Editorial – Timing is Everything

With the announcement today that Bob Gainey is stepping down and resigning as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, the biggest question right now is the timing right for this decision? Many sources close to the Habs have stated that the Montreal Canadiens were not pushing Gainey out the door, so this decision is more of a move from Gainey himself.

Whatever the reasons for his surprising departure, none can question Gainey’s commitment to the club. Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 after spending the duration of his career with the Canadiens, Gainey was one of the key pieces to the dynasty of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970’s and mid-80’s, winning five Stanley Cups in the process.

A feisty competitor and a defensive specialist on the ice, Gainey moved to the front office, as coach of the Minnesota North Stars, then moving to the front office as the team moved to Dallas. When Gainey was hired on in Montreal in 2003, he had a sudden impact to the roster, helping build a playoff team in four of the five seasons with a 241-176-46-7 record during that span.

Most known for letting veteran leaders Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu leave the team during the 2009-10 off-season, the Habs have struggled to be consistent this season, battling through core player injuries, an ongoing goaltender controversy, and a number of distractions off the ice.

Gainey’s decision to leave, whether it be forced or by his own accord has some odd timing. With a week away from the Olympic trade freeze and only a few weeks away from the 2010 trade deadline fast approaching, Pierre Gauthier now has the reigns moving forward – but he’s been groomed by Gainey for some time to eventually take over when the timing was right.  A tough trial by fire for Gauthier, but one that should benefit the team in the end… Gauthier has some tough decisions to make. He’s got challenges with upcoming unrestricted free agents Tomas Plekanec and Marc-Andre Bergeron, but more so, what to do with restricted free agents Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak?

Whatever happens, Gainey leaves with his respect intact. He has been a true ambassador for the Habs and his career as a Montreal Canadiens player is exemplary. He will still be regarded as one of the best players in the history of the club, but his legacy with the current squad may take a hit if the team falters in the short-term. Similar to the injury to Mike Cammalleri, maybe this change will galvanize this squad to aspire to do better… but only time will tell if this move will have positive or negative effects on the team right now.

Tags: Alexei Kovalev, Bob Gainey, Carey Price, Jaroslav Halak, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Mike Cammalleri, Pierre Gauthier, Saku Koivu, Tomas Plekanec

Editorial – Addition by Subtraction

The Habs are definitely in another pinch due to that pesky injury bug.  Over the weekend, leading goal scorer Mike Cammalleri suffered a right MCL injury, which leaves him out for upwards of six weeks.  His return is expected in mid-March and with the recent speedy recovery of Andrei Markov from his tendon injury, one can only hope that Cammalleri returns sooner rather than later.

However, subtracting the 26 goals from the lineup, the Habs are hard-pressed to find a replacement within the ranks that can pick up the scoring absence left behind by Cammalleri.  The next leading scorers on the club are Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta, and Benoit Pouliot.  There are signs that the Habs are going to be able to balance out the scoring woes amongst the three forwards, however, the team already had trouble scoring before the injury to Cammalleri.  The loss of Cammalleri may motivate the team to band together… similar to what happened with Markov’s early injury.  Things could improve just from the fact that the team may become more desperate in the coming weeks.

In the Eastern Conference, Montreal ranks 10th in conference goals for, and not surprising to see, the Habs also rank 10th in goals against in the conference.  The team has done little to improve in the first two thirds of the campaign, being riddled by injuries to key players combined with a number of off-ice distractions.  To top things off, the city, the media, and all of the fans have been enraptured by this ongoing saga of Carey Price vs. Jaroslav Halak, which is becoming similar to the cutthroat divisions amongst fans of Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien in recent weeks.

Despite my allegiances to the Habs, I must admit that the team hasn’t given us much to cheer about in recent weeks.  Miscues, player squabbles, temper tantrums, and injuries have plagued this team and these challenges are not going away anytime soon.  Even the poor Toronto Maple Leafs, with all of the recent blunders related to team management have made moves to further solidify the team’s culture.  Moving forward, I hate to admit these things, but the Leafs did make some moves that some may question, but the team has more of an identity now than just a few days ago.

What’s the Habs identity?  Can they really be happy with the status quo of hovering around the eighth place spot as teams below them start to improve and heat up, while teams above them and within their division are starting to pull away?  Will the Habs actually make sound team decisions for the future both on the short-term or the long-term, or is this current roster part of some quirky long-term plan that only GM Bob Gainey knows about.  The team needs a spark… making a trade or even a coaching / management change may only prove to be a short-term solution, but it will at least hold the players and all the staff accountable for the current state of the team.

