Bleacher Report - Articles by Cody Chenier

Montreal Canadiens: An Offseason Trendsetter

Cody Chenier — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:45:53 -0400

Most hockey fans can safely say that Montreal has been keeping busy during the offseason as compared to recent years.

That’s a glorious understatement.

In other words, Bob Gainey and Les Habs have torn down the structure, built a new frame, and inserted some high impact insulation.

I am talking about the loss of the faces of the franchise.

Sure two years ago we lost Sheldon Souray who was the quarterback of the Habs' special teams. Then last year we lost Michele Ryder (easily a rightful replacement for captain) and Mark Streit, who after taking the reins from Souray had become a predominant point scorer.

But look at the disfiguring of the franchise.

With the exception of Carey Price, we lost the most charismatic players to ever grace the Bell Centre: Mike Komisarek, Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Christopher Higgins, and yes, even Tom Kostopolus.

But every cloud has a silver lining.

With the acquiring of powerhouse Mike Cammalleri, and veteran forwards Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, and feisty left-wing Travis Moen, the offensive force of Le Blue, Blanc et Rouge is changing.

Add the size and athleticism of Hal Gill, the pure playmaker in Jaroslav Spacek, and the gritty style of Paul Mara, and we have made up for the potential loss in the back end of the game.

To compare losses and gains I shall quickly sum up what losing one player and gaining the other means to the Habs:

1. Mike Komisarek—Hal Gill

Well I believe the acquisition of Hal Gill makes up for the lack of presence Komisarek had on the ice.

The 6-foot7, 250 pound defenseman from Concord, MA can easily go shoulder to shoulder with Komisarek, and with a bonus proves to be more inclined to score (two goals, eight assists, and 10 points).

2. Alex Kovalev—Mike Cammalleri

Hands down Cammalleri was thrown into the mix to make up for the finesse and skill Kovalev has shown in the past few seasons.

The former second round, 49th overall pick by Los Angeles posted a career best in goals and points (39 goals, 43 assists and 82 points) last season and will prove well on a line that can set him up.

3. Saku Koivu—Brian Gionta

Now Brian Gionta isn’t the point producer that he once was, a few years back, but his (20 goals, 40 assists and 60 points) is nothing to look down upon.

What Saku leaves in leadership, Gionta will make up for it tenfold. A backbone of the New Jersey Devils' franchise, Gionta was a leader and top-notch playmaker for seven long years. Possibly paired up with Cammalleri, they could make an excellent team.

Now other comparisons that I wont go into too much explanation:

Christopher Higgins—Scott Gomez

Michele Schneider—Jaroslav Spacek

Robert Lang—Travis Moen

Paula Mara—Either Patrice Brisebois or Francis Bouillon

I have mentioned Brisebois, Bouillon, Lang, and Schneider, even though they have yet to sign with another team, because I am giving a possible rebuilding scenario within the franchise.

Robert Lang in my opinion is too high maintenance for such a fragile player and we need a more reliable third winger in Moen.

Schneider has a real opportunity to stay in Montreal, to quarterback our power play, and teach the young defensive core, solidifying our blue line for years to come. But if he does opt to leave, Spacek will be the obvious replacement because of his numbers and ability on the power play.

Lets face it, Brisebois is getting old and can’t play up to the same standard the league requires from a full-fledged player. Then Bouillon has always been a sore spot in the defense with five goals, four assists, and nine points in 54 games last season, not to mention his minus–7 rating. With Mara, we can now let go of these two weight bags and opt for some younger and fresher talent like or Mathieu Carle.

But the problem is looking into the future.

Will Cammalleri hit it big in Hockey Nation? Will Gionta play nice with his new teammates? How will the pairing of Hal Gill and Spacek affect the special teams in Montreal?

There is no real way of telling how the chemistry will work in this new team, so all we must do is wait and pray for the best.

