What if David Desharnais produces this year?

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don't hate DD but I'd have zero problem with us trading him. We've got to start getting bigger up front. And he is disposable. Sheltered minutes that other young players with better potential should be getting. Even if he puts up 60 points he's not really helping us - I know that some people will have trouble understanding this but he's not really helping us in the big picture.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

What if he puts 80 points

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

What if he puts 80 points

Then we trade him for Crosby.

 

[vokiel]

We trade Eller for a bigger return.

 

[Darth Joker]

Our Top 9 does need to get bigger/tougher, and we will eventually have to pick 3 out of Pleks, DD, Eller, and Galchenyuk.

Trading DD would accomplish both in one shot, so it makes sense that people want it to be done.

But let's keep things in perspective here. Not including Briere the newcomer, Desharnais is the most prominent francophone Quebecker on the team. He also signed a contract extension that only starts kicking in this year.

So I don't see him getting traded this season unless he truly stinks up the joint.

Hopefully, Gionta or DD or both won't be on this team in a year's time (if they are, then Bergevin has made a mistake, period). But we're probably stuck with them for this season, unless the team falls apart and hence Gionta gets traded as a rental.

 

[onemorecup*]

People don't want him gone because he doesn't put up points. He's a bad fit for this team even though he does put up 50-60 points and he's the odd man out at Center, can't play the wing.

exactly lets put this dd crap into perspective

he can play in this league , no arguement from me

BUT......

I dont care if he scores 90 points a year ...

YOU CANT WIN WITH A DD ON YOUR TOP 6 OR LINEUP , LOOK AT THE LAST 3 CUP WINNERS

NO ONE HAS A DD IN THIEIR LINEUP , TOO MANY HOLES IN HIS GAME TO BE AN EFFECTIVE PLAYER , CANT PLAY ON YOUR TOP 6 , NO ROLE FOR THE BOTTOM 6

secondly , if these were the Habs of years ago fine keep him , you had a declining Koivu , Lappiere , Lang and a younger Pleks , and no depth , kids or anyone coming up

you needed him to buy some time plus he was a local kid

BUT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SIGNING HIM TO AN EXTENSION

ELLER, GALCHY AND PLEKS ARE BIGGER , BETTER , THERE IS NO DEBATE HERE , YOU CAN ARGUE TIL THE COWS COME HOME , THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTE STUPID SIGNING
THAT WILL NEVER MAKE SENSE , HE IS A BAD USELESS FIT IF YOU WANT TO WIN

 

[LyricalLyricist]

exactly lets put this dd crap into perspective

he can play in this league , no arguement from me

BUT......

I dont care if he scores 90 points a year ...

YOU CANT WIN A DD ON YOUR TOP 6 OR LINEUP , LOOK AT THE LAST 3 CUP WINNERS

NO ONE HAS A DD IN THIEIR LINEUP , TOO MANY HOLES IN HIS GAME TO BE AN EFFECTIVE PLAYER , CANT PLAY ON YOUR TOP 6 , NO ROLE FOR THE BOTTOM 6

secondly , if these were the Habs of years ago fine keep him , you had a declining Koivu , Lappiere , Lang and a younger Pleks , and no depth , kids or anyone coming up

you needed him to buy some time plus he was a local kid

BUT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SIGNING HIM TO AN EXTENSION

ELLER, GALCHY AND PLEKS ARE BIGGER , BETTER , THERE IS NO DEBATE HERE , YOU CAN ARGUE TIL THE COWS COME HOME , THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTE STUPID SIGNING
THAT WILL NEVER MAKE SENSE , HE IS A BAD USELESS FIT IF YOU WANT TO WIN

Back at full swing at least.

You don't care if he makes 90 points, we can't win with a player making 3.5 mil and making 90 points.

This is what it's come to. A little overdone no?

BTW, I think 1 team in last 100 years won with a player 6'9(Chara, Boston). Clearly size is no good!

Maybe there's isn't many DD sized players in general to make such a conclusion?

