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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Many Topics Including The Oldest Dinar Community. Copyright © 2006-2020


    Montreal Canadiens

    jedi17
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    Posts : 10738
    Join date : 2013-02-20
    • Post n°1

    Montreal Canadiens Empty Montreal Canadiens

    Post by jedi17 Thu 02 Feb 2017, 7:40 pm

    Barberio claimed by Avs. Habs vs Flyers preview & potential trade thoughts
    February 2, 2017, 12:32 PM ET [143 Comments]
    Jennifer B Cutler
    Montreal Canadiens Mon Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
    The Montreal Canadiens infirmary is nearly empty as Alex Galchenyuk will return to the lineup tonight as the team visits the Philadelphia Flyers. The Canadiens will need to be wary of the Flyers who will be battling to hold onto the second wildcard spot as it is getting very crowded in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings. At times earlier in the season the Flyers were fourth in the Metropolitan division and a first round matchup between the Canadiens and Flyers seemed to be very plausible. However, the Flyers have been inconsistent and are now seven points behind the New York Rangers for the first wild card spot. They will have an uphill battle if they want to contend with the big boys in their division…

    Steve Mason will get the start in net for the Flyers while their lineup will see a few changes:







    2015-2016 rookie sensation Shayne Gostisbehere has struggled mightily in his sophomore year and has found himself out of the lineup (including tonight) on many occasions. Dale Weise will draw back into the Flyers lineup and will have an opportunity to play against his former teammates. It has been a rough go for Weise who has struggled ever since he was traded away from the Canadiens, be it in Chicago or Philadelphia. He was a favorite of Therrien’s in Montreal and often found himself being plugged in up and down the lineup to fill holes and provide some energy. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin’s haul for Weise and Tomas Fleischmann from the Blackhawks is practically larceny as Phillip Danault has played above and beyond expectations and Montreal received a 2018 second round pick from from that trade as well.  

    While head coach Michel Therrien is attempting to ease Galchenyuk back into the lineup by playing him on the third (or is it 2B?) line alongside David Desharnais who has shifted to the wing, and the feisty Andrew Shaw. However, the trio will have to be strong in their own zone as the Flyers will likely do their best to take advantage of the line’s defensive shortcomings and create mismatches. Logically, Therrien did not want to touch is top two lines as the first line has been dynamite and Tomas Plekanec has been playing some of his best hockey of the season next to Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen. On the road though this newly formed line may have difficulties creating opportunities. Galchenyuk should reclaim his spot though centering the top powerplay unit as he should be able to take advantage of that extra time and space. Carey Price will get the start in net while Jeff Petry returns from a bout with the flu which kept him out of the Canadiens 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Greg Pateryn and Sven Andrighetto will be healthy scratches.

    There has been much talk that the Canadiens need a second line center. That this is where their lack of depth is as Bergevin addressed the left side defense by acquiring Nesterov. However, as much interest as Bergevin might have in a Matt Duchene or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the likelihood is that he is not willing to pay the price and mortgage the Canadiens future. Especially not while Danault has been playing as well as he has. Bergevin will likely roll the dice with the centerman he has this year, unless the asking price becomes something that he can stomach. From previous experience with his last minute trade deadline deals for Tomas Vanek and Jeff Petry, Bergevin will not budge an inch and give in to a higher asking price.  

    The area that Bergevin should address is the right side of defense. When Petry was out of the lineup, even if it was just for one game, it was evident just how much the Canadiens missed him on the second defensive pairing. It exposed a lack of depth on the Canadiens right side of defense and should Shea Weber or Petry get stung by the injury bug, the Canadiens would be in big trouble. There is no one on the Canadiens roster right now who is able to step up and play those big minutes on a consistent basis if need be.  

    On the current roster, Pateryn is a solid sixth/seventh defenseman. He has not demonstrated an ability to play over 20 minutes a game. Nikita Nesterov is playing his off side alongside Andrei Markov. It would also be too much to ask him to step up and play those big minutes. Zach Redmond was in and out of the lineup while Pateryn was injured and has fallen down the depth chart as he is now in St. John’s. Brett Lernout might one day replace Pateryn as the team’s sixth or seventh. Noah Juulsen will need time to develop in Laval.

    The Canadiens were able to survive without Andrei Markov’s services for 19 games because Nathan Beaulieu is capable of stepping up and has top four potential. While consistency can sometimes still be an issue, he was more successful than not while Markov was out. He also helped stabilize and contribute on the top powerplay unit. Taking a look at the upcoming unrestricted free agents, perhaps Bergevin will circle back and take a look at Cody Franson. At one point Bergevin was ready to acquire Franson for Josh Gorges only to see the latter refuse to waive his no trade clause. A blueline with Franson could look like:

    Emelin-Weber
    Beaulieu-Petry
    Markov-Franson
    Nesterov

    Or flip Beaulieu and Markov. Franson would also help lighten the load on Weber and Petry and would make the Canadiens top six one of the best in the league. The Canadiens can survive with a centerman depth of Galchenyuk/Danault/Plekanec/Mitchell. To make an impact in the playoffs though, they need to strengthen their right side of defense. With five second round draft picks over the next two years, Bergevin can certainly afford to give one up in order to acquire Franson à la Petry a couple of years ago...

    Unsurprisingly, Mark Barberio has finally been claimed on waivers.  




    The acquisition of Nesterov made Barberio expendable. He was able to step up in times for the Canadiens but is simply too consistent to earn a regular spot in the Canadiens top six. He should have a better opportunity with the Colorado Avalanche who certainly need help on their backend. Unfortunately, he was lost for nothing though as Bergevin was not able to get a return for him via the trade route.

    Puck drops at 7pm tonight.
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