Yannick Weber: Swiss Cheese Without The Holes

One of the most surprising revelations of the 2008 Montreal Canadiens training camp has been the play of Swiss born Yannick Weber.

Who, you might ask?

Weber might best be known as the Kitchener Rangers star pointman over the past couple of seasons. He might also be known to those in the hockey coulisses as the captain of the Switzerland entry in the last World Junior Championship tournament.

Current Florida Panthers coach Peter DeBoer, and former Rangers bench boss calls Weber the best OHL defenseman of the past season. For the record, that statement by DeBoer was made prior to Weber scoring the tying goal against DeBoer's Panthers last evening.

Had Weber not been recovering from injuries at the time, he might have led the heavily favored Kitchener squad to a Memorial Cup championship. Heck, with a little break, he might have been the lucky candidate fortunate enough to snap the Memorial Cup in two.

All told, Weber had a great say in why the Kitchener boys were heavily favored in the first place.

The Montreal Canadiens have both a recent and long standing affiliation with Swiss born players. Howie Morenz and Aurel Joliat, a duo who saw to it that the Canadiens would snag Stanley Cups in 1924, 1930, and 1931, were one generation removed from Swiss born parents.

And all along you guessed they were "Flying Frenchmen"!

More recent Swiss affiliations to Habs lore have included goalie David "I've got the pin, where's the grenade?" Aebischer and defenseman Mark Streit. While you surely don't want to recall Aebischer fondly from two seasons ago, the man who was a keg of gunpowder to the Habs goaltending woes then, now stops pucks somewhere in the hockey ozone.

Mark Streit on the other hand, was pure gold for the Habs. In three seasons with the club, Streit's role expanded from seldom used defender, to utility wingman, and finally to PP QB last season. His stats were testosterone induced by contributions from the likes of Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov.

Streit, after his career year of close to 70 points, then became as cursed as he was blessed. In free agency, he became a New York Islander, a reward akin to kissing Megan Fox and waking up next to Bea Arthur.

























Weber in all this, if often compared to Streit, but the deal doesn't hold water. Weber is and will be a much sounder player.

Purely, the comaprison is nothing but a Swiss thing. Weber's shot is more accurate, he plays sounder defense, his size doesn't seem to be a liability, and he doesn't have that chickenshit scared french painter look about him that Streit had.

Four exhibition games into an NHL lifetime of course, does not make a career, but by all reports, Weber has positioned himself within these contests as the next Canadiens defenseman to make the bigs. He'd be positioned at number seven on the Canadiens depth chart were it not for human gasket Patrice Brisebois serving once again as placeholder and stunter of development for the likes of Weber and P.K. Subban.

What bodes well for the Canadiens, is that the case of an extreme emergency - a long term injury to a defender - Weber is ready to move up and assume the role.

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Habs Should Package Kids For Impact Player

The Canadiens 2008-09 training camp is at it's midway point, and other than a dismal first game showing against Boston, the team's performance has been excellent. Without once yet having iced a squad remotely reminiscent of last season's lineup, the Habs have fared well enough that one could envision them starting the season with either of the rookie laden groups they have dressed in the past three games.

I mean really, what are they to do with all of these kids coming through the woodwork?

It's a beauty of a problem to have if you happen to be Bob Gainey.

So far in exhibition games, it is clear that if this were any other season in which the Canadiens weren't so set and stacked, a good four or five rookies and prospects would be termed as NHL ready.

Matt D' Agnostini looks as though he could be a 15 to 20 goal scorer on about 15 NHL clubs starting this season.

Max Pacioretty is both physically and mentally at a big league level despite only being 19 years of age.

The performances of defensemen P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber tell of great futures so far.

The potential of center Ben Maxwell has shown itself greatly, especially when his talents are combined with those of solid NHL'ers.

And they have only been the best of the best thus far.






















There are also players with last names like Desharnais, Beauregard, Carle, Desjardins, Trotter and Stewart who have made strong impressions in a short time.

