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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Habs' Parros Suffers Concussion, Fighters Understand Role

2:11 PM Unknown 2 comments

Response to last nights on ice incident involving Montreal's George Parros. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/players-agree-parros-incident-was-ugly-but-fighting-important-part-of-game/article14653776/

Habs Post Game - Canadiens/Leafs October 1st 2013

12:25 AM Unknown 4 comments

While the score is the nefflwhat will be mentioned in the record books, those in attendance will never forget the image of George Parros being taken off the ice in a stretcher during an incident that took place in the third period. During a fight with Leaf forward Colton Orr his face made direct contact with the ice. Thoughts go out to him and his family as we await news of his status.

A 4-3 loss in the season opener to the rival Maple Leafs may sting in the moment. However, the Canadiens showed many positives in areas that should bring the fans confidence in their club moving forward.

If there is one thing that any Montrealer can attest, the Canadiens never fail in bringing the city together. Before the opening face-off the sell-out crowd was on their feet as the torch was brought out by Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur and passed to Danny Briere before finally making its way through the roster and finishing with Captain Brian Gionta.

Using the momentum generated by pre-game ceremony and the home crowd, the Habs came out flying in the first. Was it the jitters that crept up on them or maybe the early season whistles from the referees? Either way the result showcased a special teams battle between the clubs.

Montreal fell back 1-0 to a goal by James Van Riemsdyk on a 5-3 in the first. Set up by newly extended Phil Kessel, the Leafs power-play made its appearance 7 times in total, this would be the only time the Habs allowed a goal down a man however. The penalty kill played very well for the Canadiens and managed to record a short-handed marker off the stick of Lars Eller.

Eller made quite the season debut posting 2 goals and a helper in the losing effort. Including one late in the third that sparked the team to attempt some late game heroics that ultimately fell short.
Making themselves known were linemates, and sophomore standouts, Alex Galchenyuk and Brandan Gallagher who, respectively, recorded; 2 assists and 1 goal.

For Montreal, the power play did fail to score on 4 opportunities but this should be a testament to the Leafs who played to their high pressure system in their zone incredibly well. Tyler Bozak was even able to catch Andrei Markov off balance by stealing the puck from the veteran and getting a breakaway, scoring short-handed.

Had the goaltenders not been on their game, the outcome could easily have been more lopside for either club. Both goalies made some spectacular saves in key moments. Carey Price made an early season highlight reel and leaving Leaf players wondering how they were unable to finish. He allowed 4 goals on 38 shots. On the other end was James Reimer, while less flashy, kept the puck out of the net numerous times, especially in the final minute holding the game for the Toronto club, he stopped 34 of 37 on the night.

P.K. Subban was noticeable despite being left off of the score sheet his presence was definitely an asset and lead all habs players in with 24:41 TOI . Leading for the Leafs, and the game, was Captain Dion Phaneuf, 27:01 TOI who put up a goal up for the club. While leading their respective teams it can be argued that Subban should find his way onto more ice time moving forward for the Canadiens.

The main criticism of the night should be that the other lines for Montreal were not able to capitalize during their opportunities in the early going. The likes of Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty, who suffered an injury setback but managed to return, need to up their play. They must find their game soon and help their respective lines produce in the coming weeks.

The Habs will take on the Flyers saturday before they go on the road for the next 4 games out in the western conference. It's important to come out of that short stretch with some wins in order to avoid falling into an early season hole in the tough Atlantic division.

Habs/Caps post game, Playoff race, Leafs, Sens, Bruins, Devils, and more

8:45 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

50 is a pretty big number, no? Like, I mean if someone gave you 50 jelly beans, you'd think you had a lot of then.

Well what about losses in hockey? 50 sounds like an abusive amount of losses for a team to have, doesn't it?

Unfortunately for a Habs team whose season can't end soon enough, they lost their 50th of the year to the Caps last night.

50 losses. 50. Wow. That is just staggering. 35 in regulation and 15 in overtime or the shootout. I guess on one hand, you can say that they kept things close in many of those games.

But, at this point, it doesn't really matter.

What does matter is that with three games left to play and the Leafs winning last night, Montreal is looking like a lock for a top-three pick this June!

