Player Discussion John Merrill: a.k.a. Joe Dirt, a.k.a. Letterkenny Extra Edition

[Adam Michaels]

Also, Caufield arrives in Laval and makes Verbeek expendable.

 

[26Mats]

It's pretty irrelevant, that's the point. Yawn move. Who gives a crap about this, what matters is the top 4 and we can't have two of Weber/Edm/Chiarot/Merrill there.
If our bottom pair improves, cool, but that shit won't move the needle.

Not every trade moves the needle. Merrill is a better partner than Kulak for Romanov.

That is not at all irrelevant.

Having a good backup goalie doesn't move the needle. But it's not irrelevant.

This summer, you kept saying any ufa player available except for Hall doesn't move the needle. Then you were pissed when Hall went to Buffalo, you and 90% of this board were pissed. Then we brought in Anderson and Toffoli. Now you don't even want Hall. Don't worry so much about the one player you want. Improvements throughout the roster are good.

 

[salbutera]

Isn’t Hayden Verbeek’s uncle Pat, Stevie Ys AGM?

 

[LaP]

People who have never heard of him that is because he is nothing special.
I do remember vaguely that he got in some sort of trouble in College and was basically Sent packing and he signed with NJD.
Absolutely nothing special and the Habs did not improve today by adding him.

Why would anyone not heard of him? He used to be a prospect for NJ. For NJ he was slightly below average defensively and was not good enough offensively to cover for it. Then with Vega he was pretty much a 6th-7th dman who was a passenger on a very good team while playing. I have not watched any games of Detroit this year (why would? I they **** ***) but i have no reason to believe he is any better than he was last year. It's more than very very very very very very very very very very very very likely the good player on a bad team syndrome. Bad teams ice depth players. Their best (or more likeable) depth players get more ice time than they should and are playing against teams not taking team seriously. It leads to inflated stats. They remain depth players on a winning team though. Been there done that it's been the case for a long while Chris Kontos. Norm MacIver. Oleg Petrov. More recently Jordie Benn. Alouette.

 

[abo9]

Fine by me. The biggest asset in the trade is probably a 5th and we get a 7th D out of it

Also ends up UFA at the end of the year so no impact besides this year

 

[Tyson]

Why would anyone not heard of him? He used to be a prospect for NJ. For NJ he was slightly below average defensively and was not good enough offensively to cover for it. Then with Vega he was pretty much a 6th-7th dman who was a passenger on a very good team while playing. I have not watched any games of Detroit this year (why would? I they **** ***) but i have no reason to believe he is any better than he was last year. It's more than very very very very very very very very very very very very likely the good player on a bad team syndrome. Bad teams ice depth players. Their best (or more likeable) depth players get more ice time than they should and are playing against teams not taking team seriously. It leads to inflated stats. They remain depth players on a winning team though. Been there done that it's been the case for a long while Chris Kontos. Norm MacIver. Oleg Petrov. More recently Jordie Benn. Alouette.

Poor choice of words if it makes you happy....folks may have heard of him but perhaps not that familiar....is that better?

 

[Adam Michaels]

He traded his two most valuable assets, sergachev and subban and he didn’t pick up a number 1C. That’s pure incompetence

Subban for Weber doesn't bother me at all.

It's the having Markov, who played well with Weber walk away. And then having Sergachev in his place, who would grow into an ideal partner for Weber. But then you trade him without having anyone in place to replace him.

So you turn to the Schlemkos, Benns, Metes, and Chiarots of this world to try and find someone to play with Weber.

 

[Halakitlikethat]

He’s better then Kulak/Mete but not what we needed. I would prefer Murray

I’m sure bergevin would love to bring Douglas Murray back too

 

[LaP]

Poor choice of words if it makes you happy....folks may have heard of him but perhaps not that familiar....is that better?

No the choice of word was not a problem. Yeah some guys don't watch hockey if the CH is not playing. I'm very well aware of that. It was not a shot in your direction but mostly in the direction of people who think he is potentially more than a depth dman on a good team.

 

[LaP]

I’m sure bergevin would love to bring Douglas Murray back too

Franky Bou.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

This is a big miss on MB's part over the last few years.

You let Markov walk? No problem. You have a young kid in Sergachev who can grow into that role. You trade Sergachev? Problem. And not because you traded Sergachev, it's because you had no one to replace him with.

He never got a replacement for the replacement.

It makes me wonder what would’ve happened had we kept him. Would he have been rushed and put on the first like Mete? What happens if he stays here?

With Tampa he developed properly. Slowly, had others carrying the day.

This is why I don’t want Romanov moved up. It’s why I really hoped we could get a legit number one to lead the way for us and to teach him.

 

[robert ethan]

I like Merrill. This has the same vibe as Joel Edmundson.

 

[Zorba]

Subban for Weber doesn't bother me at all.

It's the having Markov, who played well with Weber walk away. And then having Sergachev in his place, who would grow into an ideal partner for Weber. But then you trade him without having anyone in place to replace him.

So you turn to the Schlemkos, Benns, Metes, and Chiarots of this world to try and find someone to play with Weber.

He completely wasted Weber’s remaining good years. Prices as well. Weber has To be Lebroned. Take a game off here and there. This condensed schedule has not been kind to him

 

[Zorba]

I like Merrill. This has the same vibe as Joel Edmundson.

