Incognito Unlimited's Montreal Canadiens Summer Game Plan

Having to watch your favorite team get knocked out of the playoffs is never easy. This year's version of the Montreal Canadiens was no different for me. On one hand, the team was VASTLY improved over last season finishing second in the Eastern Conference after finishing dead last the previous season. The Habs hired a new GM, a new Coach, and implemented a new attitude. The future is embarrassingly bright. On the other hand, the team lost in the first round, not just to injuries and questionable reffing, but because their remodeling plans started last summer isn't quite a finished product. So, with that said, here is what I would like to see going forward. (Salary 2012-13 in millions)

Let's start with the unrestricted free agents.

Michael Ryder - (3.5) - Goal scorer, twice a Hab, Newfoundlander. I love the guy, but the fact that he is too slow for our "pressure cooker" game plan, means it's time to move on and use the money elsewhere.

Colby Armstrong - (1.0) - Not going to lie, he grew on me over the year, and proved to be a great team player. However, he brings too much injury history, not enough production or physicality. He’d probably get a raise. I wouldn’t give it to him. Happy trails Colby - but I think Therrien brings him back.

Jeff Halpern - (0.7) - No brainer. If he is anywhere near this price tag, bring him back. Intensity, penalty killing, face offs. Awesome fourth line center.

Petteri Nokelainen - (0.575) - He is one-third as good as Halpern for practically the same money. He will find work somewhere.

Davis Drewiske* - (0.617) - I have no idea why the Habs brought him in, talking about his playoff experience to not play him ahead of Diaz who was brutal with pressure on him. Our defense will need some toughness, I would look elsewhere. UPDATE*: Habs re-sign Drewiske to a 2 year/$1.275 contract. My take: As a 6-7th D-man the price is right, however, as stated earlier, I would have gone after a more physical player. He should play spot-time until Emelin returns in December.

Now, let’s check out the restricted free agents.




Ryan White - (0.688) - Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. When he controls himself, awesome fourth line banger - would be a 150+ hitter in a full season. When he doesn't control himself, it costs the team games. Id offer (0.800-0.850)

Mike Blunden - (0.575) - I really like this guys intensity as the spare/insurance forward type of guy. IF he could be re-signed for (0.60 or under) I'd bring him back.

Gabriel Dumont - (0.572 - Entry Level) - May have a future as a bottom six guy, but nothing special in my eyes. I'd rather use the spot on a more physical player.

Yannick Weber - (0.850) - This is a guy I would move for a draft pick. The Habs have enough small guys who are supposedly "puck moving defensemen" that really are not. Trade chip.

The 2 RFA goalies are so inconsequential, I won’t even mention it.

Turning to the regulars under contract who I would move: (note: I would move Brian Gionta for anything right now, and make the real captain Josh Gorges, the actual captain. However iota is hurt and the team will move forward with him). Salary (13/14 - years left - total dollars in millions).

Travis Moen - (1.850 - 3 - 5.55) - What happened? Did he forget how to skate? No offense, and is a 130+ hitter over a full season. We can get that for much less. Like Ryder, his skating doesn’t fit in. Trade chip #2.

David Desharnais - (3.5 - 4 - 14.0) - Where do I start? If he was English, he wouldn't be here or be stealing an unrealistic salary. He finally got called out by his coach and proceeded to actually show some effort. At that amount of money, shouldn't the team expect that every night? Too small, not a high enough level of compete. GM Bergevin's only big mistake in a magical first season. His encore? Finding a trade for DD. Wish Nieuwendyk still had his job. Trade chip #3.



Tomas Kaberle - (4.25 - 1 - 4.25) - His career is over. End of analysis. Buyout.

Raphael Diaz - (1.225 - 1 - 1.225) - Quickly becoming one of my least favorite Habs player ever. He doesn't hit, can't for the life of him clear the puck, often loses his man in the defensive zone. As soon as he was taken off the first power play, he wasn't even valuable for man advantage points. Apparently teams covet him. Let's find out how much. Trade chip #4.