All could one day be in the NHL.

The 11 players named here, are primarily just the sharper tip of the iceberg for the Canadiens, and the reality is that they cannot all fit into the club's future plans.

The problem for a smiling Gainey is that the inner competition amongst these one day Habs is that it will bring out the best in them. Open spots on the club currently are more rare than Beatles reunion rumours.

The downside is that many of these players will walk from the team in time, returning little in terms of value. They will be flipped for draft picks down the line at best.

An interesting solution might have presented itself in the sheer numbers of these cumulative talents, as individually their worth would tend to be less than their combined value as a whole.

The Canadiens should make some decisions, perhaps premature, and roll the dice, in order to acquire a player that could not only take them to a higher level, but keep them there for a good long haul.

I bring this up because I see a pair of clubs - Pittsburgh and Detroit - screening the Canadiens Stanley Cup visions.

To ask why, is to understand that the Habs have no players in the Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Zetterberg, and Datsyuk class within their ranks.

Adding a player of that high calibre, would go a long way towards ensuring that the club maintains annual Stanley Cup aspirations.

Mind you, I think this current team is capable right this season, with its current configuration, to go all the way.

But I'm a Habs fan, and I can only think in terms of dynasties. One Cup, only brings a thirst for more, hence my long term view that gaining a markee player suits that need best.

As I see it, in the short or long term, the Canadiens will need a player of absolute character, force, and value. A player that might well define the team identity, beyond the current Koivu and Kovalev regime.

















I envision the idea of such a player as being capable of producing between 85 and 100 points annually for the next decade, or close to it. Someone to measure up against the likes of Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Zetterberg, and Datsyuk.

The Canadiens can only gain such a player via three methods.

1 - Drafting a prospect in the top three spots over the next two seasons.

2 - Making a trade for such a high pick.

3 - Acquiring via the trade route, an already established player who could fill this need.

For option number 1 to happen, the Canadiens would need to be the Islanders, Maple Leafs, Thrashers or Kings. File that scenario under "Not Gonna Happen".

Option two is more likely, in that the Habs could package a group of a half dozen bodies of promise, and gain a lottery pick in the draft that could turn out to be more than the sum of it's parts.

The most immediate route is obviously the most salacious. Acquire a bona fide NHL star - rising or established.

Names - you want: Kovalchuk, Gaborik, Morrow, Kopitar, or Getzlaf. (There are others, but I digress!)

Placed in the Canadiens shoes, I would not part with Pacioretty, McDonough, Yemelin or Maxwell. Other prospects are negotiable.

The bait offered- an alluring bevy of Habs prospects with a pinch of current regulars tossed in.

























Here's the card I would play if I were Gainey:

2006 first round pick, defenseman David Fischer.

Jaroslav Halak.

The rights to Alexandre Perezhogin.

A choice between center Ryan White and winger Matt D' Agnostini.

A choice between Subban and Weber.

A choice between centers Lapierre and Chipchura.

A choice between Mathieu Dandeneault and Tom Kostopoulos.

The possible flip flop of draft choices in 2009 or 2010.

Depending on the trading partner, I'd want Gainey to consider adding an alternative, in the name of a roster player or second round pick.


You might ask why I would be willing to see the club part with so many assets to gain but one player.

My answer involves calculated risk, but I always see it in the sense that the club gaining the best player in a deal is usually the winner.

Of the options available above, if I were to be another clubs GM, I'd grab the following.

White as he is a centerman, over D' Agnostini, because he is a better skater and shows more two way responsability.

Subban over Weber, for reasons incurring grit, charisma, and nationality.

Lapierre over Chipachura in regards to experience, skating skills, and attitude.

Kostopoulos, for his age over Dandy, and his willingness to go to no end for team mates.

I'd also say "NO" to the flip of choices, or at best retain the option.