Hockey and Politics Should Mix! (Humour)

Cody Chenier — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:05:13 -0500

After the much-debated coalition between the Liberal and NDP parties of the Canadian government, I found myself looking closer at Mr. Harper's Conservatives.

One such issue I find shocking is the fact that Mr. Steven Harper has 37 Cabinet Ministers working 46 different Cabinet positions.

Now remember the fact that when the Right Hon. Jean Chrètien was Prime Minister, the federal cabinet had 32 Cabinet Ministers in 39 different Cabinet positions.

Well where does this lead, you ask? A Hockey Cabinet Minister (I can hear the cheers). Why not, Mr. Harper is hiring left, right, and centre, racking up more bucks for his Conservatives, so why not hire a Hockey Cabinet Minister?

After his little stunt mocking Quebec culture and Canadians interest in culture all together, a Hockey Cabinet Minister in Parliament would improve morale across the country.

But why do we need a Hockey CM? Well the Hon. Gary Lunn, who is the Sports and Recreation Minister, needs some help lifting the weight of Canadian sports off his shoulders.

With the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics soon coming, Mr. Lunn will be overbooked, and don't forget the U20 WHC. Then add skiing, snowboarding, figure skating, and winter sports; this would boggle the mind of any other individual.

A Hockey CM would lift numerous championships and events off Mr. Lunn's shoulders. With a more focused CM, hockey would thrive in Canada.

But who would fill this position? Instead of giving you an array of names from the federal government, let me instead give you one name: Cody Chenier.

Now I know I don't have any experience on the federal level, but I have a Pierre Trudeau biography and was Student Council President. To me, that is more than enough experience. All I have to do is be elected.

So this is a formal shout-out to my Hamilton-Mountain natives. Vote for me and Canadian Hockey will go above and beyond.

F.W.I. This is a joke article, so no furious, outrageous comments please.

Fantasy or Reality?: A Look at the Best NHL Fantasy Team So Far This Season

Cody Chenier — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:56:53 -0500

Like most NHL fanatics, you probably signed up for a fantasy league at yahoo.com or some office shindig.

Well, odds are you are doing great—or terrible. Don't worry, I am in the latter predicament.

My team was doing great until my No. 1 draft pick Martin Brodeur was injured, leaving me with Carey Price. With a couple more injuries to Pavol Demitra and Mike Komisarek and the rather disappointing plus-minus of Todd Bertuzzi, I found myself in 10th place this week out of 12 teams.

Well, I want to warn those who are ignorant to the goings-on of the NHL. I make this my plea to those who wish to claim glory among strangers or co-workers. The rules of my league are as follows—goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points, and shots on goal for the skaters. For the goalies, it goes by wins, goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts.

The format is head-to-head in the 10 categories, and points are accumulated throughout the season. So if I lead a week in goals, plus-minus, shots on goal, and goals-against average, but my opponent leads in all other categories, he wins that week 6-4. (If a category is tied, the point doesn't count.) The player with the most points wins at the end of the season.

This is the format I play in, and the one I am most accustomed to. Here I will give you the best team possible and some tips on players you can snatch up from free agency.

Enjoy.

Now I am sure your league holds a draft in which, one by one, you go down the list of players you would like. So I am going to try to make it as realistic as possible. Chances are your fellow league members are as knowledgeable as you are in the happenings of the NHL.

For this team I will choose two lines (six forwards and four defencemen) with an additional three players to cover injuries and other such happenings, as well as three goalies. That's a total of 13 starters.

Now I will start with the first line. This is the line that gives you the most production in all areas of your league.

You want to look at your forwards to give you the majority of your goals and assists. Look to your RW, or anyone from your top line, to give you a lot of SOG and PPP. Your top defenceman should also have a large number of SOG with offencsive production. A large number of PM would be a plus, but I will address that later.

Left Wing

Your first-line LW should be a great one, someone who can contribute a lot of assists while still putting the puck in the net. Hopefully, you got an Alexander Ovechkin with his 17-23-40 and 170 SOG—an NHL leader. He may not have the point production of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby right now, but his SOG and G statistics will prove vital in the long run. His plus-10 isn't bad either.

