With the NHL season almost over, here’s a look at how the top free agents of 2007 (based on salaries of $5 million or more per season) have fared in the first season of their current contracts.
Oh, and for those nitpickers wondering why I’m doing this now (and my review of my season preview last Friday) given the handful of games remaining, it’s because I’m preparing to cover the upcoming playoffs and won’t have the time to do this at season’s end.
Anyway, stats are as of March 31, 2008,along with their projections in November 2007 and January 2008. The regular season ends on April 6, 2008. I’ll leave it up to you, the readers, to decide if they’re worth the money they’re getting.
Enjoy!
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers - 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $6.5 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 41 goals, 61 assists, 102 points. January 2008: on pace for: 32 goals, 49 assists, 89 points. March 31, 2008: 78 GP, 31 goals, 40 assists, 71 points, -23
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.357 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 14 goals, 44 assists, 58 points. January 2008: on pace for: 18 goals, 57 assists, 75 points. March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 16 goals, 53 assists, 69 points, +5.
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.143 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points. January 2008: on pace for: 23 goals, 25 assists, 48 points. March 31, 2008: 79 GP, 32 goals, 28 assists, 60 points, -5
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $8 million. Salary cap hit: $6.33 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points. -14 January 2008: on pace for: 12 goals, 33 assists, 45 points. –2 March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 8 goals, 36 assists, 44 points, -3
Ryan Smyth, Colorado Avalanche: - 2007-08 salary: $7.5 million. Salary cap hit: $6.25 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 21 goals, 28 assists, 50 points. January 2008: on pace for: 22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points (sidelined until late-February) March 31, 2008: 53 GP, 14 goals, 23 assists, 37 points, -3
Chris Drury, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $7.1 million. Salary cap hit: $7.05 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points –3. January 2008: on pace for: 21 goals, 34 assists, 55 points, -21 March 31, 2008: 78 GP, 23 goals, 31 assists, 54 points, -4
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: 2007-08 salary: $6.7 million. Salary cap hit. $6.7 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 24 goals, 65 assists, 89 points, +38. January 2008: on pace for: 30 goals, 66 assists, 96 points, +47 March 31, 2008: 79 GP, 31 goals, 53 assists, 94 points, +41.
November 2007: on pace for: 26-20-7, 2.50 GAA, .906 SP. January 2008: on pace for: 34-19-7, 2.33 GAA, .915 SP March 31, 2008: 34-17-6, 2.10 GAA, .923 SP
November 2007: on pace for: 12 goals, 43 assists, 55 points, +18 in 67 games. January 2008: on pace for: 10 goals, 28 assists, 38 points, +22 in 67 games. March 31, 2008: 63 GP, 12 goals, 27 assists, 39 points, +20.
Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
November 2007:on pace for: 7 goals, 31 assists, 38 points. +24. January 2008: on pace for: 5 goals, 27 assists, 32 points, +11 March 31, 2008: 74 GP, 5 goals, 20 assistss, 25 points, +7
Michael Nylander, Washington Capitals – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $4.875 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 20 goals, 52 assists, 72 points, -43 January 2008: sidelined for the season, was on pace for 21 goals, 50 assists, 71 points.
Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 39 goals, 59 assists, 98 points, +23. January 2008: on pace for: 36 goals, 53 assists, 89 points, +20. March 31, 2008: 74 GP, 32 goals, 46 assists, 78 points, +17.
Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $5.2 million. Salary cap hit: $4.2 million
November 2007: on pace for: 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points, +7. January 2008: on pace for: 21 goals, 21 assists, 42 points, 0 March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 23 goals, 18 assists, 41 points.
Back in November I took a look at how the most expensive players of the NHL's Free Agent Class of 2007 were faring at the 20 game point of the season.
Now that we've recently passed the mid-season point of the 2007-08 NHL campaign, here's a look at how they're faring now:
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers - 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $6.5 million.
Previously on pace for: 41 goals, 61 assists, 102 points. Currently on pace for: 32 goals, 49 assists, 89 points.
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.357 million.
Previously on pace for: 14 goals, 44 assists, 58 points. Currently on pace for: 18 goals, 57 assists, 75 points.
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.143 million.
Previously on pace for: 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points. Currently on pace for: 23 goals, 25 assists, 48 points.