 

[onemorecup*]

I don't hate DD but I'd have zero problem with us trading him. We've got to start getting bigger up front. And he is disposable. Sheltered minutes that other young players with better potential should be getting. Even if he puts up 60 points he's not really helping us - I know that some people will have trouble understanding this but he's not really helping us in the big picture.

you get to the playoffs and as we saw last year he is useless , he cant play in those grinding war of attrition playoffs

its like RIBEIRO he can score all he wants , you aint winning with him

its very simple you want mediocrity keep him , wanna win he gets out of here and fast

 

[onemorecup*]

Back at full swing at least.

You don't care if he makes 90 points, we can't win with a player making 3.5 mil and making 90 points.

This is what it's come to. A little overdone no?

BTW, I think 1 team in last 100 years won with a player 6'9(Chara, Boston). Clearly size is no good!

Maybe there's isn't many DD sized players in general to make such a conclusion?

buddy you get my point there are some players that simply cant play in the war called the playoffs , period ..

watch the finals of last year , 1/2 our habs roster would be in the press box
and dd will be there eating his cracker jack with a can of coke observing how to win come playoff time

we simply are not built to win , lets call a spade a spade

dont you want to win something since 93 ?

 

[onemorecup*]

Back at full swing at least.

You don't care if he makes 90 points, we can't win with a player making 3.5 mil and making 90 points.

This is what it's come to. A little overdone no?

BTW, I think 1 team in last 100 years won with a player 6'9(Chara, Boston). Clearly size is no good!

Maybe there's isn't many DD sized players in general to make such a conclusion?

name me one cup team that had this type of player on the #1 line , 1st wave of pp time and shine over 4 rounds and be a significant contributor to cup

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME , NONE AND NEVER WILL

 

[onemorecup*]

if he puts up major points, we sell while his value is high...he needs to go because he's redundant on this team, whether he can put up the points or not...galchenyuk & eller are better options moving forward as our #1 & #2 centres.

agreed and this year

 

[onemorecup*]

That's the habs plan, have him put in a good year and trade him to a center-starved team for good return(good young player or high pick) and move Galchenyuk to center.

YOU WONT GET A NUMBER ONE PICK

maybe a second and a holland type prospect like the Cammy deal

simply put there may only be a few teams like Nashville who may take him when they have nothing at center

most will know you dont go to war with him but agreed good year and see ya

 

[CauZuki]

That would be great?

 

[LyricalLyricist]

buddy you get my point there are some players that simply cant play in the war called the playoffs , period ..

watch the finals of last year , 1/2 our habs roster would be in the press box
and dd will be there eating his cracker jack with a can of coke observing how to win come playoff time

we simply are not built to win , lets call a spade a spade

dont you want to win something since 93 ?

name me one cup team that had this type of player on the #1 line , 1st wave of pp time and shine over 4 rounds and be a significant contributor to cup

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME , NONE AND NEVER WILL

I'll start off saying you often reply twice to my posts, back to back. I don't get it.

Back on topic. You clearly missed my point. There's no real evidence to suggest we can't win with DD. Intuition would suggest that a bigger, stronger player with the same qualities would be a much better asset, no one denies that. I just think there's a difference between saying that and saying DD won't make us win.

In fact, I brought up a fallacy. Players of DD's stature aren't common so it's wrong to say "the cup winning team had no DD sized players"...neither did the last place team.

As I suggested, name me someone not named Chara who is 6'9 and won a cup. You can't. That's the idea, it's not because his size is bad, it's because there isn't enough 6'9 players to make a conclusion. Same here.

 

[onemorecup*]

I'll start off saying you often reply twice to my posts, back to back. I don't get it.

Back on topic. You clearly missed my point. There's no real evidence to suggest we can't win with DD. Intuition would suggest that a bigger, stronger player with the same qualities would be a much better asset, no one denies that. I just think there's a difference between saying that and saying DD won't make us win.

In fact, I brought up a fallacy. Players of DD's stature aren't common so it's wrong to say "the cup winning team had no DD sized players"...neither did the last place team.

