ALL HABS POLL of the WEEK (POTW)

Last Week’s Poll Results:

Which Habs player do you consider expendable in a trade? (you can vote for more than one player)

Steve Begin 41%
Christopher Higgins 44%
Jaroslav Halak 27%
Guillaume Latendresse 22%
Tomas Plekanec 16%
Sergei Kostitsyn 9%

Another record response! This week’s poll was slightly different in that you were able to vote for more than one person. While that prevents us from identifying the player you most would like to see traded, we can observe some trends.

Chris Higgins and Steve Begin appear at the top of the percentages probably for different reasons. It is quite likely that Begin will be moved before the trade deadline. While an emotional and character guy, his role has been largely assumed by other players on the team. Begin still makes the big hit but sometimes takes himself out of the play to do so. He is also notorious for taking bad penalties. Yet Steve plays with heart and doesn’t quit. He could be an asset to a playoff bound team (just not the Montreal Canadiens).

Chris Higgins is a good 2nd line, two-way player. He isn’t afraid to go to the front of the net and has a terrific wrist shot. Chris is high on this list as his name always seems to come up when trades with the Canadiens are rumoured. It would seem that Higgins is more valued elsewhere around the league than by Canadiens fans.

Jaroslav Halak still believes that he can be a #1 goalie in the league. While Price has been injured, Jaro has had some up and down performances. It would seem that he has some work to do on goaltending fundamentals: positioning relative to the net, glove hand, and handling the puck. With so many of the #1 goaltenders in the league being injured this season, there may be a market for Jaro at the deadline.

Guillaume Latendresse has really improved his game recently, playing a simple game with north-south linemates. That’s still a far cry from his advertised potential as a power forward with soft hands. Perhaps Gui can only achieve that level after being traded to another team where he will have to raise his work ethic as name recognition alone won’t be enough to bring adoring fans.

Tomas Plekanec is one of the most hard working, yet under-rated Canadiens. He only drew 16% of the responses. Plekanec’s lack of production this year probably has more to do with an underwhelming half-season by Alex Kovalev. Plekanec was one of players rumoured to be heading to Tampa as part of the potential Lecavalier trade.

At single digits, Sergei Kostitsyn is not really on the trade radar at this time. Sergei is the best passer on the Canadiens. A gifted playmaker, he is probably the heir apparent to Alex Kovalev’s role on the power-play. With maturity and an understanding coach, he could be one of the most exciting Habs of the future.

Thanks for your participation! Be sure to vote in this week’s poll!