Jennifer B Cutler: Habs post training camp mailbag Time for the Habs mailbag!

Great comments!

Great blog senora!!

1-The only thing i want to see in the top 6 is Gallagher playing with Plekanec as no one else can build chemistry with turtleneck. So i guess your top 6 lines are one of the 2 logic possibilities.

2-Beaulieu played really well. I wasn't sold on the fact he was the best LHD to play with Weber but now, i'm a little bit more optimistic about that. Lehkonen did exactly what i was thinking he was going to do. Great offensively but lack of consistency due to adaption to speed and rink.

3-Desharnais. He plays for a contract an possibly for his nhl career. He needs to give it all. Really soft and disinterested.

4-Habs are a definately better team on paper. Now let's see how it gels between old and new crew. What i can see is production will now come more from the offense and i think defense is more stable now with Weber on board. More balanced team.

5-No. I prefer hardware after the playoffs

Great blog senora!!

1-The only thing i want to see in the top 6 is Gallagher playing with Plekanec as no one else can build chemistry with turtleneck. So i guess your top 6 lines are one of the 2 logic possibilities.

2-Beaulieu played really well. I wasn't sold on the fact he was the best LHD to play with Weber but now, i'm a little bit more optimistic about that. Lehkonen did exactly what i was thinking he was going to do. Great offensively but lack of consistency due to adaption to speed and rink.

3-Desharnais. He plays for a contract an possibly for his nhl career. He needs to give it all. Really soft and disinterested.

4-Habs are a definately better team on paper. Now let's see how it gels between old and new crew. What i can see is production will now come more from the offense and i think defense is more stable now with Weber on board. More balanced team.

5-No. I prefer hardware after the playoffs
- soad_live

All hardware is after the playoffs.

Not that it's of any consequence but Byron was a Montreal Canadian last season.

Not that it's of any consequence but Byron was a Montreal Canadian last season.
- striker777

True he had just been picked up on waivers but he was not in the lineup on opening night which is why I had included him with the others. Could also say that Philip Danault is an upgrade over Brian Flynn.

True he had just been picked up on waivers but he was not in the lineup on opening night which is why I had included him with the others. Could also say that Philip Danault is an upgrade over Brian Flynn.
- Jennifer B Cutler

- blarneylad

12th/13th forward, great skater, can actually play hockey, kill penalties. Will never be a star but he is Ok in his role.

12th/13th forward, great skater, can actually play hockey, kill penalties. Will never be a star but he is Ok in his role.
- Symba007

Exactly... he'll be a scratch on most nights, couldn't keep McCarron up to play that role... like you said, decent skater and he makes just over league minimum

Solid blog !

Having Carey back will undoubtedly make the Habs stronger than last year. The guy is unquestionably the best goalie in the league, and could potentially secure a playoff spot single-handedly

But beyond him, I'm not sure how anyone could argue that this team has actually gotten better. Galchenyuk will likely improve a bit, but that improvement will be offset by the inevitable declines from guys like Markov and Plekanec

Sergachev could be a strong player, but he's still a rookie. Can't expect too much from him at this early stage

And I know it's a topic that's been beaten to death, but the Subban for Weber trade is a MASSIVE downgrade. Subban is among the top five d-men in the league, along with Karlsson, Doughty, Hedman, and maybe Giordano. At this stage in his career, Weber is nowhere near that elite level

If Carey stays healthy and stands on his head (which he likely will do), this team could scratch and claw for a 7th or 8th spot in the east

Having Carey back will undoubtedly make the Habs stronger than last year. The guy is unquestionably the best goalie in the league, and could potentially secure a playoff spot single-handedly

But beyond him, I'm not sure how anyone could argue that this team has actually gotten better. Galchenyuk will likely improve a bit, but that improvement will be offset by the inevitable declines from guys like Markov and Plekanec

Sergachev could be a strong player, but he's still a rookie. Can't expect too much from him at this early stage

And I know it's a topic that's been beaten to death, but the Subban for Weber trade is a MASSIVE downgrade. Subban is among the top five d-men in the league, along with Karlsson, Doughty, Hedman, and maybe Giordano. At this stage in his career, Weber is nowhere near that elite level

If Carey stays healthy and stands on his head (which he likely will do), this team could scratch and claw for a 7th or 8th spot in the east
- AxlRose91

Now he is

Now he is
- Symba007

Now he is
- Symba007

Are you kidding?? He always has been. I mean, he's already up 1-0 over Weber in Norris trophies...

