Home
Publications
Bob Gainey declared yesterday that Tampa GM Brian Lawton breached their confidentiality agreement regarding discussions of Lecavalier to Montreal and consequently set off a ripple effect that destabilized the Habs. The articles posted here make for some very interesting reading.
I've listened to and watched interviews with Lawton, a former first round pick who was a player agent before he took over as Tampa GM. He gives the impression of being a shrewd operator--but if what Gainey says is true, other GMs will be wary of dealing with Lawton.
If the Bolts had traded Vinny to Montreal--which they clearly wanted to, as the facts now show--they would have unloaded a massive financial liability and gotten a package of players that could have addressed their needs both now and in the future.
According to Corus Sports in Montreal, the package included Higgins, Plekanec, Gorges and PK Subban.
Audio link here to Gainey's presscon:
http://www.corussports.com/radio/audioplayer.php?file=1527861.mp3&mode=cn&id=1527861&date=20090423
As for Lecavalier, he knows very well that the Lightning have lied to him.
Lawton may just have screwed himself. Or has he?
At very least, Bob won't be buying him a beer and a hot dog stimée anytime soon.
I've posted the reports from both sides. Read on...and what do YOU think?
---
Gainey lashes out at Lightning
Sean Gordon, The Globe and Mail, April 23, 2009 at 5:25 PM EDT
BROSSARD, Que. — With the disappointment of a miserable centennial season lingering like a foul taste for the Montreal Canadiens, it's now time to move on to the traditional finger-pointing — and general manager Bob Gainey is extending a gnarled digit at the "disgraceful" Tampa Bay Lightning.
In analyzing his team's wretched performance, Gainey identified injuries to key players and the disruptions caused by furious trade speculation involving superstar Tampa centre Vincent Lecavalier as the main factors in a dismal second half.
Gainey lashed out at Lightning counterpart Brian Lawton and the team's ownership for leaking the names of the Habs players they were interested in during the midwinter trade talks involving Lecavalier.
"The second half of our season was when things started to go off course and I felt the first place was when we had discussions with Tampa Bay. We had an agreement with them that I got a call early in January with a list of names from their team that they wanted to talk about, and those players ended up public because they used those names to take them to other teams to see if they could create a different trade for Vincent Lecavalier," Gainey said at his end-of-season news conference following the Habs' elimination by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
"I think it was disgraceful that Josh Gorges and Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins have to read that stuff."
Lawton retorted in the St. Petersburg Times the accusations were "preposterous" and "absolutely false. The NHL is a very tight community, there's only 28 other GMs and I can assure you there's not one who will confirm it because it has never happened."
Considerable speculation has surrounded Gainey's future with the team — several pundits called for his head after the Habs' swift elimination — but he didn't look or sound like someone who has one foot out the door.
"I'm sitting here today with the idea that I have work to do," he said.
Though Gainey is clearly in the mind of settling his scores with Lawton, the explanation stands up as a partial one at best.
Injuries are a more persuasive argument, especially the season-ending Achilles tendon tear suffered by centre Robert Lang on Feb. 1, and the knee problem that took No. 1 defenceman Andrei Markov out of action for the final eight games, all losses.
The Habs lost 253 man-games to injuries this season, more than double the previous year's total, when the team finished at the top of the NHL's Eastern Conference.
Gainey said the injuries had a ripple effect on the roster, something repeated by several players, who said the cohesiveness of the team was hindered by a rotating cast of absentees.
To say nothing of the off-ice distractions, including reports of wild partying, the criminal acquaintances of a trio of players, sale rumours and the demands of the centennial celebrations.
"If feels like we've lived through three seasons of He Shoots, He Scores in one year," said winger Guillaume Latendresse, who is one of five restricted free agents on the Canadiens roster.
"You get to the rink and it's always something, you're thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow, is the coach going to be there, it's a tough situation. I think mentally we were hampered by all that … but we'll grow from it."
The team also suffered through the instability of having 10 unrestricted free agents on its roster, a situation Gainey agreed was "not optimal."
At the same time, he can look to next season with about $32-million (U.S.) in salary cap room in his back pocket.
---
Montreal GM slams Lightning
By Damian Cristodero, TampaBay.com/St Petersburg Times Staff Writer
Published Thursday, April 23, 2009
Canadiens coach and general manager Bob Gainey on Thursday called the Lightning "disgraceful."
Tampa Bay general manager Brian Lawton said the accusation is "preposterous."
Gainey, speaking to reporters in Montreal the day after his team was swept by the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, said the Lightning leaked to other teams the names of Canadiens players being discussed in a possible trade for Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier.
Gainey said the distraction was a factor in his team's second-half collapse.
"We had discussions with Tampa Bay. We had an agreement with them (to keep the names private)," he said.
"I got a call in January from them with a list of names that they wanted to talk about, and those players ended up in public because they used those names to take them to other teams to see if they could create a different trade for Vinny Lecavalier. I think it was disgraceful that Josh Gorges, Tomas Plekanec and Christopher Higgins had to read that stuff."
Lawton, who has never acknowledged that trade talks for Lecavalier have even taken place, said Gainey's assertion was "absolutely false."
"The NHL is a very tight community," Lawton said. "There's only 28 other GMs, and I can assure you there's not one who will confirm it because it has never happened. It's preposterous and simply not true."
Footnote:
It appears Rick Tocchet, elevated to coach in November after Barry Melrose was fired, could have the interim tag taken off his title by the end of next week.
Lawton said he will meet with Tocchet early next week but offered no other specifics.
"My fault," Lawton said of the protracted process. "You can blame it on me. … (Tocchet) did a great job, but it wasn't the season we wanted, so you do your due diligence."
