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Canadiens Sign Forwards Mike Camalleri & Brian Gionta, Add Defensemen Hal Gill & Jaroslav Spacek

July 4th 2009 02:02

Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Mike Cammalleri, Jaroslav Spacek, Brian Gionta, Hal Gill

Canadiens' newest signings clockwise: Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek

Despite taking on Scott Gomez's huge contract the day before July 1st, Bob Gainey still add a considerable amount of cap space to make one or two splashes in the free agency period.

The Montreal Canadiens GM started the day by signing veteran defensemen Jaroslav

Jaroslav Spacek, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Habs

Spacek to a three-year, $11.5 million deal. A puck-moving defenseman, the 35-year-old had 45 points (eight goals, 37 assists) with the Buffalo Sabres last season. His acquisition brings a much needed outlet for the Canadiens' transition game. Apart from Andrei Markov, Montreal defensemen able to make a decent outlet pass are few and far between. Spacek also provides a solution for the Habs' second wave of the powerplay. Here again, the Canadiens were weak except when forcing Markov to take a double-shift. Although he's old, Spacek averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time in each of the past two seasons. His size might be an issue. Indeed, at 5'11'' and barely over 200 pounds, his presence doesn't really bring much intimidation on a team that lacked toughness last year which brings us to Hal Gill's signing.

The hulking 6'7'', 250 pounds Stanley Cup champion is a stay-at-home defenseman brought in to compensate Mike Komisarek's departure. Signed to a two-year, $4.5 million contract, Gill is the kind of defenseman who fits well on a second or third D-pairing. His lack of speed makes him a liability

Hal Gill, Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Pittsburgh Penguins

against several teams' top lines but his experience and long reach turn him into a decent defenseman when taking speed out of the equation. Still, it bothers me when people who were calling Gill “a huge pylon” two months ago are now praising his size and toughness simply because he signed with Montreal. I remember how Claude Julien, Michel Therrien, and Guy Carbonneau all used to exploit Gill's presence on other teams' defense in order to establish a cycling presence in the offensive zone. That won't change now that he's with the Habs.

Mike Cammalleri, Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Calgary Flames

Cammalleri was Gainey's best move of the day

It's in front that Gainey arguably made his biggest move of the day. Off of a 82-point (39 goals, 43 assists) career season, left-winger/center Mike Cammalleri was brought in from the Calgary Flames with a five-year, $30 million contract. Also on the small side – Cammalleri is 5'9'' – is a proven sniper who, in theory, will complement Scott Gomez's playmaking abilities. The 27-year-old is also a force on the powerplay, ranking second in the NHL with 19 powerplay goals last season. This signing combined with the acquisition of Gomez essentially forces Alex Tanguay out of Montreal. You've got to feel for a guy who's been replaced twice by Cammalleri in the span of two years.

Finally, the Canadiens concluded their spending frenzy by signing free agent Brian Gionta to five-year, $25 million contract. Another hardened veteran, Gionta had his best year in

Brian Gionta, Montreal Canadiens, Habs, New Jersey Devils

2005-2006 where he had 89 points (48 goals, 41 assists) playing alongside Scott Gomez. Although he stands at only 5'7'', Gionta is known for his tenacious play and willingness to crash the net. The Canadiens will hope that he and Gomez rekindle their magic for a couple more seasons.

Although none of the forwards acquisitions are impressive (except maybe Cammalleri), all three are players who have no problem adhering to a system and won't necessarily ignore their defensive duties. The question mark will be the size issue. It's one thing to be gritty, and not shy away from confrontation, but it's another thing to do it night in, night out when you don't have teammates in the likes of Jarome Iginla, Patrik Elias, and Jamie Langenbrunner. But then again, no one knows what will happen until they step on the ice, so I guess it's wait and see.

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 NHL Offseason

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UFA Watch: Mike Komisarek Signs With The Toronto Maple Leafs

July 2nd 2009 16:31

Mike Komisarek, Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Toronto Maple Leafs

Komisarek drops ex-Leafs Darcy Tucker

Mike Komisarek was dubbed “The Next Captain” of the Montreal Canadiens. Drafted seventh overall in 2001, the hulking 6'4'' defenseman quickly became a fan favorite thanks to his numerous highlight-reel worthy, bone-crunching hits. Always quick to defend his teammates, soft-spoken in interviews, Mike was simply a classy guy. Then, Milan Lucic happened.