If you are not lucky enough to have Ovechkin, Thomas Vanek would be a terrific pick. He leads the NHL with 24 goals and he has an impressive 111 SOG, though his plus-two isn't that great and his 22 PM might be shaggy.

I recommend Dany Heatley, who is surging in all categories, or Alexander Semin or Simon Gagne who have over 30 points each and stand at plus-18. Their SOG might not be that great, but it's worth it in the end.

Right Wing

This position is more of the goal-scoring bit with fewer penalties. I recommend you look for a player with at least 10 goals so far and 20 points. His SOG should be above 90 and he should have plus-minus of at least six.

Jerome Iginla would be a preferable choice except for his minus-one. Marian Hossa is surging with 16 goals, a plus-nine, and 131 SOG—and is a No. 1 choice for me. Devin Setoguchi of the San Jose Sharks is doing fairly well this season with 15-17-32, plus-15 and 102 SOG. He would be well worth it if no one has picked him up yet. Patrick Sharp or Phill Kessel would be a decent choice as well.

Centre

You want to have a centre who can give assists, good PM, and a decent SOG. Around the range of 10 to 15 assists, 25 PM, and 70 SOG would be a decent choice. Perfect choices would be Malkin or Crosby. But alas, not everyone can get a hold of them.

Some unlikely choices would be Mikko Koivu or Niklas Backstrom. Doug Weight would be wise, as he has a bundle of assists while still producing PM. Jeff Carter is doing amazing with 21-11-32, 22 PM, and 131 SOG. Mike Ribeiro would be a good choice, as he tends to improve later in the season. Jonathan Toews would be wise to catch and Saku Koivu, if not prone to injuries, would suffice.

Defencemen

With these guys, you have to get a large number of PM. Look for around four goals and over 10 assists, a plus-minus of at least five, and over 50 SOG. Nicklas Lidstrom would be a steal for most people in that aspect. Andrei Markov, Shea Weber, and Dion Phaneuf would be likely candidates for most leagues.

Unlikely choices are Sheldon Souray, who is having a great season (8-14-22), Jay Bouwmeester, Daniel Girardi, and Dennis Wideman. All great D-men who lead in the categories.

Goalies

You only have three choices. Make one of them your absolute No. 1 goalie. Brodeur would be the most logical choice; he is perfect in all aspects. But since he is injured, ditch him. Same with Roberto Luongo and Rick DiPietro.

You want a goalie who is secured in a No. 1 position with a good chance of winning every night. Evgeni Nabokov and Henrik Lundqvist would be your next top choices.

Odds are No. 1 goalies will be gone by about round three or four. I say take a top contending goalie in round two as to not take a chance. (Always take a skater in round one.)

So now you have your top contending goalies in Nabokov, Lundqvist, Jean-Sabastien Giguere, Marto Turco, Tim Thomas, etc. Your next two goalies should also have No. 1 jobs or be in contention for a team's No. 1 job. Price would be perfect, as would Andy McDonald, Chris Osgood, Manny Fernandez, Steve Mason, or Jason LaBarbera.

I have here a realistic depth chart—try to follow it. :)

LW No. 1: Ovechkin

He is a great passer and greater scorer and is a league leader in SOG. Have a LW with those qualities and you're set.

LW No. 2: Milan Lucic

His 20 points is not that impressive but his 58 PM are. This player rounds out your LW with PM and PPP.

LW No. 3: Blake Wheeler or Tomas Holmstrom

These players have an impressive plus-minus. Though most LWs don't have a good plus-minus, you could score a good one in these players.

RW No. 1: Kessel or Patrick Kane

These players are pure goal scorers with good passing. Like the LW, you need to rely on SOG over 70 at least and don't worry about PM for this one.