And finally.......

Andrei Markov - (5.75 - 1 - 5.75) -  I will be the first to admit when I am wrong. I was SHOCKED that he actually played a full year......well, was in the lineup for the full year. His last twenty games or so (in a fifty-three game season and playoffs mind you) he was totally gassed and very ineffective with transition defense. I will take the under on games played in a full season and think that there will be teams desperate for a power play specialist and will probably overpay for it. I want the salary flexibility. Trade chip #5.

So, basically my summer plan would be to bring in another Prust type motor winger, a top 6 forward to replace Ryder, a big rugged veteran defenseman with the Markov money, and give Nathan Beaulieu a shot at making the team as the power play partner for PK Subban. Lars Eller would get the second line and power play center minutes that were wasted on Desharnais. The plan is bigger, faster, more physical. My recipe for success!

I know that many of you will disagree and that’s cool, just please keep the comments civil. Countdown to the Entry Draft is on! :)

Feb 18: NHL Playoff PREDICTIONS. I'm Serious.

Just a quick dabble because I am bored. Just looking at the NHL standings before Saturday's games (Feb 18) and I was thinking into the future of where I believe the teams will fall at the end of the regular season.

Western Conference
Today                                      Projected Final Standings
1. DET 82                               1. DET 115
2. VAN 78                              2. VAN 110
3. SJS 69                                 3. SJS 96
4. STL 77                                4. STL 106
5. NSH 72                               5. NSH 98
6. CHI 67                                6. CHI 96
7. PHX 65                               7. CGY 90
8. LA 65                                  8. LA   89
-------------------------------------------------------
9. CGY 63                              9. PHX 88
10. COL 62                             10. ANA 88
11. DAL 61                             11. COL 87
12. MIN 59                             12. DAL 84
13. ANA 58                            13. MIN 83
14. EDM 50                            14. EDM 69
15. CBJ 40                              15. CBJ 56

Eastern Conference
Today                                      Projected Final Standings
1. NYR 79                              1. NYR 112
2. BOS 72                               2. BOS 105
3. FLA 65                               3. WAS 94
4. PHI 71                                4. PIT 100
5. NJD 70                                5. PHI 99
6. PIT 69                                 6. NJD 98
7. OTT 68                                7. FLA 93
8. TOR 64                               8. OTT 91
----------------------------------------------------
9. WAS 63                              9. TOR 87
10. WPG 62                            10. WPG 85
11. MTL 58                             11. BUF 82
12. TAM 56                            12. CAR 81
13. NYI 56                              13. MTL 80
14. CAR 55                             14. NYI 78
15. BUF 55                             15. TAM 75

Newfs only: NHL Scoring Race - All Star Break

As a tribute to my fellow Newfoundlanders, I will be updating the NHL scoring race amongst the guys from The Rock!

 As of Jan 25th games:

POINTS:
1. Michael Ryder - Dal - 32
2. Teddy Purcell - TB - 27
3. Colin Greening - Ott - 26
4. Ryane Clowe - SJ - 26
5. Dan Cleary - Det - 21
6. Luke Adam - Buf - 20
7. Adam Pardy - Dal - 1

GOALS:
1. Michael Ryder - Dal - 17
2. Teddy Purcell - TB - 12
3. Colin Greening - Ott - 11
4. Luke Adam - Buf - 10
5. Dan Cleary - Det - 8
6. Ryane Clowe - SJ - 9
7. Adam Pardy - Dal - 0

Braves Baseball Cards: Dale Murphy Dual Jersey - Favorites From My Collection

I was thinking of finding a good way to post some of my favorite Braves cards from my collection of over 20,000 different cards depicting any player who has played at least one inning with the Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves. So, I decided to post a different card at least a few times a week. You will see autographs, jerseys, patches, hats, pants, shoes, gloves, bats and other multi-swatch cards.

