Toronto Maple Leafs will have several good options when they pick fourth in the NHL entry draft

source : nationalpost.com

Brendan Shanahan always knew it was going to be a long shot.

Will Connor McDavid be the saviour that turns around the struggling Oilers franchise?

The Toronto Maple Leafs president headed into Saturday night’s NHL Draft Lottery with only a 9.5% chance of winning the first-overall pick in this summer’s draft. So it was hardly a surprise, said Shanahan, that they did not “get the golden ticket.”

But it was hardly considered a loss. Unlike the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, who each moved down a spot in the draft order after the Edmonton Oilers won the draw and jumped from third to first, the Leafs held the No. 4 position.


That might not seem like much. But in a draft that is top-heavy with talent, it could be the difference between getting a potential franchise player or just a very good one.

“I’m happy we’re at four. There’s some good players there,” Shanahan said. “Obviously, there’s so much focus on the first couple of guys — and they’re fantastic players — but it’s a very deep draft.”

Now comes the question: Who will be available when the Leafs are picking?

We know Connor McDavid and Boston University centre Jack Eichel will be off the board after Edmonton and Buffalo make their selections. But it is anyone’s guess what the Coyotes will do next.


The two obvious options are Boston College defenceman Noah Hanifin and Erie Otters centre Dylan Strome. The likely scenario is that Arizona will take one and Toronto will take the other. But figuring out the order now depends on a variety of factors, such as team need and which player scouts believe will develop into the better long-term player.

NHL Central Scouting ranked Hanifin as the third-best North American skater in the draft. But the 6-foot-3 Strome, who is ranked fourth, led the Ontario Hockey League with 129 points in 68 games.
The Coyotes, who are in the early stages of a massive rebuild, already have a franchise defenceman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and a drafted blueliner Brandon Gormley 13th overall in 2010. And while they have a bevy of forward prospects, such as wingers Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Brendan Perlini, they are lacking a No. 1 centre.

The Leafs, who have William Nylander and Morgan Rielly as the cornerstones of their rebuild, could use all the help they can get.


“No one knows what’s going to happen on draft day,” Strome, who is from Mississauga, Ont., said on Saturday night. “I’m just looking forward to the whole process. Obviously people have their predictions and fans have things they say, but at the end of the day the one general manager that likes you is probably where you’re going to end up for a while. I’m just looking forward to making a team happy.”

“Obviously Toronto’s in a rebuilding stage right now,” said Hanifin, a native of Massachusetts. “If I were to be selected by them, it would be an honour to play with Morgan Rielly and guys like that.”
When asked if the Leafs planned on trying to move up in the draft to get the player they want, Shanahan was non-committal. “We’ll make that decision later,” he said.

Also being considered as a potential pick at No. 4 are London winger Mitch Marner and Kingston winger Lawson Crouse. But whomever is chosen, do not expect him to change the Leafs’ fortunes immediately. They might not even be in the Leafs lineup for another year or two.

“It really just all depends,” Shanahan said on whether the player they get at the No. 4 spot would be NHL ready. “It depends on who you get, it depends on whether or not they’re ready. I think you can’t have your mind made up. If somebody is going to develop the best while playing in the NHL and is ready to go then you have to leave that option open for them.

“If somebody needs more time, then that’s OK as well.”

NHL Draft 2015: A Look at Toronto Maple Leafs' Pick

source : bleacherreport.com

The NHL Draft Lottery is complete for this year, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will select at the No. 4 spot, as per NHL.com.

Obviously the Leafs would have loved to have won the lottery and had the No. 1 pick. But at least it was the Edmonton Oilers that won the lottery, a team that was already slotted to pick before the Leafs. Because the Oilers were ahead of the Leafs heading into the lottery, the Leafs did not get bumped down to the No. 5 spot.

