From another board...

This is a bit long, but what the heck. I evaluated all Habs players this season based on their role and also on expectations. Here it goes:

Alex Kovalev: B- : He has demonstrated great skills all season long, and he actually has had one of his best seasons offensively during his NHL career. However, he's also been very inconsistent, and hasn't used his linamates very effectively. For the investment that was required to get him back in Montreal (large multiyear contract), I feel we get very little return.

Saku Koivu: B : For the first time since becoming a Hab, he's been inconsistent. He's been hot at times, but he also struggled. His numbers are perhaps slightly higher than they were before, but his overall play hasn't been as good. He's been the best forward for this team once again, but I had much higher expectations for him this season. Hopefully, this was just one off season, and he'll make a Modano-like comeback next year. Also, if we see Playoff Koivu once again this year, I might just forgive him.

Michael Ryder: C+ : Also very inconsistent, and I don't think he's ever really played that well this season. However, he did [somehow] managed to score 30 goals, thanks to a few lucky goals early this season, and the great efforts of Higgins and Koivu during the last stretch, so I can't really go lower than a "C", even though I feel he's played poorly for most of the season.

Mike Ribeiro: D+ : His statistics aren't so bad, and they do prevent me from giving him a near failing grade, but his overall play has been awful. Besides a couple strings of random assists off Kovalev's individual efforts, he,s generated very little offense, and hasn't been able to consistently create scoring opportunities for his linemates. Once again this year, his coach (both of them actually) had to send him a clear message by benching him for his lack of effort and consistency.

Jan Bulis: C+ : Overall, I've been somewhat satisfied of his play. He managed a 20-goal, 40-point season although he was bounced back and forth all season from one line to another, and from one role to another. He did a good job as a defensive, 3rd line forward, and didn't look bad when playing a more offensive role.

Richard Zednik: F : He completely failed to meet expectations. Just an awful year for him, as he brought nothing to the table, and had zero contribution on the team's success.

Steve Begin: B : Very good year for this 4th line agitator. I was actually getting sick of him for a while when coach Julien was playing on on the scoring lines, and even on the power play, but ever since Gainey put him back into a limited role, he's been as good as he could be. I'd give him a better rating, but since his actual contribution is very limited, this is as high as he can go.

Radek Bonk: F : Another complete, and more expensive, failure. He was supposed to be a more offensive 3rd line center, possibly even 2nd line if he played really well, but he was nothing than a 4th line PK specialist that probably wouldn't even have played if he didn't make this much money.

Niklas Sundstrom: D : Not a failure as he's pretty much done what he's been doing ever since we traded for him. However, that's not much, and I still don't understand why Gainey resigned him instead of Jason Ward. Sundstrom brings very little to the table, and Gainey should have known that. Maybe it's time to go back to Europe, and probably be a star in the Swedish Elite League.

Chris Higgins: A- : His overall play was at least just as good as could have been expected from him, and his 23 goals and 38 points exceed most expectations. He played great all year, was effective on all situations, and I'm very much looking forward to see what he'll do during the playoffs. Will probably wear an "A" on his uniform sooner than later.

Tomas Plekanec: B- : He played ok, and proved that he can play in the NHL. However, his career potential remains to be determined. He wasn't very productive, but he played well overall. He'll have to increase his prodfuction if he has any hope to be more than a 3rd/4th line forward, but I would be ready to give him his chance next season instead of Ribeiro, unless of course we can get a Briere (UFA) or a Richards (RFA).

Alex Perezhogin: C : I think he played a little better than his statistics would indicate. When playing with Koivu, he's actually maintained close to a point per game ratio. However, he didn't do so well with Ribeiro. All in all, I still see good potential in this guy, and hopefully this season was mostly about adapting to NHL hockey.

Pierre Dagenais: F : Played awful, and didn't put up good numbers. It's over for Dagenais in Montreal, and perhaps also in the NHL.

Garth Murray: C- : Decent forth line agitator. Nothing more, nothing less.

Aaron Downey: D+ : Same as Murray.

Andrei Kostsitsyn: I'm not going to rate him since he hardly played at all, but I was impressed with his skill level. He proved to me that he can play in this league, and I'm really looking forward to see him next season.

Jonathan Ferland: Good kid, but might not have enough skills for the NHL.
Maxim Lapierre: We'll see more of him next season.
Raitis Ivanans: Just a waste of time really. He's a terrible hockey player, and lost his only fight.

Andrei Markov: A-: Great season for Markov now that he was finally given more responsabilities. When all saw how important he is for the team, especially for the power play. I still don't think he's a genuine number 1 defenseman though, but he's good enough.

Sheldon Souray: C : On and off season. He was awful earlier, but did play better as the season progressed. His numbers look good on paper, but he definately hasn't played up to the organization's expectations.

Mike Komisarek: C+ : Was also awful earlier on, but really progressed after the tragedy with his mother. He's playing with more confidence, and we're starting to see the real Komisarek. Also, in his last 16 games, he managed 5 points and was +7; you put those numbers on a 82 game season and you get a 25-point, +36 season. I hope the Canadiens take him to the next step, which is start playing on the power play next season.

Craig Rivet: A : Considering what the expectations were for Rivet, he's had an exceptional season. Not only was he very solid all year defensively, but he even managed to put up as many points as Brisebois used to offensively. I he also seems to have displayed good leadership.

Francis Bouillon: B- : Assuming he's a number 6 defenseman, he's played great. He does nothing great, but he's reliable and rarely looks out of place, which is a very good thing for a bottom pairing defenseman. Unfortunately, he was also used on power play situations, where he clearly doesn't belong.

Mathieu Dandeneault: C : He did a decent job. Gainey overpaid for his services, but if you forget about his 1.5M salary, he's a good depth player to have on the roster. Like Bouillon, he doesn't belong on the power play either.

Mark Streit: C- : Overall, he played poorly defensively, and didn't play well enough offensively to compensate. He has however improved since the Olympic break, but I'm hoping he'll be back in Switzerland next season so we can give other guys a chance (ex. free agent, Archer, maybe Emelin).

Todd Simpson: C- : Did ok for the little we saw him. He's just a good depth veteran to have on the roster during the playoffs.

JP Côté: Did an ok job, but he doesn't seem to ave enough skills for the NHL.

Yann Danis: B- : We saw little of him, but he sure displayed good things out there.

Cristobal Huet: A : Nothing much to add about Huet. He racked up the wins in the last stretch to lead us to the playoffs.

David Aebischer: C : Hard to tell. He played both awful and great, but didn't have enough time to show the "real" Aebischer.