The formula used for the table below is the following: ((+/- ratio + blocked shots + takeaways – giveaways)*penalty killed ice time per game)*Corsi relative Quality of Competition.

The Corsi relative (or Corsi Rel) is a way to compare players that neutralizes the team effects, Corsi Rel is a player’s Corsi when they are on the ice versus when they are off. If a player has a Corsi/60 of 6.0 (meaning the team directs 5 more shots towards the opposing net than they allow when the player is on the ice), but a Corsi/60 of 5.0 when the player is sitting on the bench, the player’s Corsi Rel is 1.0. Corsi Rel is always per 60 minutes of ice time.

The Quality of Competition is a pro-rated stat for each player, measuring the rating of the opposition per minute of ice time. Higher means tougher competition, zero is average, and negative means inferior competition.

QoC Corsi Rel – A quality of competition metric that uses Corsi Rel rather than rating. Over 1.000 is stiff competition indeed, and 1.500 is insane Dani Girardi and Nicklas Lidstrom territory. Less than -1.000 is extremely sheltered (hello, Jody Shelley and George Parros).

As you can see, most of these rearguards are used more often than not against tougher opponents and log a lot of ice on the penalty kill. These blue liners sacrifice their bodies to block shots and avoid giving away the puck to their opponents by making good decisions while handling the puck. Surprisingly no Zdeno Chara or Keith Yandle among the defensive leaders.

Who do you think is a surprise? For me the biggest surprise is David Schlemko

———-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Follow Fred on Twitter for more miscellaneous statistics.

In 29 games this season, Kaberle, 33, has zero goald and nine assists and a 12 plus/minus rating. After a very rough start, he has notched four assists and a +2 rating in the last two games. As for Spacek, he has been on the injury reserve since November 16th because of an upper-body injury. Spacek has only played 12 games in an injury-filled season, recording three assists and a +2 rating.

Kaberle, who was acquired by the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline last season, won his first ever Stanley Cup before heading to free agency on July 1st. With Kaberle’s acquisition, the Habs now have six Stanley Cup champions (Gionta, Gomez, Cole, Gill, Moen and Kaberle).

After a rough start, the Hurricanes, who had recently hired Kirk Muller has their new head-coach to replace Paul Maurice, are starting to re-build around Cam Ward, Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. Carolina’s general manager Jim Rutherford simply made this move to get rid of Kaberle’s contract, which only ends in 2013-14. Spacek will provide veteran leadership to a young defensive squad in Carolina comprising talented young players such as Jamie McBain, Justin Faulk and Derek Joslin.

Kaberle, who is known for his offensive capabilities, was mainly acquired after Andrei Markov suffered another setback during his recovery from knee surgery. Markov, who was nearing a return last week, will miss an additional 4-6 weeks after undergoing a minor surgery to drain the excess liquid in his rehabilitating knee. The Canadiens’ inefficiency was also another reason why Pierre Gauthier decided to pull the trigger on Kaberle. The Canadiens are ranked 28th in the NHL on the man-advantage with a mediocre 11.4% after finishing 7th overall in 2010-11.

Kaberle had scored 38 points in 58 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the Bruins acquired him at the deadline, after which, he only registered 9 points in 24 games.

After the trade, the Canadiens sent Frederic St-Denis down to their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, to make room. St-Denis who scored his first NHL goal yesterday night against the Vancouver Canucks was victim of the numbers.

With Kaberle’s acquisition, the Habs’ blue line is about to get clogged as Chris Campoli is also nearing a return; add in the mix Hal Gill, Josh Gorges, PK Subban, Alexei Emelin, Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber and you have eight healthy defenseman at your disposal. The odd man out is most likely Weber, who was made a healthy scratch against the Canucks after playing poorly in the last few games.

What do you think of this trade? Do you think Kaberle is the solution to the Habs’ woes on the power play?

—
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Follow Fred on Facebook and Twitter

I’ll use the top seven defensemen of each team as a reference and will take the financial numbers from CapGeek.com. Players that are injured are included in the calculation.

1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,33 millions 25 games 15 wins 7 losses 3 OTL 33 points (5th EC)
Kimmo Timonen – $6,333,333
Chris Pronger – $4,921,429
Andrej Meszaros – $4,000,000
Matt Carle – $3,437,500
Braydon Coburn – $3,200,000
Matt Walker – $1,700,000
Andreas Lilja – $737,500

2. Los Angeles Kings – $22.56 millions 26 games 13 wins 9 losses 4 OTL 30 points (7th WC)
Drew Doughty – $7,000,000
Jack Johnson – $4,357,143
Willie Mitchell – $3,500,000
Rob Scuderi – $3,400,000
Matt Greene – $2,950,000
Alec Martinez – $737,500
Davis Drewiske – $616,667

3. Winnipeg Jets – $22.30 millions 26 games 11 wins 11 losses 4 OTL 26 points (11th EC)
Dustin Byfuglien – $5,200,000
Ron Hainsey – $4,500,000
Tobias Enstrom – $3,750,000
Johnny Oduya – $3,500,000
Zach Bogosian – $2,500,000
Mark Stuart – $1,700,000
Randy Jones – $1,150,000

4. Toronto Maple Leafs – $22.04 millions 26 games 14 wins 10 losses 2 OTL 30 points (6th EC)
Dion Phaneuf – $6,500,000
Mike Komisarek – $4,500,000
John-Michael Liles – $4,200,000
Luke Scheen – $3,600,000
Carl Gunnarsson – $1,325,000
Jake Gardiner – $1,116,667
Cody Franson – $800,000

5. Phoenix Coyotes – $21.48 millions 25 games 13 wins 9 losses 3 OTL 29 points (9th WC)
Keith Yandle – $5,250,000
Michal Rozsival – $5,000,000
Rotislav Klesla – $2,975,000
Derek Morris – $2,750,000
Adrian Aucoin – $2,000,000
Kurt Sauer – $1,750,000
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – $1,750,000

6. Detroit Red Wings – $20.96 millions 25 games 16 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 33 points (4th WC)
Nicklas Lidstrom – $6,200,000
Brad Stuart – $3,750,000
Jonathan Ericsson – $3,250,000
Niklas Kronwall – $3,000,000
Ian White – $2,875,000
Mike Commodore – $1,000,000
Jakub Kindl – $883,333

7. Vancouver Canucks – $20.53 millions 26 games 15 wins 10 losses 1 OTL 31 points (5th WC)
Kevin Bieksa – $4,600,000
Dan Hamhuis – $4,500,000
Keith Ballard – $4,200,000
Alexander Edler – $3,250,000
Sami Salo – $2,000,000
Andrew Alberts – $1,225,000
Aaron Rome – $750,000

8. Chicago Blackhawks – $20.31 millions 27 games 16 wins 8 losses 3 OTL 35 points (2nd WC)
Brent Seabrook – $5,800,000
Duncan Keith – $5,538,462
Niklas Hjalmarsson – $3,500,000
Steve Montador – $2,750,000
Nick Leddy – $1,116,666
Sean O’Donnell – $850,000
Sami Lepisto – $750,000

9. Calgary Flames – $19.75 millions 26 games 11 wins 13 losses 2 OTL 24 points (13th WC)
Jay Bouwmeester – $6,680,000
Mark Giordano – $4,020,000
Cory Sarich – $3,600,000
Anton Babchuk – $2,500,000
Chris Butler – $1,250,000
Scott Hannan – $1,000,000
Derek Smith – $700,000

10. Washington Capitals – $19.07 millions 25 games 13 wins 11 losses 1 OTL 27 points (8th EC)
Mike Green – $5,250,000
Dennis Wideman – $3,935,500
Roman Hamrlik – $3,500,000
Jeff Schultz – $2,750,000
John Erskine – $1,500,000
Karl Alzner – $1,285,000
John Carlson – $845,833

10. San Jose Sharks – $19.07 millions 23 games 14 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 29 points (8th WC)
Dan Boyle – $6,666,667
Brent Burns – $3,550,000
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – $3,100,000
Douglas Murray – $2,500,000
Jason Demers – $1,250,000
Jim Vandermeer – $1,000,000
Colin White – $1,000,000

In comparison, the league-leading Minnesota Wild with 37 points, are spending only $12.36 millions on their defensive brigade.

As you can see, there is no guaranteed success if you spend a lot of money on your defensive brigade, as only the Chicago Blackhawks are leading their division amongst the teams that spend the most money on their blue line.

2010-11 rankings
1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,89M
2. Toronto Maple Leafs – $24.28M
3. Vancouver Canucks – $23.35M
4. Detroit Red Wings – $21.83M
5. Calgary Flames – $21.59M
6. Chicago Blackhawks – $21.29M
7. Atlanta Thrashers (Winnipeg Jets) – $21.06M
8. Montreal Canadiens – $20.25M
9. Pittsburgh Penguins – $19.11M
10. Boston Bruins – $18.58M

———-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Follow Fred on Facebook and Twitter

Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim – $5,600,000 cap hit After his best offensive season in the NHL, during which he scored a league-leading 68 points among defensemen, Visnovsky has been a big disappointment this year in Anaheim. The talented rearguard had only four points in 16 games before he sustained a broken thumb that will put him on the shelf for at least a month.

Ville Leino, Buffalo – $4,500,000 cap hit Signed to a six-year deal as a free agent by the Sabres this summer, Leino has been a major disappointment in Buffalo. With only 6 points and a -5 differential in 24 games this season, Leino is considered the worst free-agent signing of 2011.

Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary – $6,680,000 cap hit Acquired from Florida by the Flames before the 2009-10 season, Bouwmeester’s offence has always been overrated, having never broke the 50-point barrier in a single season. Entering the third year of his five-year contract, Bouwmeester has only one goal and six assists for seven points in 23 games.

Eric Staal, Carolina – $8,250,000 cap hit Coming off a very good season, during which the Hurricanes captain recorded 76 points in 81 games, Staal has been slumping badly this season without his former line-mate Erik Cole, who has signed a multi-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. Staal has a league-worse -18 ratio to go along with only 12 points in 26 games.

Tomas Kaberle, Carolina – $4,250,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Carolina in the off-season after winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins, Kaberle has only one goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 49 games since he got traded by the Maple Leafs last season. The offensive defenseman has zero goal this season to go with a dismal -12 ratio.

Ed Jovanovski, Florida – $4,125,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent to a four-year contract by Florida this summer, Jovocop is more like a mall guard these days. With only five points in 23 games this season, Jovanovski has seen his offensive output decline steadily since his 51-point campaign in 2007-08. The oft-injured rearguard finished 2010-11 with only 14 points in 50 games with Phoenix.

