Can Habs' Markov Be Expected To Be The Team's Miracle Man ?
by Robert L on Dec 19, 2009 2:42 AM EST
24 comments
Patience, if Habs' fans have any left, will be required, as Markov is returning to a lineup he is quite unfamiliar with. Discounting exhibition games this past autumn, Markov has played all of 40 minutes this season and there are seven or eight new elements on the team, as well as a new coach, that he has not had time to become accustomed to. Markov's level of skill foresees that he should quickly become acquainted with Mike Cammalleri, who has essentially upgraded Alex Kovalev on the Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn duo. It is in that regard that a more immediate impact will be expected and felt. On the power play, it wil be curious to see if he is employed with Marc - Andre Bergeron at his side, or whether he makes the latter's inclusion as a top 6 defenseman on the team somewhat redundant.
Bergeron could see action dressing as a seventh defenseman while getting PP time and work as a fourth line forward. Coach Martin has stated that Markov could very well make his entrance with Ryan O' Byrne as a partner, a move that resembles his duties alongside the not so mobile Mike Komisarek. Time will dictate if that idea sticks but if such an experiment works, it allows the duo of Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek to remain intact with reduced minutes and workload hopefully alleviating their burden. An unhappy sitter will be found in either of Hal Gill or Paul Mara as Josh Gorges remains a sure bet for the third pairing. As is often the case with players returning from injury, adrenaline will play a part in what should be an exciting and interesting first few games for Markov. There will be setbacks and a slew of rough games, as he's jumping onto the train in mid season, at a time when scheduled games as brisk. That Markov has his sights set on joining the Russian club for the 2010 Olympics as much as he is invigorated to rejoin the Habs can only be a good thing. Let us hope that his return is not a moment too late.
It is often said of elite players that they make everyone on the ice with them better players. In the case of the Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov, returning tonight against the Islanders from a season long injury, is it too much to expect him to turn the Habs' season around?
A player of Markov's talent cannot help but have a certain impact, as his contribution in minutes spills from 5 on 5 play to the powerplay unit and to the penalty kill. Markov in top form plays upwards of 25 minutes per game, which alleviates a burden of responsibility from his defensive mates.
Once Markov returns to form, which should honestly taken a dozen games as the rest of the league is in mid season form, he should drastically improve the Canadiens' transition game as he has been known to do in the past.
It could be a case of too little too late, despite the fact that he is returning way ahead of schedule.
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Is Markov rushing too soon?
Something to ponder Habs fans.
What;s more important fror European players? An Olympic Gold medal( IIHF World Gold medal every year) or a Stanley Cup for their NHL club?
If there were no Olympics coming up would Markov come back so quickly to help our poor team?
I somehow feel Andrei’s mind is winning a gold for his country with his Russian brothers than to bust his cullions for trying to salvage our poor season for an 8th place spot, if that.
Welcome back Andre, but you know, I know that 1 individual will not make a difference in winning games with you back in the line up or the mighty midget in Gionta.
The season is toast in my opinion, a faillure.
We will win the Cup only with a mature Carey Price in the nets
Markov is back ... So what
Is his return going to take the habs to the cup? Unlikely. Gainey has failed, with his five year plan. The amount of free agents that he lost at the end of each year with no returns, is totally disgusting! He has lost numerous of first and second round potential picks over the years by holding on to unrestricted free agents, just to sneak into the playoffs. Imagine what the future of this team could have looked like with extra picks over the years.
This is an easy thing to say with hindsight, but unfortunately even with hindsight, it still doesn’t have much merit.
Gainey gets much blame for not trading his free agents over the last couple of years, but those critics never seem to remember that at the trade deadline over that span the Habs was at worst fifth in the conference. At that time, they were not “sneaking into the playoffs!” They were in prime position to make them comfortably. In such a situation, giving up on the season and trading UFAs is ridiculous, unthinkable. Gainey traded a grand total of one UFA-to-be over those two deadlines, and that was the Cristobal Huet trade for which he was roundly criticized (often by the same people who turn around and whine about losing free agents for nothing, I might add).
Which leaves us to the year before, and the bone of contention where this entire argument really started: Sheldon Souray. The problem with trading Souray is that critics imagine that there was a vast market for him that probably did not exist. I, for one, never could identify a team that could desire Souray for their stretch run. The most often-quoted destination for Sheldon was San Jose, a team that at the time was #2 on the PP (right behind the Habs) and had no real need for a PP cannon; their needs were more for a solid, reliable defensive defenseman, preferably right-handed. Their “first-round pick and prospect” thus went to acquire that commodity — namely Craig Rivet from the Canadiens. Gainey made the deal that had to be done that year.
Losing free agents is a reality of a salary cap league. There’s nothing “totally disgusting” about it. Criticizing Gainey for that merit may sell copy for the media folks, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of merit. Gainey has made some bad moves, but retaining his free agents when his team was in a playoff position was not among them. All the GMs in the league do this, and I’m not sure we ought to blame Gainey for putting together teams that make the playoffs more often than not.
It’s hardly hindsight if one’s opinion has been consistent on that thought for years now.
