An excerpt from the Boston Globe (Fluto Shinzawa):
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Mats Sundin, the Canadiens are still thought to be in the mix for the big Swedish centerman if he decides to continue his NHL career this fall. However, the Canadiens may be in better shape if they don’t land Sundin, considering the number of big-time contracts GM Bob Gainey will be scheduled to negotiate next summer. Currently scheduled to hit the market: top-line right wing Alex Kovalev, captain Saku Koivu, sniper Alex Tanguay, shutdown D-man Mike Komisarek, forward/defenseman Mathieu Dandenault, and valuable core guys Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos, and Francis Bouillon. That’s two of your top five 2007-08 scorers in Kovalev (84 points) and Koivu (56), and four of your top seven hitters in Komisarek (266 hits), Bouillon (168), Kostopoulos (128), and Begin (119). Montreal also has forwards Tomas Plekanec, Christopher Higgins, Guillaume Latendresse, and Kyle Chipchura hitting restricted free agency next July. Considering the healthy raises sure to come for Kovalev, Komisarek, Plekanec, and Higgins, there’s no way the 2009-10 Canadiens will resemble the top-flight club that was poised to make a Cup run in 2007-08. One of the skills required in the post-lockout world is overlapping players to ensure that a big block of contracts doesn’t expire at the same time. The Bruins will face that issue after 2010-11, when Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Michael Ryder, Marco Sturm, and Chuck Kobasew are scheduled to reach UFA status.