Dustin Penner, Los Angeles – $4,250,000 cap hit Entering the last year of a five-year deal he signed with the Oilers, the Penner experiment has been a major failure with the Kings. The oversized forward’s production has been nearly non-existent this season with only two assists in fourteen games, before he sustained a hand injury.

Marek Zidlicky, Minnesota – $4,000,000 cap hit The oft-injured Zidlicky missed 36 contests last season due to injury, recording only 24 points in 46 games. This year, Zidlicky’s production has been almost non-existent; in 18 games, the offensive-minded rearguard has zero goal and six assists for only six points.

Scott Gomez, Montreal – $7,357,143 cap hit Acquired prior to the 2009-10 season by Montreal, Gomez had an average year two years ago, recording 59 points in 78 games. However, since then, his play has been declining fast. Last year, he only managed seven goals and 38 points in 80 games, while the season he has yet to score a goal (4 assists) in 13 games. He’s currently sidelined with a groin injury.

Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey – $6,666,667 cap hit After signing a very expensive 15-year contract prior to the 2010-11 season, Kovalchuk’s production has been subpar at best. Known as a point-per-game player in Atlanta, Kovalchuk finished with only 60 points in 81 games last year, while this season, the Russian sniper has only scored four goals and 13 points in 17 contests with the Devils. This contract could prove very costly, as the Devils are rumoured to be bankrupted and all-star Zach Parise is slated to become a free agent at season’s end.

Brian Rolston, New York Islanders – $5,062,500 cap hit Acquired from the Devils in the off-season for his veteran leadership, Rolston’s production has been in steady decline since the 2005-06 campaign during which he recorded 79 points with Minnesota. This year, Rolston has been mediocre at best, notching only three goals and three assists for six points in 20 games with the Islanders.

Rick Dipietro, NY Islanders – $4,500,000 cap hit Re-signed to a 15-year contract prior to the 2006-07 season, Dipietro’s career has been marred with injuries. This season, Dipietro has been healthy, but he has not played much losing his starting to veteran Evgeni Nabokov first, and then to back-up Al Montoya who has been playing well. he’s also been mediocre posting a 3.44 GAA and a pathetic .885 save % in only seven games.

Ilya Bryzgalov, Philadelphia – $5,666,667 cap hit Acquired from the Coyotes before the season by the Flyers, Breezer has been colder than a winter night in January in Winnipeg. Bryzgalov, who was signed to a nine-year contract to stabilize the Flyers goaltending position has been more than shaky. In 15 starts, Breezer has eight wins with a subpar 2.89 GAA and a less than stellar .897 save %.

Paul Martin, Pittsburgh – $5,000,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent in the summer of 2010, Martin was brought for his steady and calm presence on the blue line. After a so-so campaign last year during which Martin managed 24 points in 77 games, the 30 year-old blue liner is having a tough season so far despite the Penguins’ success. Through 25 games, Martin has yet to find the back of the net, while adding only eight assists. He also has a team-worse -9 ratio.

Martin Havlat, San Jose – $5,000,000 cap hit Acquired in the off-season from the Wild for forward Dany Heatley, Havlat has had trouble adapting to his new team after a 62-point campaign in Minnesota last season. After 17 games, Havlat has scored only one goal and added eight assists for nine points in 17 games with the Sharks.

Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay – $7,727,273 cap hit Lecavalier was signed to a 11-year contract extension by Tampa Bay before the 2009-10 season. Lecavalier rewarded the Lightning with a paltry 70-point campaign in 2009-10 and an even less impressive season of 54 points in 2010-11. This season, Lecavalier has been inconsistent, scoring ten goals and adding seven assists for 17 points in 23 games, on pace for only 60 point, which is not enough for the face of the franchise.

Mike Komisarek, Toronto $4,500,000 cap hit After flourishing as a bruising defenseman alongside Andrei Markov, Komisarek joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2009. This year, Komisarek had only one goal and three assists for four points in 18 games before breaking his arm. After being made a healthy scratch a few times, now Komisarek will be sidelined for almost eight weeks.

Keith Ballard, Vancouver $4,250,000 cap hit Currently in only the third year of a six-year deal, Ballard has been far from impressive since his acquisition from the Panthers. Ballard was often made a healthy scratch during the Canucks cup run last spring. So far this year, Ballard has only recorded a mere two points in 22 games to go along with a -6 plus/minus ratio.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver $5,333,333 cap hit Luongo’s play has been slowly fading in recent years, and his inconsistency in last year’s playoffs has planted a seed of doubt in the mind of the Canucks fans. With ten more years to go to his twelve-year contract and this season, Luongo is the clear #1 goaltender in Vancouver. Well, not necessarily as youngster Corey Schneider has started the past six games and doesn’t want to give the job to the struggling Luongo. Bobby Loo has a back-up calibre GAA of 2.97 to go along with a borderline .900 save % in 13 games this season.

Alexander Semin, Washington $6,700,000 cap hit The unpredictable Russian had a slumping season under former head coach Bruce Boudreau, scoring only ten points in 22 games. Semin was even made a healthy scratch once. Now that Boudreau is gone, Semin should find his motivation back and start producing offensively if he wants to cash in big at season’s end as he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent.

Please note that I omitted players who have been injured most of the season such as Jason Blake, Kristian Huselius, Andy McDonald, Ryan Whitney and Andrei Markov.

If you think I missed an overpaid NHLer, please let me know in the comments section.

———-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

As you can see on the play, Pacioretty is coming full speed to hit Letang who had just entered the zone trying the shoot the puck on goal. We can see Paxioretty lift his left elbow to hit Letang’s nose. Not even a minor penalty was assessed on the hit by referees Dan O’Rourke and Mike Hasenfratz, who were simply mediocre all night long for both teams.

“I feel terrible that he got hurt and I’m thankful that he came back,” Pacioretty said following the game. “I’m sorry for what happened and I’m glad he’s okay.” he added. Pacioretty also apologized twice to Letang during the game. Letang really appreciated the gesture.

As a result of the body-check, Letang broke his nose and the team trainers had to insert a pin in his nose so he could come back a score the game-winning goal in overtime on another controversial play. The referees should have blown dead the play since Carey Price had the puck covered, but they decided to let the game continue and Letang was able to dislodge the puck and score the game winner as seen below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This suspension will certainly make Habs fans angry as last season, Pacioretty was the victim of a dirty hit by Zdeno Chara, who ended his season and was left unpunished by Colin Campbell who has since been replaced by Shanahan…

Pacioretty, who has ten goals and nine assists for 19 points in 24 games for the Canadiens, will miss Wednesday’s game in Anaheim as well as Thursday’s contest in San Jose.

The good news for Montreal is that all-star defenseman Andrei Markov is nearing a return to action and could well make his season debut during the three-game trip to California.

——
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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Despite playing in Russia for what seems like an eternity, Emelin is still only 25 years-old, the moment most defensemen reach their maturity and full potential. While Emelin will never be a constant point-producer in the NHL, he can certainly do better than his 0 point in 14 games so far for the Canadiens this season. Emelin has proved that he can block shots and make a good first pass. But right now, it’s clear he is focusing on the defensive aspect of his game, but he showed in the KHL that he can contribute offensively too.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Often a healthy scratch at the beginning of the season, Emelin has now played the last six games due to a rash of injuries on Montreal’s blue line and has slowly adjusted to the smaller NHL rinks and the more physical style played in North America. The 6’2” 220 lb rearguard looks a lot like Red Wings Nicklas Kronwall when he made his North America debut in 2003-04. Kronwall is a hard-hitting defenseman that developed his offensive skills over the years to become Detroit’s most important defenseman behind Nicklas Lidstrom. The former has amassed 191 points in 405 games in the NHL, or also one point every two games. Emelin is still far from producing offensively at such a good pace, but let’s not forget Kronwall only registered 14 points in 47 games over his first two NHL seasons.

Emelin is currently ranked 32nd in the NHL in total hits with 49 in only 14 games (3.5 hits per game), but is ranked 6th for hits per game behind the likes of Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, Troy Brouwer, Mark Fistric and Steve Ott. Not bad for rookie defenseman used to play in the KHL, not a league that is known for its physical play.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Emelin is by far the Habs most physical defenseman as the rest of the defensive corps is composed of smaller players (Diaz, Weber, Spacek, Gorges) or softer players (Gill, Markov, Campoli) than the Togliatti, Russia, native.

Currently earning $984,200 this season with the Canadiens, Emelin will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so the team will have to decide if they want to sign him long-term in order to prevent him from returning to Russia. The left-handed blue-liner moved to North America in part because of Andrei Markov, who has yet to play this season recuperating from a knee injury that sidelined most of last season.

One has to wonder if Jacques Martin will reunite the two Russians on a defensive pairing in order to groom the young Emelin along a proven veteran to back him up and repair his occasional blunder. Once Emelin earns the confidence of his head coach, he will most likely receive more power play time than the 2:11 minutes he received so far this season!!

Through 14 games this season, Emelin is only seeing 15:11 minutes of time per game despite all the injuries the Canadiens sustained on the blue line. However, when Emelin gets more ice-time on the special units (playing only 43 seconds per game on the penalty kill this season), his ice-time will increase exponentially. With only four penalty minutes, Emelin has been very disciplined despite his rugged style. He has also taken only one penalty while drawing seven, which ranks him 7th in the NHL with a very positive ratio.

Now the question remains: Will Emelin be dressed over smaller defensemen Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber when the Andrei Markov and Jaroslav Spacek come back into action in early December? Or will Emelin be made a healthy scratch more often than not?

——
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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Despite what Gorges says, the surgery was the best thing that could happen to him and the Canadiens, as Gorges has been far more efficient this season for the Canadiens on a depleted defensive corps that saw four of his key veterans miss some time with injuries (Andrei Markov (knee), Jaroslav Spacek (upper-body), Chris Campoli (hamstring) and Hal Gill (infection)). Currently paired with offensive-minded defenseman P.K. Subban, Gorges has been the calming veteran presence that Jacques Martin needs to keep his team afloat.

The Canadiens are currently using four rookies on their blue line, winning two of their last three games (two shutouts) with Frederic St-Denis (3), Yannick Weber (69), Raphael Diaz (20) and Alexei Emelin (12) combining for only 104 games in the NHL. That’s not a small feat, especially against the red-hot New York Rangers on Saturday.

With a 9-8-3 record for 21 points after 20 games, they are only one point back from the eight seed occupied by the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference, and Josh Gorges has been a key cog to the Habs 6-3-1 record in the last ten games.

Through 20 games, Gorges leads the Canadiens defensemen with one goal (a game-winner in Phoenix) and seven assists for eight points. The 27-old defenseman is on pace for a career-high of 33 points, ten more than his previous record (23 points in 2008-09). Gorges is also ranked 12th in the NHL with an impressive +10 +/- differential. The second best Habs player is Travis Moen at +6. The Kelowna, B.C., native also has 24 hits and seven takeaways this season. But the most important and impressive for Gorges is that he is currently second in the whole league with 52 blocked shots, seven behind the NHL leader Ladislav Smid of the Edmonton Oilers.

