Canadiens Trade for Brent Sopel
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 2:27 PM EST
Email
Print
The Montreal Canadiens made a depth move this afternoon, sending Ben Maxwell and a 4th round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft to the Atlanta Thrashers for Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes.
Ben Maxwell, 23 at the end of March and drafted by the Canadiens 46th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, had scored 11 goals and 29 assists for the Hamilton Bulldogs this season to go along with a -2 rating, 32 PIM and 7 PP points in 47 games. In his career in the AHL he's managed 49 goals, 93 assists, 110 PIM, and a +15 rating in 187 games. Maxwell managed 0 points in 20 regular season games and one playoff game with the Canadiens, to go along with a -4 rating.
Maxwell had recently been passed on the depth chart for centers by David Desharnais, Lars Eller and Louis Leblanc. Michael Bournival's acquisition also bolstered Montreal's future depth at center, making Maxwell expendable.
The acquisition of Nigel Dawes is likely to provide the Hamilton Bulldogs with a short term replacement for Maxwell, who was the Bulldog's points leader among those that haven't been called up to the Canadiens for the season. With 27 goals and 17 assists with a +2 rating in 47 games, Dawes is likely a very able replacement for Maxwell in Hamilton.
The key cog in the deal however is Brent Sopel. At $2,333,333 in total salary, Sopel takes up roughly more than half of the Canadiens remaining cap space. Sopel is a defensive defenseman who specializes in shot blocking and penalty killing. He was a key piece in last year's cup run for the Chicago Blackhawks. Sopel is 6'1", 200 lbs, shoots right and is 34 years old. He has registered 2 goals, 5 assists and a +7 rating in 59 games for the struggling Thrashers. His +7 rating was second on the Thrashers team to Bryan Little, not counting recent Boston additions Blake Wheeler and Marc Stuart.
Sopel also lead the Thrashers in shorthanded TOI with 3:21 per game, and was second in blocked shots with 130, which would tie him with Roman Hamrlik for the lead on the Habs. Sopel also had 54 blocked shots in last year's playoffs. Sopel is a pending UFA at the end of the season.
An obvious depth move, it's looking more and more likely that Jaroslav Spacek is done for the year, and the continued silence from the Canadiens organization on this subject only increases speculation.
28 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Wanted him signed in the offseason, thought he would have been a good fit for the system…and another player with a ring never hurts.
He’ll be a good fit for Gorges’ spot on the PK and a good fit in the room as well.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
I’m just a little worried about his even-strength play. He looks to me like a low-end 6th defenseman, which is not very good if your cap hit is 2.33 M.
His cap hit is pro-rated at this point though, and on the surface his ES play seems to be fine against the competition he’s face in Atlanta (I’m assuming weak competition), as he has the 2nd best +/- on the team.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 5:07 PM EST up reply actions
He also has the third worst Corsi REL and Corsi (-13.43!)
Him being in the plusses seems to be more good fortune than puck possession. Mind you, he does block a lot of shots, so his Fenwick is probably better than that, but still.
As I’ve said before, if over nearly a full season all stats can tell you is that it’s luck, it’s probably something stats don’t show coming into effect. However that Corsi isn’t good at all.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 7:08 PM EST up reply actions
Luck can and does often have impacts over a full season.
Just ask the Habs and their ridiculous shooting percentage.
Or Gomez, for that matter. Poor guy has gone into full scapegoat mode simply because the puck won’t go in for him and all those clueless analysts that talk about effort but really only look at boxcars are on his back.
Don’t agree at all about Gomez, he’s his own worst enemy. Luck has very little to do with it at this point. He’s playing like a mid-range AHLer. The reason he’s being used as a scapegoat is a combination of his salary, his status on the team and his brutal stats in every way shape and form.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 25, 2011 6:15 PM EST up reply actions
I’m sick and tired of all the nonsense being written about Gomez. It’s a great study in human perception, however, to watch what his lack of counting numbers are driving people to write about him. Because, really, a lot of the stuff that gets written about Gomez flies in the face of recorded facts, and the only reason analysts are on his back is because he’s not accumulating points and, no matter what they say, for a scorer like Gomez counting numbers drive everything about those analysts’ perceptions.