RW No. 2: Setoguchi or Brian Gionta

A more rounded-out player who has an average amount of goals and assists. You want a RW who has a good +\- to bring you up. Setoguchi gives you a +15 with 102 SOG. Remember SOG never hurts.

RW No. 3: Teemu Selanne or Mike Knuble

These players thrive on the PP and PK. Their plus-minus might not be the best—a plus-two or in the negatives. But with the PPP, you get an extra advantage over your opponent.

Centre No. 1: Malkin or Crosby

These players strive to make assists. To them, it is how you help win the game. Their SOG may not be that good, but hopefully your LW and RW covered that. Look for a player with a lot of assists and good plus-minus, with most assists going on the PPP.

Centre No. 2: Jeff Carter

This player scores so many goals and gets so many shots on net, good things are bound to happen. Get a second-liner who can do both.

Centre No. 3: David Backes or Adam Mair

These players are the gritty type. Hopefully you have enough scoring to look into the PM for your players. This is where your No. 3 centre comes in. With the vast amount of PM, it will even out and go onto the D-men.

D No. 1: Markov or Dan Boyle

These D-men lead all other defencemen in points. Your first D-man should have a lot of points, preferably goals.

D No. 2: Phaneuf

With the majority of points coming from the assist-giver on your team, you have the edge on both point-getters. With a large amount of SOG, too, it gives you the advantage as well as being the QB on the PP and PK.

D No. 3: Mike Green or Mark Streit

These players go under the radar until the eighth round at most times. Do yourself a favour and pick off a QB on the power play. They may not score a lot of points, but the majority of the points they acquire are from special teams.

D No 4: Marc-Edouard Vlasic or Wideman

These players round out the gaps left in your lines. A good +\- should be in the mix as well as a respectable amount of points. Hopefully at the end you have a wide range of players who can serve well on your team.

Goalie No. 1: Nabokov or Thomas

These goalies have good teams in front of them. When one slips past, they can make a great save and earn shutouts from time to time. Look for a goalie who can give you a great GAA and SV percentage.

Goalie No. 2: Price or Vesa Toskala

Now that you have a good SV percentage and GAA, let loose and go for a sure win in other goalies. Price is good because people underestimate him since he is only in his second year. Where Toskala has a bad GAA and SV percentage, he still wins games.

Goalie No. 3: Joey MacDonald, Nikolai Khabibulin or Peter Budaj

These goalies are contesting for the No. 1 spot on their teams or are a No. 2 goalie behind a No. 1 goalie who has become injured, allowing these guys to prove themselves (Kevin Weekes, MacDonald). These goalies may have gotten under the cracks and not been appreciated to the full extent. Look for a No. 3 goalie who can give you good coverage in wins and the odd SO.

Well, that's my take on NHL fantasy teams. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. And, as always, keep your stick on the ice and Happy Hockey.

What the Halak is all this Talk About? Where would Halak go?

Cody Chenier — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:31:35 -0500

There has been a lot of talk lately about Halak and the need to trade him. Well to give an idea of what Montreal would lose and the other team would gain, I have made a small comparison and some likely trades Gainey and the crew would conjure up for out beloved No. 2 goalie.

Quick look back on goalies being traded from Montreal and you can see the harsh reality—We get buck all...

Huet: Traded to Washington for a second round draft pick (We could of done better and gotten at least a thirrd or fourth line with the pick)

Plante: Traded to NYR with Phil Goyette and Don Marhall in exchange for Gump Worsley, Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort, and Len Ronson. Phil and Don proved very important to NYR over the next couple seasons and Plante was great in his season with NYR. Though Gump was above average, he did not compare to Plante's play and only Dave Balon proved vital for the Montreal Canadiens.

Roy: He was traded for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko to the newly NHL joined Colorado Avalanche. This trade was one of the biggest mistakes as Roy won two more Stanley Cups with Colorado, and the players Montreal acquired made barely an impact for the Habs in the years to come.

Theodore: Traded to Colorado for David Aebischer. He was our No.1 Goalie at the time and David proved he could not make a save on even a beach ball. For shame for shame.