While Connor McDavid will be an Edmonton Oiler and Jack Eichel seems destined to join the Buffalo Sabres, the draft order becomes much less clear after that.
Let's take a look at the most likely picks for the Toronto Maple Leafs who should get an excellent player at No. 4.

4. Mitch Marner, Centre, London Knights

Mitch Marner is not a large young man, but his game screams big-time talent. If Marner were two inches taller and weighed another 25 pounds, he would be in the conversation as a top-three pick.

Marner has great vision and explosive speed. He's capable of making great plays at break-neck speed. At 5'11" and 160 pounds, he may have to begin his career on the wing, but he has all the tools to be a No. 1 centre at the NHL level.
Marner earned 126 points in 63 games this season. He finished second in OHL scoring in 2014-15. He has to get stronger, but he has elite puck skills. Players that can put up big numbers at the NHL level are not easy to find.
Expect Marner to get a long look from the Leafs in the coming months.

3. Ivan Provorov, Defenceman, Brandon Wheat Kings

Some Leafs fans might not be interested in adding a defenceman, but Ivan Provorov could change their minds. 

Provorov could end up being the best defenceman out of this draft class. He is a great passer, a wonderful skater and an underrated competitor. Provorov makes the game look easy on most nights.
He's not huge at 6'1" and 200 pounds, but with his skill level, that should be absolutely no issue at the pro level.
Provorov has the toolkit to be a top-pairing defender. He would not be in Toronto in 2015-16, but with the Leafs focused on rebuilding, there's absolutely no need to rush him at all.

2. Noah Hanifin, Defenceman, Boston College

Noah Hanifin played most of his freshman year at Boston College as a 17-year-old. That alone is impressive, but earning 23 points in 37 games is eye-popping. He is 6'3" and over 200 pounds. He will get bigger.

Hanifin has a complete game. He's got good offensive instincts, but is an above-average defender in his own end. He's very agile and has great composure with the puck.

He has improved by leaps and bounds this year. That's a great sign for a young defender.
He isn't likely to make the jump to the NHL next season, but he is a lock to become an impact NHL defender.

1. Dylan Strome, Centre, Erie Otters

 

Dylan Strome has been playing in the shadow of Connor McDavid, but don't be fooled into thinking that Strome isn't a superb hockey player.

Strome is 6'3" and nearly 200 pounds. The Leafs must continue to add centres, and Strome would be a great pick for the organization. Strome finished with 129 points in the OHL, which earned him the scoring title.

He's got exceptional on-ice vision and anticipates the play extremely well. He also has great reach and can create something out of very little. He's creative and is one of those players that improves his linemates' play.

Strome is a sure bet to be a No. 1 centre at the NHL level. If he's available at No. 4 at the upcoming draft, the Leafs would be well served to select this talented pivot.

 

Can Leafs win McDavid lottery? Stranger things have happened: Cox

source : thestar.com

Connor McDavid shows off the hardware after winning gold with Canada at the world juniors. The NHL draft lottery is Saturday night and some lucky team will get the chance to draft the young superstar. The Leafs have a 9.5 per cent chance.

 They happen in sports, which is why the well-worn sport-imitates-life clichè became a clichè in the first place. They also happen outside of the arena sometimes, momentous strokes of fortune that alter the landscape for a team or sometimes an entire sport.

Hockey is no stranger to these, although game-changers for organizations come along a little less than you might think, at least in the NHL. Specifically, one player or one decision rarely turns the hockey world upside down, or massively alters the odds as to which club gets a leg up in the race for Lord Stanley’s chalice.

But it happens. Occasionally. To whit:

 

In March, 1960, a minor hockey organizer in Parry Sound named Anthony Gilchrist pointed the Maple Leafs in the direction of 12-year-old Bobby Orr. The Leafs could have signed him, locked him up under the rules that then existed. “Too young,” replied the Leafs, then run by Punch Imlach and about to embark on a decade-long run that would bring four Cups to Toronto.

Instead, the Bruins locked up the legendary Orr, arguably the greatest player ever to play the sport, and went from losers to champions inside a decade.