Coaches entering new contracts generally get three-year deals.
I've listened to and watched interviews with Lawton, a former first round pick who was a player agent before he took over as Tampa GM. He gives the impression of being a shrewd operator--but if what Gainey says is true, other GMs will be wary of dealing with Lawton.
If the Bolts had traded Vinny to Montreal--which they clearly wanted to, as the facts now show--they would have unloaded a massive financial liability and gotten a package of players that could have addressed their needs both now and in the future.
According to Corus Sports in Montreal, the package included Higgins, Plekanec, Gorges and PK Subban.
Audio link here to Gainey's presscon:
http://www.corussports.com/radio/audioplayer.php?file=1527861.mp3&mode=cn&id=1527861&date=20090423
As for Lecavalier, he knows very well that the Lightning have lied to him.
Lawton may just have screwed himself. Or has he?
At very least, Bob won't be buying him a beer and a hot dog stimée anytime soon.
I've posted the reports from both sides. Read on...and what do YOU think?
---
Gainey lashes out at Lightning
Sean Gordon, The Globe and Mail, April 23, 2009 at 5:25 PM EDT
BROSSARD, Que. — With the disappointment of a miserable centennial season lingering like a foul taste for the Montreal Canadiens, it's now time to move on to the traditional finger-pointing — and general manager Bob Gainey is extending a gnarled digit at the "disgraceful" Tampa Bay Lightning.
In analyzing his team's wretched performance, Gainey identified injuries to key players and the disruptions caused by furious trade speculation involving superstar Tampa centre Vincent Lecavalier as the main factors in a dismal second half.
Gainey lashed out at Lightning counterpart Brian Lawton and the team's ownership for leaking the names of the Habs players they were interested in during the midwinter trade talks involving Lecavalier.
"The second half of our season was when things started to go off course and I felt the first place was when we had discussions with Tampa Bay. We had an agreement with them that I got a call early in January with a list of names from their team that they wanted to talk about, and those players ended up public because they used those names to take them to other teams to see if they could create a different trade for Vincent Lecavalier," Gainey said at his end-of-season news conference following the Habs' elimination by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
"I think it was disgraceful that Josh Gorges and Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins have to read that stuff."
Lawton retorted in the St. Petersburg Times the accusations were "preposterous" and "absolutely false. The NHL is a very tight community, there's only 28 other GMs and I can assure you there's not one who will confirm it because it has never happened."
Considerable speculation has surrounded Gainey's future with the team — several pundits called for his head after the Habs' swift elimination — but he didn't look or sound like someone who has one foot out the door.
"I'm sitting here today with the idea that I have work to do," he said.
Though Gainey is clearly in the mind of settling his scores with Lawton, the explanation stands up as a partial one at best.
Injuries are a more persuasive argument, especially the season-ending Achilles tendon tear suffered by centre Robert Lang on Feb. 1, and the knee problem that took No. 1 defenceman Andrei Markov out of action for the final eight games, all losses.
The Habs lost 253 man-games to injuries this season, more than double the previous year's total, when the team finished at the top of the NHL's Eastern Conference.
Gainey said the injuries had a ripple effect on the roster, something repeated by several players, who said the cohesiveness of the team was hindered by a rotating cast of absentees.
To say nothing of the off-ice distractions, including reports of wild partying, the criminal acquaintances of a trio of players, sale rumours and the demands of the centennial celebrations.
"If feels like we've lived through three seasons of He Shoots, He Scores in one year," said winger Guillaume Latendresse, who is one of five restricted free agents on the Canadiens roster.
"You get to the rink and it's always something, you're thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow, is the coach going to be there, it's a tough situation. I think mentally we were hampered by all that … but we'll grow from it."
The team also suffered through the instability of having 10 unrestricted free agents on its roster, a situation Gainey agreed was "not optimal."
At the same time, he can look to next season with about $32-million (U.S.) in salary cap room in his back pocket.
---
Montreal GM slams Lightning
By Damian Cristodero, TampaBay.com/St Petersburg Times Staff Writer
Published Thursday, April 23, 2009
Canadiens coach and general manager Bob Gainey on Thursday called the Lightning "disgraceful."
Tampa Bay general manager Brian Lawton said the accusation is "preposterous."
Gainey, speaking to reporters in Montreal the day after his team was swept by the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, said the Lightning leaked to other teams the names of Canadiens players being discussed in a possible trade for Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier.
Gainey said the distraction was a factor in his team's second-half collapse.
"We had discussions with Tampa Bay. We had an agreement with them (to keep the names private)," he said.
"I got a call in January from them with a list of names that they wanted to talk about, and those players ended up in public because they used those names to take them to other teams to see if they could create a different trade for Vinny Lecavalier. I think it was disgraceful that Josh Gorges, Tomas Plekanec and Christopher Higgins had to read that stuff."
Lawton, who has never acknowledged that trade talks for Lecavalier have even taken place, said Gainey's assertion was "absolutely false."
"The NHL is a very tight community," Lawton said. "There's only 28 other GMs, and I can assure you there's not one who will confirm it because it has never happened. It's preposterous and simply not true."
Footnote:
It appears Rick Tocchet, elevated to coach in November after Barry Melrose was fired, could have the interim tag taken off his title by the end of next week.
Lawton said he will meet with Tocchet early next week but offered no other specifics.
"My fault," Lawton said of the protracted process. "You can blame it on me. … (Tocchet) did a great job, but it wasn't the season we wanted, so you do your due diligence."
Coaches entering new contracts generally get three-year deals.
Last edited by davetherave on Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:36 am; edited 1 time in total
