OffThePost.org

Just to be clear this has nothing to do with this year's play.

Since Price signed the big contract, besides one year and last years playoff bubble, Price has been just a shell of his former self.

I know he has only played 11 games this year, but I have been thinking of this the last 3 years. 10.5 M is a lot of money for the next 6 years on any player, but especially a goaltender. I am not saying to trade him or run him out of town, but he has been declining in the last 3-4 years.

Some reasons were because he has been over worked, but this year his workload is down with no better results.

Look, I love Price, but there has been a big decline and have a lot of money tied up in him. Maybe I am over reacting, but as mentioned earlier, its not just this year.

Curious as to what are your thoughts on this?

Discuss.

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Physically and technically he looks fine most of the time, but once a game he seems to allow a softie, which you can't do as the league's highest paid goalie.

Is it focus? Is it bad team fatigue? Is it Shea Weber being kinda overrated and more often than not getting in his goalie's way?

Another weird thing: up until a few games ago his 5v5 play was stellar, but his PK numbers sucked. Again, the Weber factor.

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See Luongo circa 2012-13. Everything you are saying, the same could be said of Luongo back then. But unfortunately Price is not very tradable with a $10.5 M cap hit, so the Habs best figure out how to maximize his ability and cap hit internally.

Another unexpected development: Allen has been really sharp. He's playing like the number one.

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Ride the hot hand.

Weren't the softies a problem early in his career as well? Was it glove hand if I remember correctly?

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

I think Weber is the only minus player on the whole team, mind you its a -1 and he is on the ice an average of 23 minutes a game.

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Weber's gamelogs since Feb 10:

-3
-1
-1
-1
-1
+3
-1
1

He only has 2 points in the last 10 games: both goals, scored in the same game.

As he's gone, so has Price and so have the Habs, but who's the one driving all this? Are they just products of a poor team effort, or are both their fortunes completely tied to each other? By the eye test, they've both looked poor lately and started to struggle around the same time. Of course, that's weird.

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Habs are a well balanced team and should be doing better than this. However, when your 2 best players start to tank at the same time, that also has an effect.

I wonder what the negative energy was that Weber was talking about? I know its only 2 games in with the new coach but something still seems off.

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And this comes down to the fundamental problem we've been discussing since Price signed that deal and Weber came aboard: can your two best players payroll-wise be a goalie and an old school defenceman? I think the conclusion we've drawn is no. Ultimately, Suzuki and Kotkaniemi's emergence will allow the team to build through the middle, but we're not there yet.

Weber's energy comment was bizarre and just left hanging there. Was he referring to a specific issue or just an overall malaise? Weber and Price don't talk for the sake of it, so he wanted that out there. Why, we may never know.

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I liked the way they played in the 3rd on Saturday and hopefully this will translate into tonight's game, but yes Weber and Price never talk so the fact that Weber left that out there concerned me also.

Time will tell.

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Habs fired Stephane Waite! Drama!

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Well that press conference didn't help with improving our collective spirits. Bergy said he fired Waite in the 2nd period and didn't consult Carey. Then Carey came on and said it doesn't matter to him anymore that people question whether or not he cares.

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