I’ve always maintained that a better policy than not signing UFA’s during the season would be to trade them at the deadline should they choose not to sign. You can’t say the team would be in worse shape had that method been followed.
Sorry if you’ve been sold that losing free agents is present day reality. I’ve never bought it and never will. A GM has to have the sense and vision of whether players will resign or not. He speaks to agents, does he not? The fact that the Habs have made little gain over Gainey’s tenure is all due to bad management of assets.
Being satisfied with making the playoffs, hmmm….glad that’s good enough for you.
So… you trade away free agents at the deadline last year with the Habs in 5th place?
The year before, with the Habs headed for first in the conference?
I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make much sense and I don’t want a GM who does that managing my team.
If you deem that they are not returning, you damn right you deal them. That’s not a hard sell either, given the explanation that they weren’t resigning.
You’d rather a GM that hangs on in hope and whims? You got one, and you got a team treading water.
If you’re excited about fifth palce, again, glad that’s good enough for you.
Note this site’s not called Eyes on the Consolation Prize.
No, you definitely don’t deal them for picks with your team in 5th place, and even less with your team in first. That’s just plain ridiculous. If you have any shot at playoff success, you go for it. Even if the financial element of playoff games didn’t factor in, what kind of a chickenshit organization folds when they’re in that position? Besides, there’s more to winning a Cup then accumulating low-end 1st-round draft picks. Getting your guys playoff experience is also important.
You’d rather have a GM who aims at losing, even if he has to turn a good team into a bad one to doing it?
You think last year’s team had a shot at playoff success :)
Your point is springing holes bud. Folding it isn’t. It’s called taking stock.
Playoff experience for a half team’s worth of players that wasn’t resigned, now that was valuable.
The only thing taken from last season’s 8th place finish was the $4M Gillett ran off with.
Look there were a dozen more than decent tradeabler assets surrendered for no descernable return over the last three seasons. If the GM takes the hardline in a sign or trade, perhaps we keep half and acquire assets for the rest.
Those actions display a winning attitude.
You, your plan is to ….hope, pray, wish, content with 5th and 8th place teams.
You’re getting what you’re asking for and i don’t think you realize it.
At the trade deadline, they were 5th in the conference. I frankly cannot understand how you can make the case that not only Gainey could have folded on the season at that point but he should have. And that somehow, somehow, that would have been displaying a winning attitude.
And somehow, saying this instead is a winning attitude? “Screw it, we’re better than 66% of the conference and have a good shot at home ice if we can pull this team back together, but I’m still gonna fold and suck even though that’s only going to get me a 25th overall pick and knock me down to something like 15th place in the league so I won’t get any high-end draft picks either.” Yeah, that definitely sounds like a winning attitude. It’s really such a shame that the 5th-place Canadiens of 92-93 didn’t adopt it, they probably could have gotten good draft picks for Damphousse and Muller.
If that’s really how you feel, then why not take it to its logical conclusion and tank the season right from the start, and aim for 30th place? I mean, clearly to you competitiveness is of no value, and there’s nothing shameful or wrong about aiming to lose, and in fact that’s a winning attitude. So being in 5th place at the trade deadline in the first place is clearly not desirable to aim for to begin with. Seasons where you only have a slight chance of winning the Cup aren’t worth playing in your book, so you might as well fold them right from the start.
Heck, sounds to me you should be happy if the Habs lose with this roster. After all, that’ll lead to a good draft pick, and then they can trade Plekanec for another. Perfect, right?
Love that revisionist ’93 thing, where there was no cap and free agency was later in careers. Your comparison borders on ridicule.
It’s got nothing to do at all with folding or giving up. A trade is made for assets present and future, as was the deal for Rivet. There’s no need to give up if you are icing a competitive team. A successful GM has to be aggressive in the pursuit of turning over talent, otherwise the same mistakes are repeated over and over.
Seasons where you only have a slight chance of winning the Cup aren’t worth playing in your book, so you might as well fold them right from the start.
You’re putting words in my mouth here….lowers my opinion tremendously.
My comparison borders on ridicule? Why? On the contrary, the fact that there was no cap meant that there was even less of an incentive to let free agents walk because you wouldn’t even get cap space back. These days, letting a Souray go lets you upgrade to a Hamrlik, so it’s not quite the same thing.
Why wasn’t last year’s team competitive? It was fifth in the conference at the trade deadline. Would it have been displaying a winning attitude to decide it wouldn’t get out of what was, at the time, a relatively short swoon, and go ahead and fold that team on that basis? I think it would have been a loser attitude, myself.
I’m not putting words in your mouth, and I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. But I am asking you how going for the tank is not the logical conclusion of your line of thinking. So if you don’t think that, please explain to me why it wouldn’t make sense to fold at the start of the season, rather than fold at the trade deadline like you advocate, following your reasoning.
And about your last line, I must say I’m thoroughly unimpressed by your argument here, I really expected better than this kind of tavern-GM raving from you. You’ve used us to much better.
Not putting words in my mouth? Scan through everything I’ve said and find “tank” or fold"?
