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"Habs Inside Out" columnist Dave Stubbs provides his perspective on the dramatic changes in Montreal.
GAINEY'S PLAN COMING TOGETHER
Dave Stubbs, The Montreal Gazette, July 10, 2009
Let's hope Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey has a few dollars left in the kitty. It's going to cost him a small fortune to buy nameplate letters for the uniforms of all his new players.
Gainey yesterday signed unrestricted free-agent defenceman Paul Mara, most recently of the New York Rangers, to a one-year deal estimated at $1.9 million U.S.
Then a few hours later he put the name of rugged San Jose Sharks winger Travis Moen on a three-year contract reported to be worth $4.5 million.
Both players said last evening they chose Montreal because they see the revamped Canadiens as an opportunity to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
The Mara signing satisfies Gainey's desire to add one more body to his blueline corps. It also seems likely to spell the end of the Montreal careers of veterans Francis Bouillon and Mathieu Dandenault.
The addition of UFA Moen, for two years a Kelowna Rockets major-junior teammate of Habs defenceman Josh Gorges, gives the team size and attitude up front.
Moen was the seventh player acquired by Gainey in the past 11 days. Before yesterday, the GM's postseason shopping had included three high-profile forwards ­ Scott Gomez, acquired in a trade with the Rangers, as well as UFAs Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta - and UFA defencemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill.
Gainey signed not a single of his own 10 UFAs, including captain Saku Koivu and fan favourite Alex Kovalev. Seven in and 10 out isn't changing the chemistry of the Canadiens as much as it is blowing up the laboratory.
"Paul Mara will bring size and experience to our group of defencemen," Gainey said in a release. "He can contribute to all facets of the game.
"Travis Moen is a character player," he added a few hours later of the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder. "He is versatile and he plays hard. His size and style will contribute to adding physicality to our team."
If fans were puzzled over the addition of three fleet but unintimidating forwards in Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta, maybe they're starting to see a Gainey plan with the addition of 6-foot-7 Gill and 6-foot-4 Mara, twin towers on defence, and the crushing Moen up front.
Mara, a 212-pound 10-year NHL veteran, certainly brings size and experience to the Canadiens.
The 29-year-old native of Ridgewood, N.J., comes to his fifth NHL team, having been chosen seventh overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1997 entry draft.
He has since played for Phoenix, Boston and the Rangers, scoring 63 goals and adding 176 assists. He has 640 penalty minutes in 639 regular-season games.
Last season with the Rangers, Mara had five goals, 16 assists and 94 penalty minutes in 76 regular-season games, playing an average of 18:57 per match.
Moen, a 27-year-old native of Swift Current, Sask., finished last season with San Jose, having been traded there by Anaheim in March.
He had seven goals, nine assists and 91 penalty minutes in 2008-09, with a five-year NHL total of 29 goals, 27 assists and 487 penalty minutes through 362 games with Chicago, Anaheim and San Jose. Moen was drafted 155th overall by Calgary in 2000.
Montreal will be a homecoming of sorts for Mara, who has been a teammate of Gionta, Gomez and Gill.
"The chemistry issue both on and off the ice won't be a problem," he said last evening from his summer home in Cape Cod. "Guys they've brought in are character guys as well as quality players.
"All the guys, and I talked to Scott Gomez today, have a goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Anything short of that and we'll be disappointed."
Mara grew up in Bedford, Mass., as a loyal Bruins fan, and admitted yesterday's signing flooded his phone, email and text-messaging from that area.
"It's going to hurt their hearts," he joked of his correspondents. "But they're going to switch their allegiances to Montreal."
Playing in Canada is a dream realized for Moen, who helps out on his family's Saskatchewan farm in the summertime and even did a guest spot on the CTV comedy Corner Gas after scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Anaheim in 2007.
"There's disappointment every year you don't win the Cup," he said from Calgary, his attendance at a Kenny Chesney concert bound to earn him points from country music-loving goalie Carey Price. "I'm coming to Montreal because I think there's a good chance."
Moen offers Canadiens fans this scouting report: "I'm a physical guy, finish my checks, stick up for teammates, am good defensively, do a lot of (penalty-killing) and try to chip in offensively when I can.
