....Koivu will centre second line

Forum Fan · Veteran Member

....Koivu will centre second line

fHABulous · Veteran Member

are you saying higgins center? or higgins leaving?

Ando · Guru

Interesting theory FF!!!

...And-o thinks Higg's might be just too damned defensive by nature to lead the top line...but perhaps there is something to this afterall?!?!?!

Anyone else think that Plekanec has been totally discounted in all of this talk??? He ain't bad!!! And, he is soooo young!

Figaro · Guru

I totally dig Plekanec. It was said a lot last season that he wasn't used right to realize his potential. I just get a sense that he's about to take his game a new level IF he's used right. Higgins, while being used with that line of Ryder, Koivu, was great. So what if we have two 2nd lines since both have great potential. Rather the mess we have than a mess like Pittsburgh or Toronto or Tampa?

macneil · Guru

in the playoffs , plecs was our best center after koivu went down , he should be give a chance if / when ribs falters .

AB Habman · Guru

I remember it being said last season that if our centermen stayed static for the next season that Plecs would take over first line duty.

Anyone remember who predicted this?

Ando · Guru

AB Habman wrote:

I remember it being said last season that if our centermen stayed static for the next season that Plecs would take over first line duty.

Anyone remember who predicted this?

And-o remembers!!!

plouf · Guru

AB Habman wrote:

I remember it being said last season that if our centermen stayed static for the next season that Plecs would take over first line duty.

Anyone remember who predicted this?

Actually AB, you said last year that if a new centre wasn't picked up during the season, that Pleks would be the first-line centre by the end of the year.

Didn't happen.

(consider yourself under surveillance)

-- Edited by plouf at 08:06, 2006-08-18

plouf · Guru

Higgins and Koivu showed good chemistry last year, while Koivu and Kovalev didn't really. So I'm definitely expecting to see a Higgins-Koivu-Ryder line again (2nd line). First line will be Kovalev and Samsonov with either Ribeiro or Plekanec between them, depending on how they perform in preseason.

Dumont will probably come only if a winger is traded, maybe Ryder? For me they're too similar and I like Ryder a lot, so I hope that trade doesn't happen.

I think this year Ryder bounces back.

(please don't remind me that he got more goals last year than his rookie year. So did the whole league. I didn't see a big improvement, but rather a step backward)

JohnM · Guru

More likely it will be a 1a and 1b line. If you recall, when Higgins was put on Saks line his production took off.

I expect two solid scoring lines, Ribeiro being the only question mark.

Saku11 · Senior Member

Why does it seem to me that "some" here at the gohabs board, want Saku to falter this year and just fold and retire?? It seems that most comments when it comes to this situation are mostly degrading. Trust me, i know koivu wasnt at his best at times last year, but this is an entirely different season and we know what he is capable of. "Some" here are already criticizing the guy before the season....

Call me crazy, but thats crazy

-- Edited by Saku11 at 09:38, 2006-08-18

barry33 · Guru

JohnM wrote:

More likely it will be a 1a and 1b line. If you recall, when Higgins was put on Saks line his production took off.

I expect two solid scoring lines, Ribeiro being the only question mark.

That Johnny is EXACTLY the habs problem..1a and 1 b line...For any team to be successful you nee dto have a go to linme..not 2 lines that are interchangeable. Cripes I even have a number one line in Bantam AAA. How many years has it been since Montreal had a line that the other teams feared every time they were out there? Back in the days of Lafluer maybe? I do not disagree that you need balance..but geesh we need one line that is dominant and a force.

barry33 · Guru

Saku11 wrote:

Why does it seem to me that "some" here at the gohabs board, want Saku to falter this year and just fold and retire?? It seems that most comments when it comes to this situation are mostly degrading. Trust me, i know koivu wasnt at his best at times last year, but this is an entirely different season and we know what he is capable of. "Some" here are already criticizing the guy before the season....

Call me crazy, but thats crazy

-- Edited by Saku11 at 09:38, 2006-08-18

Better yet, but why is it that someone who suggests taht Koivu would be better suited on teh second line would be labelled as a critic? It is a fact. Not an insult. He has been wornd down by too many years of overuse. He would be much more useful on teh 2nd line and the PP. That is not an insult to him. But alas, we have teh same sorry centers we had last year so it aint gonna happen.

plouf · Guru

Lots of teams have had 1a, 1b lines and done just fine. I don't agree with that "you need a go-to line" theory at all.

I agree we need to improve at centre, but that doesn't mean we need a strictly #1 guy. We need a guy who complements Koivu in the top 2 lines, period. Koivu would be fine as a #1 centre on quite a few teams that have excellent #2 centres.

Pleks is probably not ready yet. Ribeiro is a stopgap, and Bonk seems to have lost his confidence (and his lack of speed hurts him in the new league).

barry33 · Guru

plouf wrote:

Lots of teams have had 1a, 1b lines and done just fine. I don't agree with that "you need a go-to line" theory at all.

I agree we need to improve at centre, but that doesn't mean we need a strictly #1 guy. We need a guy who complements Koivu in the top 2 lines, period. Koivu would be fine as a #1 centre on quite a few teams that have excellent #2 centres.

Pleks is probably not ready yet. Ribeiro is a stopgap, and Bonk seems to have lost his confidence (and his lack of speed hurts him in the new league).

Plouf- we will have to agree to disagree on this one I guess. I have been playing and coaching a long time and I strongly feel that we need a line that is dominant to succeed. Having said that, as I said there is something to be said for balance.

