Arnott a Pred for $4.5 LARGE per...and you tell And-o that Saku is not overpaid!!!

Ando · Guru

Arnott a Pred for $4.5 LARGE per...and you tell And-o that Saku is not overpaid!!!

Figaro · Guru

Seriously, get over it. Koivu gets what he deserves because he's given his heart and soul. Gainey wants to send him the right message. You don't play hard to get with your heart and soul.

Ando · Guru

Figaro wrote:

Koivu gets what he deserves...

...and he will continue to get what he deserves!

Seriously folks...he makes more than Jason Arnott!

Ask yourself...what NHL GM would not give Saku straight-up for Jason??? (Oh yeah, FORGOT that no-trade clause!)

Kendich · Veteran Member

when was the last time Montreal has landed a big time free agent (Kovalev doesn't count because he was traded here and grew to love the atmosphere). It's sad, but Montreal has become a Siberia of hockey. Less to do with the money or gm's capabilities then players just not wanting to come here.

Jay1982 · Guru

Saku isn't as bad as you think, Arnott had better linemates.

mperra (Admin) · Guru

Ando wrote:

Figaro wrote: Koivu gets what he deserves... ...and he will continue to get what he deserves! Seriously folks...he makes more than Jason Arnott! Ask yourself...what NHL GM would not give Saku straight-up for Jason??? (Oh yeah, FORGOT that no-trade clause!)

Ando, and others. there is a price to pay playing in Montreal. GM Gainey HAS TO, I repeat, HAS TO, again one more time, HAS TO give a 25% premium approx just to make these players play here. THAT SIMPLE.

All that talk that Montreal is a great place to play, and it's a dream playing here, well, it's just that. TALK! yes this place is the best place in the world WHEN the team wins. I said when, like winning a Stanley Cup.

Taxes, language, media, are three strikes that scares the players away with signing with Montreal.

This is what Gainey was trying to say at the season ending press conference that he would go after players who like "spice". Financially he can offer a bit more because they have cap room. But if the player is okay with the langiage and media (i.e. spice) then we have a player willing to play in Montreal.

Gainey's only other choice is to draft properly, or to add via trades.

Jay1982 · Guru

Thats right Mario, although right now there seems to be a frenzy among posters...not just here, but in every hockey forum about free agents. People are forgetting that the free agency market is not the only way to pick up a player.

Kendich · Veteran Member

mperra (Admin) wrote:

This is what Gainey was trying to say at the season ending press conference that he would go after players who like "spice".

Mario, that makes me think that perhaps the habs might go after JR. I think JR would be great to have in Montreal, I mean, he does love the media attention. He could really turn out to be this years Selanne.

mperra (Admin) · Guru

Kendich wrote:

mperra (Admin) wrote: This is what Gainey was trying to say at the season ending press conference that he would go after players who like "spice". Mario, that makes me think that perhaps the habs might go after JR. I think JR would be great to have in Montreal, I mean, he does love the media attention. He could really turn out to be this years Selanne.

Which leads me to ask, when was the last time we had an outspoken player on the Habs who didn't speak French? Would Muller, Gilmour or Chelios qualify as today's Roenick? Or is JR in a league of his own?

Muller93 · Guru

Ando wrote:

5 yrs for $22.5 million.....he should be a Hab!!! Bob must be kidding And-o!?!?!? Arnott is a steal at $4.5 million per (although 5 years is a touch long)!!!

KOIVU IS PAID THAT AMOUNT BECAUSE HE IS ONE OF THE FEW GREAT PLAYERS WILLING TO PUT UP WITH THE DUMBASS MEDIA IN MONTREAL!

I mean seriously, imagine holding a press conference after almost having your eye poked out and having some jackass ramble on about the fact that he does not speak french!

Pretty tough to find someone willing to put up with that.

I hate to say it, but it really is coming around now...people just don't want to play in Quebec. Period. It might be the most racist place in the world!

Perhaps JR is the perfect fit...imagine what his response would have been to that media clown? No class but it might just be the required tonic?!

Figaro · Guru

Thank you! Besides all the great point that Mario made plus those of the others, I submit to you this: What team wouldn't pay their captain more? It's simple. Learders make more money. Anyway, I can understand why it is tough to get the stars and, you know what, JR is looking like habgirl rignt now (for the laymens, that's "pretty good"!) So, thank you Bob for making the trades and drafting the right players. You gotta think that since he knows it's going to be tough to get players to sign that he has to make the right drafts and trades and so far I got nothing to complain about.

Habtastic · Guru

It is just really frustrating that we have to play Poker with almost no chance of ever getting an Ace in our hand!

Habtastic

rwp2le · Guru

Habtastic wrote:

It is just really frustrating that we have to play Poker with almost no chance of ever getting an Ace in our hand! Habtastic

The thing that is more frustrating is that all the other GM's are playing poker, and ours is playing old maid. He's not even in the same game it looks.

barry33 · Guru

rwp2le wrote:

Habtastic wrote: It is just really frustrating that we have to play Poker with almost no chance of ever getting an Ace in our hand! Habtastic The thing that is more frustrating is that all the other GM's are playing poker, and ours is playing old maid. He's not even in the same game it looks.

Well I guess then if all of this is true//taxes too high..media unfriendly...Montreal may as well fold up and move to the USA..I hear that Houston may want a team. Mario and others..all we heard last season at the trade deadline was that Gainey was going to wait until free agency to build the club. Gainey said that himself in a press conference after the Blockbuster Todd Simpson deal.

mperra (Admin) · Guru

barry33 wrote:

Well I guess then if all of this is true//taxes too high..media unfriendly...Montreal may as well fold up and move to the USA..I hear that Houston may want a team. Mario and others..all we heard last season at the trade deadline was that Gainey was going to wait until free agency to build the club. Gainey said that himself in a press conference after the Blockbuster Todd Simpson deal.

In the end I think it comes down to money. When Gainey made that comment he was proably hoping the cap would not jump to $44M and hoping most teams would be near the cap limit. That hasn;t happened. New jersey and Vancouver are the only teams near that level so far. And perhaps, even with the cap moved to $44M, who says that's what GM Gainey has been given. We all know that Mr Gillett just gave himself a $75M dividend. Yes, $75M thank you very much.

I really think that the team will build through the draft (God help us) and via trades.

Kendich · Veteran Member

mperra (Admin) wrote:

I really think that the team will build through the draft (God help us) and via trades.

Unfortunately I think that is the sad reality Mario, unless some free agent shows some great character and decides to come play here.

Does anyone know where I can find a list of Montreal free agent signings within the past 10 years or so? That list would really show the reality of our free agent choices.

Saku11 · Senior Member

See Mario its not players, its Gainey Being Greedy!!

Habtastic · Guru

Gainey being greedy? Gainey doesn't make one extra sent by not signing players. Apparently Gainey offered more money than other teams, so what else can he do?

Habtastic

JohnM · Guru

Saku11 wrote:

See Mario its not players, its Gainey Being Greedy!!

Mario said Gilette took the 75M$ dividend, not Gainey...

Mario and others said it best, why play for Montreal with the headaches of the french, the media, the taxes and the fickle fans when you can live it up in Phoenix or Nashville with no pressure other than your wife bickering at you....