"There's a lot of history in Montreal and they look like they're going to have a great team again."
dstubbs@thegazette.canwest.com
GAINEY'S PLAN COMING TOGETHER
Dave Stubbs, The Montreal Gazette, July 10, 2009
Let's hope Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey has a few dollars left in the kitty. It's going to cost him a small fortune to buy nameplate letters for the uniforms of all his new players.
Gainey yesterday signed unrestricted free-agent defenceman Paul Mara, most recently of the New York Rangers, to a one-year deal estimated at $1.9 million U.S.
Then a few hours later he put the name of rugged San Jose Sharks winger Travis Moen on a three-year contract reported to be worth $4.5 million.
Both players said last evening they chose Montreal because they see the revamped Canadiens as an opportunity to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
The Mara signing satisfies Gainey's desire to add one more body to his blueline corps. It also seems likely to spell the end of the Montreal careers of veterans Francis Bouillon and Mathieu Dandenault.
The addition of UFA Moen, for two years a Kelowna Rockets major-junior teammate of Habs defenceman Josh Gorges, gives the team size and attitude up front.
Moen was the seventh player acquired by Gainey in the past 11 days. Before yesterday, the GM's postseason shopping had included three high-profile forwards ­ Scott Gomez, acquired in a trade with the Rangers, as well as UFAs Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta - and UFA defencemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill.
Gainey signed not a single of his own 10 UFAs, including captain Saku Koivu and fan favourite Alex Kovalev. Seven in and 10 out isn't changing the chemistry of the Canadiens as much as it is blowing up the laboratory.
"Paul Mara will bring size and experience to our group of defencemen," Gainey said in a release. "He can contribute to all facets of the game.
"Travis Moen is a character player," he added a few hours later of the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder. "He is versatile and he plays hard. His size and style will contribute to adding physicality to our team."
If fans were puzzled over the addition of three fleet but unintimidating forwards in Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta, maybe they're starting to see a Gainey plan with the addition of 6-foot-7 Gill and 6-foot-4 Mara, twin towers on defence, and the crushing Moen up front.
Mara, a 212-pound 10-year NHL veteran, certainly brings size and experience to the Canadiens.
The 29-year-old native of Ridgewood, N.J., comes to his fifth NHL team, having been chosen seventh overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1997 entry draft.
He has since played for Phoenix, Boston and the Rangers, scoring 63 goals and adding 176 assists. He has 640 penalty minutes in 639 regular-season games.
Last season with the Rangers, Mara had five goals, 16 assists and 94 penalty minutes in 76 regular-season games, playing an average of 18:57 per match.
Moen, a 27-year-old native of Swift Current, Sask., finished last season with San Jose, having been traded there by Anaheim in March.
He had seven goals, nine assists and 91 penalty minutes in 2008-09, with a five-year NHL total of 29 goals, 27 assists and 487 penalty minutes through 362 games with Chicago, Anaheim and San Jose. Moen was drafted 155th overall by Calgary in 2000.
Montreal will be a homecoming of sorts for Mara, who has been a teammate of Gionta, Gomez and Gill.
"The chemistry issue both on and off the ice won't be a problem," he said last evening from his summer home in Cape Cod. "Guys they've brought in are character guys as well as quality players.
"All the guys, and I talked to Scott Gomez today, have a goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Anything short of that and we'll be disappointed."
Mara grew up in Bedford, Mass., as a loyal Bruins fan, and admitted yesterday's signing flooded his phone, email and text-messaging from that area.
"It's going to hurt their hearts," he joked of his correspondents. "But they're going to switch their allegiances to Montreal."
Playing in Canada is a dream realized for Moen, who helps out on his family's Saskatchewan farm in the summertime and even did a guest spot on the CTV comedy Corner Gas after scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Anaheim in 2007.
"There's disappointment every year you don't win the Cup," he said from Calgary, his attendance at a Kenny Chesney concert bound to earn him points from country music-loving goalie Carey Price. "I'm coming to Montreal because I think there's a good chance."
Moen offers Canadiens fans this scouting report: "I'm a physical guy, finish my checks, stick up for teammates, am good defensively, do a lot of (penalty-killing) and try to chip in offensively when I can.
"There's a lot of history in Montreal and they look like they're going to have a great team again."
dstubbs@thegazette.canwest.com
He's friggin' 20 years old!!! Anyhew, Pach is by far the best forward prospect in the habs system. 
You didn't think Bob had lost it, did you?
