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More on Gorges. Also on Cap Space, Options, and Yannick Weber |
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1) With the lineup generally intact, what need do the Canadiens most need to fill between now and the beginning of the season?
If you believe they should be in the market for a third or fourth line centre, who do you think adequately makes them stronger?
Should they consider spending some of that cap space on an enforcer or a penalty killer that can play tough?
Do they need an eighth defenseman, or one that can play within their top six?
2) Hard to imagine that Pierre Gauthier will go into the season with this much cap space. Not that it's not to his advantage. It gives him a leg up in trade negotiations, and flexibility come deadline. That said, he doesn't need this much flexibility come deadline...
3) On that point, Gauthier spoke about fixing a leaky roof (his injured d-core) at last year's deadline as opposed to dealing with areas of the club that required obvious improvement.
Erik Cole helps the Habs bridge the gap in one of those areas, but as the first questions of this blog outline, Gauthier has the flexibility to bring in some toughness, penalty killing, centre-support or a depth defender that won't detract much from his cap-room.
4) I think a lot of fans feel the media in Montreal has made more of an issue of the Gorges negotiation than any of them would've. I can appreciate the sentiment, because the qualities that make Gorges most valuable to the Canadiens are not quite as tangible as those usually used to measure the value of a certain player.
To those that have argued that Gorges can be replaced on the ice, there's plenty of merit to that argument. To those that believe that the intangibles and his role off the ice are not enough qualification for a lucrative, long-term extension, touché.
But evaluating his worth to the Canadiens isn't a separation of his on and off-ice abilities. Many of us in the press have been privileged to catch a deeper glimpse at the off-ice contribution of Gorges and every other player on the team. I don't pretend to know everything that happens behind closed doors of the dressing room, but the slight edge in exposure to that environment certainly influences our opinions.
5) I haven't seen anyone in the media give a staunchly different evaluation of Gorges' on-ice performance from what fans perceive. But it seems most in the media feel the decision to sign Gorges for just one season was a poor one from the Canadiens. Perhaps those off-ice intangibles are not as obvious, or just aren't as valued by the fanbase.
6) I'll tell you something else that's based on my perception/my advantage of getting slightly more exposure to the behind the scenes stuff a press pass affords: The tightness of a team is obvious in their interaction with the media.
I haven't been around a tighter team in the NHL than the Boston Bruins. That's been the case since I started covering hockey five years ago, and it was never more obvious than last season.
You learn a lot about how these guys interact with each other by being at the morning skate and talking to them on the day before a game--when they're more relaxed. You learn who fills what role off the ice, and how it all comes together. You learn who's expected to speak on behalf of the team and you find the congruency of the messages being sent on the teams that are tight.
7) A situation where that insight has completely changed my perception of a player is in evaluating Hal Gill. And because many colleagues have had their perceptions changed about Gill, they've peddled the stories that have helped change perceptions in the fanbase of Gill the player. And the fans have become more aware of his contribution in all capacities... and as a result... he's no longer booed every time he gives a puck away (which still happens if you watch carefully, and you're not caught up in how much you like Gill).
8) Everything always comes back to performance. Players are paid based on their performance and how it's equated to someone else's performance. Gorges has performed for the Canadiens, he was on an ironman streak of 199 games before finally shutting things down last December, and his playoff performance in 2010 well exceeded expectations.
When you add all that up with his role on the team and his compete-level, it just seems to me that he's the guy you'd rather be paying than some of the other guys who make money on contracts they can't live up to.
9) Here's hoping Scott Gomez lives up to the expectations people have for him this season. He'll never live up to that contract.
By the way... what do you expect from Gomez this year?
10) I've been thinking a bit about where Yannick Weber fits on this team. He's a great talent who seems to be on the right developmental curve. But where will he play this year? And how much of an opportunity will he have from the start?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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