Fantasy Canadiens

When one thinks of the NHL's best sharpshooters, I'm sure the name Mike Ribeiro doesn't come to mind. Notorious for his embarrassing fake-injury/dive incident years back, and for disappearing come playoff time, few expect a whole lot out of Mike Ribeiro.

Ribeiro was so pissed at being dealt away from his hometown club that he publicly exclaimed his pleasure with the Habs missing the playoffs. Few players are ever so publicly candid about wishing misfortune on their old club.

Now, here we are near 2008, and Mike Ribeiro has quietly become one of the league's better offensive players. After being given to the Dallas Stars for almost nothing, Ribeiro has found a place where he could grow his game, and is now 17th in league scoring with 39 points in 34 games. "Ribs" has an astounding shot percentage near 40%(!), and also led the Stars in scoring last season.

To add insult to the Habs' injury, Ribeiro led the Stars to a 4-1 win over his former club in the first meeting between the two sides since the trade. Talk about salt in the wound.

"I put the disappointment [about the trade] behind me, but I had this game circled for a long time," said Ribeiro, who has 19 goals and 38 points, and is a solid plus-12 for the Pacific Division leaders. "This was a big game for me."

Now, Ribeiro's talent has never been questioned, but his heart certainly has. In 24 playoff games, Ribeiro has just two goals and six assists. After leading the club in scoring last season, Ribeiro disappeared in the playoffs, as he often does, with just three assists in seven games. Hardly the stuff of a team scoring champ.

So, props to Ribeiro for maturing his game and becoming a productive player. Now, it's time to see if he can take the next step and do well in the playoffs ... or will he continue to show us why the Habs gave up on him?

Alexei Yashin, who cashed in on the Islanders buying out his bloated albatross of a contract, is looking for a new sucker to pay him big bucks to rack up some empty offensive points.

His prime choice? Apparently, it's Montreal!

Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette reports on rumors that Yashin is training with Saku Koivu, and would love to join Alexei Kovalev and his other homeys with the Habs next season.

Given the problems that the Canadiens had with their Russian vodka headaches last season (especially Sergei Samsonov), would the Habs really want to sign a guy like Yashin?

The Habs are in desperate need of a centre with size, and the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Yashin appears to be the kind of player that's worth a gamble. That's the case for Yashin, but the argument against bringing him here seems stronger.

While the Canadiens talk about revving up the offense, the team's system is built on defense first. That's one of the reasons why it was a surprise that Samsonov, last summer's free-agent prize, didn't work because he has been a plus player over his career.

With Radek Bonk UFA's status, the Habs are quite small down the middle with guys like Koivu, Tomas Plekanec, and Chris Higgins. Adding a tall centerman would certainly make some sense.

Now, the Habs had the league's best Power Play last season. Yes, they may lose UFA blaster master Sheldon Souray to another team, but the Habs don't appear to need help with the man-advantage other than getting Souray back, or signing another point-man replacement.

The Habs' total offense was just middle-of-the-road, suggesting that the Habs are weak at even strength. Given how Yashin is strongest on the Power Play, he wouldn't really help in this area, either.

Then, we come back to the style of play the Habs play. Samsonov and Alexei Kovalev whined all year about being restricted offensively. How can a guy like Yashin expect to flourish in such a system?

If I were the Canadiens GM, I'd see if I could sign Yashin for quite cheap. If not, then I'd focus on getting a big 2-way or defensive center ... or bring Radek Bonk back. What the Habs need more of it grit, not another Russian headache.

If I had to hand out a rookie of the year award for Hockey blogging for the 2006-07 NHL season, one of the top contenders for the award would have to be The Forechecker. Bursting onto the scene as a regular presence in the preseason, The Forechecker combined hockey smarts, number crunching and a penchant for detail to produce consistently compelling prose.

In his latest post, parceling out a number of postseason awards that nobody really wants to win, he fearlessly names names and unearths stats that most NHL player agents would rather see remain buried:

CROSS-CHECKER OF THE YEAR: The nominees are...

Joni Pitkanen, Philadelphia Flyers (5)
Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks (5)
Sheldon Souray, Montreal Canadiens (7)
Brendan Witt, New York Islanders (6)

And the winner is... Sheldon Souray! It's been a season of extremes for Souray - the most goals scored among NHL defensemen (26), the worst +/- rating (-28), and the third-most penalty minutes (135) to go along with this Cross-Checking award.

Ouch! Bet you're thinking twice about seeing your favorite team drop a couple of million a year to bring Souray to town now, eh? Don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from. As for The Forechecker, here's hoping he'll be cycling back into the zone next season to cause some more havoc.