OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Return of the Dynasty- 1995-96 Montreal Canadiens

JurassicPuck · 02-19-2021, 04:02 AM

MONTREAL GAZETTE

Will GM Martin Fire Demers or Trade Roy?

Zach Martineau
December 11th, 1995
Just month's into his first season as GM of the Canadiens, Braden Martin has a decision that could alter the future of this franchise. Following the event's that happened after yesterday's game against the Rangers Patrick Roy made it loud, clear and very public that he will no longer play for the Canadiens under Jacques Demers. While the way he went about it was definitely the wrong one, he does have a very fair reason for not wanting Demers to remain in Montreal. Let's breakdown the reason for the problem, what Braden Martin's options are to handle the problem, and what the repercussions will be for either option he chooses.

The Background:
Jacques Demers is only in his fourth season as coach of the Canadiens and he has put himself in a position where it's likely he will get fired. Demers in his first season as coach of Montreal won the Stanley Cup. That team went to an NHL record 11 overtime games and won 10 of them, all in a row. The main reason for that was Habs goalie Patrick Roy who went 16-4 in the playoffs with a .929 save percentage and won the Conn Smythe trophy. Flash Forward 2 and a half years later and the two are now at opposite ends of the spectrum, their jobs with Montreal on the line, with their fates decided by rookie GM Braden Martin.

The Problem:
Patrick Roy has been an elite goalie for Montreal since his 1986 Cup run where he won his first Conn Smythe trophy. Since then he's won 3 Vezina Trophies, 4 Jennings Trophies and been a first team all star three times. However Roy did have a disappointing season last year with a record of 17-20 and a .906 SV% as the Canadiens missed the playoffs. But nobody could have expected that this season, Patrick Roy would be sharing the crease with a 19 year old rookie goaltender. The 2nd round pick of the Habs in the 1994 Draft, Jose Theodore after the Rangers game has played 16 games this season compared to Roy's 12. If Theodore were actually playing better hockey then this problem would not even be a problem but that's not the case. Theodore has a 7-8-0 record with a 3.41 GAA and .902 Save %. You can see why Roy is frustrated when he's sporting a 7-4-1 record with a 2.77 GAA and .918 Save %. After watching the 5-1 Loss from the bench it must have pushed Roy over the edge and have the rant at the media.

Option #1 - Fire Jacques Demers
The more likely of the two options is Jacques Demers is on his way out of Montreal. Demers has had success in his relatively short time with the Canadiens but when you clash with the team's best player then your almost always going to be the one out, not the player. The real question is who would be able to replace the spot on the bench? Let's look at some of the best coaches available.

Barry Trotz
The young 33 year old is similar to GM Martin in the fact they are both young and making noise in their positions. The Winnipeg native is known as the next best thing in terms of coaching and is just waiting until the opportunity arises. His best skill is his ability to change tactics on the fly, mid-game and catch the opponents off guard.

Bob Johnson
The former head coach of the Calgary Flames and Penguins is a veteran compared to some other candidates and is one of the best at growing young players. He's a players coach that hasn't had a bad thing said about him by a former player. He's a big motivator on the bench which could be something the Canadiens need.

John Ferguson
What better coach to bring in then a former player who has had loads of success (5 Stanley Cups) on the same team they're playing as. Ferguson hasn't coached since 1986 but rumour is he's looking to get back into it after managing the Jets and scouting for the Senators in the past. Ferguson is not what you would call a player's coach but will not constrict offense and creativity. He'll tell you how it is and maybe some Habs players could use that

Ken Hitchcock
The former assistant coach of the Flyers, Hitchcock has been waiting for his head coaching role to be offered and it could be in Montreal. He's a defense first coach that wants all his players to be able to play defense. He doesn't care if your the first line winger or bottom pairing defenseman, if you can't play defense you won't play. It's difficult to say if that type of coaching scheme would work in Montreal at the moment but it would certainly help the team's defense.