Yes, yes, the team won against the Canucks, but it took a 45-save performance from Halak to hold things together.  And if he loses – will the team go back to Price, or at least try to take a run with the hot hand?  Is it reasonable to pull a goalie who is currently 3-1-1, with a 1.59 goals against average, and .955 save percentage in his last five appearances… in Montreal, it is.

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Andrei Markov, Benoit Pouliot, Bob Gainey, Brian Gionta, Carey Price, Conan O'Brien, Jaroslav Halak, Jay Leno, Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec

Fan Zone – Upper Deck National Hockey Card Day

Hey hockey card fans, a special announcement from Upper Deck.  Saturday, January 30, 2009 is National Hockey Card Day in Canada.

Upper Deck is sponsoring the free hockey card promotion, with the distribution of free 5-card hockey packs for every visitor to a local card shop in Canada.  The 5-card packs will allow visitors to build the 15-card set exclusive to this event.  Here is the link to the list of card shops in your area that are participating, along with a video to promote the event, featuring rookie standout Evander Kane.

As a special exclusive to OhCanadiens.com, the following interview was completed with Upper Deck’s Public Relations Manager, Terry Melia:

Q1. Why is Upper Deck sponsoring this National Event?
Terry: Hockey is Canada’s national sport and since Upper Deck is the NHL’s exclusive manufacturer of hockey trading cards, it only made sense for us to do something special to coincide with their national holiday.

Q2. Are the cards being given away exclusive to this event?
T: Yes, the card packs (five assorted cards per pack) are being given away free of charge on Saturday, January 30, only. More than 200 Canadian hobby shops have signed on to participate in the event, along with a number of retail outlets including Toys R Us, Jean Coutu, London Drugs, Rexall and Pharma Plus. There are 15 cards total in the 2010 National Hockey Card Day set, so collectors should try their best at landing more than one pack. Visit as many hobby shops or retail stores in their area as possible.

Q3. Hockey is a special sport amongst Canadians and especially Canadian kids – how will this event further that passion?
T: This promotional activity, now in its second year, will once again stir interest for the sport and hopefully turn hockey fans into trading card collectors. Once somebody cracks their first pack of Upper Deck hockey cards, they are hooked. We hope to see that conversion take place several times on Saturday.

Q4. For the Montreal Canadiens fans out there, are there any Montreal Canadiens featured in this promotional event?
T: Truth be told, we don’t have a single card out the 15 from the National Hockey Card Day set featuring a member of the Montreal Canadiens, but remember, every single player who’s included is Canadian-born so that connection north of the border is there. The 15 players, ranging from our rookie lineup with newcomers like John Tavares and Matt Duchene all the way to our Hockey Heroes subset featuring the likes of Steve Yzerman and Wayne Gretzky, all have Canadian roots, so Montreal fans will still be able to appreciate the lineup we’re showcasing.

Thank you to Terry for your support and to the folks at Upper Deck for this event.  I encourage all readers to get to their local card shop this weekend and enjoy National Hockey Card Day!

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Evander Kane, Jean Coutu, John Tavares, London Drugs, Matt Duchene, National Hockey Card Day, Pharma Plus, Rexall, Steve Yzerman, Terry Melia, Toys R Us, Upper Deck, Wayne Gretzky

What If? – What if the Habs kept Tomas Vokoun?

The timing of this post coincides with the Habs dealing with the ongoing controversy of Carey Price vs. Jaroslav Halak. However, the one question that I’ve had for many seasons is what if the Habs kept Tomas Vokoun instead?

I know, I know… the Canadiens were blessed with goaltending during the era in which Vokoun was left unprotected during the Nashville Predators expansion draft. At the time, the Habs had Jose Theodore, who was starting to take a stranglehold of the starting job. Theodore eventually became the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner. Unfortunately for Vokoun, the Habs had stronger ties with Theodore and him being French Canadian also helped matters.

Fast forward to today. Theodore is long gone, struggling to remain consistent after leaving the Habs. Cristobal Huet has came and went as well, and he has experienced moderate success recently with the elite play of the Chicago Blackhawks as a whole. Vokoun, on the other hand, has been a workhorse since leaving the Habs back in 1998, and he has had a stellar career for some low-end teams in both Nashville and Florida.

