Recrutes: Hockey scouting from a professional perspective from Grant McCagg and Habs coverage from a 33 year veteran covering the NHL from Brian Wilde.
January 19, 2018
By Brian Wilde
The Habs on the road in Washington went to their back-up goalie Antti Niemi to hold off the powerful Capitals. Here’s your COTW:
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Great as usual Brain! I just subscribed last week and I’m finally getting a chance to read my first COTW. Keep it up!
First of all: RIP Red Fisher, whose mantle of integrity you take up admirably, Brian. As to Price and the concept of him sitting? I don’t believe a pro like him – a Lindsey and Hart winner – could possibly show such disrespect to the game, his colleagues, and the Canadiens fans. However there is no point in over-playing him, to be sure. I expect him to start a little less often, but the fans want, and deserve, to see the star players.
Agree about the probability of Molson’s reasoning in re the sort of leash Bergevin is on. The trick is to maximize the assets towards an improved line-up for next year. I was never excited about the Alzner signing. One thing about the center fiasco and Drouin and Galchenyuk: if a seasoned coach like Julien sees little hope in making legitimate centers out of them, you know the rest. As another recently dearly-departed Montreal sports journalist (Bob McDevitt) would have surmised, to a man Red will tell you: “show me the players.”
Yessir, rest Price and go for the pick. Play Mete, he needs the experience. Everyone else fair game in trades to upgrade the future of this team with speed and youth. Love Deslauriers’ game, he’s got a place in the lineup every game.
Your thesis is actually quite reasonable, albeit, not one that I had considered. The temptation is to consider everyone in hockey in binomial terms, good or bad. With Bergy, that perspective seems a little simplistic. The Alzner deal looks questionable, but other than that, the most detrimental moves have been the ones he hasn’t made (e.g. not signing Markov and Radulov or not finding a 1c). The problem with criticizing the non-moves is that we have no idea what really happened. Bergy wouldn’t be where he is without some hockey sense.
Another thing I’ve wondered is just how far away are we? We have two 2/3 Cs in the system in Poehling and Jake Evans. We have Juulsen ready to make the jump. I’m in Regina and I can tell you Brook and Fleury look like men among boys. Our Goalie depth has to be among the best. It looks very likely that we’ll get top pairing D or top 6 winger in the draft, and with all those seconds, who knows what else. All that doesn’t take into account what we’ll get in the trade market or free agency. I think the situation could be a little less dire than it currently appears.
This team needs a drastic change.so drastic trades are in order. Trade price now,get a number 1 center and a first round pick back. Trade plek for a 2 nd round pick.trade patch for a 1 D .
Although im all about getting Rasmus dahlin . I don’t think there is a brave enough soul to ask Carey not to play a game he’s healthy for. Hes not that type of guy .