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $8 million. Salary cap hit: $6.33 million.
Previously on pace for: 10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points. -14 Currently on pace for : 12 goas, 33 assists, 45 points. -2
Ryan Smyth, Colorado Avalanche: - 2007-08 salary: $7.5 million. Salary cap hit: $6.25 million.
Previously on pace for: 21 goals, 28 assists, 50 points. Currently on pace for : 22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points (Currently injured & sidelined until late-February)
Chris Drury, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $7.1 million. Salary cap hit: $7.05 million.
Previously on pace for: 17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points –3. Currently on pace for : 21 goals, 34 assists, 55 points, -21
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: 2007-08 salary: $6.7 million. Salary cap hit. $6.7 million.
Previously on pace for: 24 goals, 65 assists, 89 points, +38. Currently on pace for: 30 goals, 66 assists, 96 points, +47
Previously on pace for: 12 goals, 43 assists, 55 points, +18 in 67 games. Currently on pace for: 10 goals, 28 assists, 38 points, +22 in 67 games.
Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
Previously on pace for: 7 goals, 31 assists, 38 points. +24. Currently on pace for: 5 goals, 27 assists, 32 points, +11
Michael Nylander, Washington Capitals – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $4.875 million.
Previously on pace for: 20 goals, 52 assists, 72 points, -43 Currently on pace for : sidelined indefinitely, was on pace for 21 goals, 50 assists, 71 points.
Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
Previously on pace for: 39 goals, 59 assists, 98 points, +23. Currently on pace for: 36 goals, 53 assists, 89 points, +20.
Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $5.2 million. Salary cap hit: $4.2 million
Previously on pace for: 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points, +7. Currently on pace for : 21 goals, 21 assists, 42 points, +16
It’s now well past the quarter mark of the NHL season, and time enough I think for a look at how this past summer’s top UFA players are faring thus far.
This analysis will cover those players earning $5 million or more for this season. The salary information courtesy of nhlnumbers.com. All statistics as of November 29th, 2007, and the “on pace for” stats courtesy of TSN.ca.
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers - 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $6.5 million. Stats: 12 goals, 18 assists, 30 points, -4. Tied for team scoring lead with Mike Richards. 8th overall in league scoring. On pace for: 41 goals, 61 assists, 102 points.
Analysis: If Briere can reach over 40 goals and 100 points as projected and remain among the team and league scoring leaders he’ll have been worth every penny to the Flyers, at least for this season. It remains to be seen over the following seven years if he’ll continue to be worth the annual cap hit.
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.357 million. Stats: 4 goals, 13 assists, 27 points, plus-minus of 0. Currently second-highest in team points race behind Jaromir Jagr. On pace for: 14 goals, 44 assists, 58 points.
Analysis: I was sure Gomez would flourish if allowed to play on a more offensive team, but this year’s Rangers are emulating the defensive styling of his former team, the New Jersey Devils, and his stats are suffering accordingly. Gomez is a good player but at this point, he’s grossly overpaid.
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.143 million. Stats: 6 goals, 10 assists, 16 points, -2. Third highest points this season amongst Sabres. On pace for: 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points.
Analysis: The Sabres were forced last summer into matching the Edmonton Oilers’ offer sheet to retain Vanek’s services. Thus far, it’s not money well spent, but it must be remembered that Vanek is still young (23) and is likely feeling the pressure from earning as much as he presently does. As he matures and regains his high-scoring form he should be worth it, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a Sabres fan that believes it right now.
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $8 million. Salary cap hit: $6.33 million. Stats: 3 goals, 11 assists, 14 points. –4. Flyers fifth-leading scorer, 13th amongst NHL defencemen in points. On pace for: 10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points. –14.
Analysis: Acquired by the Flyers from Nashville last June along with Scott Hartnell and re-signed. Timonen’s a good defenseman and what he’s on pace for in points is around what he’s been averaging since 2001-02. Is he worth $8 million this season or $6.33 million per season? No. Not when you consider that this season he’s earning more than great defencemen like Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Pronger.
Ryan Smyth, Colorado Avalanche: - 2007-08 salary: $7.5 million. Salary cap hit: $6.25 million. Stats: 6 goals, 8 assists, 14 points. –8. Sixth leading point-getter for the Avs this season. On pace for: 21 goals, 28 assists, 50 points, -28.
