Will Halak force Gainey’s hand

    0
    84

    Habster:

    I have cut/copied the below excerpt from Lyle Richardson’s site which supports what I’ve been hearing and reading about Jaroslav Halak wanting to play with the Canadiens or else he wants to be traded.

    Bob Gainey isn’t the type of GM who will allow a player to give him an ultimatum (Isn’t that right Mr. Samsonov!!??) to be traded but if this report is true and Halak is serious about signing with a Russian team in the RSL, then Gainey might not have a choice on making a move in order to get something in return for Halak.

    The other alternative for Gainey would be to let Halak go to Russia with an out clause to return to the NHL if he or Cristobal Huet are traded at a later date. The problem with allowing him to go to Russia is that his development could regress in the RSL with little exposure to NHL teams/GMs for scouting evaluations. As good as Halak can be, it’s still only potential with only 16 NHL games under his belt so how much can Gainey get for him on the trade market?
    Personally, I don’t see Gainey being pressured by this situation and will only make a deal that benefits his team, bottom line!!!
    As far as the Forsberg rumours are concerned, I have a hard time believing that the Canadiens are on his wish list with or without the fiancee or father in law being in the equation. Peter Forsberg will be inclined to go to a Stanley Cup contender with some of his fellow Swedes on the roster (Detroit and Ottawa come to mind).

    SPECTOR’S MAILBAG.

    “Dominic” sends in the following on Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak:
    Yvon Pedneault confirmed before the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers that Jaroslav Halak asked to be trade. He also mentioned that if Halak is not trade he might go to the Russian Super League and earn approximatively 1 millions to end the year in Russia.
    “Daniel” sends in the following on Peter Forsberg’s agent in Montreal:
    “Le journal de Montréal” reported that Don Baizley was in Montreal to see Saku Koivu but the main reason was to see his clients that play for the Thrashers. So forget about the rumour “Forsberg in Montreal”. Also, for Forsberg, CKAC Sports 730 AM reported a couple of days ago that Forsberg’s future father in law is establish on the South Shore of Montreal. This fact, added that apparently Montreal was on Forsberg whish team list last year, could give some reasons to create a rumor that Forsberg could be interested in Montreal.