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Canadiens - Capitals: Habs Register 50th Loss In Spite of Better Effort

Hockey Inside/Out - About last night … with audio

La Presse - Canadien-Capitals: le bulletin de Pierre Ladouceur

New York Times - Long, Cold Summer for Maple Leafs and Canadiens

RDS - Le Canadien encaisse une 50e défaite

Hockey News

TSN - SENATORS BLOW EARLY LEAD, BEAT FLYERS IN SHOOTOUT

TSN - LEAFS END HOME LOSING STREAK, DENT SABRES PLAYOFF CHANCES

TSN - JETS ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION WITH LOSS TO LIGHTNING

TSN - BRUINS ELIMINATE ISLANDERS FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

TSN - DEVILS CLINCH RETURN TO PLAYOFFS WITH ROUT OF HURRICANES

USA Today - Roundup: Canucks first in West; Whitney tops 1,000 points
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

Habs by the Numbers: Have This Year's NHL Coaching Changes Worked?

5:58 PM Unknown 3 comments

Hello again Habs Addicts!

As we get closer to the end of the season, I was wondering about all of the coaching changes that happened in the NHL this season, and whether they payed off?

So here's a look and some of the details...

Relatively "slow" year in terms of changes

I've taken the time to put together a couple of charts for your statistical enjoyment. I've broken this down into two groups: winners and losers.

In all, seven teams decided to make a coaching change this season, which is a relatively low number.

The first change came on November 30th, when coach Randy Carlyle was removed from Anaheim, after six full seasons at the helm (and .598 winning percentage in 492 games).

And, let's not forget a Stanley Cup Championship!

The last coaching change came on March 2nd, when Brian Burke fired long time accomplice Ron Wilson, replacing him with long time accomplice Randy Carlyle (him again!).

And the winners are ...

Looking at the chart below, four of seven teams that made a change have ended up "winners", and all of them in a big way!

We all know about Ken Hitchcock and the Blues, which were 24th in the league standings (6-7-0) at the time of the change. They've since gone 42-13-9 (.727), and are currently in 1st place in the NHL.

Another interesting note is that three of the four teams are from the Western conference (no Western team in the "losers" chart, if you notice). Also, the only Eastern team, Carolina, is now being coached by ex-Habs assistant, Kirk Muller. He's managed an impressive 23-18-11 (.548) after picking up the 26th ranked team last November 28th.

And the losers are ...

Of course, the first team that jumps to mind is Montreal.

Under coach Cunneyworth, Montreal has regressed by 16%. Also, when Jacques Martin was replaced, the Canadiens were 11th in the Eastern conference, and only two points out of sixth place. Montreal is now 15th and last in the East, as well as 14 points out of a playoff spot, after going 16-22-7 (.433) under their new coach.

Washington has been another disappointment, going .536 under new coach Dale Hunter, while under-performing as a team loaded with talented youths.

Finally, the most shocking of all changes has to be the Toronto Maple Leafs' decision to let go of Ron Wilson after 64 games. A month before being fired, Wilson had the Leafs in 7th place in the East, 4 points behind 5th place Pittsburgh, seriously eyeing a playoff spot for the first time since the lockout.

In February, the Leafs suddenly went 4-9-1 (.321), and slid into the 11th spot, five points out of playoff contention. It was at that point that Burke decided to "pull the plug" on Wilson, and brought in Carlyle.

Since that move, in 13 games, the Leafs have gone 4-7-2 (.385), and have not won once in their last 10 games at home. I think Mr. Burke will have some explaining to do this summer.

Is change really good, Donkey?

I, for one, think that, in general, NHL teams are very quick to replace head coaches.

Yes, it's easier to replace a coach than it is to trade underperforming players in this salary cap crazy era. Granted.

But I still think that, most of the time, teams end up with the same results, since the issue is more often than not "on the ice", and not behind the bench. Yet, they replace the guy behind the bench.

Do you think NHL teams should show more patience/stability with their coaching staff?

---
Frank Dumais is a freelance writer, currently contributing to HabsAddict.com “Habs By the numbers” regular column. He writes on current Habs and NHL topics, but with a “numbers twist”.

Follow Frank on Twitter

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images )

Habs/Sens post game, Gomez, Skinner suspended, Crosby's return, Leafs and more

10:33 AM Unknown No comments

Morning Habs addicts!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend more than the Habs are. Yes, they've been playing better of late, much to the chagrin of fans wanting them to draft high. But they still tend more to the losing side than anything else.