Subban is so incredibly unique. I'm still shocked that Bergevin ever considered moving him

Are you kidding?? He always has been. I mean, he's already up 1-0 over Weber in Norris trophies...

Subban is so incredibly unique. I'm still shocked that Bergevin ever considered moving him
- AxlRose91

- obie

I guess I'm missing the joke here....

Are you telling me, with a straight face, that you guys are OK with that trade? I'd be losing my mind if I were a Habs fan

I guess I'm missing the joke here....

Are you telling me, with a straight face, that you guys are OK with that trade? I'd be losing my mind if I were a Habs fan
- AxlRose91

I, for one, am more than ok with it but to be honest, I'm tired of arguing over it....

I will say this though, about Subban having 1 norris to Weber's 0, does that mean Price and Theodore are equals? Each having won 1 Vezina?

The Canadiens are a better team today than they were a year ago.

don't we say that every year?

it's probably a subconcious "appeal to novelty" fallacy that makes us think that. Realistically, unless we roll high on all the uncertainties (Lehkonen & Sergachev amongst the best rookies, Radulov as dominant as 7 years ago, Weber doing better than Subban) we will end-up being highly dependant on Price's health, as we have been for a few seasons now

I, for one, am more than ok with it but to be honest, I'm tired of arguing over it....

I will say this though, about Subban having 1 norris to Weber's 0, does that mean Price and Theodore are equals? Each having won 1 Vezina?
- obie

??? Your question is completely illogical

I assume you're trying to make the point that winning an award doesn't necessarily make you a great player? Is that what you're trying to do?

Sure, that may be true in some cases. But the fact that Subban won the award while Weber was in his prime is certainly a strong piece of evidence in favour of Subban. And, at age 31, with players like Karlsson, Doughty, Ekblad, Subban, and Hedman just entering their respective primes, it's very likely that Weber's Norris trophy window is shut

If you look at the Weber vs Subban trade objectively, anyone can see that it's unbelievably lopsided

On another (unrelated) note: Jose Theodore winning the Hart Trophy was a travesty. It's been proven that, in an effort to give Theodore the win, many French-Canadian writers left Jarome Iginla (the guy who deserved to win) off their ballots all together. Shameful and embarrassing

I guess I'm missing the joke here....

Are you telling me, with a straight face, that you guys are OK with that trade? I'd be losing my mind if I were a Habs fan
- AxlRose91

The joke is that when Subban was a Canadiens other teams fans were making sure we knew how much he sucked and that he was a liability in his own zone. Now that he's in Nashville he's suddenly a serious recurring Norris candidate.

The joke is that when Subban was a Canadiens other teams fans were making sure we knew how much he sucked and that he was a liability in his own zone. Now that he's in Nashville he's suddenly a serious recurring Norris candidate.
- stinger67

The joke is that when Subban was a Canadiens other teams fans were making sure we knew how much he sucked and that he was a liability in his own zone. Now that he's in Nashville he's suddenly a serious recurring Norris candidate.
- stinger67

Yeah, I do understand how that would be frustrating for you guys. I was never one of the "Subban-bashers". From my perspective, Subban oozes talent. Anyone who can't see that is blind

I was the guy screaming at the TV when we kept him off the Canadian Olympic team...

Yeah, I do understand how that would be frustrating for you guys. I was never one of the "Subban-bashers". From my perspective, Subban oozes talent. Anyone who can't see that is blind

I was the guy screaming at the TV when we kept him off the Canadian Olympic team...
- AxlRose91

You do know that journalists are theones doing the voting and since there are more of them in the east, many players from the west never get enough votes...?

also:

??? Your question is completely illogical

I assume you're trying to make the point that winning an award doesn't necessarily make you a great player? Is that what you're trying to do?

Sure, that may be true in some cases. But the fact that Subban won the award while Weber was in his prime is certainly a strong piece of evidence in favour of Subban. And, at age 31, with players like Karlsson, Doughty, Ekblad, Subban, and Hedman just entering their respective primes, it's very likely that Weber's Norris trophy window is shut

If you look at the Weber vs Subban trade objectively, anyone can see that it's unbelievably lopsided

On another (unrelated) note: Jose Theodore winning the Hart Trophy was a travesty. It's been proven that, in an effort to give Theodore the win, many French-Canadian writers left Jarome Iginla (the guy who deserved to win) off their ballots all together. Shameful and embarrassing
- AxlRose91

Subban won the award in a shorten season and Weber has finished ahead of him in voting for the same trophy every other year

So. Condon is gone to Pittsburgh?
Bit of a head scratcher.
Fleury or Murray on the move?