In a game against the Boston Bruins on November 13 2008, Komisarek decided to drop the gloves against Lucic in order to salvage some pride in what was looking to be a embarrassing defeat for the Habs (Bruins were leading 5-1 at the moment of the fight). Komisarek's action didn't have the intended effect as Lucic suprised him by putting up a great fight, leaving the Canadiens feeling more inadequate than before. The worst part was that Komisarek also injured his shoulder during the fight and missed one month of action.

From that point on, Komisarek had almost no bite to his game. After picking up another injury against the Senators early in 2009, the 2007-2008 Komisarek was completely gone. Without his characteristic physical play, he became a defensive liability in his own end who didn't react quick enough and made the wrong decision more often than not. It got to the point where Mathieu Schneider had to play with Markov in order to let the Canadiens' MVP play at peace.

Despite all those shortcomings, re-signing him was still deemed a priority. Although he has no offensive skills to speak of, his stay-at-home, hard-hitting defensive style fit well with Markov's smooth-skating, offensive-minded style. Unfortunately, interviews at the end of the season showed that Komisarek had already moved on and wasn't coming coming back. Where almost all of the Canadiens' free agents pronounced themselves open to a comeback, Komisarek spoke of his time with the Habs in the past tense – sign of a player ready to play elsewhere.

His decision was confirmed this past week as he received a contract offer from the Habs right after the draft and never bothered responding back, opting instead to test the free agent market. As if not coming back to the team which had drafted and developed him wasn't enough, Komisarek accepted a contract from the Habs' most-hated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The contract will see him get $22.5 million over a period of five years, an amount not too far off from what Bob Gainey was offering. Looking at who is on the Leafs' roster, there's certain feeling that Komisarek not only defected, but also ran to the Leafs. In Toronto, he won't have to be the team's number-one tough guy and other teams' goons will leave him alone, which wasn't the case in Montreal. I wish him the best of luck but also hope that he stays the same mistake-prone defenseman he was last season. I leave you with a compilation of his best work with the Habs.

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 NHL Offseason

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Canadiens Trade Christopher Higgins For Rangers' Scott Gomez

July 1st 2009 18:22

Scott Gomez, New York Rangers, Christopher Higgins, Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Blueshirts

Gomez - in, Higgins - out

If there was one good thing to come out of the Montreal Canadiens' disastrous Centennial season, the huge cap space available at the end of the season with 10 unrestricted free agents was surely it. Indeed, with the salary cap estimated to go down in two years, having as much space to maneuver as the Canadiens do this summer is surely an advantage.

24 hours before the start of free agency, GM Bob Gainey made an unexpected trade, acquiring overpaid center Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers in exchange for perennial underachiever Christopher Higgins. Multiple players were involved in the deal as the Rangers' Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto also make their way to Montreal while Doug Janik, Ryan McDonagh, and Pavel Valentenko go the other way.

Looking at the two main players switching teams, the trade makes sense. Glen Sather was desperate to move Scott Gomez's massive contract with a cap hit of more than $7.35 million to give some maneuvering space to his team. As for Higgins, although he recorded three straight seasons of 20 goals, his reputation as a party animal along with his inability to hit the net on a consistent basis made him expendable in the eyes of Canadiens management. The fact that he's been involved in every trade rumor in the past two years shows that he was bound to move at some point. Going to the Rangers also brings him closer to home, a fact often overlooked when talking about players' movement.

Where the trade hurts though is the inclusion of top defensive prospect Ryan McDonagh, Montreal's first-round pick in 2007, who was touted to become a top-3 defenseman in the league. Since Sather needed to move Gomez, there was no point in including a prospect as promising as McDonagh unless something has gone very wrong in his development. Doug Janik was useless and Valentenko is currently playing in the KHL so those losses are sustainable, but you have to wonder about the sudden change of attitude concerning McDonagh. He went from untouchable to being included in a trade for a overpriced center who has had the worst season of his career in 2008-2009, registering 16 goals and 58 points in 77 games.

One thing is clear, with Gomez in the fold, Saku Koivu is surely gone. Although the Canadiens' longest-standing captain is also its bravest player with the heart of a lion, Koivu's injuries and cancer have taken their toll as he is now unable to play more than 15 minutes per game. There is no doubt that he'll find another team in the league – probably in the Western coast – that won't make him the go-to guy, leaving him with more manageable minutes than in Montreal.

Now we'll see what Gainey will make of his defense and first line which still lacks two wingers. Contract offers have been made to Mike Komisarek and Alex Kovalev with no response so far. July 1st is looking to be a long day for Canadiens fans everywhere.