 

In 1970, Buffalo and Vancouver joined the league as expansion teams. To decide which team would get the first pick in the amateur draft and the right to select centre Gilbert Perreault of the Montreal Jr. Canadiens, the NHL decided to use a roulette wheel. After one spin, president Clarence Campbell thought the Canucks had won, but he was mistaken. The Sabres got Perreault, and five years later they were in the Stanley Cup final against Philly.

Perreault played 1,191 regular-season games, scored 512 goals and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Vancouver picked Dale Tallon, more famous and successful as a hockey executive than he was as a player.

 

In 1979, the WHA’s Indianapolis Racers held the contract of 18-year-old Wayne Gretzky, but owner Nelson Skalbania had a case of the shorts. He offered to sell Gretzky to Michael Gobuty, owner of the Winnipeg Jets. For a variety of reasons, including a negative assessment from his scouts, Gobuty passed. Peter Pocklington didn’t, and the Edmonton Oilers were able to keep Gretzky, who was never drafted, in the resulting merger with the NHL.

 

In December, 1995, Montreal head coach Mario Tremblay, in a bizarre choice never really explained, left goalie Patrick Roy in the Canadiens net against Detroit for nine goals against. When a humiliated Roy, who had led the Habs to a Cup two years earlier, was finally pulled, he leaned past Tremblay on the bench and told president Ron Corey he would never play for the Habs again.

Four days later, he was traded to Colorado in a lopsided deal. The Avalanche won the Cup the following spring, and again in 2001.

 

In July, 2005, the NHL held what is popularly referred to as the Sidney Crosby Lottery after a lockout wiped out the entire ’04-05 season. All 30 teams were assigned one, two or three balls, and the winning ball was plucked from a drum. Four teams — Pittsburgh, Columbus, Buffalo and the New York Rangers — had three balls, and the Penguins ball was selected. Recently bankrupt, Pittsburgh’s franchise was saved by getting Crosby.

Which brings us to Saturday and the 2015 NHL draft lottery, with 14 NHL clubs, including the Leafs, hoping fate tosses them a rose.

Like Orr, or Perreault, or Gretzky, or Roy, or Crosby, it seems pretty clear Connor McDavid is the same kind of universe-altering talent. Like Tallon in ’70 or Bobby Ryan in ’95, the second prize, Boston University centre Jack Eichel, is very highly regarded.

But most believe he’s just not McDavid.

So some team will be touched by kismet when the lottery is held Saturday night at Sportsnet’s Hockey Centre studio in the CBC building in downtown Toronto. Fourteen balls will be placed in a lottery machine, and four will be withdrawn randomly. The four-number series is matched against a chart that shows all possible combinations and — ta da! — some lucky team is the winner.

It could be last year’s Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings. Or it could be the Sabres, who have the most eligible combinations and can only hope that 45 years after that lucky bounce on the roulette wheel, they get another.

And the Leafs? Well, it’s not about deserving anything, and surely hockey’s richest franchise no more deserves to win this lottery than Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard) deserves to be a director at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

But why not the Leafs this time, with this lottery? Why not give this suffering hockey city a break, 48 years after George Armstrong flipped a puck into an unguarded Montreal net to give the team its last Cup?

The Leafs’ chances of winning are less than 10 per cent, but Buffalo, which has the best odds, still has an 80 per cent chance of losing McDavid. You just get the feeling the Sabres won’t get their new star, that some other team — Arizona, Carolina, Edmonton — will get the nod from the gods.

Or the Leafs. Right now, they’re fourth in the draft order, and if they don’t win the lottery would either hold that spot on drop one place back to fifth. Even at No. 4 or No. 5, they’d end up with a strong young talent, a player like Boston College defenceman Noah Hanifin or Mississauga’s Dylan 

Strome, a teammate of McDavid’s in Erie.