I know fans are probably blaming their favorite ref since Kerry Fraser (Chris Lee) this morning, but, as Coach Cunneyworth pointed out, the Habs were architects of their own demise against the Sens.

The good news? At least Boston is no longer is first overall in the Northeast!

Habs News

HabsAddict - The Magical Fourth Season: Myth or Reality?

HabsAddict - Habs by the Numbers: Why is Scott Gomez Still Playing? Part deux ...

HabsAddict - Dissecting the Montreal Canadiens: Early March 2012 Edition

Hockey Inside/Out - No rest for weary Canadiens

RDS - Les Sens arrachent deux points au CH

Hockey News

TSN - HURRICANES F SKINNER SUSPENDED TWO GAMES FOR KICKING OPPONENT

TSN - 2.2 MILLION CANADIANS TUNE IN TO CROSBY'S RETURN ON TSN2

TSN - SIEGEL: LEAFS' REIMER STEALS PAGE FROM RED-HOT BRYZGALOV

THN - Campbell: Major junior veterans should get shot at pro hockey

(Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images North America)

Habs/Canucks post-game, Andrei Markov returns, Leafs, Rumours and more

9:48 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

Well, well, well what do we have here? A Habs win over the mighty Vancouver Canucks with All-Star defenseman, Andrei Markov, returning to the lineup?

Who woulda thunk it. With only 13 games left in this miserable season, the Habs, or more to the point, Markov, have given their fans a reason to watch games again.

How good was it to see Markov back in his old familiar spot? How good was it to see him running the show on the powerplay? And how much better was the Habs breakout because of his excellent, and quick, first pass?

Amazing.

Markov has been out of the lineup for so long—15 months—that you kind of forgot how good he is. And while he certainly will take some time to get into full game shape—something we likely won't see until next season—the fact that he is playing games this season bodes tremendously well for his future as a Hab.

Habs News

Hockey Inside/Out - About last night … with audio

RDS - Markov contribue à vaincre les Canucks

TSN - CANADIENS CELEBRATE MARKOV'S RETURN BY TOPPING CANUCKS

TSN - CANADIENS' MARKOV COMPLETES GRUELLING RETURN FROM INJURY

Hockey News

TSN - SIEGEL: GIROUX BURNS LEAFS IN THE SHOOTOUT

TSN - DREGER'S MAILBAG: WHAT'S UP WITH THE FOUR CALL-UP RULE?

ESPN - Sidney Crosby puts off return

Spector's hockey - Could Radulov Return?

(Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images North America)

Habs/Leafs post game, Grabovski shines, Hodgson, Tampa's surge and more

9:16 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

So how'd you like that game last night? A classic matchup between the Habs and the Leafs. Right?

Ummm, not so much.

With former Hab, Mikhail Grabovski, once again haunting his old team by scoring the game winner, the Habs record over the last ten games fell to 2-7-1.

Bru-tal.

It's fair to say that, as I've been saying since December, it's over for the Habs. All that remains is to see how high up they'll end up drafting. Right now, the Habs are looking at a third overall pick and a shot at first through the lottery.

Will the slide continue? With 16 games left in this dismal season, you'd have to think so!

Habs News

HabsAddict - Canadiens - Leafs: Mikhail Grabovski Pots Two in the Third to Down Habs

Hockey Inside/Out - About last night …

RDS - Les Leafs donne la victoire à Carlyle

RDS - Soulagement pour Palushaj et Gomez

TSN - SIEGEL: GRABOVSKI SHINES AS LEAFS WIN CARLYLE DEBUT

Cowhide and Rubber - If Only They Had a Powerplay

Hockey News

TSN - NEW SABRE HODGSON ATTRACTS PLENTY OF ATTENTION IN VANCOUVER

PSH - Power surge: Stamkos leading Lightning playoff charge

Spector's Hockey - Update on Ott and Souray

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Canadiens - Leafs: Mikhail Grabovski Pots Two in the Third to Down Habs

9:02 AM Unknown 10 comments

Picture it...Habs, Leafs, Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada. There's nothing like it right? A classic, right?

Usually it would be but, when both teams are floundering in the NHL standings, things were a little different last night.

Still, the game was entertaining for fans with goals, strange plays, a fight and some great saves. Mostly by Carey Price who turned aside 39 of 42 shots thrown his way, including 17 in the third period.