Today, I chose a triple jersey card from 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings. Love the powder blue 80's swatch. One of my favorite Braves, and one of the classiest athletes to ever play any sport. Glad I was able to see him play live in 1988. 

Habs Hit Leaders - After 40 Games (15-18-7)

A major stat when building and evaluating a team, in my opinion, is the number of hits that your team throws. Below is the "Hit Race" for both forwards and defensemen - total hits (games played)

Before game on January 7, 2012 - 40 games (9-9-3)

Forwards

Cole 89 (40)
Moen 61 (38)
Darche 48 (40)
Kostitsyn 46 (30)
Pacioretty 43 (37)
Blunden 39 (17)
Plekanec 36 (40)
Eller 33 (37) 
Gionta 32 (29)
Nokelainen 26 (33)
Desharnais 17 (40)
Leblanc 17 (14)
Palushaj 11 (13)
Cammalleri 7 (35)
Engqvist 5 (8)
Gomez 3 (13)

Defensemen

Emelin 108 (29)

Gorges 60 (40)
Subban 49 (39)
Gill 30 (35)
Diaz 23 (38)
Weber 21 (34)
Campoli 4 (8)
Kaberle 2 (11)
St. Denis 1 (8)

Braves Baseball Cards: Brian McCann Triple Jersey - Favorites From My Collection

I was thinking of finding a good way to post some of my favorite Braves cards from my collection of over 20,000 different cards depicting any player who has played at least one inning with the Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves. So, I decided to post a different card at least a few times a week. You will see autographs, jerseys, patches, hats, pants, shoes, gloves, bats and other multi-swatch cards.

Today, I chose a triple jersey card from SPX. 3 of baseball's greatest catchers: Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and our very own Brian McCann. Serial numbered 59/75.

Braves Baseball Cards: Favorites From My Collection: Volume 1

I was thinking of finding a good way to post some of my favorite Braves cards from my collection of over 20,000 different cards depicting any player who has played at least one inning with the Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves. So, I decided to post a different card at least a few times a week. You will see autographs, jerseys, patches, hats, pants, shoes, gloves, bats and other multi-swatch cards.

Today, to get us started I will give you an amazing John Smoltz tomahawk patch, and I will even throw in a few that the scan didn't do justice on. Theses cards were in cases, and the scanner picked up on the scratches on the plastic. Anyways, enjoy, and please leave a comment!

And, a few bonus cards!

Habs Report Card: My Take on the first 24 games

10-10-4. Not what I call impressive. Sure, there have been some highlights, but for the most part more disappointments. The coaching and his decisions have been exactly what I expected. Terrible with a daily head-scratcher. Martin isn't and never has been the right coach for the makeup of this team. We are too small up front and not physical enough on the back end to play his "lay-back and wait in the shell" style. Sadly, he is here, and that really sucks.

Lets start with the blueline:

Gorges: A- Let's face it, he is the real Captain of the Canadiens. True leader, he has even chipped in with some points. I have no idea why he wasn't signed long term. The league is seeing how good he is. Value is going up. Markov's salary better not be the reason we cant afford him in the future.

Subban: C+ Take away the first 6-7 games and he gets a B-. PK is playing like he is terrified to make a mistake. When he plays that way, he makes mistakes. Different coach = better stats.

Weber: C Now before everyone goes nuts, let me explain. I do not believe he is best suited to be a dman. He is a turnover machine, even worse than PK. I would make him a winger/point on PP.

Diaz: C I am not really a fan of his at all. I don't know what the strength of his game is and think that he HAS to be the odd man out when the injured guys come back.

Spacek: B- He had played a little better before he got hurt. Biggest key? He is only playing 15+ minutes. Any more, his grade will go down.

Gill: B+ Skillsy is a playoffs guy. His style when games are more wide-open is not near as effective as his shutdown playoff style. He will be an A in the playoffs again I am sure.

Emelin: B Finally, a guy who brings a physical presence to the front of Carey Price's net. He is quickly getting used to the smaller ice surface, and is becoming a steady defensive dman.

