Habs Have Their Hands Full

Tuesday, May 19, 2009


There are only four teams remaining in this year’s race for Lord Stanley. This leaves the other twenty six off on their summer vacation, one team being the Montreal Canadiens, who have some off season work to do. The Habs have a total of ten unrestricted free agents this summer who they need to take care of whether it’s giving them a contract or shipping them out of Montreal.

These ten free agents aren’t just no names, most of them are the star players of the Canadiens. The list of free agents includes Captain Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Robert Lang, Alex Tanguay, Mike Komisarek, Francis Boullion, Tom Kostopoulos, Patrice Brisebois, and Mathieu Schneider.

Can the Canadiens really afford to lose Koivu and Kovalev, arguably the team’s best players? The 2008-2009 campaign wasn’t really one to remember for the centennial season, and if they want to improve their roster, letting go of those two definitely won’t help the cause.

All star defenseman and agitator Komisarek is another key component for Bob Gainey’s club. He’s an enforcer on the ice and logs about twenty-one minutes of ice time per game. Since there is a salary cap in the NHL, if the Canadiens want to keep defenseman Komisarek, then Brisebois and Boullion are players they might want to consider letting go.

Of the other players remaining, I’d say free up some cap space by letting another team grab Kostopoulos while the Canadiens re-sign left wing Tanguay. Tanguay fit in well on a line with Koivu and he scored 16 goals this season, which was fourth highest on the team.

If Gainey does decide to re-sign the big name contracts and let go of the others, the Canadiens organization might be able to sign a skilled goal scorer to help bring this team to a new level. Free agency starts July 1st, so Gainey has until then to take care of who they want to sign but if not, free agency is coming and it’ll hit this team hard.

28 comments:

Eternal Pessimist said...

I'm not ready to think about this stuff yet =p

I'll point out though, that it's too early to even think about this right now because in all likelyhood, we'll be ending up with new owners. Until that is resolved, we don't know for sure if Gainey will even be back. And without knowing who the GM will be, it's a tad pointless to think about who's going to come back. That being said, it's always fun to speculate *g*

I'll have to think more about this before I offer up any real thoughts/opinions though...

The Puck Stops Here said...

i know, i just wanted to put it in my opinion, not what i thought was going to happen.

i just thought you'd like since it's about your beloved canadiens.

Anonymous said...

I have no idea how you keep all this straight with so many teams in the league! Way to go. Great blog.
AmandaLyn

The Puck Stops Here said...

haha thankyou :)
it's because i love hockey =p so it's easy

Anonymous said...

How can a team with 31+ million dollars in cap room get hit "hard" by free agency?

The Puck Stops Here said...

because they have 10 players who are UFA, and it doesn't matter how much cap $ they have because if a lot of the players decide to sign elsewhere, they're left with half a roster.

Anonymous said...

With 31 million dollars available, I'm sure a lot of players wouldn't mind playing in Montreal considering the barren market for UFA signings with the cap expected to stay the same or even dip lower. Havlat, Hossa or even a healthy Gaborik would all be fine replacements for Kovalev if he's to leave.

The Puck Stops Here said...

okay, well that's your opinion. its a good point, but i'm sticking with my opinion.
thankyou for the comment.

Anonymous said...

lol @ you not being able to debate hockey, fangirl.

The Puck Stops Here said...

i can debate fine, i just choose not to with you. :)

Anonymous said...

Hmmm no, don't think you can. You state facts, good job. You use Google well. *thumbs up*.

The Puck Stops Here said...

do you have a life? just wondering.
since you love to strike up arguments with me, if you ever see me in person..ask me something then. because i won't have "google"

not that i even have to prove it to you, i just want to do it for a laugh.

Anonymous said...

Great blog, your passion for hockey is amazing. You continue to inspire me with your writing and knowledge of all teams, not just your favorite ones.
Keep up the great work, it will take you far. You have some great writers who already are impressed with your talent.

Patty

Anonymous said...

Here comes your typical "Blah blah blah I'm not a puckbunny, meet me in person and talk hockey blah blah blah". Despite you seeing me several times since posing this initial "challenge" of sorts, you've never engaged in such acts. Go get a tissue. When I call you out on your lack of hockey knowledge you accuse me of having "no life".

Childish, and it proves my point. Thank you sweetie. :)

The Puck Stops Here said...

haha, thankyou for the laugh tonight. i needed it ;) i've been having a bad week.

i would NEVER start a conversation with you lol i said if you don't believe me, start one with me. notice, you're always the one starting an argument with me which proves you care WAY TO MUCH about what i write.

so no, thankyou darling :)

Anonymous said...

LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

See 'ya later parrot. Can't wait to see your next article, give me the inside scoop: is it about how hockey is played on ice or maybe how there's 30 teams in the league? Either way, it's riveting and powerful stuff.

The Puck Stops Here said...