Analysis: Smyth’s offensive production is on pace for his lowest totals since his injury-shortened performance in 2001-02. He does bring intangibles such as leadership, character and physicality, but that doesn't mean he should be earning more this season than Vincent Lecavalier and Jarome Iginla.
Chris Drury, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $7.1 million. Salary cap hit: $7.05 million. Stats: 5 goals, 10 assists, 15 points. –1. Rangers fourth-leading scorer. On pace for: 17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points –3.
Analysis: Like Smyth, Drury brings many intangibles to his game and like Smyth he’s on pace for his lowest points productions since 2001-02. And like Smyth, he’s earning far more than his worth.
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: 2007-08 salary: $6.7 million. Salary cap hit. $6.7 million. Stats: 7 goals, 19 assists, 26 points +11. Red Wings second-leading scorer. On pace for: 24 goals, 65 assists, 89 points, +38.
Analysis: The Wings re-signed Datsyuk in April, avoiding the summer rush, and thus far haven’t been disappointed in their investment. He and Henrik Zetterberg are two main reasons why the Red Wings remain among the league’s elite teams. I’d say he’s making fair market value.
Sheldon Souray, Edmonton Oilers: 2007-08 salary: $6.25 million. Salary cap hit: $5.4 million. Stats: 6 games play, two points. Sidelined by separated shoulder since October 17th. Return date unknown.
Analysis: The Oilers ponied up big bucks for the hard-shooting Souray to be their number one defenceman and anchor their power play. It remains to be seen if he’ll recapture the high-scoring form he had last season with the Montreal Canadiens and their high-scoring powerplay, and since he’s currently injured I cannot make an accurate assessment of his performance this season.
Paul Kariya, St. Louis Blues – 2007-08 salary: $6 million. Salary cap hit: $6 million. Stats: 7 goals, 17 assists 24 points, +4. Leads the Blues in points. On pace for: 26 goals, 63 assists, 89 points +15.
Analysis: One reason the Blues are such an improved team this season is the addition of Kariya, who provided some much-needed offensive punch. If he should reach 89 points it’ll be his highest single-season points production in nearly ten years. He still has to prove his worth as a postseason performer but players get paid for their regular season performances, and thus far Kariya’s earned his pay.
Brian Rafalski, Detroit Red Wings – 2007-08 salary: $6 million. Salary cap hit: $6 million. Stats: 3 goals, 17 assists, 20 points, +7. Fifth in teams points, and fourth in league poinnts lead for defencemen. On pace for: 10 goals, 58 assists, 68 points, +24
Analysis: If there’s one player the New Jersey Devils miss most this season, it’s Rafalski, who’s now become a key member of the Red Wings blueline corps. True, he’s once again playing in the shadow o####reat defenseman - this time Lidstrom - but Rafalski is one of the league’s top blueliners and worthy of his salary this season.
Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens – 2007-08 salary: $5.75 million. Salary cap hit: $5.75 million. Stats: 6 goals, 13 assists, 19 points –6. Canadiens third leading scorer, fifth amongst league defencemen. On pace for: 20 goals, 44 assists, 65 points, -20.
Analysis: Sheldon who? That’s what Canadiens fans are saying as Markov has finally stepped out of the shadows and into his own as one of the league’s best all-round defencemen. Don’t be fooled by the minus stat, as he’s been consistently on the plus side of the ledger most of his NHL career and could finish on the happy side of the ledger by season's end. Some critics scoffed at the Habs re-signing him for that much, but he’s obviously worth it.
J-S Giguere, Anaheim Ducks – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $6 million. Stats: 8-6-2, 2.50 GAA, .906 SP. On pace for: 26-20-7, 2.50 GAA, .906 SP.
Analysis: Giguere’s had a slow start thus far, missing pre-season and the start of this season recovering from off-season sport hernia surgery. Still, he’s been rounding back into form as he gets healthier, and when healthy he’s proven to be among the game’s top goalies, as well as perhaps among the most under-rated despite his impressive resume.
Mathieu Schneider, Anaheim Ducks – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit. $5.625 millon. Stats: 2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points, +3 in only 11 games played On pace for: 12 goals, 43 assists, 55 points, +18 in 67 games.
