--I loathe Max Domi 5% less after tonight's game. (I'll impute the missing percentage to Tie Domi's account, so nothing is created or destroyed.) Two goals and unstinting effort all game long, in all three zones.
I admit it now, Max Domi will be an amazing trade asset when we unload him off our roster so he doesn't taint the sainted bleu-blanc-rouge any further.
--RDS showed a nice graphic during their telecast, of a Mike Reilly shift in the offensive zone, where they put a red circle around him, and traced his weaving wandering trajectory around the ice with a red line. It zigzagged and meandered all around offensive end, even behind the net at one point, and was reminiscent of those Family Circus cartoons where the little kid's odyssey is marked with a dotted line.
--When Shea Weber returns, we have a shot at having a decent defence squad, much better than I envisioned in my more pessimistic moments this summer. Having Mike Reilly perform as he does now is a transformative factor, all of a sudden we're not banking all our hopes on sophomore tyke Victor Mete on the left side. The kid can be allowed to progress without bearing all the considerable weight of Montréal fans' expectations.
And Jeff Petry, who had a career year last season, and could have been due for a regression to the mean, seems to have picked up where he left off. Again, with Shea Weber in the lineup, as a second pairing defenceman on the right side, he'll be a huge asset.
--One of the moments I'll always treasure is Tim Murray's dismay at losing the Connor McDavid lottery, how he was so shocked and disheartened, even though he knew before the ping-pong balls landed that with 20% odds of winning the #1, he was 80% certain to actually get the #2 pick, and Jack Eichel instead of Connor. I started to realize that Tim Muray might not be the genius he was being hyped to be, that he wasn't certain to sampollock the Sabres into an unbeatable juggernaut.
And I thought he was being a jerk to his eventual star player, by signalling his disappointment so clearly, instead of having rehearsed his version of the classic GM line in this situation, that "whatever happens, we're getting a fantastic player and great person, we can't lose this lottery draw, blah blah blah". He certainly was acting as if Jack Eichel was the steak knives in this scenario, the 'Price is Right' showcase without the car.
But watching the game tonight, it came to me that maybe Tim Murray's scouting was prophetic. Jack Eichel was nearly invisible, with no points, although he was credited with four shots and four hits. At no time did he grab your attention though, like a Sasha Barkov or a Sean Monahan will, make you sit up and think "That kid's really good", covetously.
--Andrew Shaw...
Years ago I'd dejectedly navigate over to CapGeek and see how much longer to run out the clock on the Scott Gomez contract, and then while I was there despair at Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, the too-rich contracts for pretty good players, the overpayment for UFAs to acquiesce to a Canadiens contract. I'd gnash my teeth at Tomas Kaberle.
Nowadays, I rue the Andrew Shaw and Karl Alzner deals on CapFriendly. It's not that Andrew Shaw is horrible, it's just that, at his level of compensation, he can't have the brain cramp games like tonight's, with no points and another penalty taken, after the costly penalty in the Calgary game. He'll struggle to score enough points and show tangible leadership in the room and fire on the ice to justify his generous contract, let alone the acquisition cost to bring him here.
Because when I think of those two juicy second-round picks we gave Chicago, I don't in my mind's eye picture a swing and a miss by Trevor Timmins on those choices, I daydream about Alex DeBrincat and Samuel Girard. Those two players would assuredly, unquestionably have been the choices we'd have made, I assure myself as a hindsight-gifted armchair GM. And who in their right mind trades those two young stars-in-the-making for an overpaid Andrew Shaw? How much better off would we be with those two in the lineup, a mere two seasons after their draft?
--Antti Niemi faced a barrage of shots, and Pierre Houde remarked a few times that this was an atypical performance by the Canadiens, who have been stingy in allowing shots usually this season. Still, I was lulled into a sense of complacency, was counting this game as won, and even when the Sabres tied it up in the third, figured it was a minor annoyance, that we'd win in overtime. Maybe I'm starting to believe?...
--I'll broken-record on Jesperi Kotkaniemi again. Four assists in nine games, some nice plays, nice flashes, you can see the player he might become, but still, no impact on the game. "Oh, he went after the player who crashed into Price!", as if that's reason enough to keep him in the NHL.
Tonight, he got trucked by Kyle Okposo, and as a jaded, cynical Canadiens fan, I'm convinced he'll get injured during the season, some Nazem Kadri or Kevan Miller is going to run him into the boards from behind, and the kid's spine will fold like an accordion, and then we'll rue.
Send the kid back to Finland with a pat on the back, and bring up a Byron Froese or some such from Laval. Byron Froese will likely produce and contribute more to the cause, if we're making a run at the playoffs, if that's the goal this season. And Jeppu will be safe(r) in Finland than here, as a callow teen playing against grown men.
If he plays Saturday against the Bruins, it'll be his tenth game and the first year of his Entry-Level Contract will kick in. Strategically, I don't think that's the right move for the kid, and maybe not even tactically. I don't know that having him in the lineup gives us a better chance to win, so it's not even really a win-now proposition.
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