Now back to the matter at hand—Halak. Now, how much is his real-estate worth in the NHL? With a quick look at his stats 3-4-1, .918 SV% and a 2.38 GAA. Not bad stats for a backup goalie considering he does not have that many wins.

So who will the infamous Halak go to? Well, first we have to decide which NHL teams need a No. 1 goalie or a decent No. 2 goalie to provide coverage. At a quick glance, I see St. Louis Blues, Phoenix, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Toronto and Florida. Those are the teams I believe could use Halak to their advantage. And here is why...

St.Louis: This team needs some dire rebuilding. They have Chris Mason and Manny Legace. Both terrific goalies in their own right, but are not consistent. Legace is looking to the end of his career in another two or three if things do not shape up for him so hes out of the picture for the Blues. Mason proves to be a much needed fresh voice for the Blues and can take up the No. 1 position if he did not have a 3-9-1 campaign. But in all due fairness his D-men and forwards are not helping. That is why my prediction would be...

Halak and Guillaume Latendresse for Roman Polak or B.J Crombeen. Polak is a great defence defenceman who stays in his own end and pawns on coming forwards, while B.J. provides good offence for the talent around him. Latendresse provides a go-to-guy for the Blues while not losing much depth for the Canadiens.

Phoenix: Ilya Bryzgalov is doing horrible. I put little blame on his forwards (Shane Doan and Jokinen) and a lot on his D-Men, with only Ed Jovanovski and Derek Morris who are above average. With a 10-11-2 .905 SV% and 2.94 GAA, Ilya Bryzgalov would not be on the roster for long. With backup Mikael Tellqvist, you can imagine the scare most Coyotes fans get at the mention of their names. If a trade were to happen between them, I predict...

Halak and Mathieu Dandenault for possibly Tellqvist and a fifth defensemen like Ken Klee who can provide a lot of blocked shots and hard hits. Or a Zbynek Michalek who can provide offence on the defensive end. If not Tellqvist, I recommend a nice second liner in Mikkel Boedker (6-9-15) and possibly Klee. Since Dandenault would provide more offence while not losing the defence he provides.

Ottawa: Possibly my favourite of the choices. Halak would be a great No. 1 goalie to relieve Alex Auld and Martin Gerber, who although it is not their fault, their main line is the sole reason they are competing, but because both goalies are past their prime and Halak would be a breath of fresh air. Gerber 2-5-1 .916 SV% and 2.51 is slightly shameful and they need to rebuild. With only four players above 20 points and the next highest is 10 points, the Sens need all the help they can get. I would recommend...

Halak with Robert Lang for Mike Fisher and Filip Kuba. Now I hear the protests, why Lang? Well he provides more depth for Sens in the second line with his 10-11-21. Now I wanted to get a nice Spezza or Heatley, but I knew Murray would not part with his No. 1 line without dishing more talent. So I went with the next best thing. Fisher may not have that many points, but he proves to be a solid second or third line center who can flare up a crowd and score game winning goals. Kuba on the other hand gives us a much wanted offensive defencemen besides Markov. His 1-19-20 proves he can give the Habs much needed goals.

Tampa Bay: I this team looks good at first glance, but why all the failure? Mike Smith (5-11-7) is supposed to be the future and with newly acquired Future Hall-of-Famer Olaf Kolzig, I am puzzled why the constant downfall of this once great NHL team. It is because his forwards cannot score and because Smith is not that consistent, though his GAA is good compared to his losses (2.51). So here is my prediction...

Halak with Chris Higgins or Josh Gorges for Ryan Malone and/or Jussi Jokinen. People look at me in awe as if I am crazy. Slightly, but not in hockey. Malone quarterbacks the PP hands down a great talent. Jokinen will repay the loss in scoring from Higgins. Higgins provides more consistent points, but lacks the prowess Jokinen has. We might get Smith or Kolzig with an added player but I am sure they would not trade unless Kolzig is out of the picture.

