Line Shuffle

habscsi · Member

Line Shuffle

barry33 · Guru

if i am bob i pray . Seriously..first of all..you cannot go out and spend Koivus salary until you are 100% sure he will not be playing all season. You can spend it short term because it does not count against the cap, but if he comes back you are then faced with getting under the cap again by unloading bodies. And really..a year with Ribs, Pleks Higgins and Begin as your centers?! To answer your question, YES we are worse off without Koivu. Change the CH on teh jersey to a donut with a hole in the middle. There is a reason we have 4 or 5 natural centers playing wing. Because they are not talented enough to play center at the NHL level.

-- Edited by barry33 at 18:18, 2006-09-06

-- Edited by barry33 at 18:20, 2006-09-06

macneil · Guru

well if im bg, and cant find a center somewhere else then i promote plecks or johnson to the center position between ryder and higgins , then leave the other to center perez and kots . 1 thing about koivu being out (dont believe it will happen) kots will get a regular shift in the nhl so we can see what we have with him.

Figaro · Guru

I dont think things are as dire as some here claim. Koivu in is good for the team. Koivu out may be good too IF a young star shines. I think that same young star will shine even if Koivu is in but it would make life easier for that kid if Koivu is out. We'll be 2-3 spots lower in the standing without Koivu, though, so let's hope he's in.

Ando · Guru

If Saku plays (and he will)...status quo (and it is...and it will be status quo)!

However (as a twist), if Saku does the 'hokey pokey' (as in, ten out - ten in), promote Pleks...challenge Ribs and Bonk...and give Begin a letter for his jersey...all the while hoping that someone like Chipper and/or Locke show signs of being ready.

If Saku is 'fini' (and he ain't...but And-o will play along with this human soap-opera story...'As the Bell Centre Turns')...simply take the $4.75 million USD and wait for 'Lou Lam' in Jersey to sink himself further before scooping up either Scotty Gomez (younger, faster, better than Saku) or Rafalski for next to nothing...then take the extra money and get better...AGAIN...at the deadline.

Or, flip off a prospect and/or a pick for something tangible.

Or...simply suck-it-up and carry on developing what we have...and wait for the deadline.

No real biggie! Not like the Habs haven't done this all before!!!

...like And-o has been saying...either way Saku - EITHER WAY!!! And-o just wants the guy to take a route soon though for the sake of the team.

(kindly do not turn any of the above into 'Saku bashing'...cuz it ain't!!!)

habscsi · Member

good thoughts ando never considered the couple teams in cap trouble with some centre's worth vieing for so thanks for that scope on things now im anxious to see whats gonna happen

AB Habman · Guru

Status quo is right!

Every Koivu season, we tend to get by with or without him. I mean, if the used up Gilmour can fill in, who can't?

Personally I think the Habs need to turn the page and move on. Instead BG over pays the guy and locks him up with a no trade. AB is still trying to get passed that

The Habs need a new chapter. There just isn't much happening in that long drawn out ten years of chapter 11.

Can the Habs come up for air in that black cloud.

The above isn't Koivu bashing... just reality.

macneil · Guru

and-o are you a priest or some type of clergy man , because you've seem to have converted another person to the dark side , with all your whining and complaining about saks . barry is only half converted but ab sounds like your son , everything is saks fault , im getting pretty mad at him also , after he cured himself of the big "C" he could have shared the cure with the rest of us . because that must be his fault also .

Figaro · Guru

you just have to learn to ignore "the facts" that and-o and his congragation give. we are a better team with Koivu but some want to turn gold into platinum...and it ain't going to happen. S we have what we have, love it or leave it. but stop the repa-repa-repeating

Jay1982 · Guru

Ando wrote:

If Saku plays (and he will)...status quo (and it is...and it will be status quo)!

However (as a twist), if Saku does the 'hokey pokey' (as in, ten out - ten in), promote Pleks...challenge Ribs and Bonk...and give Begin a letter for his jersey...all the while hoping that someone like Chipper and/or Locke show signs of being ready.

If Saku is 'fini' (and he ain't...but And-o will play along with this human soap-opera story...'As the Bell Centre Turns')...simply take the $4.75 million USD and wait for 'Lou Lam' in Jersey to sink himself further before scooping up either Scotty Gomez (younger, faster, better than Saku) or Rafalski for next to nothing...then take the extra money and get better...AGAIN...at the deadline.

Or, flip off a prospect and/or a pick for something tangible.

Or...simply suck-it-up and carry on developing what we have...and wait for the deadline.

