Official NHL Pre-Pre-Season Disscussion Thread

Well, as a proud Montreal native, is my duty to contradict you and pray the Leafs don't make it. I trust the feeling is reciprocated onto my Montreal Canadiens.

In all seriousness though, I really don't like the additions the leafs have made on defense. Hal Gill and Pavel Kubina are not going to carry the team.

Up front, without Lindros and Nolan taking up dead weight anymore, and having added Peca, the Leafs look solid up front. Also, I like the looks of their prospects. I expect big things from Stajan.

They don't need to carry the team, or even the defensive squad. We resigned McCabe and still have Kabrele. Plus we have a really good young goalie with Andre Raycroft, sure to step it up this year. And even if he doesn't, JS Aubin did great the last little bit of the season. And I beleive there is one or two young goalie prospects. We'll do fine, F the Habs ;D[/quote]

Agreed, I think all Raycroft needs is some more playing time to break out of his funk.

As far as defence goes, Kaberle isn't bad, but McCabe is by far the most overrated defenceman in the league. In all reality is is just a crazy old coot who is slightly better than average, which still does beat the entire Habs defence, which is still wallowing in mediocrity, with the exception of Andrei Markov.

Leafs for the Loss

True, true, but still, every hockey site I go to is all like:

"OmGzZzZ!!11 MCCaBE iS Teh MAn!!!!111oneone!!!"

It just seems to me Leaf fans like to think he's god or something

and now I sit and wait for Kovaleve, Koivu, Ryder, Samsonov and the rest of the Habs roster to be bashed!

The Habs...

Coaching:

Well With Carbs and Muller behind the bench, they're gonna want to bring back the winning spirit that the team had a decade ago. Gainey back soley as GM will help, he won't have his mind in two places at once.

Offense:

Well with Samsonov on the team, the ideal first line would be Samsonov Koivu Kovalev, but we'll see how that goes. Ryder, Perezoghein (didn't spell that one right), Johnson, Begin, and Koitzyn should help thei offense quite a bit. They'll be quick this year.. And that speed will help them alot! As for Ribiero, well I'd say trade him for a bucket of pucks and cut your losses.

Defense:

Well Souray, Dandenault, Boullion, and Markov are great defensemen, and add alot to the team... Komisarek, well, I like him, but I think I'm the only one. He's way to slow to keep up in the new game.

Goaltending:

This spot, they are SOLID. Huet needs to prove that he is not Jim Carrey (Washington/Boston), and is not a one-season wonder. If he can pull off another great year, there will be no problems. As for Aebischer, he will be there to back-up, or possibly take the starting job. Either way they have a goo problem. 2 solid goalies, and you don't know who to pick.

Overall:

Well judging overall, I'll say the Habs finish 5th in the East this year. This is coming from a Bias Habs fan, but hey, i can see it happening!

And I'll look at The Flyers as well (My dad's a Flyers fan, So I've been watching the Flyers since I was born 21 years ago!)

Coaching:

Well Hitchcock will be back doing his thing as usual. He's a solid coach, and does it well! He just needs to work on keeping his players healthy. Clarke as GM, no matter what anyone thinks, is great for that team. He keeps this team in great shape, but the players simply get injured way to much.

Offense:

Well with the acquisition of Calder, their 2 top lines will be amazing. With Carter, Ricards, Forsberg, Gagne, Umburger, Knuble, and Calder, their offense is STACKED. They just have to stay healthy all year.

Defense:

Well here lies their problem.. Pitkannen, Baumgartner, Meyer, Jones and Picard would be ideal as their top 5 defensemen. They are quick, solid skaters, and move the puck well. The problem is that they over-paid Hatcher, Rathje, and Gauthier, who are all slow, big, OLD NHL players. They are useless and simply hurt the team. The lines will probably go Pitkannen-Hatcher, Meyer-Gauthier, Baumgartner-Rathje, with Jones and Picard subing in every once in a while. If Clarke is smart, he will take the hit, and drop Hatcher and Rathje.. They are useless. Plus they have 2 defensive prospects that are just as good as a Pitkannen/Meyer combo.

Goaltending:

Esche/Nittimakki... No one really knows who the starter is, but like the Habs, they have a good problem. When Esche is healthy, he can be solid.. He's gone into slumps, and Nittimakki is always there to pick up the pieces. He should be the starter next year, with Esche backing him up. It would make the most sense.

Overall:

Well, the Flyers do not dissapoint, until they get into the playoffs of course! They will make the playoffs, and will do it by leading their division. They will be second in the East this year, and will do so once they realize their defense needs tweaking. They are tired of making the plaoffs, moving on, and going NOWHERE! Tjis year, barring a thousand and one injuries as usual, the Flyers will contend!

Steve-O

JFJ?

Fergie, the -up General Manager? Oh, I hate him... They should fire him along with Pat Quinn...

Im glad for the Leafs to make big changes, such as releasing Eddie, letting Tie, Big E go...

So what are your guys' thoughts on the big DiPiertro deal? 15 years? I'm gonna be freakin 32 by the time that's over!

i'm more worried about my canucks...................