AB Habman · Guru

plouf wrote:

AB Habman wrote:

I remember it being said last season that if our centermen stayed static for the next season that Plecs would take over first line duty.

Anyone remember who predicted this?

Actually AB, you said last year that if a new centre wasn't picked up during the season, that Pleks would be the first-line centre by the end of the year.

Didn't happen.

(consider yourself under surveillance)

-- Edited by plouf at 08:06, 2006-08-18

Plouffy....It was predicted by myself during the Saks struggling big time stretch that if Gainey didn't make a roster change to add a first line center in the off season that by this seasons' end that Plecs would become that guy.

We'll see what happens and how much Ribs has committed himself to improving.

rwp2le · Guru

Kovalev's line is a lot better this year, and I dont expect to see 1a and 1b. I really think you will see the Kovalev line take a lot more ice time than the Koivu line.

barry33 · Guru

rwp2le wrote:

Kovalev's line is a lot better this year, and I dont expect to see 1a and 1b. I really think you will see the Kovalev line take a lot more ice time than the Koivu line.

I hope so Ripple. I want to see us FINALLY have a go to line..a line that steps up and dominates and strikes fear into the opposition. We certainly have not had that in some time.

rwp2le · Guru

barry33 wrote:

I hope so Ripple. I want to see us FINALLY have a go to line..a line that steps up and dominates and strikes fear into the opposition. We certainly have not had that in some time.

It really would be great to have a line the dominates. I don't know if these 3 guys can do it, but I really hope so.

plouf · Guru

barry33 wrote:

plouf wrote:

Lots of teams have had 1a, 1b lines and done just fine. I don't agree with that "you need a go-to line" theory at all.

I agree we need to improve at centre, but that doesn't mean we need a strictly #1 guy. We need a guy who complements Koivu in the top 2 lines, period. Koivu would be fine as a #1 centre on quite a few teams that have excellent #2 centres.

Pleks is probably not ready yet. Ribeiro is a stopgap, and Bonk seems to have lost his confidence (and his lack of speed hurts him in the new league).

Plouf- we will have to agree to disagree on this one I guess. I have been playing and coaching a long time and I strongly feel that we need a line that is dominant to succeed. Having said that, as I said there is something to be said for balance.

You're probably right Barry. You definitely know more about hockey at this level than I do. But just from a guy who only watches the games on TV, I've noticed over the past decade or so that the #1 line phenomenon isn't as universal as it used to be. I think of Dallas, Detroit, Colorado and New Jersey...often they'd put 2 talented guys and one mucker on each of 2 top lines. Anyway....we do agree on one thing. Our centre situation isn't what we want it to be.

I'm praying for a better Ribeiro this year. You never know, this line could click, and assuming Koivu's healthy, I'm pretty sure the Higgins-Koivu-Ryder line will be a good one. Ryder will come back!

barry33 · Guru

plouf wrote:

barry33 wrote:

plouf wrote:

Lots of teams have had 1a, 1b lines and done just fine. I don't agree with that "you need a go-to line" theory at all.

I agree we need to improve at centre, but that doesn't mean we need a strictly #1 guy. We need a guy who complements Koivu in the top 2 lines, period. Koivu would be fine as a #1 centre on quite a few teams that have excellent #2 centres.

Pleks is probably not ready yet. Ribeiro is a stopgap, and Bonk seems to have lost his confidence (and his lack of speed hurts him in the new league).

Plouf- we will have to agree to disagree on this one I guess. I have been playing and coaching a long time and I strongly feel that we need a line that is dominant to succeed. Having said that, as I said there is something to be said for balance.

You're probably right Barry. You definitely know more about hockey at this level than I do. But just from a guy who only watches the games on TV, I've noticed over the past decade or so that the #1 line phenomenon isn't as universal as it used to be. I think of Dallas, Detroit, Colorado and New Jersey...often they'd put 2 talented guys and one mucker on each of 2 top lines. Anyway....we do agree on one thing. Our centre situation isn't what we want it to be.

I'm praying for a better Ribeiro this year. You never know, this line could click, and assuming Koivu's healthy, I'm pretty sure the Higgins-Koivu-Ryder line will be a good one. Ryder will come back!

Hey Plouf- the fact is we do not have a dominant center which, of course, is kinda neccessary to have a dominant line. Having said that, if we can get good balance out of the top 3 lines, we should be ok. One good thing about not having a dominant line is that it makes the opposition have a tougher time putting their checking line out. If you have good balance and contributions form 3 lines then , as Martha says, "that is a good thing". There will be more pressure for guys like Ribs and Pleks to step it up this year and contribute.

plouf · Guru

Yep. Basically we're doing what we can with what we have....which is a lot of question marks at centre.

You brought up Pleks, and y'know we haven't talked about Plekanec all that much. He's an even bigger question mark than anyone, for me. I sure liked what I saw, but can he be consistent? Is he bound to end up a perimeter player, not quite a top 2 liner? History has shown that he's improved every year since getting here. Can he continue the trend?

barry33 · Guru

plouf wrote:

Yep. Basically we're doing what we can with what we have....which is a lot of question marks at centre.

You brought up Pleks, and y'know we haven't talked about Plekanec all that much. He's an even bigger question mark than anyone, for me. I sure liked what I saw, but can he be consistent? Is he bound to end up a perimeter player, not quite a top 2 liner? History has shown that he's improved every year since getting here. Can he continue the trend?

methinks that this will be the make or break year for Monsieur Plekanecs in a habs uniform.