Braden Martin
The most out of the ballpark option is the current General Manager Braden Martin takes Demers place behind the bench himself. While known more as a manager then coach he does have history at the position at the junior levels where he excelled. However he hasn't been behind the bench of a team in over 5 years. It's unlikely to happen but the option should at least be thrown out there, just in case

Option 2 - Trade Patrick Roy:
In a world where rookie GM Martin has the guts to trade the goalie that has backstopped them to two Stanley Cups, is a world where there will be a lot of suitors. There are only around 4-6 teams that would likely not be interested in a Patrick Roy trade, mostly due to their strength at the position already. Those teams would be the following:

New Jersey Devils (Martin Brodeur)
Buffalo Sabres (Dominik Hasek)
Chicago Blackhawks (Ed Belfour)
New York Rangers (Have Mike Richter and wouldn't want to mess with Team Chemistry)
Detroit Red Wings (Have Vernon and would have to give up more assets for Roy)
Washington Capitals (21 year old Jim Carey, 9 years younger then Roy)

Now what kind of package would a player like Roy attract? If the Canadiens would move into a rebuilding stage after trading Roy they would likely have a minimum asking price of a Top Prospect, 2 roster players (1 Skater, 1 Goalie) and 2 first round picks. Let's see what kind of trades the Canadiens could receive based off those requirements

Trade #1 - Dallas Stars trade Jarome Iginla, Richard Matvichuk,1996 and 1997 1st Round Picks

Pros - Jarome Iginla will be a future star in the NHL and would be perfect in Montreal. Matvichuk is a solid defenseman who can contribute now but is still young. Two First Round Picks for the '96 and '97 Drafts

Cons - No NHL level Goalie replacement

Trade #2 - San Jose Sharks trade Petr Sykora and Miikka Kiprusoff

Pros - Sykora comes with his problems (Off-Ice Issues) but is 19 and already close to a point-per-game player. Would help the team now and big part of the future. Kiprusoff is one of, if not the best goalie prospect in hockey. He's the best replacement you will find in the form of a prospect

Cons - No NHL level goalie replacement, Sykora has off ice issues that already got him traded once. No Draft Picks

Trade #3 - Los Angeles Kings trade Kimmo Timonen, Byron Dafoe, Robert Lang and 1996 1st Round Pick
Pros - Timonen is arguably the best defenseman prospect in the league so adding that to a team that has mutiple up and coming D-Men would be huge. Dafoe is only 24 and already a starting level goaltender. Lang is also 24 and could end up being a competent 2nd line center once he reaches his peak. 1st Round Pick is important for building the prospect pool

Cons - No Top-End prospect, Only 1 Draft Pick

Those are the trades the Canadiens would be looking at if they were to try and rebuild their team. How about we now look at what they could acquire if they wanted to continue to try and contend.

Trade #1 - Vancouver Canucks trade Alexander Mogilny, Russ Courtnall, Kirk McLean, 1996 2nd Round Pick

Pros - Canucks get a russian star in Mogilny who will score goals in bunches. Montreal is familiar with Courtnall's game and know he will be flying all over the ice causing turnovers and getting breakaways. Captain Kirk will fill in for empty goalie spot

Cons - No defensive help which is probably Canadiens biggest need. Courtnall and possibly Mogilny already past their peaks as players

Trade #2 - Boston Bruins trade Jozef Stumpel, Don Sweeney, Ted Donato, 1996 2nd Round Pick

Pros - Stumpel is a young player who's already solitified himself as a 2nd line center. Could possibly be a future 1st line center if he continually gets better. Sweeney is a solid D-man who would add depth to the Canadiens back end. Donato is a solid winger who would serve as a 3rd line guy

Cons - Trade with a rival that could/will haunt them. No NHL level goalie in return

Trade #3 - Toronto Maple Leafs trade Felix Potvin, Kenny Jonsson and Benoit Hogue

Pros - Felix Potvin is a solid young goalie who would become the Canadiens starting goalie immediately. Kenny Jonsson is a dependable defenseman who still has age on his side and would be a top four defenseman already. Benoit Hogue is a speedy two way forward who can operate on the 3rd line and 1st PK unit.