Fact is, Scott Gomez is driving puck possession, generating scoring chances, preventing opposition shooting, and generally doing all the things Scott Gomez does well. He’s probably doing them better than he did them last year, actually.
As a result, Scott Gomez is dominating on microstats, like he usually does. The single bad stat he has is his on-ice shooting percentage, which is the conversion rate of Habs’ shots while he is on the ice. Now, the Habs’ supposedly popgun offense is due to their low shooting percentage, but Gomez’s go right beyond the pale.. This stat is driving his low points and low plus-minus. His on-ice shooting percentage is less than half what it’s been in previous year.
And that’s a stat we know is not a true talent.
Either Gomez radiates an aura of incompetence that prevents not only him but everyone else around him from shooting straight. Either that, or he’s just ridiculously snakebit.
Of course, given the kind of stuff that gets written about Gomez, I expect the aura-of-incompetence theory to get a lot of traction.
The biggest problem you have in your argument is that you see all these inconclusive microstats as proof of luck and then you just stop there. Gomez is playing well, case closed, no other research necessary. I find it hard to believe that this is somehow a more in depth analysis than watching the games and garnering results based on watching Gomez specifically and seeing how his game isn’t getting things done.
There is just no conceivable way you can write off everything people have said about Gomez this season using a stat like Corsi or Fenwick, which in the end only tell us a limited amount of information, which is a massive problem with all new stats. Are they interesting? Yes. Can they tell us things about players and how games go? Yes. Are they the be all, end all measurement of performance? Hell no.
If Gomez was playing as well as his microstats suggest he is, he wouldn’t be far and away the worst defensive player on the Canadiens. He wouldn’t only have 15 points at ES in 60 games. He wouldn’t have managed to have linemates consistently perform poorly on his line, no matter who it is.
I don’t think anyone with a rational mind has suggested this season shows the true talent of Scott Gomez, what everyone is saying is that it’s unacceptable. At some point you’re going to have to start blaming imaginary luck and every other linemate Gomez has had all season for his utter and complete failure at ES.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 27, 2011 6:59 PM EST up reply actions
If Spacek is out for a while I guess I can understand the deal. Otherwise it’s just another trade for a defenseman who has struggled against poor-quality opponents this year (Mara being the other).
It would be nice to know how long Spacek is out for. If it’s not too long I would have rather seen Zherdev picked up off waivers since he’s producing like Briere at even-strength but with tougher competition, poorer team-mates, and less shifts starting in the offensive zone; would have been a nice addition to the Habs’ top 9 especially since we’ve seen a fair bit of Moen in the top 6 this year. I don’t understand how he went unclaimed except for him being Russian.
If Spacek was coming back I don’t think both of these trades would have happened. It’s safe to say at this point that he’s done for the year.
As for Sopel struggling, I’m not so sure that’s true considering his ES +/- is solid, on a terrible team no less. Although he was picked up primarily for PK work, and our PK has been pretty bad without Gorges so it was necessary to do something.
As for Zherdev, from what I’ve read no one claimed him because everyone knows the Flyers no longer want him, and they don’t want that team to have more cap space to pull of a deal. No sense letting them get stronger for a player that has a terrible reputation as a teammate.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 5:10 PM EST up reply actions
Though his +/- looks good, he has had the easiest minutes of any regular Thrashers’ defensemen this season and the Thrashers have had more puck-luck with him on the ice than any healthy Habs’ dman not named Weber this season (Sopel has a PDO of 1016, every other Hab dman is 990 or below at the moment). His Corsi doesn’t seem all that impressive to me considering the “easy” opposition though he isn’t getting babysat with offensive zone faceoffs like Byfuglien and Enstrom, so starting in the defensive zone more often than not has to be a part of that.
As for Zherdev, now that he has cleared waivers I believe the Flyers can always send him to the minors within the next 10 games or so clear up cap space if a deal comes along. I also believe his attitude problems are overstated because he’s from Russia and if it does exist it does not seem to be affecting the Flyers when he’s on the ice as his microstats look positive to me. Add in the pending free agency and it would have been an incredibly low-risk move since you can always waive and demote him if he turns out to be terrible. If Spacek is out for the year (opening up some LTIR cap space) and Gauthier has a non-rental deal in the works, then I can understand not taking a punt. Otherwise it seems like a missed opportunity to me.