LOL! you are too much!
for someone who doesn't like how i write, you spend an awful amount of time on here, analyzing everything.

good for you :D

Anonymous said...

You're building yourself quite an ego here huh? I suppose the constant praise of your family will do that to you...

I leave a comment once and I spend a lot of time on here? It takes 10 seconds to read an article (if you'll call it that) of yours due to it's 1-2 sentence paragraphs and lack of anything informative.

Get off your high-horse Ms. Too Much Drama To Complete High School.

The Puck Stops Here said...

i appreciate you making yourself look like an ass on my blog :)

people will find it amusing!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the great debater... aka anonymous... would like to own his/her comments, so I would be able to follow that career as well. FWIW, I think you both stated valid opinions, so what is there to 'debate'?
AmandaLyn
(no, i have never met the writer and I am not related... I am a writer and journalist following a new, promising career)

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh, okay. I understand now! Mr. Anonymous is obvious not at all interested in the writing or the analysis.

I guess that means he is jealous or totally smitten by the writer of the blog. Thanks for the perfect definition of childish.

AmandaLyn

Ty Anderson said...

Oh hey Amanda, you can follow me here. I'm open to critiquing and debating if either suits you well.

Anonymous said...

I believe the rule among professionals is to stick to the topic/article and refrain from personal attacks. It's one thing to have an issue with something that is written. We all have our opinions and such. What I am reading here is one persons opinion and summary of the sport for which she appears to have a great passion and knowledge for. By posting anonymous and resorting to name calling, makes you appear very unprofessional. Just as you have a right to your opinion, Mr. Anderson, I feel you are either jealous of this writer. I will now take a look at your work and follow your writing as well. I would strongly suggest,if you wish to further "debate", try being a bit diplomatic.

Elwood Jake
Writer/ Author/ Poet / Prosetry

Anonymous said...

Geez Hailey your making me think of next season already lol. Good article though. How about those PENS in game one? I predict Crosby 2 goals and Letang 1 in game 2. Lets hope I'm right. O and btw your thankyou in the comment box is together.

Ty Anderson said...

Elwood, I simply asked how a team with 31+ million dollars in cap space can be in trouble. I was being more than diplomatic, I'm not walking on the eggshells to avoid upsetting Hemingway Jr. However, I assure you I have no one to be jealous of. :)

Anonymous said...

yet another brilliant piece of work from you. you're a very talented writer with a lot to say. congrats on finding an outlet to express your opinions (most of which i agree with!). some of the readers here have nothing constructive nor intelligent to say; it isn'teven worth reading their responses. let the haters hate...i'm still a fan of your work. keep it up! :)

The Puck Stops Here said...

thankyou very much :)

Anonymous said...

Perhaps , Mr. Anderson,
Your definition of diplomacy is a bit different than most. The following comments you posted are far from diplomatic, including your comment to me with regards to the host of this blog. You wish to state your case, ask to debate , yet resort to name calling and personal attacks. I don’t see any sign of you being asked to walk on eggshells. In fact, the only advice and suggestion is that you comment/crit the writing, not the writer. Calling the host names, such as fangirl and puckbunny and assuming lack of knowledge on the subject is childish, immature and makes you appear less than professional. The host here has been professional in her responses to you. She has a right to summarize and blog her opinion as to the happenings in hockey. From what I read here and on other sites as well, she has proven her ability to create interesting, factual, well written articles.
You posted a link to your blog as well. I, along with another commenter here have offered to follow your writing career as well. I will check on your work, offer advice and useful suggestions for as long as you like. However, if I continue to notice this type of interaction, I will consider you to be insincere with your journalism and refrain from offering up anything to you.
It’s your call. You may ask yourself this. As you go on to college to perfect your craft. Will you be able to work together, with others, who have the same ideals and goals or will you see them as a threat to your ability to further your career? I see the following comments and wonder.
Sincerely,

Elwood Jake

lol @ you not being able to debate hockey, fangirl.

Hmmm no, don't think you can. You state facts, good job. You use Google well. *thumbs up*.


Here comes your typical "Blah blah blah I'm not a puckbunny, meet me in person and talk hockey blah blah blah". Despite you seeing me several times since posing this initial "challenge" of sorts, you've never engaged in such acts. Go get a tissue. When I call you out on your lack of hockey knowledge you accuse me of having "no life".

Childish, and it proves my point. Thank you sweetie. :)
LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

See 'ya later parrot. Can't wait to see your next article, give me the inside scoop: is it about how hockey is played on ice or maybe how there's 30 teams in the league? Either way, it's riveting and powerful stuff.

You're building yourself quite an ego here huh? I suppose the constant praise of your family will do that to you...

I leave a comment once and I spend a lot of time on here? It takes 10 seconds to read an article (if you'll call it that) of yours due to it's 1-2 sentence paragraphs and lack of anything informative.

Get off your high-horse Ms. Too Much Drama To Complete High School.

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I appreciate any comments you have. I try to respond to them all :) thankyou

 
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