One begs to question – can this scenario happen again? The Habs are hell bent on relying heavily on the pedigree and developmental stock value of Carey Price, but could Halak actually be another Vokoun? Should they just let him go for nothing, to see him become an elite netminder for the next 10 years?

Here is the breakdown… since his expansion draft acquisition, Vokoun has played in over 554 games, with a 234-226-35-34 record, with a career 2.54 goals against average, .917 save percentage, and 37 shutouts. He has also faced over 16000 pucks in his career, averaging close to 30 shots per game. With both the Predators and Panthers giving up a ton of shots, most goalies would fold over – however, if Vokoun played many of those seasons with a better NHL team in front of them… he might have better career numbers, especially in the win column.

Considering that Vokoun is only 33 years of age and has had a great 12 year career, who knows what the Habs could’ve accomplished if he stayed in Montreal. Yes – the goaltending controversy might have been epic with both Theodore and Vokoun in town, and who would have known that a former ninth round pick from the 1994 NHL Entry Draft (226th overall) would eventually become a stud goaltender.

Vokoun has not won any major hardware in the NHL – he’s been a two-time all-star and has won a bronze medal in the 2006 Olympics for the Czech Republic, however, he’s not been a proven playoff goaltender. That might not be a major issue, as he hasn’t gotten much playoff support in his 12 year career. He’s appeared in the playoffs on two separate occasions with the Predators, but has yet to bring the Panthers into the fray. That being said, both the Predators and Panthers are lower end squads, relying heavily on elite goaltending to bail the teams out.

Vokoun in Montreal may have resulted in other changes to the squad in the long-term and his elite level of play could have resulted in some solid regular seasons and even some long playoff runs… but since this is a hypothetical, what if is all we could ask.

Tags: Carey Price, Cristobal Huet, Jaroslav Halak, Jose Theodore, Tomas Vokoun

Editorial – Cedrick the Entertainer

As most were probably expecting me to comment on the most recent update of the Habs’ version of the daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless, starring Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, I figured it’d be a nice change of pace to talk about one of the goaltenders making noise in the Habs farm system.

Many moons ago, both Price and Halak were considered budding prospects in the farm system.  Price as a former first round draft pick and Halak, finding ways to win at the pro level in the AHL.  Another name can now be added to this list, a tribute to the scouting team for discovering this gem.

Many don’t know this, but the Hamilton Bulldogs are enjoying a wonderful season in the AHL this year, working on maintaining first in the North Division.  Many can point fingers at the emerging defense corps or the surprising forwards, however, most can attribute this year’s success to Cedrick Desjardins.

Cedrick’s been stellar in 2009-10 for Hamilton thus far, with a 18-6-2 record, with a 1.84 goals against average, .928 save percentage, and five shutouts.  No offense to Price, but I know that Halak has a great AHL pedigree, so Desjardins success is a welcome sight to Habs fans sick of the Price vs. Halak drama.

Price has 12 AHL games under his belt, but similar to what’s been happening to Steve Mason in Columbus, Price may have benefited with more time in Hamilton.  Signed as an unrestricted free agent out of the QMJHL, Desjardins had an uneventful career in the Q, but has slowly developed into a solid netminder under the tutoring received in the AHL.  The team signed Curtis Sanford to be the rock in the AHL – an emergency journeyman NHLer that could serve as a back-up in case of injury, but he was quickly usurped by Desjardins.

All that being said, Desjardins could make things more difficult for team management if he continues to turn heads in the AHL.  Halak is more than likely gone either by the March 2010 trade deadline or during the off-season as a free agent.  However, Price will be the odds on favourite to be re-signed for a long-term contract.  At 22 years of age, Price will probably be signed for 3-5 years, hoping he will continue to develop and round out into the elite form many believe he has in him.  At 24 years of age and another couple of seasons refining his craft in the AHL, Desjardins could be another suitor in the Price empire.

Desjardins is quietly making a name for himself and like Halak, could become a cult favourite if the fans of the Habs see him in action first hand.  He just needs a chance… an injury of some sort, or some crazy-ass run of 10-1-1 after a late season call up or something and Price could yet find his job security in question.