But both teams came out of the gate with high intensity, with Montreal folding over the back half of the game. Toronto just wanted it more and, that one-goal lead just wasn't going to standup for the Habs.

Mikhail Grabovski took things over in the third, potting two and dropping the Habs in regulation.

At the end of the day, the win was an important one for the Leafs who, by winning in coach Randy Carlyle's debut, kept ground on the eighth and final playoff spot.

For the Habs? Operation Fail for Nail is in full effect.

Final score: Leafs 3 - Habs 1

Game Notes

Gotta love Staubitz

From his first shift you could see that newly acquire Habs tough guy, Brad Staubitz, was just looking for a fight.

Every time he was on the ice he was hitting every Leaf he could, trying to provoke something. It really looked like he was just waiting for someone to challenge him.

Fortunately for Staubitz, as Mike Brown obliged after the former put his shoulder into Dion Phaneuf. And man was that a fight!

Both players, clearly looking to make impressions on their coaches and teammates, had a seriously intense fight.

Here's the vid:

Intense!

How ironic...

The Leafs are a team who, under GM Brian Burke, aspire to be tough as nails. The Habs are a team who has gotten considerably tougher over the last 30 days. So which players were at the opening faceoff?

Mikhail Grabovski versus David Desharnais. Truculent indeed.

Poor Tomas Plekanc

Seriously, what did he do to Coach Cunneyworth? Run over his dog?

Whatever it is, it is clear that RC is using Plek as his third center. Moreover, flanked by Ryan White and Brad Staubitz, as the Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs said on Twitter, he is clearly not being put in a position to succeed.

Last night, Plekanec got 17:50 of ice time with a scant 32 seconds on the powerplay.

Strange numbers for the player who has been the Habs point leader the last two seasons.

Who knows what the real reason is for Plek's diminishd role, but with speculation that Pierre Gauthier is no longer running the team, and others that say the GM is pushing coaching decisions, this thing is a mess, top to bottom.

Let's hope TSN 990's Tony Marinaro is right, when he says that every will be sorted out this summer. Because right now things are decidedly off.

Nervousness abounds

During the press conference announcing his hiring as head coach of the Leafs, Randy Carlyle said that there was a lot of tension surrounding the team.

And you could see it on the ice last night, at least in the first period.

Jonas Gustavsson's early jitters aside, you could see that the Leafs were gripping their sticks tightly. And, to their credit, the Habs seemed to smell blood, taking the play to the tentative Leafs over the first 20 minutes of play.

Toronto really looked like a team who was afraid to lose, rather than playing to win.

Sounds like the Habs under Jacques Martin!

A sad state of affairs

Let's face it Habs and Leafs fans, your teams suck. Badly.

No, seriously. I mean these are the two biggest hockey markets in the NHL and both teams are in danger of missing the playoffs.

Well the Habs are unmistakably out, but the Leafs still have a chance. But a chance at what? A first round exit?

The fact is that neither team has been anything better than mediocre for the last decade, and the NHL is the worse for it. This league needs the Habs and the Leafs to, well, not suck.

Mediocrity is not enough. Just squeaking into the playoffs is not enough.

These teams need to battle each other for the Northeast crown and face each other in the conference finals. That is the kind of success I am talking about. That both fanbases have accepted such tepid performances for so long, just shows how much they love their teams.

Supporting a terrible on-ice product, while paying for overpriced tickets, jerseys, and other memorabilia? Wow, ownership has it too good.

Stat of the night - The loss was Carey Price's league worst 25th of the season. But that's not the brutal part. Montreal has scored one or less goals in 17 of those 25 losses.

Ya, and some people actually blame Price for the Habs poor showing this year.

Question of the night - Nothing much matters anymore for the Habs but, for the Leafs, the question has to be, will they make the playoffs under their new coach?

Up Next - The Habs now set out on a four-game road trip, staring on Tuesday in Calgary where they face recently trade sniper, Michael Cammalleri. With Montreal all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the best they can hope for is to play spoiler to the Flames.

Yep, pretty dismal out there in Habland. But look on the bright side, Habs addicts, there's only 16 games left!

