What's Next For Les Canadiens?

Wouldn't be surprised to see Montreal's only big move be trading for Vinny.

Habs columnist Pat Hickey takes his swipe at 'what's next'? for Le Bleu Blanc Rouge--with major changes possible...?

Koivu's on the outside looking in
"Any serious talks are on hold until after the draft this weekend."
Pat Hickey, The Gazette, June 25, 2009

With eight days remaining before he can become an unrestricted free agent, Canadiens captain Saku Koivu is in limbo.

Koivu's agent, Don Baizley, said yesterday that he and Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey have talked, but the club has not extended an offer.

"Saku would like to stay in Montreal, but we're waiting to see what the team has in mind," Baizley said.

Gainey said this week that he has talked with several of the 10 unrestricted free agents on the roster, but that any serious talks were on hold until after this weekend's draft.

Koivu made his debut with the Canadiens in 1995 and has been the captain since 1999. He has never had any problem reaching a contract agreement with the team but, this time around, there may not be an offer.

Gainey's decision to wait until after the draft has heightened speculation that the Canadiens are targeting a long-term need - a dominant centre with some size.

But fans who are hoping that Vincent Lecavalier is on his way home will probably be disappointed.

While there has been a running feud between Tampa Bay Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie, there appears to be a consensus that trading Lecavalier would deal a serious blow to the Lightning's marketing efforts.

The latest speculation has the Canadiens targeting Patrick Marleau or even Danny Briere, who has been mistaken for a big man.

Even if Lecavalier were available, it would be difficult for the Canadiens to satisfy the Lightning's needs. Tampa Bay is looking for a package that includes a front-line defenceman and that means Andrei Markov.

The Canadiens and Tampa had a brief discussion about a deal for Lecavalier last winter, but the talks ended abruptly when Lawton asked for Josh Gorges, Christopher Higgins and Tomas Plekanec.

At season's end, Gainey ripped into Lawton, saying it was "disgraceful" that the names were made public. At the time, there was a suggestion that it would be impossible for the two men to make a deal in the future, but Lawton said yesterday that he and Gainey have talked and settled any differences.

Lawton has spent weeks ducking questions about whether he plans to trade Lecavalier or the No. 2 overall pick in tomorrow night's draft. He made it clear yesterday that he's holding on to the draft pick.

"I don't think trading for an established player is going to make a difference," he explained. "We're looking to build through the draft and we're going to get a quality player to go along with Steven Stamkos."

Lawton said players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin have raised expectations for young players, but he's confident that any of the top five players in this year's draft will be productive NHL players.

"You draft a young player and your costs are controlled for a few years," Lawton added. "Our strategy is to have a team that's younger and cheaper."

Which raises the question: Isn't trading Lecavalier a move in that direction?

phickey@thegazette.canwest.com

Anybody expecting Montreal to turn it around next year will be greatly disappointed.

Big T wrote:Anybody expecting Montreal to turn it around next year will be greatly disappointed.

Welcome to GM Hockey, young man...I am sure you will find many here who share your view. And some who do not.

Enjoy!

davetherave wrote:

Big T wrote:Anybody expecting Montreal to turn it around next year will be greatly disappointed.

Welcome to GM Hockey, young man...I am sure you will find many here who share your view. And some who do not.

Enjoy!

'Tis life

Big T wrote:

davetherave wrote:

Big T wrote:Anybody expecting Montreal to turn it around next year will be greatly disappointed.

Welcome to GM Hockey, young man...I am sure you will find many here who share your view. And some who do not.

Enjoy!

'Tis life

That's the spirit...plenty of good debates to be had here... cool) We have an excellent group of members. So, feel free to jump in to the deep end!

The Habs go for a Montreal native by picking Louis Leblanc, and Le Centre Bell roars its approval. Compared by some to John Leclair, Leblanc will finish out his studies at Harvard before coming home to don La Sainte Flanelle...