Gorges is averaging 21:42 minutes of play per game this season, which is second on the team only behind P.K. Subban’s 23:47 time on the ice per game, and despite playing far less than some defensemen, Gorges is averaging 30.6 shifts per game for the Canadiens, which is good for eight in the NHL. Gorges is also ranked 13th among rearguards with 3:48 time on ice per game on the penalty kill which is eight seconds more per game than penalty-killing specialist Hal Gill. All of Gorges’ points have come at even strength as he’s barely used on the power play averaging a mere seven seconds of PP time per game!

Acquired from the San Jose Sharks along with a first round pick (Max Pacioretty) in exchange for veteran Craig Rivet, Gorges has turned into one of the most undervalued and underrated blueliner in the league thanks to a great work ethics and serious off-season training. When he arrived in Montreal, Gorges was often a healthy scratch and played only sporadically when dressed. Now, Gorges has been given the task of shutting down the top players in the league on a nightly basis with great success.

The problem is that this situation might turn out to be a major problem for GM Pierre Gauthier, as he has painted himself into a corner by giving him a one-year deal, preferring to brittle veteran Andrei Markov to an expensive three-year contract. One has to wonder if Gauthier will have enough money to retain Gorges’ services since he needs to re-sign RFAs P.K. Subban and Carey Price who will both hit the jackpot signing long-term contracts. Now, the Canadiens’ general manager needs to “think outside the box” and start negotiating with this important man right now. Every game he plays, every solid mistake free shift he takes, he gets a little more expensive. And with both veterans Hal Gill and Jaroslav Spacek slated to become unrestricted free agents at season’s end, Gorges’ experience and leadership will be even more so important for the Bleu Blanc Rouge’s long-term plans.

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Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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That new line combination, has allowed Jacques Martin to play Thomas Plekanec on a line with Brian Gionta and whichever winger was on fire lately. Travis Moen filled in admirably for a few games until Mike Cammalleri was reinserted in the line-up yesterday against the Hurricanes and took his spot on the Habs’ second line.

When Cole faced his former teammates at the Bell Centre in a 4-0 domination of the Hurricanes, he didn’t seem too disturbed as shown in the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the meantime, Cole’s former teammate, Eric Staal, seems lost on the ice and he’s having the worst season of his prolific career so far, scoring only four goals and four assists for eight points in 18 games. But what’s even more surprising is his league-leading -18 +/- differential, on pace for a mediocre -78 over 82 games. Staal, who had been playing with grinder Chad Larose and phenom Jeff Skinner for a while, was moved to the wing to play with two-way center Brandon Sutter and Larose, not the most talented players on Earth. Cole’s departure created a gaping hole on Carolina’s top two lines, as they filled the hole by signing underachiever Alexei Ponikarovsky who has only four points in 19 games.

Staal has averaged 0.90 point/game during the six-plus seasons when he and Cole have been teammates. Without him, his productions to 0.69 point/game. Quite a dip that the Hurricanes could have foreseen, but they decided to re-sign players like Chad Larose, Joni Pitkanen and Jussi Jokinen instead. They also signed as a UFA overrated defenseman Tomas Kaberle to a three-year deal that is already looking bad as Kaberle only has four assists this season with the slumping Canes.

As for Cole, he’s gaining confidence each and every game and he might be well the power forward the Canadiens have been seeking to complement youngster Max Pacioretty as the only two forwards with some grit and size in the Canadiens’ top six (Desharnais, Gionta, Cammalleri and Plekanec are all under 6’0” and 200 lb). If the Oswego-native keeps playing with determination and spite, he might well approach or surpass last year’s totals of 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points in 82 games (he’s on pace for 41 points after his slow start).

Do you think Cole will play all season with Pacioretty and Desharnais?

———————————-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined www.habsaddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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Please feel free to add your personal list of players you hate in the comments citing the reason why they should be listed.

#10 Maxim Lapierre, Vancouver Canucks
One of the biggest yapper of them all, Maxim Lapierre is not the kind of player who plays dirty, but he is always in your face trying to push you to the max without ever dropping his gloves. And when he decides to drop them it’s against players like PJ Axelsson, Brian Lee and Petr Prucha. He ended finding his niche with the Canucks last season and was a key cog of their Stanley Cup run. Lapierre has decided to play hockey this season and has reduced his talking on the ice and started playing more intelligent hockey.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#9 Milan Lucic, Boston Bruins
While Lucic has turned into a very good power forward in the NHL, he’s been known to be a dirty player over the years, checking Jaroslav Spacek from behind during last year’s first-round playoffs and sucker-punching Freddy Meyer in December 2010. Lucic is not afraid to drop the gloves and can defend himself. So far his reputation as an elite forward, as allowed him to avoid being suspended for his antics on the ice, but Saturday’s dirty hit on Ryan Miller will certainly put Lucic on Brendan Shanahan’s radar.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#8 Steve Ott, Dallas Stars
Steve Ott is a pesky player and a shit disturber. His job is to get under your skin and he is very good at doing it, but there’s a fine line between being a pest and being a scumbag. Steve Ott charges, hits high and gouges eyes. As with most pests nowadays, he only drops mitts against smaller players and turtles a la Claude Lemieux when he is confronted by a heavyweight. However, Ott is also a pretty good hockey player as shown by his eight points in eleven games this season.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#7 Scott Nichol, St. Louis Blues
Declared a repeat offender under the CBA, Nichol seems to enjoy getting suspended. He likes to hit, crosscheck, blindside, punch, he does it all. Nichol was given a four-game suspension for a blow to the head of defenseman David Schlemko of the Phoenix Coyotes last season. He has been fairly quiet this season with the Blues, until he does something stupid.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#6 Sean Avery, New York Rangers
Sean Avery’s erratic behavior has made him one the most hated player in the NHL. He is hated both by the fans and the other players. Avery was even arrested for battery on a police officer this past August. Avery is arrogant, and does not think things through. From his Sloppy Seconds remark about Dion Phaneuf to his turtling and diving and his insults about French Canadians, his goal seems to become the NHL’s villain and he reached his goal admirably. Avery would be more suited for a role in Hollywood than in the NHL. Avery even made a cameo appearance in the Rocket (movie about Maurice Richard) as former NHLer Barry Dill.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#5 Chris Neil, Ottawa Senators
One of the most despised player in the league, Neil’s job is to get under the opponent’s skin and he’s fairly good at it. Known for his cheap shots, Neil also likes to drop the gloves and have a good scrap. He doesn’t mind fighting smaller opponents or even tough guys like Donald Brashear or Andrew Peters. However, his opponents must have their head up when he is on the ice because Neil’s elbows have a tendency to get very high and nasty.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#4 Jordin Tootoo, Nashville Predators
The #1 cheap shot artist, Tootoo has always been an agitator even when he was playing junior hockey in Canada. Tootoo likes to charge his opponents, to hurt them and to hit them blindsided. He has been suspended more than once for his conduct on the ice. Recently, Tootoo has entered the NHL substance abuse program because of off-ice problems.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#3 Matt Cooke, Pittsburgh Penguins
While Cooke has decided to play hockey so far this season, he has earned a reputation for being a dirty player around the NHL. Cooke was suspended twice last season for a dirty hit on Fedor Tyutin and an elbow to the head of Ryan McDonagh that earned him a 17-game suspension. I bet most of the NHL was cheering when Evander Kane handed Cooke a beating last January.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#2 Daniel Carcillo, Chicago Blackhawks
Now with the Chicago Blackhawks, Carcillo has been a pest his whole career in the NHL. He has been suspended numerous times throughout his career and his dirty reputation was pressed into metal by a lot of hard, hard work over the years. Carcillo even racked up 324 penalty minutes in only 54 games during the 2007-08 season with Phoenix. Paul Bissonnette is a saint compared to him. Carcillo has been suspended four times during his career, most recently in October 2011 for a check from behind on Joni Pitkanen.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#1 Patrick Kaleta, Buffalo Sabres
Kaleta is the ultimate pest and cheap shot artist. He hits your star players, he talks all the time, but he rarely fights. His is well-known among referees as a diver and a complainer. He was suspended last season for head-butting Travis Zajac and has been suspended for dirty hits in the past.

Certified stupid moment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Honorable mentions: Steve Downie, Derek Dorsett, Cal Clutterbuck, Corey Perry, Brad Marchand, Alexandre Burrows, Todd Bertuzzi, Chris Pronger, P.K. Subban, David Clarkson, Sidney Crosby.

Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined www.habsaddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Scott Gomez, who has missed the team’s past six games, has resumed practising with his teammate, albeit with a non-contact jersey. Upon Gomez’s return, the odd-man out will most likely be fourth line winger Mike Blunden, but that doesn’t clarify the situation. The Canadiens have four centre spots available and the return of Gomez means the Canadiens will have five centres, which means one of them will have to play wing and it won’t be the veteran Gomez.

It won’t be the team’s first line center and most important forward Tomas Plekanec (50.5%), who’s been the team leading scorer the past two seasons. I also highly doubt it will be fourth line center and newcomer Petteri Nokelainen who’s been a welcome addition on face-offs (56.7%).

That leaves Gomez (53.5%), as well as Lars Eller (40.8%) and David Desharnais (44.6%) to battle for the remaining two spots. With Gomez’s success on the dots combined with Eller and Desharnais’ inefficiency, it would be a wise to move Desharnais or Eller back to the wing. While David Desharnais has found a chemistry with veterans Erik Cole and Michael Cammalleri, Lars Eller has experienced similar success with Andrei Kostitsyn and Travis Moen.

However, after a torrid start, Moen has cooled off dramatically as it was expected, notching only one assist in the past six games. This means, that Moen is the most likely candidate to be sent down to the fourth line to play alongside Mathieu Darche and Petteri Nokelainen. Gomez played as a winger in his rookie season with the New Jersey Devils, so is somewhat familiar with the position should he be moved there by his coach.

The best move would be to insert Gomez on the Habs’ third line alongside Eller and Kostitsyn, keeping Eller as the center, but asking Gomez to take the draws because he is more efficient. This move could also be temporary as many injuries occur during the long NHL season and you never know when you are going to need your veterans to step up.

Don’t expect to see Scott Gomez traded this season as his $7.3-million cap hit will repel any general manager that might have a small interest in the veteran and this same cap hit will prevent GM Pierre Gauthier to bury him in the minors for the time being. Consequently, Gomez is here to stay, at least until the summer where his actual salary drops to $5.5 millions/year.