Perhaps Leaf executive Mark Hunter, who drafted Mitch Marner for the London Knights and has watched him blossom into a scoring whiz, wouldn’t be able to resist Marner now. Or there’s Brandon defenceman Ivan Provorov, a Ray Bourque-like blueliner who landed in Manitoba from his native Russia after stops in Wilkes Barre, Pa., and Cedar Rapids, Mich.

All good. But not McDavid.

Imagine how he would change the landscape in Toronto after this train wreck of a season. McDavid is believed to be so good the Leafs’ burn-it-to-the-ground rebuilding strategy could immediately cease, and the opportunity to get much better quickly after a decade mostly spent in the wilderness would be at hand. This week’s Bloody Sunday, a day on which president Brendan Shanahan seemed to play whack-a-mole with hockey office employees, would suddenly seem more sensible, like it had been pre-ordained to prepare the organization for a new saviour.

Winning this lottery isn’t a reward that is earned, and as such, it seems quintessentially Leafian in design, the prize for a badly-run franchise that has everything but just can’t get it right, a team with legions of fans but no ability to put all other distractions aside and just focus on finding its way back to the winner’s circle.

McDavid might, just maybe, tighten that focus. He would be, if the projections are correct, the first true Leaf superstar since Frank Mahovlich, with no slight intended to Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming or even, briefly, Doug Gilmour. Beyond that, he’d also be the first Leaf all-star calibre player from the larger Toronto area since, well, Carl Brewer? Charlie Conacher?

Even with double-digit NHL championships over the decades, Toronto hasn’t traditionally been a team blessed with single incendiary talents. Montreal had The Rocket. Detroit had Gordie Howe. Chicago had Bobby Hull. Boston had Orr, the Canadiens got Guy Lafleur, the Islanders had Mike Bossy, Edmonton had Gretzky and twice-blessed Pittsburgh had Mario Lemieux.

When will it be Toronto’s turn? Maybe never.

But maybe Saturday.

Coyotes and Sabres meeting in high stakes draft tanking battles

source : si.com

Off The Draw

Under different circumstances, games between the Coyotes and Sabres would be an afterthought on a schedule that features compelling playoff races.

Buffalo and Arizona, after all, are a pair of terrible hockey teams. Cellar dwellers in their respective conferences, they offer little competitive intrigue as opponents

NHL Draft Lottery simulator shows how Connor McDavid derby may go

by Allan Muir

But circumstances being what they are, their two meetings promise to be closely watched contests. What’s at stake here is not the points to be gained but the ground to be given up in the standings. The Sabres' 4–3 loss in OT on Thursday night brought the beleaguered franchise a step closer to stuffing the greatest possible number of draft lottery balls into the hopper on April 18. And that means a greater opportunity to transform its future by landing Connor McDavid, the player who is regarded as being the best draft prospect since Sidney Crosby.

No surprise that the crowd at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center was fiercely pro-Coyotes.

The Sabres, who enter the weekend holding the league’s basement apartment with 48 points, have eight games left on their schedule. The Coyotes are six points ahead of them. Arizona had lost eight straight games, and 18 of its last 19, before stunning the Red Wings in overtime on Tuesday night. 

The Yotes have seven games remaining.

Sabres' Mike Weber voices frustration with fans for rooting for Coyotes

by SI.com Staff

Buffalo’s loss, had it been in regulation, might have sealed the deal. Arizona probably needed to lose on Thursday and in next Monday’s rematch in Glendale to make the race interesting.

Not that it’s a race the NHL wants to see run. Despite (or perhaps because of) all the attention it is generating, tonight’s Tank Bowl is bad for business. In fact, tanking to secure a better draft position became such a concern that the NHL felt compelled to dramatically alter its lottery rules ahead of this season. Under those revisions, the league’s worst team now has only a 20% chance of landing the top pick.