Maybe some of Sopel’s puck luck will rub off. Heavens know the Habs and their last-in-league shooting% need it.
As for Zherdev, I’m floored nobody took him. As mentioned, Philly now has the option of burying him in the minors, so forcing them to keep the cap hit can’t have been a factor. I wish Gauthier had taken a flier, but then again, I’m not surprised — I don’t think he nor Martin have the stomach to handle his kind of, um, “free spirit”.
Very hard to believe no one took Zherdev, especially when Svatos got claimed. I don’t get it at all.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 7:13 PM EST up reply actions
You bring up excellent points on Zherdev. Personally I wanted to give him a shot just for scoring depth, but I guess Gauthier didn’t. As with all Russians there are biases against him in so far as attitude go, and I’m guessing anyone making his salary, getting his icetime and putting up his numbers from Canada wouldn’t be called a cancer in the room. That said I don’t think the Flyers will send him down, more likely they’ll put him on re-entry waivers and someone will claim him.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 24, 2011 7:12 PM EST up reply actions
Where is Marinaro
He was gloating that he broke the Markov injury, but I haven’t seen/heard much on Spacek. My guess is that his “source” is limited to only a few players. OR the Habs got rid of the gut.
Trade is clearly an indicator though that Spacek will not be back any time soon,
Kevin van Steendelaar
http://www.twitter.com/kvansteendelaar
but don't forget...
http://www.twitter.com/HabsEOTP
by Kevin van Steendelaar on Feb 24, 2011 8:40 PM EST reply actions
A Thrashers fan's take
Disclaimer: The Habs are my favorite NHL team next to the Thrashers.
I am actually a stats junkie from my baseball background and I do believe that some of the new work being done with stats like CORSI, etc. is very good.
I never really appreciated Sopel until I saw him play a lot but he’s a pretty solid stay at home guy who has retained a small touch of his former offensive abilities. I think you guys will be pleased with him and his play. That trade was a complete rip off for you. We got nothing of use back in it. Maxwell is no more of a “prospect” than the many “not ever gonna make it” guys we already have in the AHL. And that pick is going to be in a draft projected to be pretty weak. I’ll be shocked if either Maxwell or whoever gets picked ever scores even 1 NHL goal. We have truly thrown in the towel with this trade and our fan base knows it. It’s just more negativity we have to deal with in Atlanta regarding the Thrashers.
Now having said this, I have to tell you that you cannot get hung up on the CORSI here. The Thrashers are the worst defensive team in the league and because of the way that coach Ramsay uses his players the CORSI stats are just bizarre for our team. Behind The Net concluded that Zach Bogosian was our best d-man based on CORSI and other advanced stats and that is just a complete joke. In fact, if you go to the Thrashers blog on SBN (it’s Birdwatcher’s Anonymous) you can see a fake movie poster made for a contest related to the ridiculous conclusion of BTN that Bogosian was our best d-man. Bogosian is a terrible, terrible d-man who has drug down every guy he’s ever been paired with not named Toby Enstrom. Sopel is much better than you might conclude on his CORSI, etc. and all that stuff is a factor of playing on a very bad team and being used strangely by his coach.
I appreciate you taking the time to give us your views.
On Sopel’s Corsi, what’s worrisome is that it was bad relative to the other Thrashers… when he was with Chicago (who were not exactly the worst defensive team in the league last year) it was also pretty grim. And he’s getting bottom-pairing type opposition, too, so it’s not like he looks bad because of opposition. It just doesn’t paint the picture of a very good player at even strength and I’m guessing that’s why his coach uses him “strangely” (which looks very much like he was used in Chicago). Now, Sopel does have the profile of someone who’d be an ace PKer, so I’m not saying he’s an useless player.
And I do believe Bogosian is hands down Atlanta’s best D-man. And your coach appears to think so too, given his icetime, zone starts, and strength of opposition. When evaluating players, you have to understand the importance of strength of opposition, which is especially significant for defensemen. Bogosian gets the toughest matchups of anyone on the Atlanta defense, way ahead of, say, an overhyped, sheltered offense-only guy like Byfuglien.