Campoli/St. Denis: Incomplete. I don't see St. Denis getting any time with the big club when the injured players come back. Campoli just shouldn't be on the ice.

Markov: (Management: F) Until he proves that he can play and stay healthy this signing will continue to stink. I love the guy, but he played 52 games in 2 years and he has missed the first 24 this year. Hardly a guy I would pay that much money for, especially on a 3 year deal. I hope he gets in the lineup, plays well, and we win. I am just not convinced he will stay healthy and I wrote that in a blog in July.

Forwards:

Plekanec: B The points are there but something is missing in his game. His intensity, usually his strong point, seems to flicker at times. He has great shifts, then horrible ones. Injury?

Pacioretty: A Despite the possibility of a suspension, Max has been a bright spot up front. Drives the net, hits, and is shooting from anywhere and everywhere. Should be a 35 goal power forward. That's a rarity in Montreal.

Cole: B+ If he finished half of the chances he had in the last 10 games, he would have close to 15 goals. After just 1 assist in his first 6 games, he has put up 7-6-13 in his last 18 games. With all of the chances he creates, he should lead us in goals, easily. Best Free Agent signing we have had in a long long time.

Desharnais: C Severely miscast as an NHL center. Too small and not fast enough. His points come from the line he plays on, and he would be better suited to play the wing with Gionta perhaps.

Cammalleri: C- This could even be lower. The points gets him the grade. Effort, and will to win should give him a D or an F especially the last 5 games or so. Allergic to hits. We need him to be much better, and he has proven that he has it in him to be a force.....a positive one.

Moen: A-  I love what he has brought to the team, but I would not be surprised if he is used in a deal. He is tough and a leader. However, his value is at an all-time high. He isn't as good as his 8 goals show. I want him here, but if someone overvalued him, I would think about it.

Kostitsyn: B Was playing very well before the injury and has recently returned. Contract year, has a ton to prove. Hope he stays in Montreal, but like Moen, could be used as trade bait for a bigger fish.

Eller: B Lars brings so much more than points. I believe that we won the Halak trade anyway (Price gets to play, has been MUCH better than Halak since, and Eller is a stud in the making), and his two-way game continues to improve. Should be the center for Cole and Pacioretty.

Gomez: D- I could give him an F or even a G but I will give him a break. I wont even mention the salary (I guess I did, sorry), but when a top 2 center doesn't score a goal in over 40 games then he is terrible. When he doesn't hit, coughs the puck up, and has 4 assists in 13 games it makes it even worse. When he plays, the other forwards get less minutes, especially Eller. Just send him to the minors already.

Nokelainen: C He is hard to grade. 4th line journeyman center who doesn't provide offence, hit or fight is not my style of player, but he does win face offs and he is responsible in his own end: two things that we needed.

Darche: D- Gets powerplay time and still only has 1 point in 24 games? BRUTAL. Its not his fault, its Jacques Martin's man-crush he has. Darche is becoming my new Tom Pyatt, but his "frenchness" will keep him in the lineup even longer. Ugh.

Blunden: C A guy that took Ryan White's spot as a 4th line winger that hit, would stand up for teammates and was responsible in his own end? Obviously Martin would send a guy like that to the AHL. He should have stayed till White came back.

Palushaj: D- When I watch him, I wonder if he just got his first pair of skates as a birthday present. He has no balance, does not provide any offense, and is often out of position. Doesn't hit either. Why is Blunden in the AHL again?

Engqvist: F Has to be running out of chances in Montreal. Looked out of place and uninterested in his 8 game stint. With the Habs so desparate for a big centerman, he had the chance given to him on a silver platter. He failed.

Goalies:

Budaj: B+ Great numbers in limited action, and from what I hear/read is a super teammate and love the fact that the Habs signed him. He knows his role and that is key.

Price: A- Starting to roll, the MVP of this team by a country mile. Will be a Vezina threat for the next 10 years. Leader on and off the ice, taking over as the dependable leader that we hoped he would be.