Los Angeles: Jason LaBarbera is not that great a goalie with only five wins in 16 starts, a 2.75 GAA and a .89 SV%. Take out the shine of his two shut outs this season. Erik Ersberg is doing better with 8-5-2 but his GAA and SV% are close to LaBarbera. And it is not the fault of the forwards or the d-men, on the sheet they are pretty steady with seven players around the 20 point mark. The d-men are more defensive in aspects to provide more coverage. It is just the soft goals that the goalies let in that makes them weak. My predictions are...

Halak solely for Labarbera and Drew Doughty or Jarret Stoll. Doughty is a first round draft pick in 2008 and would give Montreal a great player to look ahead to. Stoll (8-8-16) is a more defensive forward, but gives a lot to the team and is a great asset. With the consistency Halak provides, I do not see why LA can pass this up.

Edmonton: They split their goal-tending between three goalies, Dwayne Rolston (6-4-2), Mathieu Garon (5-6-0) and Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (3-2-0) The last two are somewhat unknown, but Rolston is the face of Edmonton. But he needs a good back up. Halak would prove a healthy choice as the other two goalies GAA is over three and SV% is under .900. I predict a trade with...

Halak and Bouillon or Brisebois for Garon and a third d-man Denis Grebeshkov (1-11-12) Edmonton would want to get rid of a goalie and would pick Garon because of his larger inconsistency. We would ship him to Hamilton and call up Marc Denis in his place (great veteran for Price) as for Grebeshkov, he is great on the PP and proves reliable and a point getter for Edmonton. As much as I would like to have Souray back with the Habs, he has shown his love for his home province and would rather like staying there.

Toronto: I could sense your impatience. Okay, the goalie situation is kinda dire but not bleak in Leaf town. Toskala (11-9-5) with a .906 SV% and 3.06 GAA is in dire need of reshaping. Do not even get me started on Joseph (I would rather drink Oprah's fat through a filthy hobo straw then talk about him). In all due respect as a Habs fan, the Leafs blow and it is due too their inconsistency in the net. The players are pretty good looking at the situation they are in (no Sundin and no Tucker) Mikhail Grabovski has proven worthwhile and a great future player. So I place blame on the goalies with a few mistakes made by the d-men. My prediction is...

Halak and Gorges possible with a player from Hamilton (Leafs like prospects) for either of the goalies (hopefully Toskala, but I doubt it) and a combination of Jason Blake, Mike Van Ryn, and maybe Niklas Hagman if we throw in Latendresse or someone else. Blake (5-11-16) has not been up to his same standards since buddy Tucker left, so he is easy picking. Van Ryn (3-5-8) ties the deal together with a nice consistent record in the past. He has not found his ground yet, but in a year or two with Montreal on a line with Dan could prove great. Hagman (8-11-19) is just a fool's hope that the Leafs are that desperate for a good goalie. His previous season with the Stars, 27-14-41 shows he is a great goal scorer so I doubt Leafs will trade him. As for the reason I picked Gorges. Along with a great goalie, needs a great defence, Gorges provides that, but we also have Komisarek and Hamrlik, and not to mention Markov.

Florida: Vokoun (6-10-0) .912 SV% and 2.95 GAA seems to be out of his league here and on the way to Rochester. Craig Anderson on the other hand 8-3-3 with three shutouts seems to have given new life to Florida his .940 and 2.15 GAA have the Panthers skipping with glee and the once prominent No. 2 goalie looks to jump one step ahead. Halak would contend Anderson for the No. 1 position and if either got the No. 1 position they could rest easy knowing their former would be at the stead ready for action. My predictions are...