---
Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and featured columnist on PowerScoutHockey.com. Kamal is also a regular contributor to the Sunday Shinny segment of The Franchise weekend morning show, on TSN Radio 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/

Follow Kamal on Facebook and Twitter

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Habs/Leafs preview, Leblanc recalled, Wilson fired, Top players and more

9:01 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

Lots of news from yesterday, isn't there? On the Habs front, Montreal once again called up Louis Leblanc and Andreas Engqvist from the Bulldogs late last night.

And so the yo-yo treatment continues for these two, especially Leblanc who was just sent down. Leblanc's case is a little different, however, as he was sent down on a technicality. i.e. Leblanc had to be on the AHL roster the day he was sent down, in order to be eligible to play in the AHL playoffs.

After that, the Habs were able to call him up any time they wanted.

Here's hoping he stays till the end of the season.

The real big NHL news yesterday, was the Leafs firing head-coach Ron Wilson. GM Brian Burke being a man of action, wasted no time appointing Randy Carlyle as Wilson's replacement.

That is an excellent hire by the Leafs. Carlyle is a Stanley Cup winner and was thought of, in most circles, to be the best available coach on the market.

To bad he doesn't speak French because he would have been tops on my list of Habs coaching candidates.

Habs News

HabsAddict - Press Release - Habs Recall Engqvist and Leblanc

Hockey Inside/Out - Visiting Leafs hog the headlines

Hockey Inside/Out - Leafs turf coach, face Habs

RDS - Quelques éléments positifs chez le CH

Habsworld.net - Vote for February's 3 Stars!

THN - Campbell: Maple Leafs, Canadiens in need of major makeover

ESPN - Habs-Leafs Preview

Hockey News

TSN - LEAFS FIRE HEAD COACH WILSON, NAME CARLYLE REPLACEMENT

TSN - STARS STIFLE OILERS, REMAIN 8TH IN WEST

TSN - SIEGEL: LEAFS LOOKING IN THE MIRROR AFTER WILSON FIRING

TSN - FRASER: THE BREAKDOWN ON CLUTTERBUCK AND PACIORETTY

PSH - Evaluating the Winner and Losers of NHL's Trade Deadline 2012

ESPN - THN's Top 50 NHLers as voted by the players: 40-36

Spector's Hockey - NHL Free Agent Updates – March 2, 2012

(Photo by Marianne Helm/Getty Images North America)

Habs/Devils preview, Leafs, Team-by-Team buyout candidates and more

10:13 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

Is it just me or was it a little strange not having a Canadiens game last night? When is the last time the Habs didn't have a game on a Saturday night?

No clue, but I know it is an extremely rare occurence.

While the Habs were idle the rest of the league kept going and wins by teams just behind them mean the Canadiens dropped two places in the standings last night.

Today they have an early start against the red-hot New Jersey Devils on a night when the organization is going to be honouring Gary Carter. It should be a night of strong emotions all around!

Habs News

Hockey Inside/Out - Hot Devils face Hot Habs

Idle Canadiens drop to 13th

RDS - Canadien : «Personne n’a abandonné»

Aaron Palushaj rejoint le CH à nouveau

ESPN - Devils-Canadiens Preview

Hockey News

TSN - WILD FORWARD PETERS TO HAVE HEARING WITH NHL ON SUNDAY

SIEGEL: LEAFS PAY FOR MISTAKES IN VANCOUVER

ESPN - Blue-line depth won't fix Flyers' goalie issue

THN - Proteau: Team-by-team buyout candidates, Pt. 2

Tom Thompson: The disappearance of Canada's goaltending advantage

Hal Gill Trade Analysis, Habs Win, Leafs, Grabovski, and more

9:08 AM Unknown No comments

Morning puck addicts!

Quite the day for your Montreal Canadiens yesterday, eh?

Things started off with the trade of veteran defenseman, Hal Gill, to Nashville. That moved signaled, in no uncertain terms, that the Habs are sellers. As such, expect lots more movement between now and the trade deadline.

Travis Moen (if or when he's healthy), Andrei Kostitsyn, Chris Camploi, amoung others, could all see themselves playing for new teams shortly.

Whatever happens off the ice, the Habs continue to win on it, pulling off a rare shootout win over the Sabres last night.

It really was opposites day yesterday: Pierre Gauthier pulled off a good trade, Chris Campoli, Tomas Kaberle, and Scott Gomez scored goals, and the Habs won in the shootout.

