EHM The Blue Line

2005-06 Pre-Season

One of my main goals when I started up this franchise with the Canadiens was to purge the 'prospects' left over from previous regimes. Some of these guys are in their thirties, I don't think they're going to make it to the NHL at this point in their careers. Time to make some room for fresh blood. I decided if I couldn't get anything out of them, even a 7th round pick, I'd drop their rights and move on.

Also on my list of guys I can do without are a few of the third and fourth liners who are hovering around 30 (my cutoff age unless you're a real key guy on my team) and taking up a large amount of salary cap space. So I'm looking to move guys like Radek Bonk ($4.5 million) and his ilk. Bonk gets paid like a star and will never make it past the second line. I'll have none of that.

Transactions
Signed F Guilleaume Latendresse to a $2.5 million contract through 2008
Signed C Brandon Benedict* to a $900K contract through 2007
Traded the rights to D Martti Jarventie to Atlanta for the rights to D Brian Sipotz
Traded the rights to G Vadim Tarasov to Carolina for the rights to G Magnus Akerlund
Traded the rights to C Kim Staal to Dallas for the rights to C/RW Matt McKnight
Traded the rights to W Juraj Mikus to Minnesota for the rights to D Jean Claude Sawyer and their 2006 5th Rd Pick
Released the rights of RW Martin Sychra, W Johan Witehall, W Viktor Ujcik, RW Peter Strom
Traded LW/C Steve Begin to LA for W Petr Kanko



*Benedict went to my high school back in the day, I always sign him even if he never gets past the ECHL.

A quick rundown of my exhibition scores, I don't really worry too much about winning the games, I just want to get my young guys on the ice:

Montreal 3
Chicago 1

Montreal 2
Toronto 5

Montreal 2
Boston 3

Montreal 0
Vancouver 4

Montreal 2
Phoenix 5

Opening Night Lines

Zednik Koivu Kovalev
Bulis Bonk Ryder
Dagenais Ribiero Sundstrom
Plekanec Higgins Perezhogin

Souray Dandenault
Markov Rivet
Bouillon Komisarek

Theodore Huet

Scratches: Mark Streit, Guilleaume Latendresse, Yann Danis


I'm going to try to work Latendresse into the lineup as much as possible, likely substituting him for Dagenais.

No checking-line?

Systemfel wrote:No checking-line?

Not until I get some guys that can check.

munky wrote:Not until I get some guys that can check.

Sundström and Bonk could probably do a decent job.

Not a good move to send Begin packing...

Systemfel wrote:

munky wrote:Not until I get some guys that can check.

Sundström and Bonk could probably do a decent job.

Not a good move to send Begin packing...

I've made a few lineup changes, Bonk and Sundstrom are on the third line together and they kill penalties for me. I'd like to get a good strong LW to put with them to have a real solid checking line, but I'm not making much progress in the market yet.

I'm still playing around with different tactical approaches, haven't found the right setup just yet. I do know that this is not a team that can play sound defensive hockey and still win. The only hope they have is to open it up and try to get the other team in a track meet.

I didn't really want to move Begin, but he was just taking up a roster spot I wanted to give to one of my young guys. I would have rather have moved Dagenais, but there's virtually no market for him.

munky wrote:I've made a few lineup changes, Bonk and Sundstrom are on the third line together and they kill penalties for me. I'd like to get a good strong LW to put with them to have a real solid checking line, but I'm not making much progress in the market yet.

The Avs' Steve Konowalchuk will probably become available some time during the season, he's pretty expensive, but great at shutting down top players!

I may have found a stopgap solution on the waiver wire, stay tuned.

First 10 Game Review

Oh boy.

This isn't how I'd hoped things would start.

The Habs opened the season on the road in Ottawa. We actually had a 4-2 lead early in the third period, but gave up two goals in 45 seconds to Jason Spezza and Martin Havlat to tie it up in regulation. Overtime solved nothing and the Sens wound up winning in a shootout.

0-0-1

The Canadiens travelled from Ottawa to Boston to face the Bruins next, and ran into a tough Boston squad that soundly outplayed them and ran off with the 4-1 victory.

0-1-1

The Habs returned home to face the Buffalo Sabres next. The Habs trailed 3-1 through the first period but managed to scrap back and took a 5-4 lead early in te third, only to give up the tying goal shortly thereafter and eventually lose in a shootout. The loss wasn't the most damaging aspect of this game however, as Saku Koivu seperated his shoulder and will miss two months of action.

0-1-2

Montreal returned to the road and headed for Atlanta to face Ilya Kovalchuk the Thrashers next. The Habs erased a 2-0 deficit in the third to tie the game, but once again lost in a shootout. Shootouts are quickly becoming the bane of Montreal's existance.

0-1-3

The Habs rolled into Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes, their fourth road game in their first five. Michael Ryder buried the game winner with just under four minutes left in regulation and the Habs held on to win their first game of the season.

1-1-3

Monreal hosted Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins next, and Sid the Kid came away with an assist in a 5-3 Penguins win. Montreal converted only one of four powerplay opportunities, a continuing problem with the Habs early this season.

1-2-3

Montreal hosted the Islanders three days later. This game could have been billed as "The Alexei Yashin Show" as Yashin had a hand in all five of the Islanders goals in a 5-1 drubbing of the Habs.

1-3-3

The Habs travelled to Long Island for the second half of a home and home series with New York. This time it was "The Pierre Dagenais Show" as the winger scored two powerplay goals in a 3-1 Habs win.

2-3-3

Alex Kovalev returned to New York for the first time since being traded to Montreal and scored the opening goal of the game, but it wasn't enough as the Habs dropped another - 3-2 to the Rangers.

2-4-3

Montreal returned home and hosted the Rangers next, and fared no better at the Bell Centre. The Rangers rolled to a 3-2 win and Montreal continues to struggle on the powerplay, going 0-4 in the game.


I picked up bruising left wing Matt Johnson on waivers from Edmonton to play on the checking line with Radek Bonk and Nik Sundstrom. Johnson stands 6'5" and weighs 231 pounds. It is hoped that Johnson will add a physical element that has been lacking in Montreal since about 1978.




I'm wide open to any tips or suggestions to help right this rapidly sinking ship. I'm still a relative newb with EHM.