No real biggie! Not like the Habs haven't done this all before!!!

...like And-o has been saying...either way Saku - EITHER WAY!!! And-o just wants the guy to take a route soon though for the sake of the team.

(kindly do not turn any of the above into 'Saku bashing'...cuz it ain't!!!)

And-o, I really like this post of yours.

barry33 · Guru

Red- And- O will never convert me..I am my own man lol. But I do agree with him and Habtastic on one point. This is becoming a distraction year after year. Is it Koivus fault? Of course not. But it is what it is. It peeves me off that once again, we head into the season full of uncertainty. I do not buy into And-O's "Saks will play" scenario. I think his eye is in big trouble. But I do think it i stime to get it over with and move on.

macneil · Guru

his eye may or not be allright , he's waiting to see what happens when he's in game situations and has players trying to run him . skating with a finnish team is 1 thing , but nhl preseason is another , i thinking he'll be allright , but have my fingers crossed .

Nazarreth · Newbie

If Saku is not able to play I think we should get rid of the notion of the lines we have set in our head ...

meaning no:
Sammy-Ribs-Kovy
Higgin-???-Ryder
...

I would actually be more inclined to go back with Ribs and Ryder and put Sammy on that line for some speed...

Then get Higgins with Kovy and a center...

Sammy-Ribs-Ryder
Higgins-Plekaneks-Kovy
Perezhogin-Johnson-Begin
Murray-Bonk-downey

I think that Ryder and Ribs still have that Chemistry, it's just theat they were too slow in the new NHL... but put a guy like Sammy on the line and you will have a much more rounded line. Kovy can play with anyone an Pleks I think deserves a step up from 3td line duty.

Naz

Mad Habber · Member

I think it's more of a distraction to a handfull of fans than it is to the team. This team is way better with Saku in the lineup than out. Certainly he has been out his fair share, but until someone shows up that can take his spot, he's the top dog. We also all know that if by some miracle, someone was to show up this year and be the top center, he would move to the second line, and later on the third, he's versatile enough to play any role on this team.

The captaincy thing is not a problem in my eyes. You need more than one leader in the dressing room. Souray didn't wear a letter last year, yet he was one of most vocal guys (if not the most) the on the ice (assume in the dressing room also). I remember Yvan Cournoyer finished his career on the injury list. Spending long stretches every year he was captain on the injured list. Serge Savard accepted the Stanley Cup in 79 because Yvan was injured again (back problems).

barry33 · Guru

Mad Habber wrote:

I think it's more of a distraction to a handfull of fans than it is to the team. This team is way better with Saku in the lineup than out. Certainly he has been out his fair share, but until someone shows up that can take his spot, he's the top dog. We also all know that if by some miracle, someone was to show up this year and be the top center, he would move to the second line, and later on the third, he's versatile enough to play any role on this team.

The captaincy thing is not a problem in my eyes. You need more than one leader in the dressing room. Souray didn't wear a letter last year, yet he was one of most vocal guys (if not the most) the on the ice (assume in the dressing room also). I remember Yvan Cournoyer finished his career on the injury list. Spending long stretches every year he was captain on the injured list. Serge Savard accepted the Stanley Cup in 79 because Yvan was injured again (back problems).

I agree Mad. The captaincy is NOT an issue nor should it be. The only issue to me is having someone capable of filling the spot between a left and right winger.

AB Habman · Guru

barry33 wrote:

Mad Habber wrote:

I think it's more of a distraction to a handfull of fans than it is to the team. This team is way better with Saku in the lineup than out. Certainly he has been out his fair share, but until someone shows up that can take his spot, he's the top dog. We also all know that if by some miracle, someone was to show up this year and be the top center, he would move to the second line, and later on the third, he's versatile enough to play any role on this team.

The captaincy thing is not a problem in my eyes. You need more than one leader in the dressing room. Souray didn't wear a letter last year, yet he was one of most vocal guys (if not the most) the on the ice (assume in the dressing room also). I remember Yvan Cournoyer finished his career on the injury list. Spending long stretches every year he was captain on the injured list. Serge Savard accepted the Stanley Cup in 79 because Yvan was injured again (back problems).

I agree Mad. The captaincy is NOT an issue nor should it be. The only issue to me is having someone capable of filling the spot between a left and right winger.

It's also possible in a worst case scenario that Johnson could replace Saks on the second line.

Also just wondering why you guys never project Saks as a winger to start with. I think his on ice contributions would be more acceptable on the wing and more fitting for his style of play.