Analysis: When healthy the 38-year-old Schneider appears to be a good addition to the Ducks defence corps, but this season the problem has been his health, as he’s already missed half of the Ducks games thus far this season to injury. Still, if he can finally shake off that injury bug he could prove well worth his salary, although he won’t make Ducks fans forget Scott Niedermayer.
Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million. Stats: 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points, +7. On pace for: 7 goals, 31 assists, 38 points. +24.
Analysis: Eyebrows were raised when the Canadiens paid so much for Hamrlik, but he’s one of those all-round blueliners whose worth is more than just point production. The Habs did pay a bit too much for his services, but he wanted to play in Montreal, and his overall skills and experience have proven invaluable to the Canadiens this season. Right now, I doubt Habs fans are complaining.
Michael Nylander, Washington Capitals – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $4.875 million. Stats: 6 goals, 16 assists, 22 points, -13, currently second in Capitals scoring. On pace for: 20 goals, 52 assists, 72 points, -43
Analysis: At this pace Nylander appears on his way to similar numbers he posted with the Rangers, although he’ll have to pick up his performance to get close to last season’s 89 points. Still, if he can keep this up he’ll be well worth his salary as one of the few bright spots for the Capitals this season.
Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million. Stats: 12 goals, 18 assists, 30 points, +7. Leads the Leafs in scoring and is 8th in the league in points. On pace for: 39 goals, 59 assists, 98 points, +23.
Analysis: Re-signed by the Leafs last summer. Leafs fans and media can find plenty to complain about this season but the one thing they all agree on is Sundin thus far is on his way toward his second-best season in his career. He’s certainly earned his salary thus far, but some critics are stumping for the Leafs to move him now while his value is high rather than risk a potential late-season drop-off in production that could affect a return. Problem is, Sundin has a “no-trade” clause and has not stated a willingness to waive it.
Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $5.2 million. Salary cap hit: $4.2 million Stats: 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, +2 On pace for: 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points, +7.
Analysis: Acquired by the Flyers from the Predators along with Kimmo Timonen and re-signed. Thus far the only thing Hartnell’s been notable for is delivering a questionable hit recently on a Boston Bruins defenseman. True, he’s only 25 and the Flyers paid for potential based on his two 20+goal seasons in Nashville, but so far he’s yet to play up to that potential and earn those big bucks. The Flyers are on the hook for five more seasons after this one at an average cap hit of $4.2 million, so they’ll be counting on him to reach that potential over that time.
The Edmonton Oilers finally found a "name" unrestricted free agent willing to play in Edmonton.
Various sources in Canada report Souray is about to sign a five-year, $27 million contract with the Oilers. The terms of the deal will be officially announced soon.
It'll be interesting to find out from GM Kevin Lowe why he made this move, because quite frankly, it appears as though he's scrambling to live up to his promise to Oilers fans to land a big-name UFA.
This deal really doesn't make much sense when one considers Lowe supposedly addressed his need for a puckmoving defenseman last week with his acquisition of Joni Pitkanen via a four-player swap with the Philadelphia Flyers.
While I'm sure Lowe will laud Souray's leadership and experience, he wouldn't have needed that if he hadn't traded away Jason Smith as part of the deal for Pitkanen.
In fact, one wonders why Lowe even bothered dealing for Pitkanen, when he could've signed Souray last week and retained Smith.
Of course, the ever-changing UFA market and the Oilers needs are responsible for that. Souray was believed until recently shopping his services to the LA Kings, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, so his interest probably wasn't with the Oilers at that time. Lowe needed an offensive blueliner and he was still involved in futile efforts to bring in a scoring forward like Michael Nylander and Thomas Vanek.
Souray's big shot and his leadership will make him a good addition to the Oilers, but I don't think he's the big name UFA Lowe and company wanted under contract when the UFA market opened on July 1st.
And whoever pairs with Souray starting next season will have to be defensively responsible to cover off his shortcomings in that department. Steve Staios or Matt Greene could draw that assignment.
So now that the Oilers have three offensive blueliners (Souray, Pitkanen and D. Tarnstrom), will that foster rumors that the latter might be traded at some point next season for a defensive blueliner? Let the rumor mill churn.
