This week I will be putting out a blog series with my view on what I see as the top 5 major additions to our Habs this off-season. I will go over who they are, what impact they should provide and how I think these moves will affect the team long term.
In no particular order, let's start with the biggest splash. Signing Daniel Briere, on the first day free agents were available, is the biggest move that will benefit the offense. My initial thoughts were very positive with this signing. The price and term were fair for an offensively gifted player just past his prime (ie experience) and I believe has a few good offensive years left in the tank. The $4M per season price tag is not a bad pickup for a player who was coveted by at least half the league. The Habs new #48 brings to mind clutch play with his past playoff performances not to mention his contributions to the power play. As we have seen in the new era, the power play is so essential, seasons and playoffs can be won and lost depending on how good your power play is. In essence, Briere replaces Ryder within the depth chart and I think most people would agree that's an upgrade. Besides the obvious improvement to our offense, Briere is also going to be another experienced player who will provide leadership in the room. He was Captain for the Buffalo Sabers between '05-'07.
Briere was signed to help the offense in those moments when we will need it the
most. Add his leadership qualities and his 15 years NHL experience and you get a big bonus for a team with such a young solid core. Add to that, the fact that he chose
Montreal, Briere has already shown his passion for playing here,
embracing the questions/doubts about his health and declined production
last season with a strong desire to prove something. He's coming into the season more fired up than he has in a long time.
Briere will obviously be providing alot of leadership and guidance but his impact should also be greatly felt in the playoffs. Briere has had some memorable runs in the past and as we all know, the playoffs are an entirely different ballgame. Therrien's team plays very tight games, we don't win by 3 and 4 goals and we don't loose by 3 and 4 goals, so the value of his "clutch abilities" will be that much more valuable. And finally, Habs fans get a higher profile "Quebecois" to cheer for which only benefits the egos and mythos that surrounds our fabled team, you know we all love that!
The main knock on Briere from the day he was signed has been his size.
Folks look at his under 6 foot stature and go right to the "Oh great
another small guy" line of thinking. A quick look at his penalty
minutes and you can see there have been many years he approached 75
minutes or more in a season. To me, that's a guy who doesn't shy away
from the physical aspect of the game. I don't think many of those
minutes were of the 5-minute major variety, but it shows Briere gets
physical and isn't a soft pretty boy with only one dimension to his game. The funny
part about these folks who cry about the Habs' size is they don't stop to
think for a second that Briere was not signed for that reason, he was signed to improve the offense and provide leadership. Bergevin
has said over and over when asked about the size issue, the team needs
to be balanced in that respect. No team will ever be successful if it
has all 23 players at 6'3".
The concerns I feel for Briere, will be his health and his ability to get through the big pressure that comes in Montreal once that first multi-game slump happens. The challenge he will be provided by the piranhas of the Habs faithful media will be unparalleled. Some of the negative folk in those circles were already deriding Briere for having supposedly spurned the team back in 2008 when he joined the Philadelphia Flyers. Sure I was bummed too after the hopes of getting Briere signed back then were dashed. But I doubt the Habs were offering what the Flyers were. They tend to over pay for things at times! The media frenzy that can be dusted up in our crazy hockey fishbowl has cowered many a hockey star. But its true, the media can be pretty nasty, just ask Bob Gainey and Scott Gomez. I think Briere should be significantly prepared for that frenzy considering he played in Philadelphia, which is a strong hockey market in itself.
His health has not been a major issue in his career as he has been sidelined only 3 times for any portion of a season. The concern this time though is the fact this latest injury, which cost him 10 games in last season's short year, is that it was a concussion. We all know that's a scary injury and an enigmatic one as well. By all signs so far, Briere has fully recovered and is ready to start the season. Briere also missed 6 games in 2012 due to concussion. I think concussions are so varied in how severe they can be and the negative lasting effects are so difficult to predict. We have seen first hand how nasty a hit can look but see the player return in remarkable time, "ala" Pacioretty/Chara, or how innocent a hit can seem yet how long and how profound the effects become "ala" Crosby/Steckel. We all know how fast the game has become and injuries are just a part of the entire equation. Briere will be questioned about his health like anyone else but I don't feel he is the type of player with "a history" of injuries that is bound to repeat itself.
Overall I see Briere as a perfect fit at this time. He won't be a point per game player as he used to be, but he will fit right into the team atmosphere and share in the offense like this team did last season. Our Habs finished 5th in goals scored and had 8 players in the double digits for goals. He will contribute perfectly in that respect. If expectations aren't too overblown, I see Briere having a great season and our Habs greatly benefiting from this wonderful free agent signing.
In Part 2 of this mini blog series, I am looking at the mustache man, George Parros.
Thanks for reading!
Find me on Twitter @TheHabsNerd
GO HABS GO!!
