th in shots? Just no way that should happen with this roster. Its inexcusable.

 

[japhi]

What do you think? We should keep DD on the first line to maximize offense? And you'd keep Galchenyuk away from the first line and the first wave of the PP?

Please try and follow along if you are going to quote me. I think that we don't have a great lineup, and that our top player is a 58 point guy. I think MB needs to give MT more help up front. I think we lack talent and moving players around is not going to make us an elite team. I think that PAP is a frigging plug that couldn't make it work in Colorado or NY, two bottom feeder teams.

How many points does Max and AG put up playing together? Are they 50 point guys that just need to play together to be 70 point guys? Do we have a stud team that only needs to move AG to C and give him 45 more seconds on the PP to be elite?

If you are going to quote me let's hear how MT takes this lineup and makes it compete with teams like the Pens that have guys that on their top 6 that are better than any player I've ever seen play in red. You think that moving AG to C makes us significantly better? Who plays LW on Pleks line and tell me about that player and his history in the league.

 

[Hackett]

Out of curiosity, does anyone think the biggest issue with this team isn't the coaching staff?

I find some of the lineup choices and player management to be questionable, but we are not in the room to fully answer that question.

I do think that we tend to overrate this roster though. I do not think it is best in the east now, and I didn't believe that before the season either.