I guess I should go buy a lottery ticket!

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Trade Analysis: Hal Gill Traded to the Nashville Predators

Press Release - Habs Trade Hal Gill to Nashville for Blake Geoffrion

Hockey Inside/Out - Canadiens have rare Saturday off

RDS - Enfin une victoire en tirs de barrage

Hal Gill fait ses valises pour Nashville

PowerScout Hockey - What is Andrei Kostitsyn's Worth to the Habs?

Hockey News

TSN - SIEGEL: GRABOVSKI CONCERNS LIE FAR FROM TRADE, CONTRACT

UPDATED TRADE DEADLINE PLAYBOOK: EAST

UPDATED TRADE DEADLINE PLAYBOOK: WEST

ESPN - Preds pay for Hal Gill, but make a statement

THN - Campbell: Will the Coyotes stay in Phoenix?

(Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images North America)

Habs/Leafs, Fighters Corner, Gill to be traded, Rumours and more

9:05 AM Unknown 2 comments

Morning puck addicts!

Well, well, well...look what the cat dragged in: a four-game winning streak!

Your Montreal Canadiens continue to play inspired hockey, downing the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0 yesterday at the ACC.

Shellacked!

And the best part? The new addition, Rene Bourque, continues to get on the scoreboard on a semi-regular basis, notching his third in a Habs uniform. He also finished the night a plus-two.

But who has had a bigger turn around than Max Pacioretty, who, one game after getting a hat-trick, potted his team-leading 23rd of the season last night.

Patches also leads the team in points with 42 in 53 games.

Carey Price's shutout was nice but the revelation of all revelations has to be the strong play of Lars Eller.

He scored one of the prettiest goals of the year, turning Leafs defensive stalwart, Dion Phaneuf into a pilon.

Sweet as molasses!

The streaking Habs now sit seven points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Still, making up three and a half games on the eighth spot also means the Leafs also have to lose three and a half games just for the Habs to tie them—while the Habs win all of those games.

To put that in perspective, the Habs have to be perfect over their next four games while the Leafs only have to win one game to remain ahead of Montreal.

A steep climb indeed.

That said, the Habs are masters of their own destiny and have a nation of fans believing this morning.

Habs News

Hockey Inside/Out - About last night … with audio

RDS - Tout à l'avantage du CH

Habsworld.net - HW Victory Keys: Canadiens versus Leafs

ESPN - Hal Gill not likely to see end of Habs' story

Hockey News

TSN - FORMER LEAFS CAPTAIN SUNDIN HONOURED IN PRE-GAME CEREMONY

SIEGEL: LEAFS HOLD TEAM MEETING AFTER LOPSIDED DEFEAT

PowerScout Hockey - Fighters Corner - Feb 10 - "Lucic Hammers Kaleta, Sabres Make Bruins Pay..."

Sportsnet - 10 best NHL trade deadline deals

Spector's Hockey - NHL Trade Rumors – Saturday, February 11, 2012

(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America)

Habs/Leafs preview, top-10 undrafted players in NHL, Bozak, Rumours and more

8:53 AM Unknown 1 comment

Morning puck addicts!

It seems that the balmy, spring-like weather that Montreal has been basked in, has disappeared this morning. In it's place, a frosty minus-13, more befitting of the time of the year.

But the cold isn't dampening Hab fans' spirits, as they await tonight's Habs/Leafs tilt in Toronto. The Habs have an opportunity to win four-straight games tonight, for the first time this season.

The Leafs are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, with 62 points to the Habs 53. It should be noted that despite being on a three-game winning streak the Habs have failed to make up much ground, sitting in 12th overall.

And this is the problem with getting into an early season hole in today's NHL.

Reality aside, Montreal has their fans hoping that they can squeak in. And squeak in they can.

For Me, I see them either falling into a lottery pick position or winning just enough games to get fans excited, but ultimately fall short at season's end.

Ya, I know, not too optimistic but such is the reality the Habs find themselves in.

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Top 10 Undrafted Skaters in the NHL; Where Does Desharnais Rank?

Hockey Inside/Out - Canadiens go for four

RDS - L'espoir doit-il renaître chez le CH ?