As I suggested, name me someone not named Chara who is 6'9 and won a cup. You can't. That's the idea, it's not because his size is bad, it's because there isn't enough 6'9 players to make a conclusion. Same here.

you are the missing the point my friend

dd doesnt fit

if he played like St.Louis with vision , scoring , hands , wheels FINE

if he was a two way solid player like Ronning used to be or Ray Ferraro who werent that big , or had Marchand`s grit and tenacity FINE

but who the hell has this on thier team a 5`7" soft , finesse , sheltered #1 center who cant check ,
play the boards , has no shot , poor hands , average wheels , cant fight through a check , and cant even produce with number 1 wave of pp time ???????

come on my friend go watch the finals for the last 10 years , no DD is playing on any team , there is no debate here , defend him all you want .

 

[MXD]

you are the missing the point my friend

dd doesnt fit

if he played like St.Louis with vision , scoring , hands , wheels FINE

if he was a two way solid player like Ronning used to be or Ray Ferraro who werent that big , or had Marchand`s grit and tenacity FINE

but who the hell has this on thier team a 5`7" soft , finesse , sheltered #1 center who cant check ,
play the boards , has no shot , poor hands , average wheels , cant fight through a check , and cant even produce with number 1 wave of pp time ???????

come on my friend go watch the finals for the last 10 years , no DD is playing on any team , there is no debate here , defend him all you want .

I dunno, but not the Habs, as DD isn't the first center.

 

[Hoople]

It's not about producing points... He will always produce points, he's a good offensive player.

It's the bad that out-do the good.

Did Desharnais kiss you?

 

[Gore Habs Go]

would still trade him.

 

[NewHabsEra*]

would still trade him.

Not the way Eller has played in pre-season..

 

[Mandala]

Lars Eller is projected by most to be a third line center. I see him taking Plekanec spot if he can in a few years. No way he has demonstrated yet his ability to assume first or second line duties when faced with the best opposing players.

Hopefully he will develop well but like I mentioned last year, he never was a prolific scorer at any level in his career. A much more realistic goal is to project him as a third line center with PP time on the second wave.

Maybe Galchenyuk will replace Desharnais as first line center soon. But even him, has yet to dominate at center.

So this year Desharnais, Plekanec and Eller are our centers.

 

[Hullois]

I like Desharnais but for once in a decade we have too many centers and the "redundant" argument wins. But really what is he worth? Late first??

 

[Markowicz]

Why not?

I think the habs could easily have 3 balanced lines that contribute to the scoring.

For one, Desharnais has never been tried at wing, so anyone who says "he can't play wing is just talking out of his as#. Two, Plekanec just as easily could be the odd man out at center, for the simple fact that he makes 1.5m more a year and has never proven to be a clutch performer. Neither has Desharnais of course, but i still will continue to back his chemistry with Pacioretty and his slick playmaking skills. Yes, i agree that Briere, DD, Plex, Gallagher, Gionta makes for a small top 9. But if Gionta and Plekanec were replaced with more size, I don't think anyone would consider us small anymore.

Imagine this for instance say next year (forgive me, i always get the left/right wings wrong):

Callahan Galchenyuk Briere
Pacioretty Desharnais Bourque
Gallagher Eller Setoguchi

Suddenly, in a lineup like this, DD doesn't look so out of place.

*Those free agents could be anyone else, i just used guys that have decent size and skill, it could be one of our own guys, or a player we get in a trade.

I get that people want DD gone, and i understand why. But there are other routs that can be taken. Personally, I'd much rather have a more offensive center like Desharnais at 3.5m, than a more 2-way center in Plex at 5m, especially when you consider the eventual contracts of Subban, Galchenyuk, Eller and Gallagher. Maybe its just because i have faith that DD will have a bounce back season, and that I think Plekanec has plateaued as a player, which is to say 50-60 points, so-so on the PP and not great in the face-off circle.