But for this year anyway (the rules will change again next summer) that team can drop no lower than the second selection, which means it is guaranteed to land either McDavid or Jack Eichel, the Boston University star who could turn out to be the best consolation prize since Evgeni Malkin went second behind Alex Ovechkin back in 2004.

The team that finishes 29th could land the second pick, but it has a 67% chance of dropping to third and missing out on both players.

Blackhawks may lose another prized prospect in UVM's Michael Paliotta

by Allan Muir

All that said, these games won’t be a farce of turnovers, ignored defensive assignments, sloppy goaltending—though on Thursday the Sabres countered Arizona's Mike Smith (left, photo above) with Matt Hackett (right) and his .893 save percentage instead of Anders Lindback who would weigh in at .926 since arriving in Buffalo via a February trade) and comically blown offensive chances ... at least, no more than normal for these two clubs. In fact, it could end up being a thriller. 

Because while these organizations might be thinking of the future, the players on the ice are only worried about the present. Their honor is on the line tonight. They don’t want to be embarrassed. They’re sick of losing. And no one wants to be seen as the guy who can be jettisoned to make room for McDavid next season.

And they might even be aware of this noteworthy fact: In each of the past three seasons, the team that finished 29th has won the lottery.

Maybe a win will be a win after all.

Hot links

Coyotes broadcaster arrested for allegedly biting cop at casino

by Allan Muir

• Team owner Ed Snider thinks his Flyers can compete for the Stanley Cup next season. He’s not allowed to drive, is he?

• The Las Vegas Aces? Here’s a peek at a possible uniform for an NHL expansion team in Sin City.

• Lawyers working the concussion case brought by former players against the NHL are hoping to get Gary Bettman to testify under oath before July 1. Think that might get interesting?

• Want to celebrate the success of Andrew Hammond by chucking a burger on the ice? The Hamburglar has a better idea.

• You think diminutive Colorado forward Daniel Briere has a tough job battling through oversized defenders? Wait until you hear about what his girlfriend does.

Nhlpa 93 Hockey card game (SEGA) - Draft team

Habs : Around the world

Source : canadiens.nhl.com



After spending a week running the Canadiens development camp, Martin Lapointe’s real season is about to begin.

Nearly 60 hockey prospects descended on the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard in the past week, all with the shared goal of getting themselves noticed. For some, the event marked their first real contact with the Canadiens organization, a sneak peek at their potential future stomping grounds and the staff they could one day be working with. For others, despite their young age, it was far from their first rodeo with regards to Habs development camps. Even for those who had run the gauntlet before, the latest incarnation of the camp offered some key differences in structure and organization – all designed to help give every player involved the chance to get the most out of their continued development.

“This year, our goal was to organize only one single camp. We wanted to avoid holding a first one with our prospects at the beginning of the summer and then another after the draft, as used to be the case. Marc [Bergevin] and I worked together in Chicago and we tried to base what we’re doing here on that model in certain ways,” explained Lapointe, who had been with the Blackhawks staff since 2009 before being hired by the Habs in 2011. “But the way we’re doing things now involves organizing our days a little differently. In addition to the training sessions and scrimmages, we’re giving these young guys the chance to attend seminars with sports psychologists, nutritionists and more.

“Obviously it’s a lot of information to absorb in a pretty short period of time, but it’s a process we’re trying to lead our prospects through,” continued Lapointe. “The later we get in the week, the more intense the on-ice sessions become as we try to put these players in specific game situations during practice to help us gauge how they’ll handle themselves.”

As much as they can accomplish at development camp, five days is far from sufficient when it comes to truly getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of every last one of the prospects on hand. It’s for that reason that when the camp finally draws to a close in Montreal, the Canadiens director of player development hits the road, travelling to the four corners of North America and even crossing the pond to Europe to continue learning about his charges. Getting the chance to see these young players in their own environment, suiting up as members of their actual teams, offers not only the opportunity to view them from a very different angle as players, but also to take the time to interact with them and get to know them as people.