In the meantime, Andrei Kostitsyn left yesterday’s practice with an undisclosed injury and might miss some time in a near future.

What would do with Gomez to make it work?

Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined www.habsaddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers: 11 games, 5 g and 6 a for 11 pts, +4 rating
Drafted first overall by the Oilers last June, RNH has clicked instantly with fellow youngsters Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. The offensively gifted Nugent-Hopkins sees the ice well and has great offensive instincts for a 18 year-old rookie. Expect the 6’1”, 175-lbs to slow as the season advances because of his slightly-built frame.
Projections: 77 games, 32 g and 34 a for 66 pts, +7 rating

2. Luke Adam, Buffalo Sabres: 10 games, 3 g and 6 a for 9 pts, +0 rating
After winning the AHL of the Year Rookie Award with the Portland Pirates last season, Adam didn’t have anything else to prove in the minors. As a result, Adam was promoted to the big club in training camp and slotted between sniper Tomas Vanek and captain Jason Pominville with great success. With Derek Roy and Ville Leino struggling, the 21 year-old Adam will most likely remain in the Sabres’ top-six, providing him plenty of ice-time along the way.
Projections: 80 games, 22 g and 42 a for 64 pts, +2 rating

3. Matt Read, Philadelphia Flyers: 11 games, 3 g and 4 a for 7 pts, +3 rating
Read, who has never been drafted, is a 25 year-old centre who came out of nowhere and made de Flyers out of training camp. Something that was made possible after the team traded both Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in the summer. Gifted with a good shot and a great ability to make offensive players, the speedster Read is a well-rounded player and will stick with the Flyers since he’s on a one-way deal.
Projections: 78 games, 20 g and 37 a for 57 pts, +10 rating

4. Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche: 11 games, 4 g and 3 a for 7 pts, +3 rating
Drafted second overall by the Avalanche last June, right behind Nugent-Hopkins, the 18 year-old Swede has made a big impact so far with a surprising Avalanche team. Landeskog is more a shooter than a playmaker as shown by his 43 shots on goal this year, second in the NHL only behind James Neal. Landeskog has acclimated well to North America, but he has yet to play an 82-game season so he will likely have tougher stretches ahead.
Projections: 76 games, 27 g and 26 a for 53 pts, +5 rating

5. Colin Greening, Ottawa Senators: 12 games, 4 g and 4 a for 8 pts, -5 rating
After getting a taste of the NHL in 2010-11, played 24 games with the Senators, notching six goals and seven assists for 13 points, the 25 year-old is not your typical rookie as he’s a late bloomer. However, with Ottawa’s flagrant lack of depth up front, Greening will get plenty of playing time in their top-six. Greening is currently playing with red-hot Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek on the Senators’ top-line so he will get every opportunity to produce.
Projections: 81 games, 24 g and 27 a for 51 pts, -10 rating

6. Craig Smith, Nashville Predators: 11 games, 4 g and 5 a for 9 pts, +0 rating
Coming out of the university ranks, Smith was widely unknown before the season. With the lack of depth up front in Nashville, a good training camp propelled Smith in the Predators’ top-six to start the season and he hasn’t disappointed. The 22 year-old centre who has yet to play more than 58 games in a single season, will be hard pressed to continue producing for the low-scoring Predators.
Projections: 77 games, 22 g and 26 a for 48 pts, +2 rating

7. Roman Horak, Calgary Flames: 7 games, 2 g and 3 a for 5 pts, +3 rating
Despite a poor training game, Horak was stayed with the big club after being acquired from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Tim Erixon. Horak, who is currently playing on the Flames’ third line with Lee Stempniak and Rene Bourque, Widely unknown in fantasy circles, Horak scored 78 points in 64 games last season for the Chilliwack Bruins of the WHL.
Projections: 75 games, 21 g and 24 a for 45 pts, +1 rating

Honorable mentions: Sean Couturier (Flyers), Ryan Johansen (Blue Jackets), Rafael Diaz (Canadiens), Jake Gardiner (Maple Leafs), David Rundblad (Senators), Marc-Andre Gragnani (Sabres)

Note: early season favorite Braydon Schenn is out with a broken foot and will miss four-to-six weeks of play ruling him out of the Calder race.

————————–
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined www.habsaddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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Cammalleri sustained a deep leg laceration when Yannick Weber cut his leg in the period, while Spacek sustained a probable rib injury when he was checked by Evander Kane into the boards also in the first frame.

Forward lines at practice:
Moen-Plekanec-Cole
Pacioretty-Gomez-Gionta
Darche-Desharnais-Kostitsyn
Eller-Engqvist-Palushaj

Lars Eller is slated to make a return on Thursday against the Calgary Flames at Bell Centre.

Defensive pairings:
Gill-Subban
Gorges-Diaz
Emelin-Weber

Yannick Weber was back on defense after playing part of the last two games on the blue line following injuries. The Habs have very inexperienced blue line with Spacek and Markov out of the line up for the upcoming weeks at the earliest. Newly-signed rearguard Chris Campoli will also miss an extended period of time (in terms of weeks) after suffering a hamstring injury in the season opener on Saturday. That’s three veteran defensemen that you have to replace.

The Habs also lost their insurance policy when they put Jeff Woywitka on waivers before the season and saw him claimed by the New York Rangers.

Look for GM Pierre Gauthier to get defensive help very soon as he can’t afford to go with this personnel for an extended period of time.

The Canadiens and the Maple Leafs are rumored to be talking to each other as the Habs need an NHL defenseman and the Maple Leafs have a surplus of quality rearguards at their disposal.

—
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on Hockey Independent and a baseball columnist on Dobber Baseball. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Assigned to the Bulldogs on October, the 22 year-old forward registered two helpers in Hamilton’s 5-2 victory in their season opener against the Rochester Americans on October 8 in Hamilton.

Palushaj had a good training camp before his demotion, registering four points (1-3-4) in five preseason games with the Canadiens.

Palushaj’s arrival gives the Habs eleven healthy forwards to work with if Yannick Weber is taking Jaroslav Spacek’s spot on defense. Spacek left yesterday’s contest with a ribs injury. We’ll know more about the extent of his injury tomorrow.

Andrei Kostitsyn will take Cammalleri’s spot alongside Erik Cole and Tomas Plekanec.

The Canadiens will host the Calgary Flames for their home opener at the Bell Centre, Thursday October 13, 2011.

Betts is a very disciplined player as he only took eight penalty minutes all season. Betts finished with a +/- ratio of -3. Betts led the NHL last season among forwards with 3:37 short-handed minutes on ice per game and playing a little over ten minutes per game overall.

The left-handed center finished the season with a 50.3% face-off rate, winning 411 draws on 817 attempts. The absence of a 4th-line center in the Habs organization after the departure of veteran Jeff Halpern was obvious in training camp as no rookie was able to impress head coach Jaques Martin. The leading candidate was Andreas Engvist, but he had a mediocre training camp and he will need more seasoning in the American Hockey League before he can make an impact in the NHL.

Overall, Betts started just 26.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That’s the second lowest number in the NHL behind the Canucks’ Manny Malhotra, known as one of the league’s best defensive forwards

In order to reach the 23-player limit mandated by the NHL before tomorrow’s opening game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs, the Canadiens have also announced that they have demoted forwards Andreas Engvist, Ian Schultz and Aaron Palushaj to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. Yesterday, they had placed forward Michael Blunden on waivers to make room; today they did the same thing with veteran rearguard Jeff Woywitka, placing him on waivers as well.

Andrei Markov and Ryan White have been placed on the injured reserve to open the season and make space on the roster to replace them until they come back.

The Canadiens’ 23-man roster as of today October 5, 2011:
Forwards
Mike Cammalleri-Thomas-Plekanec-Andrei Kostitsyn
Max Pacioretty-Scott Gomez-Brian Gionta
Erik Cole-David Desharnais-Mathieu Darche
Travis Moen-Blair Betts-Yannick Weber
Extra:
Lars Eller (still recovering from shoulder surgery)

Defensemen
Hal Gill-P.K. Subban
Chris Campoli-Josh Gorges
Jaroslav Spacek-Rafael Diaz
Extra: Alexei Yemelin

Goaltenders
Carey Price
Peter Budaj

This means the Canadiens will most likely use Yannick Weber as the team’s 13th forward/7th defenseman at the beginning of the season as rookie Rafael Diaz stole his job on the blue line with a solid training camp. The team’s other rookie defenseman, Alexei Yemelin will most likely start as a defensive spare, as he still needs to adapt to the smaller NHL rinks and improve his overall play, especially in his defensive zone.

Carey Price is expected to be the starting goalie tomorrow in Toronto, obviously.

Follow me on Twitter for more information and updates on the Canadiens and the NHL in general.

This move was made necessary following Andrei Markov’s slow progression back from a knee surgery. Markov has been skating solo in the past few weeks and doesn’t seem ready to comeback any time soon. The 27 year-old was without a contract after becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Campoli, who will join the Habs’ training camp in Montreal tomorrow, can man the point on the second power play unit. He’ll sneak in for the back-door play and can make some decent passes. He has an accurate , but not overly powerful shot. He makes good outlet passes out of the defensive zone. Yet, in the defensive zone, he can get running around after big forwards as he has trouble pinning them and Campoli is not overly physical.

He will be a good 5-6th defensemen with the Canadiens.

Probable defensive pairings on opening day:
Hall Gill-P.K. Subban
Jaroslav Spacek-Josh Gorges
Chris Campoli-Alexei Yemelin
Spare: Yannick Weber
Injured: Andrei Markov

Depth defensemen: Raphael Diaz, Jeff Woywitka and Mark Mitera

We’ll know more as the team is slated to make its first round of cuts late tonight or tomorrow after a four-games in four nights weekend ending tonight at Bell Centre against the Boston Bruins.

You can follow me on Twitter for more information and updates about the Habs and the NHL in general.

Now back at 100% after an intensive summer of rehabbing and training, Pacioretty is ready to make an impact on the Canadiens first two lines. Entering his fourth NHL season, Pacioretty, who was drafted 22nd overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, will most likely play alongside Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta on Montreal’s second line.

The New Canaan, Connecticut native, had found his offensive touch, scoring 14 goals and 1o assists for 24 points in only 37 games, before going with his season-ending surgery. Pacioretty had started the 2010-11 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL after a poor training camp.

In 27 games prior to his call-up, Max Pax notched 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points clicking with linemate David Desharnais, who has since also made the jump with the Canadiens.

The 6’2”, 205 lb left wing possesses all the offensive tools to have success in the NHL. A great skater with quick feet, Pacioretty handles the puck very well and a great wrist shot with a lightning-fast release. He has improved his play around the offensive net and has learned how to use his size and speed to drive the net with efficiency.