One can expect there will much written in Montreal about this move...but first, the initial press blurb from the Habs as reported by The Gazette today:

Montreal Canadiens trade Higgins for Gomez

MONTREAL - The Canadiens on Tuesday afternoon traded forward Christopher Higgins and a defence prospect to the New York Rangers for centre Scott Gomez in a multiplayer deal.

Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey announced the acquisition of Gomez along with forward Tom Pyatt and defenceman Michael Busto from the Rangers, in return for Higgins and Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik.

Gomez will earn $8 million next season. He's under contract through 2013-14.

"We are extremely pleased to have acquired an impact centreman in Scott Gomez," Gainey said in a news release.

"He is an outstanding playmaker and an excellent skater. Having won the Stanley Cup twice with the New Jersey Devils, he brings to tour team a lot of playoff experience. Scott is an elite player who will certainly contribute to the success of our team for years to come."

---

The phones and e-mails are already flying in to Corus Sports...and there is also a conference call scheduled for 1830h...listening to it now...

Gomez says "I'm excited to be going to Montreal...the Mecca of hockey..."

Should be fascinating to see the reaction among Habsologistes.

Gomez is addressing the members of the Montreal media...listen here>

http://www.corussports.com/audio.php

"Hey, let's face it, Montreal is a special place. When you're playing well, the fans appreciate it, and when you're not, they let you know. The pressure? I love it. Hey, that's why we play. The day you stop caring, that's the day you stop playing...and after last year, I've got a lot to prove."

Sounds like a straight arrow. Knows he's got to do better than last year. Still overpaid, but that's not entirely his fault.

Prager hahaha, EXACTLY. Show me the retard who turns down 50 million dollars, haha.

Scott Gomez was on a fishing trip in Alaska when he did the call with Montreal journos today...from Dave Stubbs at Habs Inside Out:


The Canadiens' newly acquired centreman Scott Gomez has just concluded a conference call with Montreal journalists. He is in Alaska, on a fishing trip.
Gomez said the trade is part of the business and he's a little disappointed that he didn't have a chance to play more for New York coach John Tortorella. But he said he's excited to be playing in the "mecca of hockey."

• Here's the full audio of the call. (click to download MP3 file)

'Dramatic' is probably an understatement when it comes to describing the changes Bob Gainey has made to the Canadiens so far this UFA season.

Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri, Spacek and Gill bring, individually and collectively, a very different dimension and personality to this team.

And Gainey is not done yet. Saying "We are a more talented club today", it's clear that he saw it was time to turn the page. Montreal's RDS offers its overview, and a link to Gainey's press conference, here:
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/277592.html
http://www.rds.ca/video/visionneuse.html?video=30762

Habs columnist Pat Hickey provides his perspective...

GM Gainey reshapes the Canadiens
Pat Hickey, The Montreal Gazette, July 2, 2009

The Saku Koivu era is over as free agency takes the Canadiens in a new direction.
“We felt it was time to put a new face on this team,” general manager Bob Gainey said after two days resulted in the arrival of five new players and the departure of 10 unrestricted free agents.

Gainey said last week that the priority was the acquisition of a big centre, but he revised that statement last night and said he meant to say impact player.

The player in this case is veteran centre Scott Gomez, who was acquired Tuesday night in a trade that sent New york native Christopher Higgins back to the Big Apple.

Gomez is the new No. 1 centre after the Canadiens declined to tender Koivu an offer. Gomez becomes the highest-paid player in Canadiens’ history with five years remaining on a contract which pays him an average of $7,357,143 a season.

Gainey said that the trade for Gomez, 29, set the table for a round of deals yesterday.

He’ll be probably be joined on the top line by free-agent acquisitions Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta.

Cammalleri, 27, becomes No. 2 on the all-time salary list after signing a five-year, $30 million contract. He scored a 82 points last season with the Calgary Flames.

And Gionta, 30, left the New Jersey Devils to sign a five-year contract worth $25 million. None of the players can be considered big. Gomez is 5-foot-11; Cammalleri is 5-foot-9 and Gionta is 5-foot-7.