Halak with Higgins and Latendresse or Lapierre. For Vokoun, if he does not retire or move along with Zednik, Stephen Weiss, Brian McCabe, Nathan Horton, and possibly David Booth. With the exception of Zednik the other players are in the top eight of the team but nota single player has over 20 points. With Higgins, Latendresse, and Lapierre they would get much needed scoring and prowess. I chose Zednik because in Montreal he was a great player and I was just showing admiration if nothing else. Weiss (5-11-16) is a great player on the PP and PK getting most points on those shifts. McCabe (4-8-12) is a reliable defenceman who can score. Horton (6-7-13) is a reliable right winger who gives back on what he gets. Booth 12-2-14, need I say more he is a goal scorer and nothing else.

Well I enjoyed sharing my predictions and hope you enjoyed reading them. All in all, Halak would prove worth-while to any team and I am glad the Habs have him.

Remember, Keep your stick on the ice, and Happy Hockey.

Price Is Right: Can Carey Lift The Habs To The Drive For 25?

Cody Chenier — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:05:15 -0500

It seems inevitable that we the Habs Faith-full and Habs critics pick apart the play of Carey Price. But are we really unfair, this is the same goaltender that has been compared to the likes of Roy after all.

Some people say that Price is failing at the net this season, well I for one disagree. His play last year was more than some hoped for but this season is proving worthwhile for Price and his development. J

ust a quick look at his stats last year: Playing 41 games he has a 24-12-3 with a 2.56 GAA and .920 SV percentage. These are no stats to laugh at. Now compare last season to this season: With 21 games under his belt he has 13-4-4 with a 2.37 GAA and .920 SV percentage. If he continues at this rate and plays around the same amount of games as last year then he would have a very eye opening 26-8-8. Though I doubt he would play anything less of 60 games if he continues at the pace he is at.

Now look at his consistency, Carey has not been able to lose more than two games in a row in regular game time. Only three times among his 21 games so far has he given up more than three goals. His SV percentage has been above .910 in more than half his games and has been a main factor for why his team has won games.

His last regular time loss was Nov 18th, between then and now he has five wins and three OT. His 13 wins are fifth among active goaltenders, above the Pens Fleury (8), Caps Theodore (8), Canucks Luongo (11) and the Leafs Toskala (11). Though he is only in his second year of the NHL he has proven he is among the best.

But still people argue that Halak is not being given the chance he deserves for the quality of play he provides for the team. Now don’t get me wrong I am thankful for the wins Halak has given our team, but the overall quality of his play deserves him only a backup to Price.

So far this season with nine games played he is 3-4-1 with 2.38 GAA and a .918 SV percentage. Besides his low win total his stats are decent as a backup and prove worthy when all else fails. But unless he plays on a constant stream of games he would not come to his full potential. Which can’t be done since Price needs all the games he can get to hone his skills.

In my opinion bring back Dennis, who is a veteran player at the end of his career. He has proven himself worthy in past seasons and would give Price much need leadership on and off the ice. Trade Halak to a place where he would be truly appreciated. I suggest Ottawa, Phoenix or LA where all their goalies are struggling to make ends meet in the net. But otherwise Halak should be prepared to sit on the bench for 10 game stretches unless otherwise stated.

Since Roy no other goalie has been the sensation of the Habs. Price gives the Hab nation a hope at winning the cup. But with this hope comes a great pressure on the shoulders of the young goaltender. This helps and curses him to be fully aware of his actions and must act accordingly. Give him time to become better then Roy, and better then Plante and others. So hopefully in the years to come #31 will be beside several Stanley Cup banners.

Is Mats Sundin Required for the Montreal Candadiens' Success?

Cody Chenier — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:28:54 -0400

Mats Sundin is the so-called prize catch the Montreal Canadiens are looking for to get them to the next step. Personally, I believe Mats is not even needed in Montreal because the Habs are loaded with talent.

So far in the offseason, the Habs have lost the likes of Streit and Ryder. Both were important to the Canadiens, but not vital.

Streit was a big part of the special teams in 2007-08. He recorded career highs in assists and points but is off to the New York Islanders.

Ryder was and still is an amazing scorer, but got in the bad books with Guy Carbonneau after having a fluke season and is now off to Boston.