ESPN - Canadiens-Maple Leafs Preview

Hockey News

TSN - SIEGEL: BOZAK EMERGENCE KEEPS CONNOLLY FROM TOP ROLE

RENDEZ-VOUS '87 AGAINST SOVIETS REMEMBERED 25 YEARS LATER

REPORT: NHL CONSIDERING WINNIPEG FOR HERITAGE CLASSIC

Spector's Hockey - Latest on the Hurricanes, Stars and Maple Leafs – February 10, 2012

Habs Acquire Kaberle, Devils preview, Leafs sold, Fighter's Corner and more

9:01 AM Unknown No comments

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Desperation: Habs Acquire Tomas Kaberle from Hurricanes for Jaroslav Spacek
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/12/desperation-habs-acquire-tomas-kaberle.html

Roz's Rant: Not 'My' Montreal Canadiens
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/12/rozs-rant-not-my-montreal-canadiens.html

Habs Press Release - Canadiens Acquire Kaberle for Spacek
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/12/habs-press-release-canadiens-acquire.html

Hockey Inside/Out - Audio: Blueline swap brings Kaberle in deal for Spacek
http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/habs-trade-spacek-to-carolina-for-kaberle-report

RDS - Kaberle s'amène à MTL
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/331506.html

Le départ de Jaroslav Spacek est pleuré
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/331535.html

Brian Gionta n'affrontera pas les Devils
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/331505.html

Bell demeure actionnaire du Canadien
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/331514.html

TSN - NUMBERS GAME: CANADIENS DEAL SPACEK FOR KABERLE
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382340

THN.com - Campbell: Canadiens trade for a declining Tomas Kaberle
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/43469-Campbell-Canadiens-trade-for-a-declining-Tomas-Kaberle.html

ESPN.com - Canadiens-Devils Preview
http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/preview?gameId=400046939

NHL News
TSN - BCE AND ROGERS TEAM UP TO BUY 75 PERCENT OF MLSE
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382315

SIEGEL: LEAF PENALTY KILL FALTERS IN LOSS TO CAPITALS
http://www.tsn.ca/toronto/blogs/jonas_siegel/?id=382399

PRONGER OUT INDEFINITELY WITH CONCUSSION-LIKE SYMPTOMS
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/12/desperation-habs-acquire-tomas-kaberle.html

CONNOLLY, SMITH-PELLY TO JOIN CANADA'S JUNIOR TEAM CAMP
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382307

PSH.com - Fighters Corner - Dec 9 - "Hordichuk Hammers Boll"
http://powerscouthockey.com/blog/fighters-corner-dec-9-hordichuk-hammers-boll

THN.com - Campbell: New Maple Leafs ownership won't spark on-ice change
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/43468-Campbell-New-Maple-Leafs-ownership-wont-spark-onice-change.html

Spector's Hockey - NHL Rumors – December 9, 2011
http://spectorshockey.net/wordpress/2011/12/09/nhl-rumors-december-9-2011/

Canadian Corner – December 9, 2011
http://spectorshockey.net/wordpress/2011/12/09/canadian-corner-december-9-2011/

The Ten Most Expensive Defensive Units In The NHL: Habs not there

2:28 PM Fred Poulin 1 comment

NHL General Managers all use different philosophies to build their teams.

Some, like George McPhee in Washington, build their team with a lot of offensive punch, while others, such as the Minnesota Wild, prefer to use a strong goaltending tandem.

Others still prefer to build their team with a very deep defensive corps.

Two months into the 2011-12 season, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the top-10 most expensive defensive brigades in the NHL and where they rank overall.

I’ll use the top seven defensemen of each team as a reference and will take the financial numbers from CapGeek.com.

Players that are injured are included in the calculation.

1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,33 millions 25 games 15 wins 7 losses 3 OTL 33 points (5th EC)
Kimmo Timonen – $6,333,333
Chris Pronger – $4,921,429
Andrej Meszaros – $4,000,000
Matt Carle – $3,437,500
Braydon Coburn – $3,200,000
Matt Walker – $1,700,000
Andreas Lilja – $737,500

2. Los Angeles Kings – $22.56 millions 26 games 13 wins 9 losses 4 OTL 30 points (7th WC)
Drew Doughty – $7,000,000
Jack Johnson – $4,357,143
Willie Mitchell – $3,500,000
Rob Scuderi – $3,400,000
Matt Greene – $2,950,000
Alec Martinez – $737,500
Davis Drewiske – $616,667