Cons - Trade with Rival, both skaters are defensive minded players

02-19-2021, 04:02 AM	#10
JurassicPuck Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 21	The Decision - Jacques Demers or Patrick Roy? MONTREAL GAZETTE Will GM Martin Fire Demers or Trade Roy? Zach Martineau December 11th, 1995 Just month's into his first season as GM of the Canadiens, Braden Martin has a decision that could alter the future of this franchise. Following the event's that happened after yesterday's game against the Rangers Patrick Roy made it loud, clear and very public that he will no longer play for the Canadiens under Jacques Demers. While the way he went about it was definitely the wrong one, he does have a very fair reason for not wanting Demers to remain in Montreal. Let's breakdown the reason for the problem, what Braden Martin's options are to handle the problem, and what the repercussions will be for either option he chooses. The Background: Jacques Demers is only in his fourth season as coach of the Canadiens and he has put himself in a position where it's likely he will get fired. Demers in his first season as coach of Montreal won the Stanley Cup. That team went to an NHL record 11 overtime games and won 10 of them, all in a row. The main reason for that was Habs goalie Patrick Roy who went 16-4 in the playoffs with a .929 save percentage and won the Conn Smythe trophy. Flash Forward 2 and a half years later and the two are now at opposite ends of the spectrum, their jobs with Montreal on the line, with their fates decided by rookie GM Braden Martin. The Problem: Patrick Roy has been an elite goalie for Montreal since his 1986 Cup run where he won his first Conn Smythe trophy. Since then he's won 3 Vezina Trophies, 4 Jennings Trophies and been a first team all star three times. However Roy did have a disappointing season last year with a record of 17-20 and a .906 SV% as the Canadiens missed the playoffs. But nobody could have expected that this season, Patrick Roy would be sharing the crease with a 19 year old rookie goaltender. The 2nd round pick of the Habs in the 1994 Draft, Jose Theodore after the Rangers game has played 16 games this season compared to Roy's 12. If Theodore were actually playing better hockey then this problem would not even be a problem but that's not the case. Theodore has a 7-8-0 record with a 3.41 GAA and .902 Save %. You can see why Roy is frustrated when he's sporting a 7-4-1 record with a 2.77 GAA and .918 Save %. After watching the 5-1 Loss from the bench it must have pushed Roy over the edge and have the rant at the media. Option #1 - Fire Jacques Demers The more likely of the two options is Jacques Demers is on his way out of Montreal. Demers has had success in his relatively short time with the Canadiens but when you clash with the team's best player then your almost always going to be the one out, not the player. The real question is who would be able to replace the spot on the bench? Let's look at some of the best coaches available. Barry Trotz The young 33 year old is similar to GM Martin in the fact they are both young and making noise in their positions. The Winnipeg native is known as the next best thing in terms of coaching and is just waiting until the opportunity arises. His best skill is his ability to change tactics on the fly, mid-game and catch the opponents off guard. Bob Johnson The former head coach of the Calgary Flames and Penguins is a veteran compared to some other candidates and is one of the best at growing young players. He's a players coach that hasn't had a bad thing said about him by a former player. He's a big motivator on the bench which could be something the Canadiens need. John Ferguson What better coach to bring in then a former player who has had loads of success (5 Stanley Cups) on the same team they're playing as. Ferguson hasn't coached since 1986 but rumour is he's looking to get back into it after managing the Jets and scouting for the Senators in the past. Ferguson is not what you would call a player's coach but will not constrict offense and creativity. He'll tell you how it is and maybe some Habs players could use that Ken Hitchcock The former assistant coach of the Flyers, Hitchcock has been waiting for his head coaching role to be offered and it could be in Montreal. He's a defense first coach that wants all his players to be able to play defense. He doesn't care if your the first line winger or bottom pairing defenseman, if you can't play defense you won't play. It's difficult to say if that