Yesterday night, during the Habs 4-3 OT win against the Ottawa Senators, Pacioretty scored two power play goals to help the Canadiens rally from a 3-0 deficit. Pacioretty also scored in the shootout to help the Canadiens defeat the Senators. Pacioretty had an impressive nine shots on goal and he hit two posts on sizzling shots that goalie Craig Anderson didn’t even see in about 21 minutes of ice-time.

Playing on a line with Scott Gomez and prospect Brendan Gallagher, the trio combined for 19 shots and was the only that was able to create scoring chances on a regular basis during the game.

With Gomez playing a great game, his first of the pre-season, and ready to have a bounce-back season after a miserable 2010-11 campaign, the Gionta-Gomez-Pacioretty line should score on a regular basis this year for the Habs. They played together for a long stretch last season during which Pacioretty recorded 17 points in 19 games right before the “stanchion incident” – a 73-point pace over a full season.

Pacioretty converted goals at a fairly good 12.5% rate last season, notching 14 goals on 112 shots (or about three shots per game). If Pacioretty plays 75 games this season and continues to have around three shots on goal per game and convert at a 12% rate, that would translate to 27 goals which is feasible considering all the playing time Pacioretty will get on the second line and the power play. Players like David Jones and Rene Bourque scored 27 goals last season, both players being power forwards just like Max.

Primarily a goal scorer, Pacioretty can also distribute the puck to his linemate as demonstrated by his 25 combined assists (AHL+NHL) in only 52 games during the last campaign. This total would prorate to almost 40 assists over a full season. Another aspect that should improve this season, is his plus/minus ratio of -1 last year which was negatively impacted by the misfortune of playing in front of a mediocre .898 save percentage goaltending.

Number 67 will also continue to be a major threat on the power play, finishing 55th last season on the man-advantage, scoring seven goals despite playing only 37 games with Montreal (prorated to 15 goals over a full season). Only six players scored more than 12 power play goals last season (D. Sedin, Stamkos, Selanne, Kesler, Perry and Iginla).

Pacioretty certainly enters the season as a very valuable and underrated player both for the Canadiens and the fantasy GMs looking for a late-round gem. Yahoo has him ranked 284th in his draft overall rankings, which would see him getting drafted in the 23rd round of a 12 team fantasy league… Talk about flying under the radar!

After the analysis above I would not be surprised to see Max Pacioretty score 30 goals and 27 assists for 57 points in 80 games to go along with a 12 power-play goals, 225 shots, 80 penalty minutes and a good +10 plus/minus ratio.

As Pacioretty is ranked 58th among left wingers in standard Yahoo leagues, you can easily draft him in the middle rounds (10-15) without fear of losing him to another GM or wasting a pick on him, especially on a relatively thin left wing position.

Do you think Pacioretty is ready to breakout and score 30 goals for the Canadiens? If not, why?

You can also follow me on Twitter for updates on the Canadiens and the NHL in general.

As for the Canadiens, you will find below, my analysis of each player:
Alain Berger: big 20 year-old forward without much speed, bad positioning, may be ECHL bound or released
Michael Blunden: acquired from Columbus as a depth forward with grit, he had six hits, but we didn’t see him much on the ice, AHL-bound who might get called-up when injuries occur
Mike Cammalleri: Cammy was rusty yesterday and didn’t play very well, only one shot, didn’t carry the puck much, he’ll be fine just fine for the regular season
Erik Cole: the newcomer scored his 1st goal in a Habs uniform with a good wrister, worked well along the boards and clicked well with Plekanec in the offensive zone
Raphael Diaz: The Swiss rearguard had problems defensively all night, bad positioning, not enough physical, inconsistent 1st pass, but good shooter and good hockey sense; needs to adapt to the NHL smaller rinks
Andreas Engvist: good defensive player with no offensive talent whatsoever, won’t hurt you, but won’t produce, good frame, but doesn’t use it, 4th liner at best
Hal Gill: always a slow starter, Gill was slower than ever and made bad decisions with the puck, but he will eventually find his groove, especially along Subban
Andrei Kostitsyn: started slow, but played well in the 2nd, great wrister on his top-shelf goal, good puck control and skating, positive start for AK46, especially with AHLers like Palushaj and Blunden
Danny Massé: didn’t play much, weak on the puck, lost his battles along the boards, ECHL bound and will be cut soon
Aaron Palushaj: bad overall game, avoided contact all game, doesn’t have good hands, poor hockey sense, need more seasoning in the AHL, the next Ben Maxwell?
Tomas Plekanec: 6 for 20 on faceoffs, really needs to improve this aspect; clicked with Cole and Cammy, needs to find his jump and make better decisions with the puck
Ian Schultz: good bout against Francis Wathier, a heavy-weight; Schultz improved his skating since last year, a poor Ryan White who needs to work on his defensive game
Jarred Tinordi: he’s was slow, made bad decisions and was not very physical; needs to improve his decision-making and to stop trying getting out his role as a shut-down defenseman; still 2-3 years away from graduating
Brock Trotter: great wheels, shifty with the puck, learned from his year in the KHL, but needs to create more offense with the puck; has to drive the net and to avoid turning into a peripheral player
Yannick Weber: look stronger on his skates than last year, made good decisions with the puck, but needs to stop shooting on shin pads and to hit the net (his five shot attempts missed the net)
Brian Willsie: seasoned AHLer, poor skater, a sniper with 0 shot won’t cut it, only 2 for 9 on faceoffs; AHL bound
Jeff Woywitka: played a good game, great slapper on his goal, will be useful as a depth d-man like Picard last year, 251 games in the NHL, should start the season in Montreal as a 7th defenseman with an injured Markov
Alexei Yemelin: was nervous at the start of the game, handled the puck well and had a few nice shots from the point, big centre-ice hit, made quick and accurate outlet passes, will only get better
Carey Price: seemed disinterested, very weak on Pardy’s goal, bad positioning, but he’ll be just fine like last year
Nathan Lawson: bad stick position on Ribeiro’s goal, poor anticipation, bad puck handler, we are in trouble if we need to call him up

Below you will find the line-up for tonight’s game against the Sabres. The puck drops at 7:30PM.
Goaltenders: Peter Budaj, Robert Mayer
Forwards
Max Pacioretty – David Desharnais – Brian Gionta
Mathieu Darche – Gabriel Dumont – Alexander Avtsin
Travis Moen – Andreas Engqvist – Brendan Gallagher
Aaron Palushaj – Hunter Bishop – Philip DeSimone
Rearguards
Alex Henry – P.K. Subban
Nathan Beaulieu – Josh Gorges
Jaroslav Spacek – Frederic St. Denis

Buffalo Sabres’ line-up:
Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jhonas Enroth

Forwards:
Thomas Vanek – Derek Roy – Jason Pominville
Tyler Ennis – Ville Leino – Drew Stafford
Nathan Gerbe – Luke Adam – Brad Boyes
Marcus Foligno – Matt Ellis – Zack Kassian

Defensemen:
Tyler Myers – Marc-Andre Gragnani
Robyn Regehr – Dennis Persson
Drew Schiestel – Christian Ehrhoff

The Sabres will dress their top-two goaltenders, as well as their top-three blueliners and their top-six forwards, so this should make an interesting match-up to see. The Canadiens will dress the minimum of ten veterans required by the NHL for the contest, so it will be a good opportunity to see some young prospects show their talent or lack thereof.

For news and updates on the Canadiens and the NHL in general, follow me on Twitter.

Please avoid the 10 players below at all cost because of the injury risk they pose. Let another participant take a risk on them and reap the rewards of a safer pick. Players are ranked in team alphabetical order.

1. Brendan Morrison, forward, Calgary Flames Morrison had off-season surgery after suffering a knee injury late last season and isn’t expected to practice fully with the team during training camp. He will most likely need a few games to get his groove back and with the emergence of youngster Mikael Backlund, don’t expect Morrison to repeat last season’s numbers. Don’t expect the aging 36 year-old Morrison to crack the 30-point mark this season.

2. Kyle Quincey, defenseman, Colorado Avalanche After missing most of last season with a very serious shoulder injury which forced him to only 21 games, Quincey will be hard pressed to reproduce the offensive numbers he posted in 2008-09 (38 points with the Kings) and 2009-10 (29 points with the Avs). The 26 year-old rearguard will need time to regain his rhythm and will likely have a very slow offensive start. Also, the acquisition of Erik Johnson as well as the emergence of rookie Stefan Elliot will push Quincey lower on the depth chart and will reduce his playing time. Don’t expect more than 20 points from him.

3. Kristian Huselius, forward, Columbus Blue Jackets Still recuperating from a torn pectoral muscle he sustained while lifting weights, Huselius doesn’t expect to be back until early December at the latest. He also had hip surgery in the off season. Don’t expect him to play more than 40 games this season and that’s optimistic. Steer away from him.

4. Gilbert Brule, forward, Edmonton Oilers Brule was traded to the Kings for Ryan Smyth earlier this summer only to see the deal voided because Brule had not been cleared to play this season. Brule has been working with a sports psychologist in the last months to deal with his off-ice issues (family problems) and on-ice issues (concussion, lack of production). With the depth the Oilers now have at forward, Brule is most likely to odd man out and is not worth drafting in any kind of draft format. Don’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.

5. Ed Jovanovski, defenseman, Florida Panthers After signing one of the worst contracts of the summer with his former team, Jovanovski goes from a defensive-minded team to another goal-starting club. Jovocop good offensive days are long gone and his fragility was displayed last season when he only participated to 50 games, recording only 14 points. Stop living in the past and don’t on the 35 year-old veteran to play more than 65 games and record more than 25 points.

6. Andrei Markov, defenseman, Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens re-signed Markov to a three-year $17.25 M contract this summer to prevent him to hit free agency despite the fact that he only played 52 games in the past two seasons because of serious knee injuries. Markov is currently skating with the injured players at the Canadiens training camp and he will most likely not be ready to start the season. Don’t expect him to play every game, especially on back-to-back games as the Canadiens will handle him with care. Let another GM take a chance on him.

7. Travis Zajac, forward, New Jersey Devils Zajac suffered an Achilles tear doing off-season workouts in mid-August that will sideline him up two three months from the date of the injury. Now the situation is a little bit murkier and Zajac could miss more than the two months he originally was expected to miss. Other players who suffered a similar injury have missed up to six months 9suc as Justin Williams in 2008-09 who played only 12 games that year). Avoid Zajac at all cost this year.

8. Rick Dipietro, goaltender, New York Islanders The ultimate band-aid boy, Dipietro’s locker is surrounded by bubble wrap to avoid any fluke injury to happen (a la Dan Boyle). Even with all the precautionary measures, Dipietro manages to land of the disabled list of an extended period every year. The last time he played a full season is in 2007-08 during which he played 63 games. Don’t touch him with the arm of your worst enemy. Draft Nabokov instead as a 3rd string goalie.

