OffThePost.org

Emmy Lou is Ahn the way out!

Habs acquire D Dave Schlemko from LV for a 5th rounder. Considered a solid, no-nonsense defenceman, but one who's been moved around a lot and hasn't managed to stay healthy.

He's also 30.

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Big like Emelin, but slower, with more offensive ability.

Schlemko sounds like a perfectly adequate 3rd pairing defenceman that teams have unsuccessfully tried to stretch out into a second pairing defenceman, which means Bergevin probably wants to play him with Weber.

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Speaking of defencemen who probably shouldn't be on the top pairing, the Habs are one of many teams interested in Karl Alzner.

He hasn't missed a game in the last 7 seasons, which is really impressive, but punching the clock is probably his best quality. The fact that the Caps, who just threw $46M at TJ Oshie, won't even bother negotiating with this guy should raise a few alarm bells.

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So that means Bergevin is getting ready to make an offer, right?

Yeah, sounds like Alzner is the Habs' main target. Radulov is being courted by 11 teams according to LeBrun, and I doubt the Habs will make the best offer.

Weber-Markov-Alzner-Petry as a top 4 goes against just about everything we've seen in the NHL the past few seasons, but the Habs clearly have a strategy here.

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Anyways, Pierre McGuire was on Montreal radio yesterday and damn near had an ulcer trying to comprehend the Habs' strategy.

And he says no way Alzner goes to Montreal. He's a West Coast guy. Hanzal, maybe.

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Bergevin has basically reunited Price's fishing crew: Weber, Alzner, Benn

Not sure the big WHL boys defence is where it's at in 2017, but we'll see.

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Habs add depth: F Peter Holland, D Joe Morrow, D Matt Taormina

There to give Laval some oomph, be experienced callups.

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Radulov gone: 5 years, 6.25M AAV with Dallas

Ales Hemsky gets the Semin flier: 1 yr, 1M to prove he's got something left in the tank.

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I find the Habs' hardballing of Radulov, one of their few offence generators, to be a little weird and misguided.

Who would you rather have? 28-year-old Alzner for 5 years and 4.625M AAV or 31-year-old Radulov at 5 years and 6.25M AAV?

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Unlikely the Habs are done. I still think Markov will come back, and Bergevin is still digging for scoring. As it stands, there's no way this team makes any sense without Galchenyuk or Drouin as the no. 1 centre.

As you can see, 2RW and 1LD are huge holes.

Drouin-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Danault-Hemsky
Lehkonen-Plekanec-Shaw
Byron-Mitchell-McCarron

Alzner-Weber
Schlemko-Petry
Jerabek-Benn

Price-Montoya

Other dudes: Hudon, De La Rose, Martinsen, Holland, Scherbak, Davidson, Lernout, Morrow

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Longest serving Hab Andrei Markov remains unsigned. Today Bergevin planted a story in the French media that they offered Mark Streit 1 year/1.5M. Streit might still have something left in the tank, but he's no Markov.

Just get this done, you shit GM.

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Exactly.

Markov needs to come back.

Streit indeed returns to MTL: 1 year, 700K

Can't imagine he's anything more than an 8th dman at this point. Certainly no Markov replacement. I assume Jerabek is better at this point, too.

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Swiss Miss...

Ugh.

They say you can never have too much depth, but on the flipside, has a Bergevin depth add ever really contribute beyond being a warm body?

Barberio and Redmond played 42 games of mediocre hockey. Not sure Morrow, Streit etc. will do much better.

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Let's assume Markov still comes back. Habs have 8.5M in cap space and nowhere to spend it.

Markov-Weber
Alzner-Petry
Schlemko-Benn
Jerabek (who didn't sign up to play in Laval)
Streit (ditto)

In Laval:

Davidson-Lernout
Morrow-Redmond
Taormina-Juulsen
Bourque

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