Either way, as a self-proclaimed Halak fanatic myself, I am always going to be on the fence when it comes to Price.  Sure, he’s good, but on any other team except for Montreal right now, he’d be viewed as a back-up goaltender, not the future of the franchise.  Although Halak too is not an elite starting option in the ranks of Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo, he has the experience and the winning attitude to move in that direction.

I’d like to see Halak land on his feet, even for a bad team that he can call his own.  If things go the team’s way, that will happen.  If Desjardins has his way… he’ll be the next in line to create a goaltending controversy for the inconsistent Carey Price.  At least we won’t have to worry about the soap opera being canceled once one of the actors leaves the show.

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Carey Price, Cedrick Desjardins, Curtis Sanford, Jaroslav Halak, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Steve Mason, The Young and the Restless

Editorial – End of the Line for Laraque

The presence of the heavyweight of the NHL has come to an end in Montreal. GM Bob Gainey announced earlier this week that the Habs will buy out the remaining portion of Georges Laraque’s contract and will cut him for the duration of the season. Reports out of Montreal state that Laraque has been a distraction for the players in the locker room and his role as an enforcer was not being utilized in the correct fashion – as Laraque refused to fight other NHL enforcers in a lower “weight class,” resulting in other players having to fight for themselves.

Team management stated that Laraque was given a grace period before this announcement was made official to allow him the opportunity to deal with the tragic situation in Haiti. Laraque is now working with the NHLPA, developing the Hockey for Haiti initiative through World Vision, which will generate relief funding. He now has the ability to devote his full time to helping this cause and other charitable endeavours.

Laraque became a non-factor early on with the new regime of Coach Jacques Martin. Martin has never been known to use an enforcer in his lineup, and Laraque brought little to the table beyond his presence. With his questionable penalties taken and recent suspension for the ill-advised hit against Niklas Kronwall, combined with his off-ice antics, Laraque’s time in Montreal came to a close with little dispute or argument from the fans or media. He will probably get another job in the NHL in the near future as he can be a viable enforcer for teams that need this sort of “protection.”

What irks me is the fact that GM Bob Gainey admits that Laraque was no longer a useful commodity for his club. However, he still retains a steep price tag with his buyout, keeping $1 million of valuable cap space in 2010-11. With the Habs in a tough situation with a number of free agents to re-sign next season, this extra money could have been used elsewhere… guess it’s just another thing to add to Gainey’s portfolio of mistakes.

In terms of Laraque, I’ve been a solid supporter of his off-ice charity work and this initiative with the NHLPA is a great contribution to the relief effort that is dear to his heart. However, for me personally, he will still best be known for his viral video contribution with his now infamous energy drink commercial.

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Bob Gainey, Georges Laraque, Hockey for Haiti, Jacques Martin, Niklas Kronwall, World Vision

Fan Zone – Charity Raffle: Georges Laraque & Ray Bourque – “A Tale of Two Cities”

Hey fans and readers, received a special announcement from the folks at Celebrities for Charity Foundation:

Georges Laraque, famed inforcer of the Montreal Canadiens is teaming up with Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque to help raise money for charities in the Boston and Montreal areas.

Raffle tickets will be available from NetRaffle.org, and are $2 each (minimum of five to be purchased), benefiting the select Montreal-based children’s charities supported by Georges Laraque and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation, co-founded by Ray Bourque.

The winner of the raffle will receive the following prize:

* Winner’s choice of Two (2) tickets to the Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens at the TD Garden on Thursday February 4, 2010 or to the Sunday February 7, 2010 Bruins at Canadiens game in Montreal.
* The winner will be able to meet both Georges Laraque and Ray Bourque.
* The winner will receive an autographed jersey from both Georges Laraque and Ray Bourque.
* Dinner for two at either Tresca (Ray Bourque’s Restaurant in Boston’s Northend) or Ristorante Da Vinci (Ray Bourque’s favorite restaurant in Montreal).
* One night hotel accommodations in either Boston or Montreal and a $500 travel allowance.

Entry deadline is 11:00 AM EST on January 27, 2010. Draw will take place on January 27, 2010.

For further information or to purchase tickets, please visit the link to the raffle.

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Celebrities for Charity Foundation, Georges Laraque, Ray Bourque

Fan Zone – Habs Girls: Floriane

Thank you to the folks at HabsOrDie.com for sharing their beautiful Habs Girls photos for the Fan Zone of OhCanadiens.com.