9. David Perron, forward, St. Louis Blues After sustaining a concussion when he was checked by Joe Thornton and playing only ten games last season, Perron is still battling lingering post-concussion symptoms and will miss the start of the season. Don’t gamble on him as his return is uncertain at this point. Grab him on the waiver-wire instead should he be able to hit the ice later in 2011-12.

10. Mason Raymond, forward, Vancouver Canucks After suffering a fractured vertebrae during the Stanley Cup finals, Raymond will start the season on the injured reserve still recovering from this serious injury and will be out until at least mid-November. Raymond’s production declined (39 points) last season after scoring 53 points two years ago and with all the depth the Canucks have up front, he will be hard pressed to crack the top-six forwards when he returns, especially with the addition of Marco Sturm.

Jonas Hiller (vertigo), Peter Mueller (concussion) and Tomas Fleischmann (blood clots) are high-risk high reward players to draft carefully because of their situation. They are currently not injured, but they present a big injury risk so downgrade your expectations.

As most of you know, Marc Savard will miss the whole season with post-concussion symptoms, his professional career is most likely over.

We also know that Sidney Crosby is trying to also recover from post-concussions symptoms, so manage your expectations regarding Sid the Kid. Let a another GM waste a draft pick on him in the first few picks, but if he’s still available in the second round, he is worth the risk as 60 points of Sid the Kid will likely net you 80 points anyway.

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In the meantime, the rookies and veterans will report to the team this week, starting with the rookie camp, which will begin Monday afternoon in Brossard.

The following rookies will be present:

NUMBER Player name Position 2010-2011 team
78 Olivier Archambault, Left Wing, Val D’Or (QMJHL)
36 Alexander Avtsin, Right Wing, Hamilton (AHL)
40 Nathan Beaulieu, Defenseman, Saint-John (QMJHL)
34 Alain Berger, Left Wing, Oshawa (OHL)
38 Hunter Bishop, Left Wing, Hamilton (AHL) / Wheeling (ECHL)
49 Michael Bournival, Left Wing, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
39 Peter Delmas, Goalie, Hamilton (AHL)/Wheeling (ECHL)/Halifax (QMJHL)/Wichita (CHL)
84 Darren Dietz, Defenseman, Saskatoon (WHL)
37 Gabriel Dumont, Centre, Hamilton (AHL)
85 Morgan Ellis, Defenseman, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
64 Olivier Fortier, Centre, Hamilton (AHL)
73 Brendan Gallagher, Right Wing, Vancouver (WHL)
71 Louis Leblanc, Centre, Montreal (QMJHL)
90 Philippe Lefebvre, Left Wing, Montreal (QMJHL)
80 Dany Masse, Left Wing, Hamilton (AHL)/Wheeling (ECHL)
65 Robert Mayer, Goalie, Hamilton (AHL)
47 Brendon Nash, Defenseman, Hamilton (AHL)/Montreal (NHL)
28 Joonas Nattinen, Centre, HPK/Espoo (Finland)
60 Aaron Palushaj, Right Wing Hamilton (AHL)/Montreal (NHL)
43 Ian Schultz, Right Wing, Hamilton (AHL)
86 Joe Stejskal, Defenseman, Dartmouth (ECAC)/Hamilton (AHL)
42 Jarred Tinordi, Defenseman, London (OHL)
54 Dustin Walsh, Left Wing, Dartmouth (ECAC)
94 Ben Winnett, Centre, Michigan (CCHA)
83 Étienne Brodeur, Left Wing, Lewiston (QMJHL)
55 Olivier Dame-Malka, Defenseman, Lewiston (QMJHL)
70 Tony Dehart, Defenseman, Oshawa (OHL)
48 Philip Desimone, Centre, New Hampshire (HE)
87 Robin Gusse, Goalie, Rouyn-Noranda/Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
91 Josh McFadden, Defenseman, Sudbury (OHL)
89 Jordon Southorn, Defenseman, Trenton (ECHL)

Thirteen (13) of the 31 players at camp are Canadiens draft selections.
Players will take part in on-ice practice sessions and tests as well as off-ice conditioning sessions. Scrimmages will also take place on Monday, September 12, Tuesday, September 13 and Thursday, September 15, from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

The Habs’ annual golf tournament will be held on Wednesday, September 14, at the luxurious Laval-sur-le-Lac golf course.

As for the Canadiens’ main training camp, it will begin on Friday, September 16, as NHL players will be reporting for medicals and physicals at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. The team’s training camp will run until Wednesday, October 5, in preparation for the season opener against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Center on Thursday, October 6.

Hockeytickets.ca is proud to announce its very first ticket giveaway of 2011-12! They have partnered with fellow Habs blogger Eric Engels of HockeyBuzz for a Canadiens blog contest! The winner will attend the game between the Bruins and the Canadiens at the Bell Centre with Eric, when they meet up for pre-season action on Monday, September 26th. Simply click on the link to know the rules of the contest. Hockey Tickets contest.

For more news and updates on the Canadiens and the NHL in general, follow me on Twitter.

Several of the victims were foreign players for the club. The squad includes players from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden. Among the victims, former NHL players Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karel Rachunek, Karlis Skrastins, and Josef Vasicek, as well as goaltender Stefan Liv who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2000. Former Red Wings assistant coach Brad McCrimmon is also among the victims.

Demitra played 847 games in the NHL with the Senators, Blues, Kings, Wild, and Canucks scoring 304 goals and 464 assists for 768 points. He reached the 60-point plateau six times. Demitra played in the KHL last season.

Rachunek played 371 games in the NHL with the Senators, Rangers and Devils notching 22 goals and 118 assists for 140 points. Rachunek has been playing in the KHL since the 2008-09 season.

Salei played 917 games in the NHL with the Ducks, Panthers, Avalanche and Red Wings notching 45 goals and 159 assists for 204 points. He reached the Stanley Cup finals with the Ducks in 2002-03. Salei played for the Red Wings last year.

Skrastins played 832 games in the NHL with the Predators, Avalanche, Panthers and Stars recording 32 goals and 104 assists for 136 points. He played for the Stars last season.

Vasicek played 460 games in the NHL with the Hurricanes, Predators and Islanders recording 77 goals and 106 assists for 183 points. He played for the Stars last season. He reached the Stanley Cup finals with the Hurricanes in 2001-02.

The Yaroslavl HC Lokomotiv were Russian Champions in 1997, 2002 and 2003. The squad was to play a match against Mink HC Dinamo on Thursday. Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov was rumored to join Lokomotiv this summer, but chose NHL instead. A very wise decision.

Condolences to the KHL, the friends and families of all involved.

Video of the crashed plane here.

Source: SovSports and Reuters

Follow me on Twitter for more information on this terrible plane crash as the information comes along.

Notables: Pavel Valentenko (NYR), Alexei Yemelin (MTL), Evgeny Dadonov (FLA), Nikita Nikitin (STL), Alexander Salak (CHI), Jakub Kindl (DET), Jan Mursak (DET), Philip Larsen (DAL), Vyacheslav Voynov (LA), Vladimir Zharkov (NJ), Viktor Tikhonov (PHX)

10. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Philadelphia Flyers (Russia) – Height: 6-2, Weight: 190
After a very surprising and efficient rookie season during which he won 28 games in 54 games, Bobrovsky is now Ilya Bryzgalov’s backup in Philadelphia. This hampers Bobrovsky’s value on draft day and should stay away from the “Bob”. Unless, Bryzgalov gets injured or the 22 year-old netminder gets traded during the season, his value will be limited because of a lack of playing time.
Prediction: 22 games, 10-8-2, 2.62 GAA, .912 Save %

9. Tomas Tatar, C, Detroit Red Wings (Slovakia) – Height: 5-11, Weight: 176
Drafted at the end of the second round in 2009 by the Red Wings, Tatar had a great offensive season with Grand Rapids last season, he even got a few cups of tea with Detroit. However, the 20 year-old Slovakian is buried in a very deep organization and could very well end up starting the year in the AHL. His hockey sense and offensive instincts are off the charts and he boasts strong puck handling ability and has great wheels. Tatar can also score goals as shown by his 24 tallies in 70 games with the Griffins last year.
Prediction: 40 games, 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points, +2 +/- rating

8. Andrei Loktionov, C, Los Angeles Kings (Russia) – Height: 5-10, Weight: 180
Loktionov is a playmaking centre who should crack the top nine positions with the Kings and inherit third-line center duties if Mike Richards is used on the wing. Loktionov has averaged at least a point per game in the AHL and doesn’t have much to gain going back to the minors. The Moscow native is a solid two-way player who can fulfill various roles on the team ranging from a defensive expert on shorthanded units to a playmaker on a power-play unit. He sees a great vision and he is a great passer.
Prediction: 65 games, 10 goal and 15 assists for 25 points, +5 +/- rating

7. Yannick Weber, D, Montreal Canadiens (Switzerland) – Height: 5-11, Weight: 195
Used as the team’s seventh defenseman and sometimes as a forward, Weber was called-up in late November last year. He dressed for half of the Canadiens’s games, scoring 1 goal and adding 10 assists for 11 points. The Swiss rearguard will get more responsibilities this season with the departures of Brent Spoel and Roman Hamrlik. Weber will get plenty of power play on the second unit and regularly be in the line-up whether it is as the team’s sixth defenseman or thirteenth forward.
Prediction: 76 games, 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points, -3 +/- rating

6. Lars Eller, C, Montreal Canadiens (Denmark) – Height: 6-0, Weight: 200
Ahead of schedule in his recovery from off-season shoulder surgery, Eller should be ready for the regular season. The young Dane had a very inconsistent rookie season with Montreal, showing flashes of brilliance at times while going AWOL for long stretches still trying to adapt to the rigors of the challenging NHL season. Eller should improve in all aspects of his game, but don’t expect big numbers from him as he is buried down the depth chart at center. The 22 year-old pivot will battle David Desharnais to be the Canadiens’ third line centre out of training camp.
Prediction: 75 games, 9 goals and 19 assists for 28 points, -5 +/- rating

5. Nino Niederreiter, LW, New York Islanders (Switzerland) – Height: 6-2, Weight: 205
After playing 9 games with the Islanders last season, before being sent back to junior, Niederreiter is ready to make the jump full time in the NHL. “El Nino”, a physically mature player who can play both wings, dominated in the WHL playoffs with Portland last season and has an opportunity to crack the Islanders top six on the right out of training camp. The Swiss native will only turn 19 in September, so he hasn’t yet reached his physical potential. The skillful Niederreiter is a real leader on and off the ice and his determination and skills will help blossom into a great NHLer.
Prediction: 78 games, 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points, -15 +/- rating