I guess I'm playing devil's advocate here, but Plekanec is not as fantastic a player as people make him out to be. Sure he's the best defensive forward on the team, but i don't think thats saying a lot when you look at all the young guys we have. He often takes ridiculously bad penalties, is not a great a faceoff man, and is not exactly what you would call a clutch performer. He's also created very little chemistry with anyone on this team since Kovalev and Kostitsyn left. And yes chemistry is a big deal, no matter good you are. Everyone's said that Plekanec always got the short end of the stick with getting good linemates to play with, but maybe there's a reason it hasn't happened or worked out with any of them.

Just saying, when you take the whole size question out of the equation, maybe Plex is the odd man out.

 

[Adriatic]

For one, Desharnais has never been tried at wing, so anyone who says "he can't play wing is just talking out of his as#. Two, Plekanec just as easily could be the odd man out at center, for the simple fact that he makes 1.5m more a year and has never proven to be a clutch performer. Neither has Desharnais of course, but i still will continue to back his chemistry with Pacioretty and his slick playmaking skills. Yes, i agree that Briere, DD, Plex, Gallagher, Gionta makes for a small top 9. But if Gionta and Plekanec were replaced with more size, I don't think anyone would consider us small anymore.

Imagine this for instance say next year (forgive me, i always get the left/right wings wrong):

Callahan Galchenyuk Briere
Pacioretty Desharnais Bourque
Gallagher Eller Setoguchi

Suddenly, in a lineup like this, DD doesn't look so out of place.

*Those free agents could be anyone else, i just used guys that have decent size and skill, it could be one of our own guys, or a player we get in a trade.

I get that people want DD gone, and i understand why. But there are other routs that can be taken. Personally, I'd much rather have a more offensive center like Desharnais at 3.5m, than a more 2-way center in Plex at 5m, especially when you consider the eventual contracts of Subban, Galchenyuk, Eller and Gallagher. Maybe its just because i have faith that DD will have a bounce back season, and that I think Plekanec has plateaued as a player, which is to say 50-60 points, so-so on the PP and not great in the face-off circle.

I guess I'm playing devil's advocate here, but Plekanec is not as fantastic a player as people make him out to be. Sure he's the best defensive forward on the team, but i don't think thats saying a lot when you look at all the young guys we have. He often takes ridiculously bad penalties, is not a great a faceoff man, and is not exactly what you would call a clutch performer. He's also created very little chemistry with anyone on this team since Kovalev and Kostitsyn left. And yes chemistry is a big deal, no matter good you are. Everyone's said that Plekanec always got the short end of the stick with getting good linemates to play with, but maybe there's a reason it hasn't happened or worked out with any of them.

Just saying, when you take the whole size question out of the equation, maybe Plex is the odd man out.

I think it's just you, because I'm pretty sure about 30 out of 30 gm's would take Plekanec on their teams before Desharnais any day of the week.

 

[Markowicz]

I think it's just you, because I'm pretty sure about 30 out of 30 gm's would take Plekanec on their teams before Desharnais any day of the week.

Yeah i guess so. I honestly don't really like either player all that much. At the end of the day, they'll have an easier time dealing Plex, though. For me it's all about building around Eller and Galchenyuk at the center position. So if they can get a good return on either Plex or DD, i'd go for it.

 

[Ginu]

you are the missing the point my friend

dd doesnt fit

if he played like St.Louis with vision , scoring , hands , wheels FINE

if he was a two way solid player like Ronning used to be or Ray Ferraro who werent that big , or had Marchand`s grit and tenacity FINE

but who the hell has this on thier team a 5`7" soft , finesse , sheltered #1 center who cant check ,
play the boards , has no shot , poor hands , average wheels , cant fight through a check , and cant even produce with number 1 wave of pp time ???????

come on my friend go watch the finals for the last 10 years , no DD is playing on any team , there is no debate here , defend him all you want .

Someone gets it. It's not that people of Desharnais' stature can't be successful. It's just not his game. He's one dimensional and no team has ever been successful with that type of player as their #1 center. He's no St. Louis or Ronning, well said. If he was, this conversation would never happen. Heck, look at the love for Gallagher. Case and point.