While the Stanley Cup playoffs have been rolling along, three NHL teams have prevent some key players from testing this summer’s unrestricted free agent market.
- The most significant was the Montreal Canadiens re-signing defenseman Andrei Markov to a four-year, $23 million contract.
Markov, 27, has been the Canadiens best all-round defenseman over the past four seasons, playing so well that the Habs have a losing record whenever he missed games to injury or illness.
Last season was Markov’s best to date, with career highs in assists (43) and points (49) and with a plus-minus of +2 was one of a handful of Canadiens to finish the season on the positive side of that ledger.
Markov’s salary works out to be a whopping $5.75 million per season against the Canadiens cap, considerably high but a price the team obviously felt was worth paying. Given the lack of quality depth on their blueline, they simply couldn’t afford to lose Markov to the UFA market, where a rival team would’ve happily paid him that much, perhaps more.
Perhaps the best news for the Canadiens was that Markov didn’t want to test the market but instead wanted to remain with the only NHL team he’s ever played for. Despite the insinuations from disgruntled Habs like Alex Kovalev and Sergei Samsonov of the team’s coaching discriminating against Russians, Markov’s desire to remain in Montreal punches holes in that theory.
Evidently, if you work hard and play well for the Canadiens, they’ll reward you regardless of nationality.
The one major drawback to the Markov signing is it casts significant doubt onto the Canadiens ability to retain Sheldon Souray, their other key UFA blueliner.
Souray led all NHL defensemen this season in goals with 26 and powerplay goals with 19, the latter stat also setting a Canadiens franchise record for defensemen.
Unfortunately, Souray also had the worst plus-minus of all NHL defensemen this season with –28, which reflects poorly on his defensive game, which is average at best.
It’s doubtful the Habs will give him as much as Markov, and while they have made him a contract offer his agent appeared to indicate that Souray could test the market, where his gaudy offensive numbers could land him close to $6 million per season.
- The Chicago Blackhawks meanwhile bolstered their goaltending depth by re-signing impending UFA netminder Patrick Lalime to a one-year extension.
Lalime’s had a trying time in recent years, as a back injury severely hampered his performance, and off-season surgery kept him out of the first half of this past season. Once he returned to action, however, he appeared in 12 games, with a 4-6-1 record, a 3.07 GAA, an .896 save percentage and 1 shutout.
Hardly gaudy numbers until one considers Lalime was playing for one of the worst teams in the NHL last season. His performance was actually considerably better than the previous season with the St. Louis Blues, a team every bit as bad.
Considering the struggles of starting goalie Nikolai Khabibulin over the past two seasons it only made sense for the Blackhawks to ensure a quality backup capable of stepping into the starter role if Khabibulin should struggle again next season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning were the busiest over the past six weeks, locking up three impending UFAs in goalie Johan Holmqvist and forwards Andreas Karlsson and Jason Ward. Of these three, Holmqvist was the most valuable, as he took over the starter’s role from Marc Denis late in the season and proved himself capable of playing well under the pressure of the playoffs. He’ll go into training camp this fall as the club’s de facto starter unless Denis can rebound.
Ward and Karlsson provided energetic depth and experience to the Lightning’s checking lines. Best of all, they were affordable as their combined salaries for next season is nearly $1.3 million.
Combined with Holmqvist’s $1 million, these re-signings fit comfortably into a tight Lightning budget.
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.
Once again, the Montreal Canadiens are making life interesting for their fans, of which I am one (see sidebar).
Les Canadiens had a strong start to this season, but since mid-December have been mired in a lengthy slump that threatens to send them tumbling out of playoff contention in the very tight Eastern Conference standings.
It’s the same pattern as last season, although then the crappy goaltending of Jose Theodore was primarily to blame. Claude Julien unfairly lost his job as Habs head coach last January in no small part due to Theodore’s performance, although he's now probably much happier as the bench boss of the red-hot New Jersey Devils.
It took the emergence of Cristobal Huet to give the Canadiens the goaltending it needed to get back into the playoff race and save the season. This season, however, it remains to be seen what, if anything, can snap this year’s version of the Canadiens out of their current malaise.
Now it should be noted that the Habs aren’t the only team to suffer through a lengthy slump this season.