4. Alexander Burmistrov, C, Winnipeg Jets (Russia) – Height: 5-11, Weight: 175
The talented Russian played very well at times last season in Atlanta, but he also struggled at time. The flashy Burmistrov scored only six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 74 games. He struggled defensively, finishing the season with -12 plus/minus rating. The lanky pivot should start the season on the Jets’ third line behind Bryan Little and Nik Antropov. Expect a slight increase in production from Burmistrov, but don’t overrate him as he still has to bulk up and polish his overall game to be an effective top-six player.
Prediction: 78 games, 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points, -7 +/- rating

3. Nikita Filatov, LW, Ottawa Senators (Russia) – Height: 6-0, Weight: 190
After being traded to the Senators during the off-season, Filatov will get another chance to crack a very shallow group of forwards and show his offensive skills. The boom or bust Filatov is likely getting his last chance to stick in the NHL after playing only 44 games in the past three seasons with the Blue Jackets. His elite offensive skills and versatility should allow him to produce on a consistent basis with the more offensive-minded Senators. Remember that Filatov is still only 21 year-old despite being around for the past three season. If Filatov lands a spot on Jason Spezza’s line, expect him to produce good offensive numbers on one of the streakiest lines in the NHL.
Prediction: 70 games, 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points, -15 +/- rating

2. Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, RW, New York Rangers (Norway) – Height: 5-7, Weight: 170
The diminutive winger dazzled Rangers fans with his excellent offensive skills after he was called-up from the AHL following a rash of injuries to key BlueShirts forwards. Zuccarello managed to play half a season in the Big Apple, appearing in 42 games, scoring six goals and adding 17 assists for 23 points. The small Norwegian winger was especially valuable in the shootout where he excelled. The 24 year-old speedster has fantastic technical skills and great passing ability. He can also man the point on the power play.
Prediction: 75 games, 16 goals and 28 assists for 44 points, +6 +/- rating

1. Michael Grabner, LW, New York Islanders (Austria) – Height: 6-0, Weight: 170
After being plucked out of waivers by the Islanders from the Florida Panthers, Grabner blossomed during his rookie season. In 76 games in Long Island, Grabner scored an impressive 34 goals and 52 points while finishing +13 on a very weak team defensively. Don’t expect Grabner to repeat his goal totals in 2011-12, as other teams will put better defenders against him this season. Yet, Grabner is still a very talented forward boasting extraordinary speed and great offensive instincts. He needs to improve on his consistency as he can be red-hot for a few games just to go on a cold streak right after that.
Prediction: 77 games, 27 goals and 20 assists for 47 points, -5 +/- rating

I find it quite surprising that none of the above players comes from Finland and Czech Republic, which have been successful countries at an international level for quite some time now. Sweden is now by far the leading provider of talented hockey players born in Europe after looking at the best oversea prospects in the past two articles.

Do you agree or disagree with the above list? Do you think I overlooked a player? Feel free to add your comments below.

You can also follow me on Twitter for more news and opinions on the NHL.

Looking for more stability behind Carey Price, GM Pierre Gauthier signed former Colorado Avalanche Peter Budaj to a two-year $2,300,000 contract. Budaj was the Avalanche’s starting goalie most of the last season after the team traded starter Craig Anderson to the Ottawa Senators in return for Brian Elliott. Budaj played 45 games in 2010-11, posting a 15-21-4 record, to go along with a 3.20 GAA and a .895 save percentage for a mediocre Avs team that finished 29th in the league.

Budaj’s best season came in 2006-07 when he posted a great 31-16-6 record, with a 2.68 GAA and a .905 save percentage. While a tremendously athletic goaltender, the finer aspects of his technique and style have barely improved over the years, so his overall game has never been able to reach that next level. He remains a very passionate and dedicated goaltender who is always practicing hard and showing great passion for his job.

Budaj with the Habs His biggest glaring weakness is his hand placement which is far too low and back when facing shots, and, as a result, Budaj gets beat high way too often.The lack of a full-time goalie coach in Colorado is the main reason why he wasn’t able to improve this weakness, but with the Canadiens, Budaj will have the chance to work on a full-time basis with renowned goalie coach Pierre Groulx. The Slovakian netminder will most likely improve his numbers as the season go along as he gets more time with Groulx working on his technique and skills.

If you want a more accurate breakdown of Budaj’s abilities have a look to Justin Goldman’s scouting chart on Peter Budaj.

Peter Budaj: 22 games, 11 wins, 7 losses, 2 overtime-losses, 1 shutout, 2.58 GAA, .903 save percentage

Coming off his best season as an NHL goaltender, Carey Price received a vote of confidence from the organization when the team traded playoffs hero Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Price never looked back and shined in his first full season as the Bleu Blanc Rouge starter playing in 72 games, most of his career at any level. Back-up Alex Auld, now with the Ottawa Senators, barely played during the season, suiting up for only 16 games.

I’m fairly confident Price will still start plenty of games, but I believe we’ll see a reduced workload for Price this season as the team will try to rest him more for the playoffs and will have more confidence in Budaj. Will Price reach 40 wins this season? I highly doubt because of a reduced number of starts, but he should approach last year’s 38 wins without much trouble.

Price is a bona-fide number one NHL goaltender, and at 24, he has yet to enter his prime as a netminder. His mental strength has improved and he has allowed less weak goals thanks to a great focus and a better work ethic.

Carey Price: 65 games, 36 wins, 22 losses, 4 overtime-losses, 7 shutouts, 2.31 GAA, .924 save percentage

This would give the Canadiens 47 wins on the season and a total of 102 points over 82 games. If we look at last year’s rankings this point total would still rank them 6th, but within only one point of the Tampa Lightning. I really think the Canadiens will slightly improve this season if they can avoid major injuries to key players (i.e.: a healthy Markov).

Do you agree with the above predictions? Do yo think Price will be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy?

Don’t hesitate to comment on the above blog and follow me on Twitter for news on the Canadiens and the NHL in general.

At the moment, the Canadiens have 21 players signed for a total of $59,120,510, which gives GM Pierre Gauthier a $5,179,490 cap space to address injuries and improve his team during the regular season in anticipation of the playoffs.

The core of the roster will be fairly similar to that of last year, especially in front, the notable departures being Roman Hamrlik (Washington), James Wisniewski (Columbus), Brent Sopel (KHL), Paul Mara (unsigned), Alex Auld (Ottawa), Jeff Halpern (Washington) and Benoit Pouliot (Boston). The newcomers are Erik Cole (Carolina), Alexei Yemelin (KHL), and Peter Budaj (Colorado).

With a healthy Andrei Markov during the whole season, the Canadiens’ already dynamic powerplay will become devastating and should finish in the top-three powerplays in the league. This key addition, and the fact that Erik Cole will cement the first line, will prove very useful over the long NHL season.

P.K. Subban: 80 games, 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points, -2 plus/minus rating
Coming off a strong rookie season filled with ups (scoring a hat-trick) and downs (being a healthy-scratch), Subban made a name for himself in the NHL with his on-ice clash with former Flyers Mike Richards and his electrifying puck-carrying skills. I can’t expect an offensive regression from Subban, especially with the addition of Markov on the first power play unit to feed Subban for one-timers. The Toronto-native will post double-digit power play goals this season. Being paired with veteran Hal Gill allows Subban to carry the puck and support the attack in the offensive which create scoring chances, but can also create turnovers which we saw during his rookie season.

Andrei Markov: 70 games, 7 goals and 35 assists for 42 points, +5 plus/minus rating
After missing 112 games over the past two seasons, I am not at all too confident towards Markov’S health; however, I believe he will be spared by a season-ending injury this year and will remain healthy most of the year. I expect him to miss a few games with various ailments such a knew-swelling or as precautionary measure in back-to-back contests. While I think Markov will post good offensive numbers, I don’t expect him to crack the 50-point barrier with the emergence of P.K. Subban. His power play and ice-time might be reduced in 2011-12, especially at the first ten games to re-insert him in the line-up gradually.

Yannick Weber: 76 games, 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points, -3 plus/minus rating
Used as the team’s seventh defenseman and sometimes as a forward, Weber was called-up in late November last year. He dressed for half of the Canadiens’s games, scoring 1 goal and adding 10 assists for 11 points. The Swiss rearguard will get more responsibilities this season with the departures of Brent Spoel and Roman Hamrlik. Weber will get plenty of power play on the second unit and regular be in the line-up whether it is as the team’s sixth defenseman or thirteenth forward.

Alexei Yemelin: 77 games, 4 goals and 17 assists for 21 points, +3 plus/minus rating
Drafted by the Canadiens in the 3rd round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Yemelin is back in North America after spending the last seven seasons in Russia. The rugged rearguard had an offensive explosion last year in the KHL, scoring 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points, after never scoring more than 12 points in a single-season. Which Yemelin will we see? The 25 year-old certainly has the talent to be a very good in the NHL, but he might need time to transition from the larger ice surface to the smaller NHL rinks. Finally, Yemelin might be the tough defenseman the Habs are looking for, earning 117 penalty minutes in 52 contests last season.

Jaroslav Spacek: 63 games, 3 goals and 15 assists for 18 points, +7 plus/minus rating
After missing 23 games with a knee injury, Spacek will be heavily leaned on in 2011-12 after his friend and fellow-countryman Roman Harmlik left for Washington via free agency. Spacek is the senior member of the Canadiens’ defensive brigade at 37 years of age. Spacek has lost some foot speed and his offensivec instincts are clearly regressing since recording 45 points with the Sabres in 2008-09. This will be his last season in Montreal and expect his role to diminish as the season goes on to give more ice-time to youngsters like Weber, Yemelin and Diaz.

Josh Gorges: 78 games, 3 goals and 13 assists for 16 points, +8 plus/minus rating
Gorges played only 36 games last year following a season-ending knee injury suffered in early January. He has been played with a torn ACL for eight years since his days in Kelowna prior to the surgery. While not an offensive-minded rearguard, Gorges makes a good first pass out of the defensive zone and has seen some time of the second power play units over the years. He will mainly be used as a shutdown defenseman and see plenty of ice-time on the penalty-kill.

Hall Gill: 77 games, 1 goals and 9 assists for 10 points, -5 plus/minus rating
Not the most offensively-gifted rearguard in the league, Gill is one of the best penalty killers in the NHL thanks to his gigantic reach and great defensive instincts. However, don’t count on Gill to provide good offensive numbers as he has never scored more than six goals and 22 points in a single-season. Gill is the insurance policy the Habs took on P.K. Subban turnovers, and most often than not, Gill will be there to repair the error by the youngster. He is Subban’s mentor, which the main reason why the Canadiens signed for one more year.

