Rocket:
For days now, the message to Bob Gainey from many Canadiens fans and media has been ‘just do SOMETHING’. They got their wish as Gainey did something…although the jury is out on whether this is a good move for the Habs.
Certainly Mathieu Schneider was “thrilled”. He said that the Canadiens were his “first choice” of the teams rumored to be interested.
This deal has all the markings of a Plan ‘C’ move that Gainey had pre-arranged. Pressure mounted after the debacle of the past week on the ice. The final straw was when fans and main stream media alike began calling for the firing of Guy Carbonneau. Bob stepped in to protect his friend by focusing attention on the trade.
Mathieu Schneider is a power-play specialist. His arrival should have an immediate impact. If not, all attention returns to Guy Carbonneau and his inability to address the long list of problems that are plaguing the Canadiens.
For his part, Schneider must be much more disciplined and abandon the pond hockey style that he has got away with in Atlanta. In a weak hockey market with less accountability, Schneider has allowed some bad habits to creep into his game, basically acting as a rover. That’s not going to fly with a team who has struggled defensively.
So was this a panic move? Perhaps. But, this trade also looks like a set-up to a much bigger deal. I think I’ll withhold judgement until the next piece of the puzzle is revealed. I am concerned that this move opens the door for one of the top two defensemen to leave Montreal.
Quick facts:
– price is high in terms of assets: 2nd & 3rd round pick (with a conditional pick coming back) for a 39 year old rental
– no roster players or prospects were given up leaving assets in place for a bigger deal
Salary is high: $5.75 million
– contract status: UFA as of July 1st
– Ryan O’Byrne demoted to Hamilton to create cap space..O’Byrne & Hamrlik have been a solid pairing
– Schneider’s salary higher than Kaberle, Bouwmeester, Morris
– Kaberle is now off Gainey’s shopping list. compared to Schneider, Kaberle is a better all-round player, a decade younger, under contract, much cheaper (by $1.5 million in salary), although would have cost more in terms of assets: 1st round pick or prospect.