Price To Stay....

On Oct 1, 10:53 am, HabsMan <v32... DeleteThis @mun.ca> wrote:
> Good/Bad decision....?¿
>
> I'm thinking good as of now, though time will tell.

I don't think they can go wrong as far as Price himself is concerned.
He could have benefitted from playing 65 games in Hamilton. He will
benefit from playing 30 in Montreal... or even more if he manages to
steal time from Huet. Price is fine either way.

I'm just thinking the decision is a dicier one with regards to how it
affects Halak. Granted, we as fans don't see the goalies in
particular enough in pre-season to be able to make any judgements
ourselves one way or the other about who is really playing better.
Game stats and limited viewings say Price was (marginally) shakiest of
the 4. But that's pieces of a tiny sampling of games. The staff sees
a whole lot more in practise than they see in games. But trying to
ignore that gap in our knowledge, it just seems to me like a slap in
the face to a 2-year pro like Halak who didn't seem to deserve to lose
his spot on play alone.

Looking even further past that, I find the tendrils of the decision
probably do stretch back further than training camp. For starters,
we've noticed how the Habs were conveniently leaving $4-5M of cap
space, not just the $2-3M that would have seemed like a more
reasonable "cushion". Well, Price's $2.2M hit comfortably fills in
that mysterious empty space. And while many of us have tried not to
draw the seemingly obvious conclusions from things like Gainey's
comment on players being able to play and develop at the NHL level, or
from the usage of Price as backup in the last two pre-season games,
well... hey, maybe next time we should learn to accept the obvious.
The Habs have (and rightly so) identified Price as their longterm #1
saviour. It surprises me that they've hatched the plan to have him in
nets right off the hop at age 20 like this, however, but I'm thinking
that today's decision pretty much says they've had that plan in place
since long before camp started.

As for Halak... well, here's a good test of his resolve and attitude,
anyway. I think he had another test last spring when he was given the
option of either coming back to Hamilton for the playoffs or jetting
off to join the World Championships. I've always wondered if maybe it
didn't exactly impress some people that he chose to jet away. He
missed out on a valuable team-bonding opportunity with Bulldogs
players, and he himself kind of let Price waltz into his spot by doing
so. A kind of ironic justice in a way there. I hope Halak takes this
the right way, though, because he can be a valuable asset in our
organization, and it would be unfortunate if the Habs' little dramatic
flourish of putting Price ahead of him in any way diminished the value
he can one day bring to our team.

l8r,
Gerry
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HabsMan <v32ajf RemoveThis @mun.ca> wrote in news:1191250429.384349.317980
@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

> Good/Bad decision....?¿
>
> I'm thinking good as of now, though time will tell.

What if ... Price wins the rookie of the year, the Hart and Conne Smythe
Trophy by leading the team to the Cup. Could he be THAT good?

OK. I'll wake up now ...
 >> Stay informed about: Price To Stay.... 

I don't like this move. This seems like a move the could kill anything
useful we can get out of Halek. As he was not a highly drafted goalie, his
only ability to gain trade vaule would by by proving himself in the NHL.
Now, for another season, he will not get that chance.

On the other hand, with Price, we know he's going to be in the NHL. We know
the team is going to give him a chance to run with the ball. With Halek, we
are less sure. Testing him out while Huet carried most of the load seemed
ideal. If Halek shone, it could even have evolved into a tandem situation
this season. If he sunk, the Habs could have started thinking about their
options for next season, and whether it would be best to bring in a veteran
to tandem with Price until Price had proven he was ready to be a #1, or
even retained Huet for that matter.

Instead, seems we're sort of throwing all our eggs in the Price basket. If
he plays like a star and we fell comfortable with going with him as a #1
next season, then I suppose whoever is going to be the back-up, Halek or a
vet, might not matter much. But if Price plays very so-so, will it be
acceptable next season to figure that Halek, with only his small handful of
games in the NHL, will be enough of an insurance policy if Price falters?

Anyway, it seems to me like this is a waste of Halek. We're saying that to
other teams right now that Halek is never going to be considered anything
more than a back-up for us, and sink his trade value accordingly. And
depending on the situation, he might not even be considered to be good
enough for that role this season or next. I think we have better than an
AHL calibre goalie in Halek, but now that's the role we've stuck him in,
and that's roughly the trade vaule he now has. Our embarrassing riches of
goalie's is somewhat undone by this move, except in the case of a major
injury.