When your D-men pair with Bogosian and crater, this is not caused by Bogosian dragging them down. It’s them ending up facing the best players the opposition has to offer (because that’s what Bogosian does all the time) and failing at it. When they’re paired off with different players, of course they look better — they get softer minutes, so their task is much easier.
If Atlanta is so foolish as to trade their young #1 D, they will regret it. Thankfully, it seems your GM is not going to make that mistake. If he does, though, I hope the Habs jump on it.
Hmm… looks like I found a BTN regular here.
Let me ask a question in all seriousness. Have you considered the possibility that Ramsay might just be an idiot? Bogo gets the toughest matchups of any d-man because Ramsay is nuts. Completely whacko. THAT is the problem we have. If you watched the games you would see giveaway after giveaway leading to a goal, poor positioning, etc. etc. etc. Our best d-man is Toby Enstrom. Look at the previous years’ CORSI ratings when a non-insane coach played him against the best opposition. Bogo is terrible and the other guys are melting because of having to make game saving plays to cover for his gaffs. But if you REALLY think he is so great we would be happy to send him to you for Subban. The problem with your belief is that the stats just assume that Bogo is fantastic because he plays against the best and the decision cannot be wrong. The decision is wrong. Ramsay is nuts. And I could give many other examples of his bizarre ideas of “strategy”.
In any event I said my piece and you can have the last say.
Enstrom didn’t play the best opposition last year. He had the weaker quality of competition than Hainsey, Oduya, Bogosian, and Kubina, and only Oduya had more favorable zone starts than Enstrom.
Enstrom’s Corsi is very strong this year, but he and Byfuglien are also getting a lot of O-zone draws and fairly soft opposition. Looks to me like the other D-men have to deal with the hard slogging while Buff and Enstrom get the offensive glory.
I’m not trading Bogosian for Subban. Subban is fantastic. I’ll give you Weber and a pick though. ;)
It strikes me that Bogosian might be a lot like Spacek for the Habs. Gets tough minutes, does generally a good job with them, but when he makes a mistake it really sticks out in people’s minds and that’s what people remember and makes them think he’s awful.
Quality of competition isn’t always that revealing as far as performance goes. Hamrlik for example usually has a high quality of competition, but he repeatedly gets eaten alive.
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 25, 2011 6:25 PM EST up reply actions
-19 on the season, -14 in 2011 is holding the fort now?
by Andrew Berkshire on Feb 27, 2011 6:43 PM EST up reply actions
MathMan an Agent??
Dude,
You sir must have PR background.And If I were Scotty Gomez would hire you in a second to plead my case for a new contract.
If Gomez continues to have this incredible stretch of bad luck (0 goals in 21games currently) and continues to create the same chances, say for the next year. You inform us, non stat addicts, that Gomez is worth the money.
I sir cannot believe that ANY GM in this league or the AHL would chance taking this mis-nomer Gomer.
I would, were I a GM ( and yes that has as much of a chance of happening as Gomez being productive for the rest of this season and the playoffs) I’d be paying someone to get him off my hands.
But seriously, try and get in touch with his agent to see if they need some PR work done. I am sure your services would be greatly appreciated.
by Cruisin4aBruisin on Feb 26, 2011 9:38 PM EST reply actions
Oh, I think Gomez is overpaid. I don’t think that’s much in question.
I think, however, that he’s not the horrible useless player the media insists he is. And I think he is unlucky and that that really hurts his counting numbers. He could easily have double his ES points, and be sitting pretty with 45 points and a +5 rating if he had, say, the same sort of luck he had last year, say.
I think the Montreal media are far too clueless to recognize that, but what else is new? They have trouble recognizing this year’s team is much better than last year’s.
I think it’s a mortal lock that he’ll be more productive at even strength next year, because there’s no way the Habs keep shooting 3.85% while he’s on the ice.
oh
And about Sopel. Decent deal. Got rid of Chipchura the Second, and got a decent AHLer to fill his spot. No risk.
Well done PG.
by Cruisin4aBruisin on Feb 26, 2011 9:40 PM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Habs Eyes On The Prize
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