In the final tally, a deal for the likes of Kovalchuk, Gaborik, Morrow, Kopitar, or Getzlaf would boil down to Fischer, Halak, Perezhogin, White, Subban, Lapierre, and Kostopoulos.

All told, seven bodies for a franchise player.

Which trigger would you pull?

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Three Habs Rookies Shine In Roberval Win

Of the group of eight or ten rookies and prospects dressed against the Sabres in Roberval last night, three players excite me most.

Max Pacioretty, Ben Maxwell, and Yannik Weber will all be solid NHL'ers in the not too distant future.

Pacioretty seemed to compete in every single facet of the game, as a natural would. It is obvious his physical strength is already big league. One AHL season ought to be more than enough for him to accede to the bigs. He possesses all the offensive gifts needed plus the instinctive defensive alertness that sometimes isn't teachable.

What I liked best, was that there seemed to be no part of the ice that was a stranger to him. He competed for the puck in every area it was available to him. He also didn't hesitate a touch to employ his body to fight for it when the chance presented itself.

Maxwell impressed me not only with his edge in the offensive zone, but also with his overall awareness. No less than four times did I see him come back on the play to help out his defenseman. On two occasions, he was in place before a straying rearguard. I quickly got the feeling that this was a thinking man's center.

What really kicked in, was when Maxwell was coiling back to help - score was 3-0 Montreal. Most rooks trying to make the club would be trying to seize the opportunity of a potential rout to pot some nice netters and impress.

Maxwell has already learned third period leads mean shut down hockey.

Weber has often been billed as the second coming of Mark Streit, strictly due to shared Swiss origins. For me the comparisons end there, as Weber displayed a command of his position that was surprisingly composed for a junior hockey player.

This might be a stretch, (as comparing a second exhibition performance to a playoff game ought to be), but Weber was more at ease in this contest, than Streit was the last time I watched him play defense for the Canadiens. All told, Weber made a slew of boobs and misreads, but he showed a certain composure on the point despite his mistakes, especially on the PP's.

I found it pleasantly surprising how well Weber bounced back after he erred. Usually if a defenseman gets badly burned on a play or two, the remainder of his moves border on tentative.

The kid also reads what's ahead of him very clearly. On a few occasions, the slapper at the net he was frothing to display vanished as an option. Smoothly, and without panicking, he passed off and repositioned for another try. A nervous and less confident talent would drill a blast into approaching shinpads, praying it finds a way through.

Goalie Marc Denis showed he was still a capable NHL stopper. Although I missed the first goal scored against him, I found him to be quite alert and in the groove most of the night. With only two of the Canadiens starting six defensemen in front of him, he was surprisingly composed. It showed that he was an experienced veteran.

If Denis were to be called up in case of injury, based on this performance, I wouldn't initially worry much over whether he could handle the duty.




















Mike Glumac also made an impression on me. The trouble with that is, he is a 28 year old minor league vet, with close to 40 games of NHL experience. So then, he appeared as he ought to have. He should be very usefull in Hamilton, subbing in Ajay Baines role.

Of the remaining group of players, few gave me a big league impression.

Ryan Flinn looks mean, immature, and ready to make bad decisions when the team requires them least. At best he's the second coming of P.J. Stock.

Regarding Mathieu Aubin, the most I can say is that I saw him play.

David Desharnais, small, skillfull, and working quite hard to do many things as right as possible, definitely has game in him. In a glimpse though, it looks alot like Mikhail Grabovski's game. He'll need to become a bastard for occasions in a Doug Gilmour smaller man kinda way before he can even dream of an NHL lifetime.

I was looking for some other players out there.

Rumour has it that Pavel Valentenko played. Same for Olivier Fortier.

Not noticing a defenseman isn't always a bad thing.

On the flipside I noticed Chad Anderson a whole lot. He's big alright, but it looked like the tools left the toolbox behind. He was blunderville in Hockeyville.

All taken together, one visual assement is hardly enough to draw conclusions from.

Second opinions, as any good doctor will admit, are a much better stage to gauge from.

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