Marty
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On Oct 1, 11:53 am, HabsMan <v32... DeleteThis @mun.ca> wrote:
> Good/Bad decision....?¿
>
> I'm thinking good as of now, though time will tell.

It's been said over and over: the problem with this team is not
goaltending. Huet's stats over two years with the Habs - 37-27-4
record, 2.57 goals against and .922 save percentage - make that clear.
Therefore, there should be no rush to bring in Price. He's the
solution to a problem we don't have. In your wildest dreams, is he
going to put up better numbers this year than Huet has? What
improvement is he going to make?

I don't get it.

Bill
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On Oct 1, 9:57 pm, Bill <magiz... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> On Oct 1, 11:53 am, HabsMan <v32... RemoveThis @mun.ca> wrote:
>
> > Good/Bad decision....?¿
>
> > I'm thinking good as of now, though time will tell.
>
> It's been said over and over: the problem with this team is not
> goaltending. Huet's stats over two years with the Habs - 37-27-4
> record, 2.57 goals against and .922 save percentage - make that clear.
> Therefore, there should be no rush to bring in Price. He's the
> solution to a problem we don't have. In your wildest dreams, is he
> going to put up better numbers this year than Huet has? What
> improvement is he going to make?
>
> I don't get it.
>
> Bill

Why wait till next season to test Price's potential as a #1? Your
right there should not be a problem right now. Why wait till a problem
forces a choice. If Huet has a great season, should Montreal give him
a hefty raise to sign him again? Knowing if Price is really ready
would make it easier for Huet to be either traded or not re-signed if
he wants a large raise and a long term contract. If Price is not
ready, then investing in a veteran goalie becomes a higher priority.

If Huet carries most of the load this season, and Price spends another
year in Hamilton, Halak gets 15 to 20 games what do think fans would
be saying if next year Montreal started the season with a Goalie
tandem made up of a potential #1 who has yet to prove himself (Price)
and a backup with limited playing time (Halak). If Huet is lost then
everyone would be asking should Montreal sign another veteran to
replace Huet, again pushing Halak back to Hamilton.

Going with Price now helps increase the options Montreal will have
later.
 >> Stay informed about: Price To Stay.... 

> possibly the best duo in the east.

Don't get me wrong I think there are a great one-two punch - as I
thought Huet/Halak was as well.

But for the label "best duo in the east" - have you looked at the Sens
keepers lately? How about the Leafs?

Price has impressed us to date BUT he is yet to play a meaningful game
in the NHL - talk to me when he has 20+ games under his belt.

Cheers,
 >> Stay informed about: Price To Stay.... 

Bill <magizzle.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Oct 1, 11:53 am, HabsMan <v32....TakeThisOut@mun.ca> wrote:
>> Good/Bad decision....?¿
>>
>> I'm thinking good as of now, though time will tell.
>
>It's been said over and over: the problem with this team is not
>goaltending. Huet's stats over two years with the Habs - 37-27-4
>record, 2.57 goals against and .922 save percentage - make that clear.
>Therefore, there should be no rush to bring in Price. He's the
>solution to a problem we don't have. In your wildest dreams, is he
>going to put up better numbers this year than Huet has? What
>improvement is he going to make?

if huet plays to form price only needs to put up better backup
numbers than aebischer's to effect an improvement in overall
goaltending.

>I don't get it.

possibly the best duo in the east.






manwell
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HabsMan <v32ajf DeleteThis @mun.ca> wrote:

>> possibly the best duo in the east.
>
>Don't get me wrong I think there are a great one-two punch - as I
>thought Huet/Halak was as well.
>
>But for the label "best duo in the east" - have you looked at the Sens
>keepers lately? How about the Leafs?

no labelling yet, i did say "possibly". this may be a comfortable
setup for both goalies. huet is 32 and has never played more than
42 or so games; they can break price in to the bigs with a fair
amount of work with less than big-time pressure, and huet doesn't
get over worked.


>Price has impressed us to date BUT he is yet to play a meaningful game
>in the NHL - talk to me when he has 20+ games under his belt.

ok.

>Cheers,




manwell
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