Montreal Canadiens defenseman Sheldon Souray has been featuring prominently in the rumor mill of late.
That's not surprising, given the Habs desperately clinging to one of the final playoff berths in the East, combined with his status this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Big Shel's put up impressive offensive numbers this season, akin to last year's performance by Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Bryan McCabe.
Like McCabe, Souray has that big shot from the point which provides the "power" in his team's powerplay. Also like McCabe, Souray's defensive game can be considered average at best.
Regardless, it's the offensive numbers that will guarentee Souray a big payday, either with the Habs or, as widely speculated, with another team, possibly one based in California where he can live and work closer to his young daughter, who lives with his ex-wife in Los Angeles.
Using McCabe as the comparable, Souray is likely to seek a similar deal (five years, $28.5 million) and will probably get it, if not from the Canadiens, then from somebody else.
That would seemingly be enough to perhaps convince GM Bob Gainey to consider jettisoning Souray by the deadline in hopes of a healthy return.
Hence the reason why Souray's name is featuring so prominently in recent rumor chatter. There's talk of the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks making a pitch for him, with names like Matt Carle, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan and picks and prospects being kicked around.
I don't doubt that Gainey is receiving inquiries about Souray, but at the risk of this blowing up in my face, I'm not convinced that Gainey wants to move him.
At least not yet, anyway. While the trade deadline is fast approaching, Gainey could wait until the day itself before pulling the trigger. He might want to evaluate his club's performance over its next two or three games.
There's also the recent report from Sportsnet claiming Gainey not only won't trade Souray but will attempt to re-sign him.
I really like what Souray brings to the Habs offensive game, but I'm not thrilled over the prospect of paying $5.75 million per season to retain him.
I also have to figure that, if Gainey were receiving offers of Matt Carle, Joe Pavelski and a high pick from the Sharks, or Bobby Ryan, a pick and prospect from the Ducks, that he might've moved on one of those by now.
Quite frankly, I don't see the Sharks parting with those promising youngsters, even though GM Doug Wilson has been actively seeking an experienced puckmoving d-man throughout this season.
As for Anaheim, if Brian Burke is unwilling to part with his young players or the highly rated Ryan for rentals like Todd Bertuzzi or Keith Tkachuk, he's certainly not gonna part with them for a rental like Sheldon Souray.
None of this, of course, will keep Souray's name out of the rumor mill. All I'll say is that, barring a public declaration from Gainey, the Habs performance over their next two games might have some bearing on whether or not Souray gets traded by February 27th.
**UPDATE** Regarding Gainey's much-anticipated press conference, Habs Inside Out posted his comments. Suffice to say, I wouldn't expect a major deadline day swap by Monsieur Bob.
Can somebody tell me how many picks Anaheim has left. I keep hearing rumours that they are in contact with all kinds of different teams. And the one thing that keeps coming up is Burke isn't willing to give up certain youngsters he rather trade a pick. I thought he gave three or four to Edmonton. And I can't see a team wanting draft picks for the 2009 draft.
I wonder if he's simply waiting until the last minute to see whether his team can win in Nashville tonight and in the next game or so before making a deal. Obviously this would be a pretty bad thing for this season for the Canadiens, and reality of the business aside, fans wont be happy to see him traded, as it will signal the end of their season. As has been mentioned they may be done anyway, but tonight could be the barometer of that.
Spector, do you think its possible they have received offers like Carle, but are waiting to see what happens in the next few games?
Also, I would think Souray would command a bit of a bigger return than the likes of Tkachuk or Guerin, especially if he's traded to a California based team where he's got a bigger chance of resigning.
Although perhaps I am underestimating Guerin's play this year.
If Gainey had gotten an offer of Carle, Pavenski or Bernier, plus a pick or prospect for Souray, he'd have been a fool to turn it down. Hence I'm not putting much stock in these rumored offers. I'm sure he's getting inquiries for Souray but I'm also sure those offers aren't as lucrative as rumored.
I agree with Spector. If Carle and Pavelski were offered, you would be a fool to pass on that given the situation. San Jose fans know Carle is going to take some time to develop and should be patient. Souray, in my opinion, is not the greatest with his D responsibilities and I don't want to see this trade happen. Pavelski is a stud! I hope he stays put. I just don't want to see another good young defenseman leave San Jose...(Preising)No one has come out and said anything about it yet all year....Mark Bell???? what a bust!
I think your right Spector, if these offers are true then I'm sure Gainey would've jumped on one of them. In the SJ offer, Montreal would get back a promising defenceman, an up and coming C and maybe more. With Anaheim, you would be getting highly touted Bobby Ryan, a prospect and a pick.
These are pretty good offers for a player that may not even re-sign with you and if you do retain him, Souray will eat up a good chunk of your salary cap and may put you in a bad situation down the road (see Toronto for how they committed too much $$$ to McCabe and the other top 4 D-men, leaving no room to address the much needed scoring winger)
If the Habs were at the bottom of the standings, we probably wouldnt even be having this conversation but with Montreal fighting for a playoff spot, I dont expect Souray to be traded.
No, I agree completely that if Carle and a draft pick were offered up you wouldnt pass it up. I was thinking just Carle himself, but yeah, a pick would really put that over the edge. I doubt anyone would offer that. I was thinking a one for one swap, which, yeah, futures considered, would be a great trade for the Canadiens, but would mean dissapointment for this season.
I read the blurb in your blog earlier today Spector about the comment coming out of Montreal that had Souray going straight up for Carle.
I agree that Carle is a work in progress, especially since he is going from a forty or so game year in college to eighty four plus playoff games. I think that this would be a good trade if Souray agrees prior to the trade to commit to re-sign with the Sharks for a two-three year package. I don't see Wilson doing this deal, as good as Carle is, for a rental player. If the Sharks can get Souray, watch out, because Pavelski and Bernier are back and healthy, and Koroyluk's not far behind! They have got plenty of depth everywhere!
Last edited by sharkfan25 on February 22nd at 2:11 PM.
gainey has no choice if he cannot sign sourray then he'll have to trade him..he's not going to let sourray walk away for nothing..he is obligated to getting something for him now that he is high in demand...montreal isn't going far in the payoffs this yr they are lucky if they last two rounds...so he must look at what he can get too improve his club.....
I think Anaheim would not trade for such a pricey d-man. They already have Pronger and Neid to satisfy that. The Ducks just need a much quieter scoring d-man. They got Beauchemin from C-bus and he is the best deal Anaheim has gotten in years!
I still think Smyth will be on the block and Anaheim will go for him. Edmonton already owns half our picks, lets give them the rest.
Smyth on the PP and on a line w/ Teemu would be fantastic!
I am not sure (nor would I be upset) if you know where Souray's ex-wife and daughter live in California? Unless they live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am not so sure Souray would be happy in San Jose. Sanj Jose is oddly situated, and very far from everywhere else in the state. (And as a long time resident, I can tell you no one goes to San Jose as a destination, unless you are a hockey fan). Granted, SJ is an exciting team, and who wouldn't want to play in the very competitive Pacific, and SJ does have a good core of fans, but even the Golden State Warriors (14 years without a playoff appearance) get more pub than the Sharks out here. And I am not sure how Souray's relationship with Montreal's front office and coaching staff is, but I would guess if he really wants to leave Montreal for the west coast, it would be a team like the Kings. They are "rebuilding" but he could be a major piece along with the mix of young studs like Camilleri and Kopitar. And since ROb Blake doesn't have much left in the tank, he would be an excellent replacement.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