type of coaching scheme would work in Montreal at the moment but it would certainly help the team's defense. Braden Martin The most out of the ballpark option is the current General Manager Braden Martin takes Demers place behind the bench himself. While known more as a manager then coach he does have history at the position at the junior levels where he excelled. However he hasn't been behind the bench of a team in over 5 years. It's unlikely to happen but the option should at least be thrown out there, just in case Option 2 - Trade Patrick Roy: In a world where rookie GM Martin has the guts to trade the goalie that has backstopped them to two Stanley Cups, is a world where there will be a lot of suitors. There are only around 4-6 teams that would likely not be interested in a Patrick Roy trade, mostly due to their strength at the position already. Those teams would be the following: New Jersey Devils (Martin Brodeur) Buffalo Sabres (Dominik Hasek) Chicago Blackhawks (Ed Belfour) New York Rangers (Have Mike Richter and wouldn't want to mess with Team Chemistry) Detroit Red Wings (Have Vernon and would have to give up more assets for Roy) Washington Capitals (21 year old Jim Carey, 9 years younger then Roy) Now what kind of package would a player like Roy attract? If the Canadiens would move into a rebuilding stage after trading Roy they would likely have a minimum asking price of a Top Prospect, 2 roster players (1 Skater, 1 Goalie) and 2 first round picks. Let's see what kind of trades the Canadiens could receive based off those requirements Trade #1 - Dallas Stars trade Jarome Iginla, Richard Matvichuk,1996 and 1997 1st Round Picks Pros - Jarome Iginla will be a future star in the NHL and would be perfect in Montreal. Matvichuk is a solid defenseman who can contribute now but is still young. Two First Round Picks for the '96 and '97 Drafts Cons - No NHL level Goalie replacement Trade #2 - San Jose Sharks trade Petr Sykora and Miikka Kiprusoff Pros - Sykora comes with his problems (Off-Ice Issues) but is 19 and already close to a point-per-game player. Would help the team now and big part of the future. Kiprusoff is one of, if not the best goalie prospect in hockey. He's the best replacement you will find in the form of a prospect Cons - No NHL level goalie replacement, Sykora has off ice issues that already got him traded once. No Draft Picks Trade #3 - Los Angeles Kings trade Kimmo Timonen, Byron Dafoe, Robert Lang and 1996 1st Round Pick Pros - Timonen is arguably the best defenseman prospect in the league so adding that to a team that has mutiple up and coming D-Men would be huge. Dafoe is only 24 and already a starting level goaltender. Lang is also 24 and could end up being a competent 2nd line center once he reaches his peak. 1st Round Pick is important for building the prospect pool Cons - No Top-End prospect, Only 1 Draft Pick Those are the trades the Canadiens would be looking at if they were to try and rebuild their team. How about we now look at what they could acquire if they wanted to continue to try and contend. Trade #1 - Vancouver Canucks trade Alexander Mogilny, Russ Courtnall, Kirk McLean, 1996 2nd Round Pick Pros - Canucks get a russian star in Mogilny who will score goals in bunches. Montreal is familiar with Courtnall's game and know he will be flying all over the ice causing turnovers and getting breakaways. Captain Kirk will fill in for empty goalie spot Cons - No defensive help which is probably Canadiens biggest need. Courtnall and possibly Mogilny already past their peaks as players Trade #2 - Boston Bruins trade Jozef Stumpel, Don Sweeney, Ted Donato, 1996 2nd Round Pick Pros - Stumpel is a young player who's already solitified himself as a 2nd line center. Could possibly be a future 1st line center if he continually gets better. Sweeney is a solid D-man who would add depth to the Canadiens back end. Donato is a solid winger who would serve as a 3rd line guy Cons - Trade with a rival that could/will haunt them. No NHL level goalie in return Trade #3 - Toronto Maple Leafs trade Felix Potvin, Kenny Jonsson and Benoit Hogue Pros - Felix Potvin is a solid young goalie who would become the Canadiens starting goalie immediately. Kenny Jonsson is a dependable defenseman who still has age on his side and would be a top four defenseman already. Benoit Hogue is a speedy two way forward who can operate on the 3rd line and 1st PK unit. Cons - Trade with Rival, both skaters are defensive minded players Last edited by JurassicPuck; 02-19-2021 at 04:04 AM.