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 NHL Offseason

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Molson Family Buy Montreal Canadiens For $500 Million

June 21st 2009 17:24

Montreal Canadiens, Habs, George Gillett, Molson

It's finally over. After months of speculation, George Gillett finally sold the Montreal Canadiens along with the Bell Centre to the Molson family. As many as six groups were in the race to buy the storied franchise but it's the brothers Geoffrey, Andrew and Justin Molson who won the lottery. The Molson Coors company already owned 20% of the Canadiens' shares. By buying George Gillett's 80% share, the team is completely under Molson ownership even though the two entities – Molson Coors and Molson family – will stay separate.

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 NHL Offseason

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2009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Penguins Knock Out Capitals With Crushing 6-2 Win

May 15th 2009 04:54

When the Washington Capitals pushed their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins to a decisive Game 7, hockey fans everywhere were salivating with glee. After all, nothing could be better than hotly contested Game 7, right? Wrong. Bolstered by their appearance in the Cup final last season, the Penguins ran a clinic against the Caps who were simply overwhelmed by their opponent's intensity and organization.

The game was defined by two key moments in the first period. First, Marc-Andre Fleury came up with a great save on Alexander Ovechkin's breakaway early in the game. Although commentators called it a miraculous save, I noticed that Ovechkin tended to go a lot for Fleury's glove side except when he was able to one-time his teammates' passes while posted in the left face-off circle. So, for me it was simply a great save. Then, a rare event happened. The Penguins scored twice in the span of eight seconds to take a 2-0 lead on the home side. Although the Capitals are reputed for their ability to come back, the Penguins' complete domination in the first twenty minutes showed that it wouldn't be a small task. The next goal would prove to be very important

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

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2009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Capitals Take Game 6 With 5-4 Win In OT

May 14th 2009 05:05

Facing elimination for the first time in this series, the Washington Capitals delivered a thrilling game against the Pittsburgh Penguins to defeat them on the score of 5-4 in overtime.

In the hours preceding the game, Alexander Ovechkin guaranteed that there would be a Game 7 to conclude this series. His teammates didn't seem to have received the message at the start the game since it was the Penguins who were in the lead on the score of 1-0 by the first intermission

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

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2009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Penguins Defeat Capitals 4-3 In OT To Take Series Lead

May 12th 2009 04:14

Just 24 hours after coming back from a two-game deficit to tie up the series against the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins took it one step further by grabbing a 4-3 win in overtime at the Verizon Center consequently making the Capitals the team to face elimination in the next game.

After a scoreless period where both teams played like they were afraid to concede the first goal, the floodgates opened in the second period when Jordan Staal scored his goal of the postseason to give the Penguins a one-goal lead. That lead didn't last long however as Ovechkin equalized the score one minute later with his ninth goal of the playoffs. Later on, the Caps took the lead with a superb powerplay goal by Nicklas Backstrom, a player mostly renowned for his passing skills

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

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2009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Penguins Tie Series With 5-3 Win Against Capitals

May 10th 2009 02:32

For the second consecutive game, the Washington Capitals got a quick goal which gave them an early lead over their opponent. But this time around, the Penguins seized full control of the game to put the series at 2-2 after being down 0-2.

The Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom was the first player to reach the back of the net 35 seconds into the game. However, all the momentum carried by that goal was broken with a boneheaded play from captain Chris Clark who cross-checked Crosby from behind right at the blue line. The Penguins tied the game on the ensuing powerplay, and then scored two more before the end of the period to put the score at 3-1

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

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2009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Malkin Shines In Penguins' 3-2 OT Win Over Capitals

May 9th 2009 05:03

Since the series opposing the Washington Capitals to the Pittsburgh Penguins started, much has been said about the rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, leaving Evgeni Malkin in the shadows as usual. The season's leading goalscorer didn't really help his cause as he was pretty quiet in the series between both teams with no points to his name and performances well below his usual standards.

Although Ovechkin put the spotlight on himself once again by scoring the game's first goal on his team's first shot thanks to a lucky bounce off the boards that put Fleury way out of position, the game slowly but surely turned into the home side's favor as the Penguins forechecked the Capitals to death, effectively eliminating their devastating transition game

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

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2009 NHL Playoffs – Round 2: Ovechkin & Crosby Put On A Show As Capitals Top Penguins 4-3

May 7th 2009 03:33

Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Two superstars. Two personalities. Two playing styles. On Monday, the two players completely stole the show as they collected their first career playoffs hat trick.

The Penguins captain started the show on his team's first powerplay with his sixth goal of the postseason early in the first period. That goal was the only one of the opening twenty minutes despite an overabundance of powerplays and 4-on-4 situations

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: 2009 Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

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July 2009

3 Posts

June 2009

1 Posts

May 2009

10 Posts