Rafael Diaz: 32 games, 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points, -1 plus/minus rating
Never drafted, Diaz was signed as a free-agent this summer by Montreal one-year two-way contract, which means he will likely start the season in the AHL. Born from a Spanish father and Swiss mother, Diaz was the best defenseman in the Swiss elite league, playing on the same team as former Habs Glen Metropolit. Widely unknown, Diaz first got NHL scouts’ attention at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics playing for the Swiss National team. Diaz will battle for a spot with the team in training camp and he should make things interesting and put some pressure on Yannick Weber to perform as to not be used as the team’s thirteenth forward.

The total offensive output for the forwards is exactly 208 goals added to the 40 goals scored by the rearguards, which gives us about 248 goals (+ a few goals from the call-ups), a number that seems a little bit high since the best offensive team scored 258 goals (Canucks) last season, the Canadiens scoring a mere 213 goals for the defensive-minded Jacques Martin. However, with the addition of Erik Cole, a healthy Andrei Markov as well as full seasons of David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, it is more than likely that the Canadiens will improve their goal scoring.

Do you agree with the above predictions? Which player is the most likely to have his best season? The worst season?

In the next blog, I’ll have a look at the Habs’ goal-tending tandem.

Don’t hesitate to comment on the above blog and follow me on Twitter for news on the Canadiens and the NHL in general.

In Canada, body-checking and physical contact were allowed at the peewee level and above in every province, except Quebec, before this decision to allow physical contact was taken by Hockey Quebec. But is this the right decision? Especially when we look at the increasing number of concussions suffered by NHL players such as Marc Savard, Sidney Crosby and David Perron who missed most of last season and following the release by the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) of a Prospective study of concussions among National Hockey League players during regular season games in April 2011.

Most of the concerns regarding this controversial decision stem from the fact that younger hockey players don’t know how to play a physical game and give a proper body check to an opponent without suffering/causing an injury. A study published two months ago by a team of Canadian researchers, suggested that the overall risk of injury at the bantam level, aged 13-14, is not influenced by whether body-checking is allowed at the previous peewee level, aged 11-12.

So the problem does not lie at the bantam level, it lies at the peewee level as explained by a more specific study namedRisk of Injury Associated With Body Checking Among Youth Ice Hockey Players and led by researcher Dr. Carolyn Emery that concluded: “That evidence shows a threefold increased risk of concussion and all game-related injury among peewee players aged 11-12 years in a league where body-checking is permitted.” The study compared Alberta and Quebec peewee hockey teams. There were a total of 241 injuries (78 concussions) reported in Alberta, which does allow body-checking, and 91 injuries (23 concussions) reported in Quebec, which does not allow body-checking.

This topic has been of particular interest in the medical and sports communities recently, as concussive head injuries in youth hockey are rising in frequency and severity. As a result, Hockey Canada changed its rules regarding hits to the head in May 2011. The new rules require a minor penalty to be called for all accidental contacts, either by body or by stick, to the head in minor and women hockey, and for all intentional hits to the head, a double minor or a major penalty, as well as a game misconduct may be given at the discretion of the official. You can learn more about the rule changes here.

Following the numerous studies on this delicate matter, USA Hockey has decided to go in the opposite direction and ban body-checking below the bantam level, after they began analyzing brain development and reaction time among 11 and 13 year olds and discovered that peewee aged players are in their prime for sports skill & brain development. The ban was adopted nationwide earlier this year except in the State of Massachusetts (doesn’t comply to USA Hockey rules) where body-checking is allowed as early as the mites level.

The old rule introducing physical contact and body-checking at this prime age of brain development, hindered the ability of kids to develop their physical and cerebral skills because of the preoccupation or the fear of checking. The minor league head coaches at the peewee level are often volunteers and parents with no or little medical training to detect the symptoms of a concussion, and most symptoms are subtle.

A concussion is a form of head and brain injury that can be caused by a direct or indirect hit to the head or body. This causes a change in brain function even though there is no visible injury.

Concussions can cause headache, nausea, dizziness, trouble with lights and sounds, memory problems, difficulty multi-tasking, depression, even violence. Some symptoms are immediate and others can occur in the minutes or days following the injury.

While Hockey Quebec specifies that it will only allow PHYSICAL CONTACT (use the body to block the opponent) and not BODY-CHECKING, the line is pretty thin between the two and this will leave room for interpretation and could lead to severe injuries to the head, as well as concussions. While their Website includes a complete section on the subject to explain how the new rule will applied, it remains to be seen if it will be beneficial or detrimental to the development of Quebec’s young hockey players on the long run.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Body checking should not be allowed in youth hockey for children age 12 years or younger.
2. Good sportsmanship programs, such as the fair-play concept, have been shown to reduce injury and penalty rates and should be adopted for all levels of youth hockey.
3. Youth hockey programs need to educate players, coaches, and parents about the importance of knowing and following the rules as well as the dangers of body checking another player from behind. (Should also be applied to the NHL level!)

Should body-checking allowed at the peewee level like in Canada? Or should it be banned like in the USA and like it was in Quebec?

The core of the roster will be fairly similar to that of last year, especially in front, the notable departures being Roman Hamrlik (Washington), James Wisniewski (Columbus), Brent Sopel (KHL), Paul Mara (unsigned), Alex Auld (Ottawa), Jeff Halpern (Washington) and Benoit Pouliot (Boston). The newcomers are Erik Cole (Carolina), Alexei Yemelin (KHL), and Peter Budaj (Colorado).

With a healthy Andrei Markov during the whole season, the Canadiens’ already dynamic powerplay will become devastating and should finish in the top-three powerplays in the league. This key addition, and the fact that Erik Cole will cement the first line, will prove very useful over the long NHL season.

Below you will find my predictions on the 2011-12 Canadiens’ players:

Tomas Plekanec: 80 games, 27 goals and 46 assists for 73 points
Coming off five consecutive 20-goal seasons, Plekanec has been the most consistent Habs forward in the past few years, but his production suffered last season when Mike Cammalleri went down with an injury and because of the lack of stability at left wing during the season. Expect Plekanec to rebound offensively with a healthy Cammalleri and the addition of power forward Erik Cole.

Mike Cammalleri: 75 games, 31 goals and 36 assists for 67 points
After missing 17 and 15 games respectively the past two seasons, one has to wonder if Cammalleri will finally be spared by injuries in 2011-12. His head coach Jacques Martin certainly hopes so as Cammalleri is a deadly weapon on the power play (he is only two years removed from a 19-PPG season) and a key cog offensively for Montreal.

Brian Gionta: 81 games, 30 goals and 27 assists for 57 points
After scoring 28 and 29 goals since joining the Canadiens as a free agent, Gionta has proven his scoring abilities despite playing with a disappointing Scott Gomez most of last season. This season, Gionta should benefit from a more mature and healthy Max Pacioretty, and more consistent Gomez. With more stability, I expect Gionta to finally break the 30-barrier with the Canadiens.

Erik Cole: 76 games, 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points
After a bounce-back season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Cole signed a multi-year contract with Montreal during the off-season. Coming off a 26-goal season, the oft-injured Cole played all 82 games after a 2009-10 marred with injuries. The newly acquired power forward will slot alongside Plekanec and Cammalleri on the Habs’ first line and his mandate will be to create space in front of the net, battle pucks along the boards and lay big hits to make room for his diminutive linemates.

Scott Gomez: 78 games, 11 goals and 40 assists for 51 points
Dubbed the most overpaid player in the NHL by many pundits, Gomez had is worst season of his career, scoring only seven goals and notching a miserable 38 points despite playing 80 games. He also finished the season with a horrible -15 plus/minus ratio. Yet, he had moderate success on a line with Max Pax and Gionta before Chara ended Pacioretty’s season, so there is no reason Gomez cannot reclaim back his confidence and improve on his numbers and hit the 50-point mark for the 10th time of his career.

Andrei Kostitsyn: 81 games, 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points
The most enigmatic Canadiens forward, Kostitsyn can dominate a game both offensively and physically at times before disappearing for a few games. After scoring career highs of 26 goals and 53 points in 2007-08, the older of the Kostitsyn brothers has been fairly disappointing and inconsistent the past few seasons. At 26 years of age and an impending UFA, Kostitsyn needs to perform offensively to land the biggest contract of his career, or else he could be heading to the KHL. Expect Kostitsyn to play on the third line and get some powerplay time.

Max Pacioretty: 70 games, 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points
The biggest question surrounding Pacioretty this season is not his health, but rather his confidence and his fear of being hit hard again. We all know what happened last season when Zdeno Chara hit him hard into the stanchion at Bell Centre, but Pacioretty now appears to be fully healthy heading into training camp. It is expected he will a few games to find back his rhythm and confidence, but the young American should be able to provide a fairly consistent offensive output alongside Gionta and Gomez.

David Desharnais: 77 games, 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points
Coming off a surprising rookie season, Desharnais showed great hockey sense after being called-up from Hamilton in early January. The diminutive center managed to earn a one-way contract for the upcoming season after going undrafted and being signed as a free agent by Montreal. Desharnais will most likely man the fourth line, while getting powerplay time on the second unit and also killing penalties.

Lars Eller: 75 games, 9 goals and 19 assists for 28 points
Ahead of schedule in his recovery from off-season shoulder surgery, Eller should be ready for the regular season. The young Dane had a very inconsistent rookie season with Montreal, showing flashes of brilliance at times while going AWOL for long stretches still trying to adapt to the rigors of the challenging NHL season. Eller should improve in all aspects of his game, but don’t expect big numbers from him as he is buried down the depth chart at center.

Mathieu Darche: 78 games, 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points
The hard-working Darche had a very surprising season in 2010-11, recording 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in only 59 games, missing 23 games mainly because of a broken ankle. Darche is the perfect veteran to play on a third or fourth line and will never complain if he is made a healthy scratch.

Travis Moen: 80 games, 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points
The rugged veteran with cement hands is the Canadiens’ tough guy even though he’s not very good at it. Moen is an efficient penalty killer, but is not an offensive weapon. Jacques Martin utilized Moen on the Habs’ first two lines during the past season without great success and with the addition of Cole and the emergence of Pacioretty, Moen will remain on the bottom two lines.

Ryan White: 70 games, 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points
Promoted in late January when the team was decimated with injuries, White played well in a fourth line role, dropping the gloves when needed and laying big hits despite being only 6’0” 200 lbs. His dedicated play earned him a one-way contract and White will act as the team’s agitator.

Do you agree with the above predictions? Which player is the most likely to have his best season? The worst season?

Next week I will have a look at defensemen and goaltenders, but in the meantime don’t hesitate to comment on the above blog and follow me on Twitter for news on the Canadiens and the NHL in general.