Im not a hockey expert but i think the habs shot a the cup has been closed. I honestly think they blew there chance 3 or 4 years ago. There mistake was not trading markov not for a better defence
but a defence player with a strong caracter to control PK caracter without trying to change his style of hockey. Desharnais should of been traded or let go and Galchenyuk should have been there
number one center with patch on wing. If patch as a leader can t accept the fact that the shooter should be galchenyuk then i think patch is not a real leader. All in all i believe if it wasn t for therrein
chuky and pk would have been the heart of the club with price. Another point i don t understand do they really think drouin will be a better player then chucky i don t think so.
-You don't have to be a hockey expert to come to the conclusion that the habs don't have much of a shot at the Cup. You're quite correct.
-I have no problem with them hanging on to Markov and he may not have welcomed a move from Mtl. My guess is if he can't play in Mtl, he'd rather play back in Russia in the KHL. But Markov has been a good soldier for them for over a decade and i expect him to finish his career with the habs.
-I never would have agreed to sign PK Subban to that huge contract. This wasn't Marc Bergevin's doing. He didn't want to do it and would have preferred taking Subban to arbitration but he was overruled by owner Geoff Molson who ordered Bergevin to give in to Subban's demands. Typical case of the team owner's meddling hurting the organization.
-I would not have traded PK Subban for Shea Webber's equally huge contract. They're in worse contractual trouble now than they would have been had they kept PK.
-Desharnais' contract made him untradeable. They never should have granted him that contract in the first place.
-The big mistake with Galchenyuk was not sending him back for at least one more year after they drafted him at age 18. He had missed his entire final junior year due to major knee surgery and getting one more year of junior hockey in his pocket instead of immediately making the jump to the NHL would have been both beneficial to him & the organization, who would have had longer contractual control over him had he began his career with the habs at age 19 or 20 instead of age 18. I see him as a winger since he's certainly no playmaker and i'm not impressed by his hockey sense. He's got talent and skill, but not much hockey sense.
-Giving the captaincy to Pacioretty at the time they gave it to him may have seemed like a mistake to some, but there was pressure from the fans and media on the organization to finally name a captain and they didn't have much of a choice at the time since they players wanted to give it to Brendan Prust. Management didn't want this and i can't blame them. They went with whom they thought was the obvious choice since they figured he'd be with the team for years and you can't deny he's a classy person.
-I think giving Carey Price $10.5 million/season for another 8 years is a mistake which will haunt the organization for the next 10 years. He's an aging goalie with bad knees. You don't give that kind of money to a goalie, especially in a hard salary cap era. I don't care if he's the team's best player and they can't win without him, but you won't be able to get the help you need in the future when so much of your cap money is invested on one player & that player is the goalie. They never came close to a Cup when Price was in his prime and there's no reason to believe that they'll get any closer now that Price's play is on a slow decline and it's basically the same team once again playing in front of him. If they would have thought about their future, they should have traded Carey Price two years ago after he won all those awards once the season was over. His value around the league was sky-high and it's never been any higher since, nor will it ever be.
-Drouin will be a good winger but for the team's sake i sure hope his personality doesn't negatively affect the team. He was a big problem at first in Tampa and he hadn't even made the team yet. Now playing in Montreal where he'll be treated like a mega-superstar (this often happens in Mtl) may not be good for his development. But time will tell.
What i'd do:
-I'd re-sign Markov but for not more than $4 million/season, which is what he was earning last season. He's a year older now and wants $6 million? Good luck, Marky!
-I'd trade Andrew Shaw. He's not worth the big contract Bergevin gave him.
-If i can get good value back for Brendan Gallagher, i'd trade him. His play has regressed and his small body has taken quite a pounding since he first entered the league. He doesn't really bring anything to the team any more and he won't get any better over time for the reasons i mentioned.
-They need a couple of veterans at the forward positions. There are several out there that would interest me and would gladly sign for one-year to play in Montreal. This would be beneficial to the likes of Pacioretty and Galchenyuk. The team never recovered in that aspect from the losses of Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges.
-And finally, now that Galchenyuk was re-signed for three years and does not have a non-movement clause in his contract, i certainly would trade him if i can get a legit #1 centre. If Colorado wants to trade Duchesne to Montreal for Galchenyuk, i'd do it in a second! If Edmonton would be interested to move Leon Draisaitl for Galchenyuk, Lindren & a high draft pick, i'd do it. Heck, maybe all it would take is adding McCarron to either package and either Colorado or Edmonton might just bite.
