Blogging About The Montreal Canadiens and Canadiens Hockey

We haven’t heard much from Bob Gainey in the last couple of weeks so I thought this might be a good opportunity to discuss the current team build and what possible changes Bob Gainey might be looking to do.

Defensively I believe that Gainey has done everything that he wanted to do picking up Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill, and Paul Mara. I’m glad to see that he added some grit because the effects will be notable after losing Komisarek at free agency.

Offensively I think Bob might have one more trade in him. It’s likely that this trade may involve Tomas Plekanec and/or Jaroslav Halak, but a big trade that would probably occur isn’t really Bob Gainey’s style, this year notwithstanding. Personally, I would really like to see a second line center be brought in, because I don’t think Plekanec is going to do as well as people expect. Package him and send him out.

Carey Price is our solidified starting goaltender and with the expectations lowered I can guarantee he’s going to play more like he did during his rookie campaign. Halak is probably one of the best backups in the league, but unfortunately will never really get a legitimate chance playing in Price’s shadow.

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It didn’t take Bob Gainey, Interim Coach and General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, long to begin making changes with his team. Gainey has changed all three defensive pairings and has put Alex Kovalev on left wing with Matt D’Agostini and Tomas Plekanec.

Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek are reunited as the #1 D-pairing, Ryan O’Byrne will play with Roman Hamrlik on the second D-pairing, and Mathieu Schneider will see slightly less ice-time playing on the third D-pairing with Josh Gorges.

The thing that really surprised me was that Max Pacioretty will be benched alongside Patrice Brisebois, and the injured Guillaume Latendresse.

I’m VERY happy to see the Tanguay-Koivu-A. Kostitsyn line stay together. That line absolutely dominated in the game against Dallas and had so many scoring chances.

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It has been reported that the Montreal Canadiens may be interested in picking up some more scoring and possible Power play players, one such report suggests that Bob Gainey has been in talks with the Chicago Blackhawks about Left Winger Martin Havlat.

The Blackhawks are looking to shed some salary and would prefer to move Nikolai Khabibulin, but Martin Havlat is in the last year of his contract and could give the Blackhawks a decent return.

Gainey may also be talking with the Minnesota Wild about Marian Gaborik, but not much is known. Neither of these reports have been verified but one thing is for sure, Bob Gainey is looking to make some noise before the March 4th trade deadline.

Player Links:
Martin Havlat HockeyDB Stats

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Now that the wound has healed a little bit, Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau had their year end press conference for the media yesterday, and it didn’t appear that either were one bit rattled over the early departure of the Montreal Canadiens from the Stanley Cup playoffs, and why would they be? I mean, the average age of this team is like 22, one of the lowest in the NHL. This team is going to be great for years to come.

Bob Gainey will definitely be looking to make some moves over the summer, looking for a guy or two that fits in with the Montreal Canadiens’ style of play, which he described as being quick and exciting, and that would help the current players get better, and more prepared for the playoffs.

One member of the Montreal Canadiens not likely to be back next season will be Michael Ryder, not because he didn’t try hard, or didn’t want it, but because the Montreal Canadiens reorganization of lines and special teams just wasn’t in Ryder’s favor, and you can’t blame the guy for that. Using Mike Rebeiro as an example, I believe that Ryder could have a breakout year with a team who needs a sniper at RW.

On the other side Gainey is looking to resign UFA Mark Streit for another season, and who could blame him. Streit had a breakout year with 62 points, his best year since…well, ever. This strong Offensive/Defenseman gives us a great shot at the point on our PP, and could move up to our fourth or even third line if need be.

The Montreal Canadiens will be looking into resigning Andrei Kostitsyn, who is RFA next season, but the possibility of him return to the RSL, or going to another NHL team is viable. Gainey believes that Kostitsyn is comfortable in Montreal, especially now that his brother playing here, and believes we’ll be seeing Andrei Kostitsyn back in the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, next season.

Montreal is said to be a frontrunner for Swedish start, Fabian Brunnstrom, who just happened to be in Montreal for two days on the weekend, checking things out. Brunnstrom is also said to have visited Detroit and Dallas, but should make a decision by the end of the week who he wants to go with.

All in all, I think we’re going to have a great 08-09 season.

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As Montreal Canadiens fans, we’ve seen the Habs grow to a true playoff contender over the last few years under the reigns of Mr. Bob Gainey. He’s been scrutinized for just about everything that he has done, by both the Montreal media, as well as the Montreal Canadien fan base. But when you really think about it, he has made excellent decisions, and hasn’t traded away youth for a quick fix.

The Hockey News recently came out with their annual report of GM Rankings, and our very own Bob Gainey is ranked at #4. You can see the full story here, but for those of you who don’t like to read, here is the excerpt about Gainey.

4. Bob Gainey, Montreal

Gainey took a considerable amount of heat for not landing a big-name player at the trade deadline and for dealing away No. 1 goalie Cristobal Huet for a second round pick. But Gainey doesn’t take his morning coffee without ruminating on what effect it will have, so he didn’t take his actions/non-actions at the deadline cavalierly either. First, he decided Huet would never carry the Habs to a championship and dispatched him. It’s called being decisive. He also realized Marian Hossa wasn’t worth the package Atlanta was demanding. Gainey surrounds himself with competent people and, while a consensus builder, he also allows them the freedom to do their jobs without meddling. He remains one of just seven current GMs to have won a Stanley Cup.

CAREER 546-380-149 (.577)
CUPS 1
PLAYOFFS 12-8 series record

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Bob Gainey announced today that the Canadiens have signed forward, right winger, James (J.T.) Wyman to a two-year contract and will report to the Hamilton Bulldogs March 20th, 2008. Wyman currently plays for Dartmouth College in the NCAA and was drafted 100th overall in the 2004 entry draft.

So far in the 2007-2008 season Wyman has notched 15 goals and 15 assists in 29 games, with 18 penalty minutes. From his stats this kid looks impressive, and the Bulldogs definitely need an offensive boost going 3-7 in their last ten games, with a six game losing streak.

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