Written by Steven Ellis, AllHabs.net
TORONTO, ON. — Pierre Gauthier has made some odd moves since becoming the team’s general manager on February 8, 2010. Montreal hasn’t made any big splashes in the trade market since they acquired Alex Kovalev a few years back, and Gauthier has yet to prove he can make any movements that could change the impact on the team. Let’s take a look at the trades he has made so far. Keep in mind that I will be focusing on only the players acquired, not draft picks of free agents.
St Louis gets: Jaroslav Halak
Montreal gets: Lars Eller, Ian Schultz
Carey Price proved last year he can win without the pressure of a backup goalie. Jaroslav Halak was unable to continue his playoff magic for the St. Louis Blues, tallying 27 wins, 11 less then Carey Price. Lars Eller missed training camp this year due to a shoulder injury, but has been very impressive for the Canadiens in five games this year. Ian Shultz hasn’t made the team yet, and there wasn’t much expectation that he would.
Nashville gets: Sergei Kostitsyn and future considerations
Montreal gets: Rights to Dan Ellis, Dustin Boyd and future considerations
Being a huge Dan Ellis fan, I was very excited about this deal. But that excitement lasted only two days, as Ellis signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. That was part one of the bust. Then there was Dustin Boyd. He brought very little except toughness to Montreal, and signed in Russia during the off-season. That’s part two of the bust. Sergei Kostitsyn, who declined in points ever year for Montreal, had 50 points with the Nashville Predators last year. Triple bust.
Tampa Bay gets: Cedrick Desjardins
Montreal gets: Karri Ramo
I’m not sure if Gauthier was just being nice to former Bulldogs coach Guy Boucher or not, but any other GM wouldn’t make this trade in his right mind. Ramo was one of the top goalies in the KHL, while Desjardins was one of the best AHL netminders once again. Behind Price, Ramo may never, if ever, get a chance to play for the Canadiens. Bad news for Habs fans: Desjardins got his very first NHL win against the Montreal Canadiens. Good news is he is currently in the Colorado Avalanche system, where he wont be with the team for a few years at least with Semyon Varlamov in between the pipes. He would have been the starter in a year or two for Tampa.
Colorado gets: Ryan O’Byrne
Montreal gets: Michael Bournival
Montreal has had good defensive depth for a few years now, and O’Byrne was unable to crack the lineup full time. With Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek, Roman Hamrlik, P.K Subban, Josh Gorges, Andrei Markov, Yannick Weber and Mathieu Carle, O’Byrne would have had a tough time staying with the team. O’Byrne has played incredibly well for the Avalanche, a little late considering how much Montreal desperately needed more defensemen last year. Bournival is a prospect with potential, and could crack the Habs lineup on the bottom two lines in the next couple of years.
Check out part 2 tomorrow for more trades, and to see if Montreal got better in these deals.
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Until next time, GO HABS GO!