Featured this month is Floriane.

There was no information provided for these photos, but I’m sure they each speak for themselves.

Gotta love Habs fans!

You can find the rest of the photos from this shoot from the following link or on HabsOrDie.com. The main site can also be found on the OhCanadiens.com blog roll.

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Floriane, Habs Girls, HabsorDie.com, OhCanadiens.com

Editorial – Playoff Race for 8th

The Habs are in a battle for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  However, as mentioned in various articles over the weekend leading into today, the Habs have played the most games in the NHL and will now have to wait if the other teams below them can make up some ground with games in hand.

With the turmoil and injuries that have plagued this team and many others around the league, it is a good spot to be in for the Habs.  The team has lost Andrei Kostitsyn for 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery to his knee, an injury that was thought to be have been a day-to-day ailment.  Sergei Kostitsyn is almost back, but the team has lost enforcer Georges Laraque yet again with his nagging back.

Overall, I do not recall if the team has had a full lineup since opening day, and that was only short-lived.  Adversity has followed this club around, both on and off the ice and injuries don’t seem to be a surprise anymore.  The team has had a good opportunity to bring up some youngsters from Hamilton (which is generally a bonus considering training camp is usually the only time to see what they can do), however, there haven’t been many standouts.

The abundance of injuries around the league and to the Habs to key personnel has probably made GM Bob Gainey reluctant to trade any viable assets until closer to the trade deadline in March 2010.  Since the team is on the fringe of being in eighth place or 13th place in the Eastern Conference, only time will allow this decision to become easier.  I’ve discussed before that Gainey will likely not trade Jaroslav Halak or Tomas Plekanec now, as many teams have other options and the timing is not right for that.  The top line is struggling sans Kostitsyn and Halak is still outplaying Carey Price – both in the easier games and some of the challenging ones.

This playoff race for eighth may just come down to the team that can be the most consistent.  As compared to the Western Conference, the team does have teams that will probably not make the playoffs this season.  The Carolina Hurricanes are already labeled for that scenario and some other teams are starting to drop off as well… dare I say, the Toronto Maple Leafs perhaps?

Anyhow, until the team has gotten a stranglehold on a playoff spot or is floundering near the bottom, the team will rely on replacements from the AHL to fill the gaps and support Coach Jacques Martin as he shuffles the lines yet again to find some scoring chemistry.  Maybe another foray for Marc-Andre Bergeron at the forward position perhaps?  Or possibly double-shifting elite players such as Mike Cammalleri or even Scott Gomez – who earns the salary of two players of his Tier II level of achievement.

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Andrei Kostitsyn, Bob Gainey, Carey Price, Georges Laraque, Jacques Martin, Jaroslav Halak, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Sergei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec

Editorial – Cap Analysis

March 3, 2010 is fast approaching and with the distraction of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the focus on the trade deadline hasn’t been as rampant as in recent years. The Montreal Canadiens are in somewhat of a predicament depending on your perspective.

After 44 games, the Habs currently sit eighth (45 points) in the Eastern Conference, grasping at the last playoff spot. In the Western Conference, 45 points would land the Habs in 11th spot, behind the Dallas Stars. Everyone knows that the Western Conference is stronger than the Eastern Conference, so even that comparison is somewhat unfair, but the Habs are really in a bind by this position.

If things went sour early on caused by the injuries to Andrei Markov and Brian Gionta, combined with the poor goaltending offered by Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, then decisions at this point of the season would be easier. However, these injuries didn’t hurt the Habs overall and the goaltending has been excellent on the whole thus far. The Habs are still inconsistent in many facets – scoring, defense, and even special teams, but their placement in the standings doesn’t help matters much.

After a disappointing showing in the 2009 playoffs, would a similar result be worth the pursuit? To finish in eighth for the 2010 playoffs would mean playing either New Jersey, Buffalo, or Washington at this point (if the three contenders for the division push for the Conference title), but could that mean another early exit? Just recently, the Habs were playing at a high level with the return of Markov and riding the hot hand of Halak, but that cooled off too – now they are having trouble winning at home.