The Ottawa Senators got off to such a horrific start to this season that many of their fans were clamoring for team captain Daniel Alfredsson to be traded back in November.
The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks started the season slowly before finding their groove by December. The Tampa Bay Lightning were stumbling so badly prior to New Year’s that management threatened on two occasions to shake things up with a trade before they turned the corner.
It’s quite possible Les Boys can turn things around, but to do so, the coaching staff and the front office must address some critical problem areas.
First and foremost, this team can’t score, especially five-on-five. Earlier in the season their powerplay was able to off-set this problem but of late even the PP has cooled.
The guys expected to contribute offensively on the first line – team captain Saku Koivu, Michael Ryder, Chris Higgins – have come up snake-eyes far too often in recent weeks. No offense to Radek Bonk, Mike Johnson and Mark Streit, but when a team's third-and-fourth liners are doing most of the scoring over the past month, you've got a team in trouble offensively.
Alex Kovalev's game blows hot and cold, depending on the state of his knee and, according to some, his mood. Kovalev’s problem is that he needs to have a superstar linemate, like he did in Pittsburgh with Jaromir Jagr, to truly shine. When his linemates are average, so too is his production.
And of course there’s Sergei Samsonov, expected to bolster the offensive depth this season but instead became a horrible bust . It was noted that head coach Guy Carbonneau hasn’t put him on Koivu’s line this season. Given the way the Habs offense has dried up over the last month, one wonders if it would be such a bad idea to put Sammy and Captain K on the same line with Kovalev and hope for the best.
Another major problem is Huet has struggled over the past month. His strong play in the first half of the season earned him a berth in the All-Star game, but nobody would mistake him for an All-Star since New Year’s.
Thankfully, backup David Aebischer has taken over and has played very well for the Canadiens since the All-Star break. The losses the Habs compiled since then weren’t his fault, and his strong play likely means he won’t become the trade bait everyone expected he would be by the trade deadline should Huet continue to struggle.
But even with “Abby’s” goaltending, the Canadiens have lacked the energy they had earlier in the season. Their special teams, once among the best in the league, have been disturbingly average since the All-Star break. In two recent games against the Penguins, almost all of Pittsburgh’s goals came on the powerplay.
In other words, as bad as the PP has been of late, the PK has been even worse. Nothing but hard work is going to improve that.
Which leads to the obvious question: what’s the reason behind the Canadiens woes?
The answer might be that the players could be tuning out head coach Guy Carbonneau and his staff of Kirk Muller and Doug Jarvis.
Yes, these guys were expected to be no-nonsense coaches who’d motivate this team into a tighter, harder-working unit, and for the first three months of the season, they seemingly accomplished those goals.
But that hasn’t been apparent since the New Year. It’s caused star blueliner Sheldon Souray to openly take his teammates to task in a recent loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, proclaiming that the Habs were a better team than the Leafs but just weren’t playing like it.
I like Carbonneau, Muller and Jarvis, and I’m not advocating they be fired, as that would be ridiculous, but there’s something that’s missing, something that as a rookie coach “Carbo” hasn’t been able to tap into to snap his charges out of their moribund mindset.
Perhaps it’s the lack of an obvious superstar to rally around.
The Maple Leafs have rallied around Mats Sundin, the Sens around Heatley, Alfredsson and Redden; the Bolts around Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis, the Flames around Iginla and Kiprusoff, the Canucks around Roberto Luongo.
As much as I admire Koivu, he’s not a superstar, not the kind of player who can hoist this team on his back through a rough patch and carry it through with his play. That’s been painfully obvious over the past six weeks. Captain K needs help, a sniper to benefit from his savvy playmaking.
The Canadiens could certainly use a player like that, but is it worth the short-term gain of pursuing, say, Peter Forsberg and his crooked foot and sacrificing the future?
The Habs have plenty of promising young players, and Bob Gainey isn’t a GM to start selling off that promise for a quick fix, but it’s also obvious now that if this team is to make the playoffs this season, let alone make any noise in the playoffs, Gainey may have to pull the trigger on a major deal to get it done.
If not, this team will have to look to within, something it’s been attempting to do without much success over the past two months.
Which could mean the rest of the season could be another down-to-the-wire gutwrencher for Canadiens fans.
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.