“My job will be to go and see all the players that have been drafted by the Canadiens, whether in Junior, at the university level, or over in Europe,” said Lapointe, who will also be spending a week in Hamilton to observe the Bulldogs. “This year, I’m going to start filming them with my iPad so that directly after a game I can go speak with them and we can go over some sequences together. It’ll make life a lot easier since I won’t have to wait to get a DVD from the coaching staff.

“I’ll also be speaking with their coaches to try and learn as much as I can about the players – things like how they get along with their teammates and how they carry themselves in a team atmosphere,” he added. “It’s even more important to do that with the guys we just drafted since I don’t know them as well yet.”

All these elements help surround Canadiens prospects like never before, allowing the work of Lapointe and his team to be of huge use to the organization when the time comes to weigh in on the progress of the players. While such practices are now becoming the standard among NHL franchises in dealing with up-and-coming players, that certainly hasn’t always been the case.

Having personally already experienced the ups and downs that come for a young player with his sights set on an career at hockey’s highest level, the 39-year-old former NHL forward is quick to admit how much he would have benefited from a similar setup as a teen taking his first strides in the QMJHL.

“When I was coming up, there wasn’t anything close to this when it came to dealing with young players and prospects. On top of that, in those days, I didn’t speak English either and when I arrived in the United States I was tossed into a world where I didn’t know anyone. It was definitely tough to integrate myself into the rest of the group,” admitted Lapointe, the Detroit Red Wings’ first round selection at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. “It’s obviously a great feeling for a young player to see that the team that drafted you is taking an active interest in you and your development. It’s important mentally because should they ever start going through any tough moments in their careers, we can at least be there to help boost their morale and give them some tips and pointers that can help them out.”

Habs Needs & Their Odds of Landing a UFA

Source : habsaddict.com

Now that the NHL draft is complete, its time to move our focus towards free agency.  This time of year is always big for creating our own fantasy lineups and wish lists.  While most of those off-season trade wishes -- I'd love to see David Desharnais dealt straight up for Sidney Crosby -- will never come to fruition, its nevertheless fun to imagine.  This is not one of those wish list posts.

There are some glaring needs for the Habs entering the off-season.  Size up the middle at center is always a desire, as is adding size and grit to the wings.  A large, skilled forward is free-agency priority #1 for Marc Bergevin.  While we are set in goal at the NHL level (Carey Price and Peter Budaj), we do not have much NHL-ready depth at the position.  While the Habs drafted Zachary Fucale, he is at least 3 years away from breaking camp at the NHL level and is better served to apprentice in Hamilton for the next 4-5 years. Depth on defence is always desirable but with the promising AHL players we have (Tinordi, Beaulieu, Pateryn), signing a defender is not necessarily a priority.

I really enjoy the Hot-Stove discussions of the off-season.  Discussing players and their fits with the Habs is one of the best ways to spend the time during the slow-news summer months.  The following list is compiled of some of the NHL free-agents who fit the mold of what the Habs need, along with my personal opinion about signing them and my odds of the Habs' chances of landing said player.

Vincent Lecavalier

Intangibles:  Brings a 6'4" frame, considerable offensive skill, a Stanley Cup winning pedigree and French Canadian status to the table.  Is also 33 years old, showing signs of decline and is arguably the top name available on the Free Agent (FA) market.  Market demand will be high, as will potential salary demands.   
Opinion:  I would love to see Lecavalier in a Habs jersey. But not at a steep price. Starting to decline offensively and showing signs of the injury bug creeping into his game. With the demand for his services high, he will probably land a 5 year/25 million dollar contract.  While I would pay him that yearly salary, I do not like him at this contract length.   
Habs Odds: 50%