Sincerely, I don’t think you get what I’m saying at all.
“Tank” is not what you’re saying. It’s what I feel is the logical conclusion of you’re line of thought.
“Fold” is what you’re advocating, effectively. I’m not sure how else to qualify it, and I’m sorry if my choice of terminology isn’t pleasing to you, but I’m not sure how else to describe giving up on a season when you’re 5th overall.
If I don’t get what you’re saying, well, how about you illustrate it? Play at being Gainey. It is the trade deadline of 2009, you’re 5th in the conference, your team was touted as a Cup contender (lest we forget), it’s currently in a slight swoon but otherwise has a comfortable winning record. What do you think he should have done?
Slight swoon?
You mean last March when the Canadiens earned 9 of a possible 32 points then won 4 of 5 entering the deadline, even though they were outshot 167 – 106 in their 4 wins and were beaten 5-1 the day before the deadline.
They were in freefall and nobody believed that they were Cup contenders by then. Within a week or two they were in 8-10th holding on for dear life.
They WERE NOT contenders.
Can Robert make his decisions based on the knowledge that he was going to wipe out the core? Because a progressive thinker like Gainey would not have made those type of decisions on the 7-7-6 record post lockout right? I mean, he wiped out his team after a “slight swoon” and an 11-8-6 record after said swoon.
So if I am to believe that Gainey was a progressive thinker, he would know that he was going to turn over the core that he jettisoned and should have begun the turnover by dealing his UFAs.
Why does a guy refuse to divest his core at the deadline, but then wipe them all out with zero return 20 games later?
It’s great that you are not buying what Robert is selling, I am not buying what you are selling.
by Chris Boyle on Dec 20, 2009 12:41 AM EST up reply actions
that should read
post trade deadline, not post-lockout
by Chris Boyle on Dec 20, 2009 12:43 AM EST up reply actions
Sorry
They won 4 in a row entering the deadline, they were destroyed 5-1 on deadline day.
As stated by Chris, in alluding to the Habs’ record at the time, I don’t think anyone believed that the team was a Cup contender at that point in time. It had been six months since it had been touted as a possible one. Maybe those deluding themselves still believed it had a shot..
Before that deadline, Gainey could have given ultimatums to Komisarek, Koivu, Tanguay and Kovalev to resign or be dealt. Perhaps one or two may have called his bluff, signed on, and ultimately given Gainey assets in return or assets to trade should he have chosen not to keep them. It’s doubtful that any of those scenarios would have drastically altered what came after against Boston, but it sure would have left the team in better shape today.
Of course, I’ll allow that it is all speculative when playing GM. It could very well be that Gainey did investigate such possibilities. Being that he’s known to say less than Jimmy Hoffa these days, it’s impossible to gauge. He was also in a compromised position, with an owner looking at the bottom line and ready to sell. That’s a fact we all did not know of at the time, to be honest.
It’s all speculative, colored by a hefty dose of 20/20 hindsight, and I’m glad that you allow that there are things you may not be aware, but I’m not sure that any NHL GM worth his salt would have become a seller in the position the Habs were in at the 2009 deadline.
Seriously, has something like this ever been done by a team in such a playoff position? I mean the Habs were so safely ensconced that even with their death spiral they didn’t manage to fall out. Is there one example of a team selling assets when on pace for 100 points, which the Habs were at the time?
And would the Habs really be in a better position today? Suppose they all call Gainey’s “bluff” and re-sign. Keep in mind that this means Tanguay, Lang, and Koivu probably make more money than they make now, significantly more in the case of Tanguay. Would spending the dough on Kovalev-Koivu-Tanguay-Lang-Komisarek over Gomez-Cammalleri-Gionta-Spacek have resulted in a better team now… and in three years where half those older guys would’ve been nearing retirement? All those players are better than their counterparts, and while the cap hit is commensurately bigger, there was some ‘give’ in the Habs’ cap situation. (And please don’t let your hatred of Gomez color your perception of this, the guy may not be producing points up to snuff right now, but he is still a significant upgrade on Koivu in general. Picture him as the guy he really is, not the guy we’re seeing now as he skates on one leg.)
That’s the reality of the cap world. Letting free agents walk allows you to sign others.
All Good Points Robert
Gainey speaks to all player agents, and has first hand knowledge who leaving and which ones he could resign. Every GM is dealing with salary cap issues, not Gainey alone. If hab fans can see that these past teams were not strong enough to contend for the cup…… Couldn’t he see? WTF he is the GM and he was content with just sneaking in to the playoffs, only to bow out early. So why not move the UFA for high picks and still have cap room to sign UFA, but the bonus would be draft picks that hopefully would build this team to a future contender.
Sadly I dont see this team being any better next year either.
I cant for the life of me understand what was going through Gaineys mind this offseason.
Scott Gomez, a player who will not score 20 goals this year or any other year if he maintains his career pace, will be hampering this franchise with his $7.35 million contract for the next five years.
Instead we let a true leader like Koivu walk that we could have signed for half the price.
by Calgaryhabsfan on Dec 19, 2009 6:04 PM EST up reply actions
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