Insanity - Part Deux

I was asked to submit an article to the Down Goes Avery season ending blog where 30 bloggers were challenged to take a irreverent look at their teams past season, off season and outlook for next season.  Here is an expanded version of events as I see them. Without a doubt this off-season will be interesting to watch in habland. Please feel free to leave a comment-they are always appreciated by all  bloggers all the time.


Free Agency: Insanity

The definition of insanity according to Einstein is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results – so yes my team is insane.  So far Pierre Gauthier has taken to doling out one year contracts to all the same players at the same money. Last I checked none of them are getting any younger, nor are they getting any quicker and certainly are not growing vertically.  They have a lot of free agents on the defence this time around, so we will sign some of the billion defensemen that were around last year, BUT only the ones so far that were around at the beginning of last season.  

The update on this is two restricted free agent signings on the offense – the long and the short of it, Max Pac and David Desharnais.  Good signings for a good price – 2 year contracts for each of them at least they may be around at the end of next season.  I expect the Habs to look at free agency to bolster the first two lines - I hope for Laich or Leino of course so does every one else. What we will get is probably Dupuis or Talbot or Jagr any of whom would be an upgrade on Pouliot whom I do not believe will be brought back.

The defense at the time of this writing consists of Subban, Gill, Yemelin, Spacek and now Markov. RFA's are Weber, Gorges, and Picard. UFA's are Wiz, Sopel, Mara and Hamrlik.  In the crystal glass I see signing of Weber (he has stated he will be at the Canadiens hockey camp for youngsters) Gorges should be either signed or dealt this week.  Unfortunately this all means that Wiz, Sopel, Picard, Mara and Hamrlik will not be re-signed.  the one I really hate to see go is Hamrlik - He has been able to step up to the plate whenever he has been asked and has served extraordinarily well in trying circumstances. If by some miracle Spacek can be moved or convinced to possibly retire then I would definitely have Hamrlik back in the fold no doubt about it. Wiz's rights should be moved at the draft hopefully to a western conference team.

Coulda/woulda/shoulda time at this time next year perhaps, but it looks like almost the whole team will be free-agents at the end of next season.

2011/12 Outlook: Reality Bites

So with essentially the same team as last year with a couple of changes it looks like same top 6 (barring any trades or signings) and some minor changes in the bottom 6.  

I am hoping for a big free agent signing for the Habs but in reality it hardly ever happens.  The big news in Montreal will be who is not coming back rather than who is added to this roster. Maybe there will be addition by subtraction. If I hear one more time this is a tight knit group I am going to scream so loud the south americans will call and advise me to keep it down. Time to step up to the plate, cowboy up, get er done because there are a whole lot of free agents at the end of this season including Price and Subban and not everybody will survive. In other words, in my humble opinion, this is the last season for this group as we know it.

Hey, let’s plan the parade.  Do I think this is a possibility? Check that definition of insanity again.  But then again....there is a reason they play the games.