3. Winnipeg Jets – $22.30 millions 26 games 11 wins 11 losses 4 OTL 26 points (11th EC)
Dustin Byfuglien – $5,200,000
Ron Hainsey – $4,500,000
Tobias Enstrom – $3,750,000
Johnny Oduya – $3,500,000
Zach Bogosian – $2,500,000
Mark Stuart – $1,700,000
Randy Jones – $1,150,000

4. Toronto Maple Leafs – $22.04 millions 26 games 14 wins 10 losses 2 OTL 30 points (6th EC)
Dion Phaneuf – $6,500,000
Mike Komisarek – $4,500,000
John-Michael Liles – $4,200,000
Luke Scheen – $3,600,000
Carl Gunnarsson – $1,325,000
Jake Gardiner – $1,116,667
Cody Franson – $800,000

5. Phoenix Coyotes – $21.48 millions 25 games 13 wins 9 losses 3 OTL 29 points (9th WC)
Keith Yandle – $5,250,000
Michal Rozsival – $5,000,000
Rotislav Klesla – $2,975,000
Derek Morris – $2,750,000
Adrian Aucoin – $2,000,000
Kurt Sauer – $1,750,000
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – $1,750,000

6. Detroit Red Wings – $20.96 millions 25 games 16 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 33 points (4th WC)
Nicklas Lidstrom – $6,200,000
Brad Stuart – $3,750,000
Jonathan Ericsson – $3,250,000
Niklas Kronwall – $3,000,000
Ian White – $2,875,000
Mike Commodore – $1,000,000
Jakub Kindl – $883,333

7. Vancouver Canucks – $20.53 millions 26 games 15 wins 10 losses 1 OTL 31 points (5th WC)
Kevin Bieksa – $4,600,000
Dan Hamhuis – $4,500,000
Keith Ballard – $4,200,000
Alexander Edler – $3,250,000
Sami Salo – $2,000,000
Andrew Alberts – $1,225,000
Aaron Rome – $750,000

8. Chicago Blackhawks – $20.31 millions 27 games 16 wins 8 losses 3 OTL 35 points (2nd WC)
Brent Seabrook – $5,800,000
Duncan Keith – $5,538,462
Niklas Hjalmarsson – $3,500,000
Steve Montador – $2,750,000
Nick Leddy – $1,116,666
Sean O'Donnell – $850,000
Sami Lepisto – $750,000

9. Calgary Flames – $19.75 millions 26 games 11 wins 13 losses 2 OTL 24 points (13th WC)
Jay Bouwmeester – $6,680,000
Mark Giordano – $4,020,000
Cory Sarich – $3,600,000
Anton Babchuk – $2,500,000
Chris Butler – $1,250,000
Scott Hannan – $1,000,000
Derek Smith – $700,000

10. Washington Capitals (TIED) – $19.07 millions 25 games 13 wins 11 losses 1 OTL 27 points (8th EC)
Mike Green – $5,250,000
Dennis Wideman – $3,935,500
Roman Hamrlik – $3,500,000
Jeff Schultz – $2,750,000
John Erskine – $1,500,000
Karl Alzner – $1,285,000
John Carlson – $845,833

10. San Jose Sharks (TIED) – $19.07 millions 23 games 14 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 29 points (8th WC)
Dan Boyle – $6,666,667
Brent Burns – $3,550,000
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – $3,100,000
Douglas Murray – $2,500,000
Jason Demers – $1,250,000
Jim Vandermeer – $1,000,000
Colin White – $1,000,000

In comparison, the league-leading Minnesota Wild with 37 points, are spending only $12.36 millions on their defensive brigade.

As you can see, there is no guarantee of success even if you spend a lot of money on your defensive unit. In fact, amongst the biggest blueline spenders, only the Chicago Blackhawks lead their division.

2010-11 rankings
1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,89M
2. Toronto Maple Leafs – $24.28M
3. Vancouver Canucks – $23.35M
4. Detroit Red Wings – $21.83M
5. Calgary Flames – $21.59M
6. Chicago Blackhawks – $21.29M
7. Atlanta Thrashers (Winnipeg Jets) – $21.06M
8. Montreal Canadiens – $20.25M
9. Pittsburgh Penguins – $19.11M
10. Boston Bruins – $18.58M

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Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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