yave1964 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Two teams going the wrong way have made a minor move today, the Stars and Canadiens made a minor move. Sergei Gonchar, 40 and still recovering from a broken ankle in the preseason and having played only 3 games was dealt to Montreal for 32 year old 4th liner Travis Moen. At first blush, it looks like nothing much for nothing much but Jim Nill in Dallas has been nothing if not aggressive, this frees up roughly 4 million in salary to allow for additional deals for the Stars who were expected to contend but they have fallen all the way to last place on the heels of a 7 game losing streak. Montreal had a red hot start and have cooled in recent weeks, they hope Gonchar can run the point of their second power play. This week they have sent Rene Bourque to Hamilton and now traded Moen so they will be relying on kids more for their lower lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Yea, I don't see this as much more than, as you said, Yave, minor stuff. Best upside here?I think that goes to Dallas because they just unloaded a sizeable cap hit, Gonchar was NOT going to help them much defensively, even if he is healed and ready to go and the Stars DESPERATELY need some defensively responsible players....more cap room means they can now look for some quality ones...perhaps Travis Moen helps in that area a bit. At the very least, Moen can help offset some of the insanity that guys like Garbutt, Fiddler, and Roussel bring to the team. As for the Habs, well, if they can get a healthy skating Gonchar to perform anything like he has the last couple seasons, then it will be a minor boost to their offense, but again, this is a team that seems to give up goals way too early and way too often....something isn't quite right in the goal prevention department, and I am afraid Gonchar is not much help in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihabs1993 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 As a Habs fan, I like the subtraction of Moen more than I like the addition of Gonchar. Moen gone does two things: Cements Jiri Sekac in the lineup and lets the rest of the Canadiens "Floaters" that they are disposable. Bourque and Moen gone within a week? Pretty obvious what Marc Bergevin is doing here. Gonchar will add another veteran presence to a team in the middle of youth and experience. I think Gonchar on the second PP unit takes some pressure off of Subban and Markov's unit and takes Gilbert off of the second unit (He's been awful in his limited time on the powerplay). Habs have been trending in the right direction during the last two games, and I think this helps. I wish the best to Travis Moen and the rest of his career with the stars, but I'm excited to see a veteran All-Star like Gonchar in a Habs sweater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 @ihabs1993 Your take on something... I am friends with another Montreal fan, and she ALWAYS, ALWAYS said that Moen had great potential as a very good PK, checking type forward due to his size and strength...but was continually frustrated by his refusal to use his physical attributes. He has no real offensive capabilities to speak of and you called him a 'floater'...are you also of the opinion, that, boat mimicking aside, he would have at least made a decent checker/PK'er if he were more aggressive in using his size? Or do you think he just never really had it in him to do even that? My thinking was, aside from Dallas unloading soon-to-be UFA, 5M cap hit Gonchar, they may have hopes of trying to convert Moen into a solid grinder....something the Stars need in a big way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blocker Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I like this trade from both team's perspective, and for the good of both players. Dallas is getting cap relief for this year, and Montreal is getting it for next year. Gonchar may be able to take some attention away from Subban on the powerplay. Moen is a good honest player. He got lost in the glut of third and fourth liners on Canadiens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihabs1993 Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 @ihabs1993 Your take on something... I am friends with another Montreal fan, and she ALWAYS, ALWAYS said that Moen had great potential as a very good PK, checking type forward due to his size and strength...but was continually frustrated by his refusal to use his physical attributes. He has no real offensive capabilities to speak of and you called him a 'floater'...are you also of the opinion, that, boat mimicking aside, he would have at least made a decent checker/PK'er if he were more aggressive in using his size? Or do you think he just never really had it in him to do even that? My thinking was, aside from Dallas unloading soon-to-be UFA, 5M cap hit Gonchar, they may have hopes of trying to convert Moen into a solid grinder....something the Stars need in a big way.Don't get me wrong, I really liked Moen in Montreal. The thing is, Montreal's "grinders" don't really do their job very well. I mean just look at the team leader in hits amongst forwards... Not Moen, not Prust, not Weise... It's Alex Galchenyuk. At least he was at the beginning of the week. That's unacceptable really. I like what Moen brought to the table on the penalty kill, but his reluctance to play the physical game left something to be desired. If Moen wants to play that game, he certainly has the build to do it and it would make him a much more valuable player. The thing that keeps him from doing that, at least in my opinion, is his history of concussions. He's had at least two in his time with the Habs which is scary considering he plays a very limited role. If Dallas wants to make him into the prototypical checker and penalty killer, he's going to need a ton of injury luck on his side.The one aspect I don't like about this trade is that it forces a young defenseman out of the Habs lineup. Looks like it's going to be Tinordi as he's been sent down to Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatrik98 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I think The Habs made out on this deal. The teams scoring as been inconsistent . Having him on the PP will only make them better. On the downside, he is a defensive liability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I'm a Gonchar fan... Still wear his Pens sweater at times... But he's not going to help them. He is great for an elder statesman role, but if he's who they're expecting to boost scoring they're in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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