The reason their position in the standings is an issue is that the team is good enough to make it, but possibly not good enough to make a real run for the Cup. Is the team really only a few pieces away from becoming contenders, or is that really just the media making more out of a lineup that has many holes on paper? Coach Jacques Martin’s defensive schemes have yet to work and the team has an anemic offense. Scott Gomez is playing like a Tier II centre as expected and future free agent Tomas Plekanec may become a trade casualty depending on the Habs position in late February.

This brings me to the analysis itself. The Habs currently have 14 players signed for 2010-11. They have five unrestricted free agents (two forwards and three defensemen), and also have eight players that will become restricted free agents (in which only two are eligible for arbitration).

The question marks remain as to what players will be back next season? GM Bob Gainey already did an overhaul this past off-season making some odd trades (e.g. Gomez) and letting veteran leaders walk (Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu). The salary saved on Koivu and Kovalev might not have been spent wisely and the situation is getting murkier now that potential free agents are playing well.

Here are some of the questions that someone needs to answer – won’t be me, but I am hoping Gainey will have an answer. By March 3, 2010, we might know the real answers:

1. Tomas Plekanec – Sign him or let him go? He had a tough 2008-09 campaign, but has rebounded as the true offensive leader on this team. Where would the Habs be if they didn’t sign him for the one-year, $2.75 M that they have him for now. Plekanec could be the elite centre the team has wanted, but the bad taste of the 2008-09 campaign might influence the future. If he stays, he’ll be in the $4 M category – too much?

2. Jaroslav Halak – Trade him or keep him until end of 2010 playoffs? With the goaltending situation becoming more clear for possible trade partners such as the Philadelphia Flyers or even the Edmonton Oilers, Halak’s stock is quite high, but more so as a free agent acquisition (similar to what Craig Anderson did in Colorado). The Habs might be better served to ride both Halak and Price, as Price is the obvious choice for re-signing. Although Price may not be better than Halak, Halak’s request for trade seals the deal of him not being a player on this roster sometime in 2010. May be sooner than later, but I doubt Gainey would let him go now for a 2nd round pick.

3. Marc-Andre Bergeron – Why not? Simple question eh? At $750k, he was a steal and a dark horse necessity with Markov’s freakish injury. However, Bergeron has been rejuvenated in Montreal and being a native of Quebec doesn’t hurt. At 22 points and the versatility to play forward and defense, not to mention serve as a complementary power play partner to Markov that was missing since Mark Streit or Sheldon Souray both left, this is probably the easiest cap decision to make.

4. Carey Price – How much? Not as simple as letting Halak leave or trading Halak, but this one is up for debate. His numbers do not put him in the elite class in the NHL, and apart from his rookie statistics, the jury is still out whether Price can retain the number one job in this hotbed of hockey. Media scrutiny has gotten him rattled at times and he’s had long stretches of bad play or sitting on the bench behind Halak. $3-$4 M might be too much to pay this guy, but the Habs have put all their eggs in the basket hanging precariously on his neck. As a free agent, he could end up being a back-up somewhere else or could feel “relieved” like Guillaume Latendresse after he leaves. However, Gainey’s career is pinned on Price now… so he’s back for good.

5. Buyouts – Are there any salaries worth eating instead of paying? After doing the research, there are many teams that are still paying ludicrous buyouts (e.g. New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs). However, alleviating the presence of “dead wood” type players helps in the long-term. I believe Roman Hamrlik could fit into this definition and possibly even Scott Gomez. Hamrlik hasn’t played poorly, but at $5.5 M per season for 2010-11, that is a lot to pay for a 30 points or less #4 defenseman. Like Price, Gomez is a major transaction linked to Gainey, so Gainey would not dare do anything with Gomez’s salary – or risk admitting he was wrong in acquiring him. Gionta and Gomez was a nice experiment, but it was funny to see Mike Cammalleri gel with Andrei Kostitsyn and Plekanec instead. Gomez isn’t going anywhere, so it will be interesting to see how much he generates for $8 M (currently prorated to 44 games, he has five goals and 22 assists – 27 points = $159k per point).

Follow along with us on Twitter at FanballNHL. Follow along with OhCanadiens.com on Twitter at OhCanadiens.

Tags: Alexei Kovalev, Andrei Markov, Bob Gainey, Brian Gionta, Carey Price, Craig Anderson, Jacques Martin, Jaroslav Halak, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Mark Streit, Mike Cammalleri, Roman Hamrlik, Saku Koivu, Scott Gomez, Sheldon Souray, Tomas Plekanec