HabsCast Hockey Blog

Uploaded on September 15, 2007 (flickr.com)
by Montreal_photos

A day after forward Mikhail Grabovski was sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs, management made 27 more cuts, 25 of those are headed to the AHL. Among the cuts were Yann Danis, Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt D’Agostini, Janne Lahti, and Corey Locke.

Out of the players that were cut, a handful were players that fans would like to have seen in the NHL. Matt D’Agostini and Corey Locke had solid outings in this year’s preseason. They have cannon like shots and are speedy as well. They will most likely be mid-season call ups in the case of any injuries. As for Yann Danis, it’s been a tough road. This guy should be playing in the NHL, but because the Canadiens have so much depth in goal, it’s been impossible for him to crack the lineup. It is very possible that Yann Danis will be traded in the near future. In a previous post (Rookie Review) I said that Pavel Valentenko wouldn’t make the team because of his lack of experience on North American size ice. I’m not saying that this was the primary reason for him being cut, but it certainly played a factor. Plus, in my opinion, Ryan O’Byrne is a better and bigger version of Valentenko.

Of the players that made the cut, it should be interesting to see how the rest of the preseason plays out. Ryan O’Byrne, Kyle Chipchura, Andrei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre, and Carey Price all made the cut and will most likely stay with the Canadiens until their fate is determined at the end of the preseason. Carey Price will most likely play in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs but the Canadiens want to give him as much NHL experience as possible. O’Byrne is looking like he’ll be a shoe-in for this season. He’s playing solid defensive hockey and deserves to be on this hockey club. As for Chipchura, Kostitsyn, and Lapierre, I believe that all three will make the team. They are hardworking kids that want to win. Kostitsyn posseses great scoring abilities, which the Canadiens desperately need and both Chipchura and Lapierre are solid 2-way forwards. It should be an interesting week ahead!

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