With these two full-time Habs gone, it leaves two more spots to be taken. But with the newly acquired Tanguay, it looks like Ryder has already been replaced.

The Habs only have room for a two-way forward or a defenseman who can hold his own. Sundin doesn't look like a bad choice now. He's a modest 6'5" and 231 lbs of dominating force. Sundin hasn't had a season under 72 points since his first season with the Nordiques (59) back in 1990-91 (his first season).

He hasn't had too many over 72 either.

To look at Sundin, one would have to look beyond the stats. What does he bring to the Canadiens? He has never won the cup and has only amassed 17 games in a playoff run with the leafs back in 98-99.

If one were to look at how he plays on ice now compared to 10—even five—years ago, one would see that his presence is not as large as it used to be. He has become more modest with age and he ain't getting younger.

If Sundin were to sign with Montreal, where would he be put? What would be the best fit for Sundin in the lineup?

Well, without Sundin I made a mock lineup of 2008-09 Habs. Left to Right are the LW C RW positions.

1st- Tanqauy, Koivu, Higgins

2nd- Plackanec, Kovalev, Lantresse

3rd- Andrei Kostitsyn, Sergie Kostitsyn, Kostopolus

4th- Begin, Lapierre, Laraque

Now I will give you my reasons for these lines

First Line- With Tanquay already a top linesmen in Calgary and a proven scorer, Carbonneau may want to use that to his advantage. Koivu, who is an awesome playmaker, will easily get Tanquay to 80 even more points. As for Higgins, he has worked well with Koivu over the past few seasons and they seem to do a lot of damage together.

Second Line- Both Kovalev and Plackanec had AMAZING seasons last year. They scored 82 and 69 points respectively. There are huge gaps from last season. They also played some parts of last season together and showed great hope as a second offensive power, if not the first go-to guys for scoring in Montreal. Latandresse will give Kovy and Plack even more play making power by setting up the one timers etc.

Third Line- The Kostitsyn brothers are one of the best brother pairs I have seen. They have not matched the Sedin twins yet, but they did showcase their offensive power in 2007-08 and show much promise. Each brother brings their own type of game to the rink and comes together for a magnificent show of hockey premise. With Kostopolus as the right wing, he can charge forward and prevent any oncoming defenders wishing to stop the brothers. Kostopolus's veteran presence and hockey sence he can also create plays and show the boys how to be safe and score at the same time.

Fourth Line- I must admit, I was a bit hasty when making the roster for the fourth line. This line can consist of any of the AHL affiliates or some others I have not mentioned such as Chipchura, D'Agostini, Gregory Stewart, Ferland or Locke. But Begin and Laraque have the experience to back them up. Lapiere should start things off slow in the fourth line. But with stiff competition, Lapierre needs to get past his modest 18 point season.

When you look at it, the lines are pretty even. First is play-making for the scorer. The second is strictly scoring. The third will be a play-making pair with dominating right wing, while the fourth will be brains of the game.

Sundin would probably go on the first or second line, considering his $8-10 million salary. This means a highly skilled forward would have to go back a line. If he were to go on the first line, either Tanquay or Higgins would go back a line.

Higgins would probably drop to the second line because he can work with Kovalev , Plac and Lat as well.

If Sundin ends up on the second line, Latandresse would leave because he is not as dominating at Sundin. If Sundin were to ask for a centre position, either Kovelev would be a winger or third string and Sundin would be a second stringer because Koivu is a much better centre than Sundin.

At the cost of Sundin, the Habs are not in need of a $10 million second stringer and should not waste their cap room on him. Let him return to the Leafs or go to a place that can really use him—like Washington, where they strive to have a dominating centre-man. Maybe St. Louis should take a look, but don't hope for Sundin in Blues uniform because he wants to go to a Stanley Cup contender.

If Detroit signs him I'll FREAK, they have TOO MANY good players.

WHY HOSSA? WHY?

Thanks for reading my first ever entry, and happy Hockey.