Nathan Horton

Intangibles:  A true power-forward who tends to step up his game in the post-season.  When healthy, will provide 25-30 goals, 55-60 points and solid physical play and is sound defensively. Stanley Cup winner/finalist in Boston. However, rarely healthy and coming off a disappointing 2013 regular season.
Opinion: I've always been a fan of Horton's and his well-rounded game. He is only 28 years of age and will command a large salary. I always felt Horton was overpaid at $4-million per season and he wants more. He wants to be a $5 million per year player. Sorry but no. He would look good on a second line with Desharnais, but his propensity for injuries is worrisome as is the price to land him.
Habs Odds: 20%

David Clarkson

Intangibles:  29 year-old grinder turned sniper potted a career-high 30 goals in 2012 and came back with 15 goals in the strike-shortened 2013 season.  Extremely physical player will drive to the net, throw his weight around and drop the gloves. Similar skill-set to Brandon Prust, with better hands.  However, rather one-dimensional and benefited from top-line ice time on a bad New Jersey Devils team. Will command a rather inflated salary in free-agency.
Opinion:  I would love to see Clarkson in Montreal.  He would fit in extremely well with Galchenyuk and Gallagher while crowding the crease on the power-play. The size and physical aspect of his game is something lacking in the lineup. A contract along the lines of 4 years/$14 million ($3.5 million per year) is the max I would hand out, but knowing how inflated the FA market gets, highly unlikely that would be enough to land Clarkson.
Habs Odds: 35%

Ryan Clowe

Intangibles:  A tough physical player with size (6'2", 225 lbs), the 30-year old Clowe was rumored to Montreal at the deadline and has been a darling of fellow bloggers here at the Addict. His willingness to throw his weight around and the drop the gloves will compliment Prust in the lineup and has a more rounded game than fellow scoring-grinder Clarkson.  However, his offensive numbers decreased for the second year in a row as he battled some nagging injuries.
Opinion:  I did not want the Habs to trade for Clowe at the deadline, as I felt the price to land him was too high.  As a free agent, I would be willing to give him a 3 year deal at around the same $3.5 million cap hit he played under in San Jose.  Whether this is enough to land him is unknown.
Habs Odds: 40%

Dustin Penner

Intangibles:  Large (6'5", 245 lbs) winger has scored goals at an NHL level (1-time 30 goal scorer, 3-time 20 goal scorer). Two-time Stanley Cup winner. However, has not contributed any consistent offense since being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in 2010/11.  Has a tendency to float and lacks a consistent drive. Often times has been a healthy scratch with the Kings.
Opinion: Penner played well entering his free-agent year of 2006/07, landing an offer-sheet from the Edmonton Oilers. Was a consistent producer for the Oilers, but never developed as anticipated. At his current $3.25 million rate, or for multiple years, I would stay away. If we can sign him for a one-year, show me the money deal at a discounted rate ($2 million maximum), I'd take a flyer on him. Nothing more.
Habs Odds: 20%

Brendan Morrow

Intangibles:  Gritty, physical player has good leadership skills.  Has scored goals (5 time 20-goal scorer, 2 time 30 goal scorer) and throws his weight around.  A Stanley Cup winner with the Dallas Stars and an Olympic gold medal in 2010, Morrow has played well at the highest level.  However, at 34 years-old he is feeling the effects of his style of play.  Offensive skills  have been declining and he was bitten by the injury bug the past couple of seasons.
Opinion:  Washed up veteran will be overpaid based on his name and resume, or will sign a team-friendly deal with one of the top Stanley Cup contenders (Pittsburgh could re-sign him, Chicago or Boston could be in the mix depending on the moves made by Bickell and Horton, respectively).  I would not pursue this option.
Habs Odds: 5%


Dan Ellis
Jose Theodore
Chris Mason
Mathieu Garon
Michael Leighton
Yann Danis
Jason Labarbera
Brian Boucher


Intangibles:  Experienced NHL goaltenders, with starting experience on the downside of their careers who may be willing to sign minor-league deals and provide organizational depth.  However, they are all experienced NHL goaltenders on the downside of their careers who will provide nothing more than organizational depth.
Opinion:  Dan Ellis was coveted by the Habs prior to signing Peter Budaj before he chose to sign with Carolina.  Theodore, Garon, Mason and Leighton would be decent options in Hamilton who can be called up in case of injuries to Price or Budaj.  All should be cheap. Any one would suffice.
Habs Odds: 30% chance of landing one of them.

