What if Perreault had been a Hab and Lafleur a Sabre?

[tinyzombies]

How would the 70s have played out?

Let's say the Quebec rule lasted one more year and the Habs select Perreault in 1970.

Then let's say the Sabres are the ones to pull the Pollock transactions and they swindle Lafleur instead of Montreal in 1971.

1970-71 line combinations with Perreault:

Ferguson - Beliveau - Cournoyer
F. Mahovlich - Perreault - P. Mahovlich
Tardif - Lemaire - Larose
Houle -Richard - Roberto
Rochefort
*Backstrom (inj)

Lapointe - Tremblay
Laperierre - Harper
Bouchard - Savard

Dryden
Vachon​

Click to read more...

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Montreal still wins many Cups. Perreault is held in higher regard. I think he was nearly as good as Lafleur, especially on bigger ice. I don't think the Flower flourishes as much on the Sabres.

 

[Big Phil]

Can they win 4 in a row and can they win 60 games in a season? Or a still-record 132 points?

With Lafleur they needed a goal with a minute left to send the game into overtime against Boston in Game 7 in 1979 before winning it. So it was hard the way they did it as well.

The question is can Perreault be as clutch as Lafleur in those situations?

 

[double5son10]

My understanding is they were both almost traded for one another on two different occassions. Bowman coveted Lafleur and had a terrible relationship with Perreault, so he almost swung a deal w/ the Habs first under Grundman, then Savard. Both times both parties got cold feet. Interesting to think how it plays out for both at that time.

 

[Boxscore]

Interesting hypothetical, but the more I think about it, I believe both players ended up in the perfect environment for their personalities. Lafleur would have been excellent in Buffalo, but he wouldn't have blossomed into the iconic, flamboyant, goal scoring wizard in Buffalo the way he did in Montreal. As for Perreault--he also would have been very good in Montreal, but his personality didn't suit the pressure cooker in Montreal the way Flower's did.

 

[Thenameless]

Unfortunately, my guy would end up winning zero Cups in Buffalo.

I could see Perreault matching Lafleur's regular season exploits on Montreal, but I don't think he could have done much better than Lafleur in the playoffs; that's hallowed ground.

 

[Big Phil]

Unfortunately, my guy would end up winning zero Cups in Buffalo.

I could see Perreault matching Lafleur's regular season exploits on Montreal, but I don't think he could have done much better than Lafleur in the playoffs; that's hallowed ground.

Might have been a bit of a logjam on right wing. Lafleur, Rene Robert and Dany Gare. That is if they trade for Robert. But if they did, that's a pretty good spread. But then again who is the centre on Buffalo? Don Luce is the best bet for #1 centre. I guess maybe they never trade away Peter McNab either. It's alright, but there should be a better top centre.

 

[Thenameless]

Might have been a bit of a logjam on right wing. Lafleur, Rene Robert and Dany Gare. That is if they trade for Robert. But if they did, that's a pretty good spread. But then again who is the centre on Buffalo? Don Luce is the best bet for #1 centre. I guess maybe they never trade away Peter McNab either. It's alright, but there should be a better top centre.

I don't think it would affect Lafleur's playing time too much, as once he hits his stride, he'd clearly become their number one right winger. You're right though, having a Jacques Lemaire is a nice safety blanket for an offensive minded winger.

 

[Thenameless]

You know one thing I do remember from that era though, was that as dominant as Montreal was, they always seemed to have a tough time with the Sabres. Maybe, clutch Lafleur tips the scales in one playoff year?

 

[Boxscore]

You know one thing I do remember from that era though, was that as dominant as Montreal was, they always seemed to have a tough time with the Sabres. Maybe, clutch Lafleur tips the scales in one playoff year?

One thing about Lafleur that I always found interesting was the way he was always in his own head. I read his book "Overtime" many years ago and I remember how he said that the game was mostly mental for him. He wasn't good at practice because he didn't like structure--he excelled at freelancing. He also commented how he performed at his best when he felt he looked good on the ice, and when everyone on the team was in good spirits. He enjoyed taking in downtown Montreal and being the local celebrity. He thrived under the spotlight and pressure--it fueled him, where it was kryptonite for others.

I don't know if Buffalo would have fueled him the same way, quite honestly. Buffalo is a completely different market, town, vibe, etc. And the Sabres--while a talented club during the 70's--were far from the powerhouse Canadiens. You wonder if Lafleur would have been the same emotionally there... I truly don't think so.

This reminds me of another thread that discussed swapping Bobby Clarke and Marcel Dionne and wondering how their careers would have turned out if Clarke wasn't the face of the Bullies and Dionne had to lead a rabid market like Philly in the 70's. I think that swap is more intense than a Lafleur / Perreault in ways, but I think Lafleur was absolutely perfect for Montreal the way Clarke was for Philly. Dionne and Perreault were just two excellent, offensive players who were great at hockey and would put up points no matter where they played. With Clarke and Lafleur, I think "fit" was crucial to their success.

 

[Moose Head]

Might have been a bit of a logjam on right wing. Lafleur, Rene Robert and Dany Gare. That is if they trade for Robert. But if they did, that's a pretty good spread. But then again who is the centre on Buffalo? Don Luce is the best bet for #1 centre. I guess maybe they never trade away Peter McNab either. It's alright, but there should be a better top centre.

Lafleur was a Center in Junior so I imagine the Sabres keep him there.

 

[jcs0218]

The Sabres with Lafleur might have been able to beat the Flyers in the 1975 Finals.

But other than that, I think the Canadiens would have taken over in 1976. But I don't think they win 4 straight with Perreault rather than Lafleur.

Lafleur was simply magical in 1979. The Canadiens don't win that year with Perreault.

 

[Davenport]

An interesting question - given the scenario presented - is who would Punch Imlach have selected if Perreault was not available? Two other promising young centres were available, Rick MacLeish and Darryl Sittler. With either of those two gentlemen, Lafleur might have fared well.

 

[Big Phil]

An interesting question - given the scenario presented - is who would Punch Imlach have selected if Perreault was not available? Two other promising young centres were available, Rick MacLeish and Darryl Sittler. With either of those two gentlemen, Lafleur might have fared well.

Dale Tallon went 2nd overall in 1970. So it probably is him.

 

[rfournier103]

If they swap teams, then the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1979.