All Habs Headlines: Monday July 23, 2012
On this day in hockey history… Happy 43rd birthday to former Habs forward Andrew Cassels. The Canadiens chose Cassels in the first round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, the same year that they picked up John LeClair and Eric Desjardins in the second round.
ALL HABS HEADLINES
► Sather schools Howson: The New York Rangers became an even more formidable opponent for the Habs with the addition of power-forward Rick Nash. Rangers GM Glen Sather was able to add a premiere 30-goal winger without giving up the core of his lineup. Heading to the Columbus Blue Jackets are Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixson, Artem Anisimov and a 1st-round draft choice. Given the strength of the Rangers and how poorly Columbus has drafted, the draft pick isn’t as valuable as it sounds.
The Rangers also picked up minor-league defenceman Steve Delisle and a conditional third-round pick. Columbus GM Scott Howson had painted himself into a corner by making unrealistic demands and quickly running out of trading partners. Blue Jackets fans are unlikely to be satisfied with the return after Howson created such high expectations.
For the Rangers, it was a masterfully-timed pitch given that the Philadelphia Flyers are currently handcuffed by the Shea Weber offer.
► Miss hockey? Yes, so do we. It’s not of the on-ice variety but there is plenty of hockey news everyday. And we’re glad to pass it on to you. But how do you fill the hockey void? We want to hear from you.
As far as substitutes, here’s one of the best gadgets we’ve run across for backyard fun.
Read more: Slip n’ Slide Knee Hockey Rink is the Best Summer Toy Ever
► Signing watch: P.K. Subban‘s agent Don Meehan is scheduled to chat with Habs GM Marc Bergevin this week to discuss a new contract for the young defenseman. As well, J-F Chaumont from Le Journal de Montreal is reporting that Habs first round pick Alex Galchenyuk is expected to sign an entry-level contract this week.
*update 5:09 p.m.* On Monday, Alex Galchenyuk signed a 3-year entry level deal with the Canadiens.
► Here’s your brick, what’s your hurry? One week ago the Montreal Canadiens announced their Tour des Canadiens condo project. By week’s end, centennial brick owners were being advised that some of those bricks were already being plucked from the plaza. Apparently there will be no construction holiday for the Habs.
► Price golfs for charity: Carey Price has a long-standing friendship with former NHL goalie Olie Kolzig. So Price was happy to participate in Kolzig’s annual charity golf tournament for his autism foundation.
“Coming down in the summer, you feel young again. Helping out the Kolzig Foundation is starting to mean a lot to me and my wife (Maggie). The one thing about hockey players, is once you play a season or two with a guy, you build a bond. I see Carey (Price) every summer. It’s a great time. You want to catch up and tell some stories.” — Dylan Stanley, former Tri-City American player
Read more: Golfers tee off for autism
► Sergei cashes in: Former Canadiens forward Sergei Kostitsyn signed a two-year, $6-million deal with the Nashville Predators. The younger Kostitsyn was sent to the Predators for nothing by Pierre Gauthier — the Habs received negotiating rights only, which expired without a signing.
► Koivu to carry torch: Former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu will act as an Olympic torch-bearer on Tuesday just three days before the opening ceremonies for the London Olympics. Koivu will run through the London borough of Hillingdon. The Anaheim Ducks center picked up a collection of bronze and silver medals for Team Finland in the 1994, 1998, 2006, and 2010 Olympic Winter games.
► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine:
Exploring Habs’ Advanced Statistics
Who’s This Girl? All Habs Special Edition – Louise
Who’s this Guy? — Brandon Prust
Headlines: Gomez, Pacioretty, Campoli, Budaj, Fischer
All Habs Mailbag: 2013 Draft, Desharnais, Eller, Bouillon, Trades, Waivers, Gionta, Markov
Just a few comments regarding the Rick Nash trade.
I have been reading blogs today and Rick Nash is getting stonned for wanting out of Columbus, What they forget is that Rick asked for the trade secretly and there idiotic GM went public with it, therfore runing any chance at getting a decent return for him.
Rick Nash gave the Jacks plenty of time to get there act together and realised that this team (GM) was going nowhere. He is in his prime and wants to win, that sounds fair to me.
A team should take about 5 years to rebuild, Columbus has been rebuilding for 10 years and no end in sight.
With todays reality in the NHL, the only way of becoming a cup contender is to build with the draft and then add some expensive free agents to go along with the more affordable rookie contracts.
Montreal is still 3 to 4 years away of beeing a force in the NHL if Bergevin plays his cards right. This last draft was a good start. And shoot me if you wish, but I hope Habs have another tough year so that they get another solid draft next year, while we are waiting for those anchors (Gomez, Kaberle) contracts to run out. Why not play them excessivly to boost ther value and (fingers crossed) trade them for a sac of pucks.
Anyways I love Bergevins aproach so far and trust that he will take the time to build a solid team instead of accepting mediocrity.
Thanks for reading,
Comments are closed.