Cammalleri said he was excited by the prospect of playing on the same line as Gomez, while Gionta enjoyed some of his best seasons playing with Gomez in New Jersey – where they were part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams.

The Canadiens also signed two defenceman. Jaroslav Spacek jumped from the Buffalo Sabres for a three-year deal worth $11.5 million, while Hal Gill, who hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins last month, will collect $4.5 million over two seasons.

“I think we got younger and we’re more talented,” said Gainey, who has committed more than $107 million in salaries over the next five seasons.
Gainey said he used last season to assess the talent on the team and, when he finished, he determined he wanted to keep only two of the 10 unrestricted free agents on the roster.

Defenceman Mike Komisarek spurned what was believed to a five-year, $20-million offer from the Canadiens and signed with the archrival Toronto Maple Leafs for $22.5 million over five years.

“We kept in contact for most of today but then we moved in another direction,” Gainey said. “His time (to sign) was yesterday or the day before.

Gainey also offered a contract to Alex Kovalev. There were reports earlier Wednesday that Kovalev had agreed to a two-year extension with the Canadiens, but his agent said no deal had been done and Gainey said the offer was no longer on the table.

Gainey said he talked with Koivu yesterday and thanked him for his contribution to the team. Gainey said the long-time captain was excited about starting over with a new team.

The other UFAs who have been let go include Alex Tanguay, Tom Kostopoulos, Mathieu Schneider, Mathieu Dandenault, Francis Bouillon and Patrice Brisebois. Gainey said he still wanted to add a seventh defenceman and he said the Canadiens will be asking one of their younger players to step up and play right wing on the probable No. 2 line with Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn.

“I think we have some people to fit in there like Guillaume Latendresse, Matt D’Agostini and maybe Sergei Kostitsyn who could play there,” Gainey said.
Cammalleri, who grew up north of Toronto in Richmond Hill, said he was more of a Leafs fan as a youngster but he is aware of the Canadiens’ tradition.

“I’m just happy to be going to a city where the fans appreciate hockey,” he said. “I loved it in Calgary, but I’m an Eastern guy.”

The Flames would have had trouble giving him a raise from the $3.6 million he made last season. They were up against the cap most of last year and added defenceman Jay Bouwmeester Tuesday with a cap hit of $6.6 million over each of the next five years.

phickey@thegazette.com

Neely4Life wrote:Prager hahaha, EXACTLY. Show me the retard who turns down 50 million dollars, haha.

and I will show you a retard that wants to be traded, but nixes the only lame a$$ed deal there is out there for him, oh wait, nm.

If the Habs have their 1st line with Cammalleri, Gomez and Gionta, where does that leave Kovalev? He's not going to want to play 3rd fiddle. I don't think Gainey will offer him another contract.

Is he insane to ice a line of 5'7", 5'9" nd 5'11? Gomez is the giant on that line. And Gill replacing Komisarek makes their defense weaker, while Price is still in goal. I could be wrong, but I think they are in for another disasterous season.

wprager wrote:If the Habs have their 1st line with Cammalleri, Gomez and Gionta, where does that leave Kovalev? He's not going to want to play 3rd fiddle. I don't think Gainey will offer him another contract.

Is he insane to ice a line of 5'7", 5'9" nd 5'11? Gomez is the giant on that line. And Gill replacing Komisarek makes their defense weaker, while Price is still in goal. I could be wrong, but I think they are in for another disasterous season.

no contract for either Tanguay, Koivu or Kovalev, murmurings are Kovalev to LA, which will nix any involvement LA has for Heatley. I can't wait for the Habs to fall even flatter than last year.

The Leafs need Heatley. There. I said it. It's out now.

Edit: It appears I said it in the wrong thread.

wprager wrote:The Leafs need Heatley. There. I said it. It's out now.

Edit: It appears I said it in the wrong thread.

you are forgiven, and well, shoot that one down right away, he is not a Burkian type player, our pooch is royally screwed at this point.