I agree. No offensive productivity at all

 

[Tyson]

No the choice of word was not a problem. Yeah some guys don't watch hockey if the CH is not playing. I'm very well aware of that. It was not a shot in your direction but mostly in the direction of people who think he is potentially more than a depth dman on a good team.

Sorry for the snide post. I sadly watch too many games of other teams and am real familiar with this player. I don't think he was what was needed but Bergevin still has a good chunk of cap so let's see if he can salvage this season by 3 tomorrow.

 

[BLONG7]

Subban for Weber doesn't bother me at all.

It's the having Markov, who played well with Weber walk away. And then having Sergachev in his place, who would grow into an ideal partner for Weber. But then you trade him without having anyone in place to replace him.

So you turn to the Schlemkos, Benns, Metes, and Chiarots of this world to try and find someone to play with Weber.

A really bad set of dominos there...........and the clown got away with it......his bo$$ is a real donkey.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Why would anyone not heard of him? He used to be a prospect for NJ. For NJ he was slightly below average defensively and was not good enough offensively to cover for it. Then with Vega he was pretty much a 6th-7th dman who was a passenger on a very good team while playing. I have not watched any games of Detroit this year (why would? I they **** ***) but i have no reason to believe he is any better than he was last year. It's more than very very very very very very very very very very very very likely the good player on a bad team syndrome. Bad teams ice depth players. Their best (or more likeable) depth players get more ice time than they should and are playing against teams not taking team seriously. It leads to inflated stats. They remain depth players on a winning team though. Been there done that it's been the case for a long while Chris Kontos. Norm MacIver. Oleg Petrov. More recently Jordie Benn. Alouette.

Hey oleg petrov led our team in scoring one year! Loved his hussle but that is a sad sad fact. This is more like a Begin or Tommy K type of guy. Love their work ethic and hard nose play and heart but anyone could sub into that 4th line spot and not dramatically change the team with so little icetime anyway.

But in essence the same thing. People getting pissed at other posters...come on guys we have seen this before. Its a nothing move which will be followed by nothing or a nothing move tomorrow. Nothing to see, just moving our chair from the front of the ship to the back.

 

[BLONG7]

Hey oleg petrov led our team in scoring one year! Loved his hussle but that is a sad sad fact. This is more like a Begin or Tommy K type of guy. Love their work ethic and hard nose play and heart but anyone could sub into that 4th line spot and not dramatically change the team with so little icetime anyway.

But in essence the same thing. People getting pissed at other posters...come on guys we have seen this before. Its a nothing move which will be followed by nothing or a nothing move tomorrow. Nothing to see, just moving our chair from the front of the ship to the back.

Bergevin has made being a habs fan, a very tiresome experience the last 5-6 years.

 

[Natey]

Yes they are, and you don't see too many posters here that are happy with those situations do you?

I know where you're coming from, and you know I've always enjoyed your opinions. I just think you're overrating Merril just a little bit. It won't be long until the masses start lampooning Merril, the same way the others you've listed are right now.

Lol true he was a regular. But Vegas was always top heavy (cap wise). Since they didn't have anyone ready from the minors to step up. They had to play someone

Are you saying we're not top heavy?

 

[Natey]

No he can’t sub in as a 4. Neither could mete or kulak. Cuz all of them are bottom pairing to 7th d men at max

Okay.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He completely wasted Weber’s remaining good years. Prices as well. Weber has To be Lebroned. Take a game off here and there. This condensed schedule has not been kind to him

Price still has years left. We’ve just buried him behind trash.

 

[Habs10Habs]

Are you saying we're not top heavy?

Haha...definitely not. I'm saying that he was a regular for Vegas, until they had the cap space to replace him. If he was as good as you think he is. They'd have kept him, at such a low salary.

 

[Kriss E]

Not every trade moves the needle. Merrill is a better partner than Kulak for Romanov.

That is not at all irrelevant.

Having a good backup goalie doesn't move the needle. But it's not irrelevant.

Yes it's pretty irrelevant, and Romanov should have a good puck moving vet who could mentor him. Like when we brought in Gonchar.
A back up holds more importance given the impact of the position in any given game, but even that, we apparently have the best back up in the game...how's that helped? He's 5-6-4.....5 wins in 15 games...
Neimi, terrible netminder, was 8-6-2.
So ya, you can try to make these improvements on very low priority ''needs'' but essentially your team won't be better.
If you look at it as purely a move to help Romanov, Kulak vs Merrill? Meh...likely to change very little. A good puck moving veteran though, that'd definitely help him more. You remove the burden of him having to always move the puck, the puck placement will help him remain in a good position, and you can mentor/teach him things.

This summer, you kept saying any ufa player available except for Hall doesn't move the needle. Then you were pissed when Hall went to Buffalo, you and 90% of this board were pissed. Then we brought in Anderson and Toffoli. Now you don't even want Hall. Don't worry so much about the one player you want. Improvements throughout the roster are good.

Euhh...what? I did not want Hall so you probably have me confused with another poster.
In any event, as I said, if another trade happens where we bring in a top 4 D, then we will discuss it then.
As it stands, this is a nothing move.

 

[1909]

At this point, we should all wish that Habs miss the Playoffs and push Molson to clean up the management floor.

 

[tazsub3]

Mark my words, he’s DONE. Maybe a taxi squad level forward but ZERO impact players in the top 9 F or top 4 D group will be acquired. He’s riding with just this now

his job on the line, he wont stand still