Habs : Bergevin faces extra heat going into second draft as Canadiens general manager

Source : Montrealgazette.com

 Holding the third overall draft pick made things relatively simple for Marc Bergevin a year ago at his first NHL draft as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

This time may be trickier, as Bergevin and his staff go into Sunday's draft holding the 25th overall pick. However, having six picks in the first three rounds could make it interesting.

"Last year we only had two picks before ours and we had a good idea of what we were going to do," said Bergevin, who selected forward Alex Galchenyuk. "This year, it's completely different."
And this time there is unexpected extra pressure on Bergevin in the form of centre Vincent Lecavalier.

Montreal fans are pushing hard for the Canadiens to sign Lecavalier, who entered the unrestricted free agent market on Thursday when the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they were buying out 33-year-old's hefty contract.

The Canadiens have not had a French-Canadian star in many years, and Lecavalier would fit that bill. They also want to get bigger up front, and Lecavalier is six-foot-four. And, with 20 players signed and $9 million in salary cap space open, they should be able to afford him.

Even Mathieu Darche, a former Canadien and Lightning, urged Bergevin on his blog for RDS to sign the slick centre who scored 52 goals in 2006-07.

The temptation to make a play for his former teammate in Tampa would have to be enormous, even if it seems to go against Bergevin's philosophy.

Only a week ago, Bergevin said he was leery of using free agency for anything but acquiring role players to fill gaps in the roster, as he did last summer with Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong.

"To me, free agency is a tool, but it's not a way to make your team a top team," he said. "It's overplayed. You have to be really careful with free agency."

He does not rule out making a deal to move up in the draft, however. The Canadiens have three second round picks, including the 34th and 36th overall from previous deals, as well as their own 55th pick. They also draft 71st and 86th overall in the third round.

"I can say we're always looking to improve our position, but there's a price to pay," he said.

"You don't build a team through free agency or trades, you build it through the draft. And you need to be patient with these guys. Look at the teams that have success, like Chicago. The core of their players, most of them came through the draft. And it took years for them to become the elite team they are now. It's not a secret recipe, how to build a hockey team."

He gave no indication on what sort of players he and scouting director Trevor Timmins are looking for.

After his smaller-than-average team was eliminated in the first round of playoffs by Ottawa, he said he would like more "balance" between big and small players. So they may look for some bigger bodies.

The organization is also thin on goalies, having not drafted one since they took Petteri Simla 211th overall in 2009. They have selected only two since they got Carey Price fifth overall in 2005.
So they may be tempted by Halifax Mooseheads goalie Zach Fucale.

There are a handful of other prospects from Quebec who may be available if that is a consideration, including defenceman Samuel Morin and forwards Laurent Dauphin, Anthony Mantha and perhaps Frederik Gauthier.

The flashy Jonathan Drouin, expected to go in the top five, is likely out of their reach. Bergevin said it would take more than offering a first and second round pick to move up that high.

"It's not just to draft the players available, but to draft the players you like," he said. "If you can move up and get that player, and it comes at a price you feel is not too steep, then I will do that."
What he has to offer is other draft picks.

"Especially in the early second (round)," he said. "The 34th and 36th. Those are really good picks.
They're appealing picks."

Montreal has its best collection of picks since it had five in the top 73 in 2007. That year, they got Ryan McDonagh (now a New York Ranger) 12th, Max Pacioretty 22nd, Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban 43rd and defenceman Yannick Weber 73rd.

Their off-season moves so far include buying out rearguard Tomas Kaberle and signing depth defenceman Davis Drewiske to a new deal.