Recrutes: Hockey scouting from a professional perspective from Grant McCagg and Habs coverage from a 33 year veteran covering the NHL from Brian Wilde.
March 3, 2018
By Brian Wilde
The Habs tank is not going as planned. Instead they opened the door to a more mobile defence who can move the puck better, and suddenly they’re on a roll. Bruins Habs in Boston tonight ……
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I think that anyone who pretend that the team is a long way off are not watching the team play. Thanks for your COTW, Brian!
Hi Brian,
Price is not needed ?
I know you are “only “referring to the 17 games left. With all what you mentioned about the good young players and the return on Pacioretty.
(Is it the same injury that Subban had last Year. Upper\lower= ???)
Can the Habs be a good team without Price?
Or they still need the best goalie in the world!
I know Habs have been putting up points and been looking much better but PLEASE do not forget that this happens to teams every single year once the pressure is off and they fall out of the playoffs. It is fools gold time right now. Yes there are some nice young pieces but they still seriously lack offence and blue chip prospects besides Poehling. I do think Max should be moved and hope we pick up Tkachuk or Zadina if not Rasmus.
Couldn’t agree more with your assessment of the Price TBI situation. There is absolutely no reason to play him again this year. Great stuff as always Brian!
The emergence of Scherbak and Juulsen has sped up the ‘improvement’ time line of the team, but I still think you’re being a bit optimistic. They gave up 50 shots against Boston, a rather large number. Despite your optimism about Drouin being able to become a centre given enough time, I’m not sure about that. I didn’t see the OT to judge whether Drouin missed getting off for a line change or had an opportunity to do so, but the bigger concern was his unwillingness to take a check late in the 3rd and taking the delay of game penalty when he rushed his clearance because Backes was zeroing in on him. That’s not the first time I’ve seen Drouin shy away from a check and it’s definitely a concern. He has all the skills you’d think a centre should have (except on face-offs), yet I’m not sold he can be that centre the Habs need. That leaves Poehling and a doughnut going forward for the top two spots. Unless Bergevin can parlay a Pacioretty or Weber trade into a centre, that weakness will remain for a couple more years. No one wants to consider a Weber trade, but with Juulsen’s play and with Brook and Fleury coming, the team is top heavy in RHD. Why not open up CAP space, and pick up a quality forward by moving Weber? Bergevin won’t do it of course, but it makes a lot of sense.
Hey lets give price 80 million$ for 8 yrs.mr injury prone.
Brian your right two moves will help habs ,trade price for a legit 1c and other pcs,trade patch for a 1d. Fire bergy.
Hi Brain,
Price is not needed ? I know you are “only “referring to the 17 games left.
With all what you mentioned about the good young players and the return on Pacioretty. (Is it the same injury that Subban had last Year. Upper\lower= ???)
Can the Habs be a good team without Price?
Or they still need the best goalie in the world?
Encore un exposé de qualité. Tu as vraiment raison.
Eleven OT losses this season. Imagine if they had converted even half of those. Six more points would have them two out of the 2nd wild card. Alas…
It does help one realize though that despite everything they aren’t that far off. Next year with a more mobile D corps, healthy Weber, Carey being Carey for a full season, and getting rid of C. Space as the team’s highest-paid player, things could look much better.
Agree with you Brian, Habs are not that far off. My caveat however is that they are, like you said, two impact players short of being contenders and it has been the case for the last 5 years. Good team, just not enough to aspire to the Cup!
Agreed and one could argue with the center position, not just 5 years, but 20.
With 17 games left and the boys playing for pride, there is no reason for Carey Price to play again this season, like Weber shut him down untill september. Team is fine with Lindgren and Niemi the rest of the way.