Gomez sent home (update: early compliance buyout official)

[dlbalr]

The Habs announced today that Gomez will not play this year, will be paid to sit at home, and will be amnestied in the offseason. That's a bit of a surprise that they're paying him to sit at home, I was hoping he'd at least get a look in camp to see if he could find some early chemistry on a line. That opens up another forward spot, two of the invites will likely break camp now.

[mineral]

Wow. Who expected that to happen before camp even really started? I wonder who they have their eyes on to start with the big team. Bourque on the 3rd line leaving a spot in the top 6?

[ForumGhost]

It make sense. If he gets injured, they won't be able to buy him out. Just playing it safe.

[brobin]

This is why I don't like long contracts. Gomez has gone through the motions and the team and us fans pay for it while he collects.

In any case, I am glad they made a definitive decision so we can all stop talking about this guy and the team isn't distracted by the soap opera.

[sbhatt]

I love this move; since his buyout is a MUST, the team simply couldn't gamble on him getting through the season without an injury. I also think you could plug just about anyone into his position and get better production, so I like it from an on-ice perspective as well. Gomez is washed up, and our new GM had the guts to openly declare it and move past the whole drama despite the price tag. Well done.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

It make sense. If he gets injured, they won't be able to buy him out. Just playing it safe.

I was baffled until I read this. Makes perfect sense from that standpoint.

I like the ruthlessness this shows. And I also like that it shows Molson willing to eat contracts.

[tebo64]

Not sure if washed up is accurate but he definitely does not fit in Montreal.

[hab29RETIRED]

This has nothing to do with the issue being a long contract. This is an issue of it being a stupid contract. Yes, because of the contract length, both the NYR and the habs were stuck with it, for a linger period, but the main issue was that Gomez was NEVER worth the money he signed for. He had one good year, in a year a lot of players had a good year and this was one of many stupid contracts Sather bid against himself for.

To make matters worse Bob Gainey made one of the dumbest deals in NHL history trading for a guy who was NEVER going to live up to that contract.

Are you going to call the 6 year deal that Stamkos signed stupid???

Gomez did not have the track record to earn the length or dollars he got. Nor was there anyone else willing to iay as much. Lamirello offer topped out at $5m. Sather as usual overpaid because he was desperate and had an owner with deep pockets. Ironically it was the Gomez trade that he suckered Gainey into that started the turn around for the Rangers, by freeing up salary cap space AND getting a stud like mcDonough.

This is why I don't like long contracts. Gomez has gone through the motions and the team and us fans pay for it while he collects. In any case, I am glad they made a definitive decision so we can all stop talking about this guy and the team isn't distracted by the soap opera.

This is the smartest move the habs have made since the Rivet trade. Now if they can only lock up Subban long term.

I was baffled until I read this. Makes perfect sense from that standpoint.

I like the ruthlessness this shows. And I also like that it shows Molson willing to eat contracts.

[lazy26]

I feel bad for Gomer, but this is such a wise decision.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

I feel bad for Gomez as well and I hope he finds a way to finish the year on the Alaska Aces.

Also he has to clear waivers.

[Trizzak]

The Habs announced today that Gomez will not play this year, will be paid to sit at home, and will be amnestied in the offseason. That's a bit of a surprise that they're paying him to sit at home, I was hoping he'd at least get a look in camp to see if he could find some early chemistry on a line. That opens up another forward spot, two of the invites will likely break camp now.

[habs rule]

I think Gomer can play for the alaska aces as long as he can insure his contract. If he gets injured, it wont be our problem. I commented some time ago that I hoped he would just stay with the aces, looks like Santa made it after all. This is a great move by MB. Very gutsy and very right. Can we put him on waivers just in case somebody gets crazy and wants him at 1/2 price? Just dreaming but hey we are on a roll here.

[JCPetit]

Good decision obviously. They probably want to give at least five games to Galchenyuk. Dumont and Gallagher have a real chance too. And what about Louis Leblanc, who is supposedly the victim of bad treatment by the Bulldog's coaching staff? Doesn't make much sense to me.

[Dalhabs]

What happens if he breaks his leg at home? Most accidents happen in the safety of home.

[dlbalr]

Can we put him on waivers just in case somebody gets crazy and wants him at 1/2 price? Just dreaming but hey we are on a roll here.

There's no 1/2 price anymore, re-entry waivers no longer exist. I hope they put him on waivers and outright him to Hamilton to get the cap relief but considering he's not on today's waivers (no reason not to put him on), they may not even bother with that.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

There's no 1/2 price anymore, re-entry waivers no longer exist. I hope they put him on waivers and outright him to Hamilton to get the cap relief but considering he's not on today's waivers (no reason not to put him on), they may not even bother with that.

You now only receive 900K of relief when a player makes more than 900K. The rest stays on the cap. Also, Gomez will have to clear waivers but is not forced to report to Hamilton.

[Trizzak]

I expect Wade Redden will get a similar treatment from the Rangers.

[Habsy]

Wow, bizarre end to his time here. I suppose it's smart from an injury/buyout standpoint. I can't believe he didn't try to reinvent himself. Forget the contract, but why not try to be a penalty killing leader? Something, anything to help the team. He can still skate, still shoot, still carry the puck. In the end, it's probably better to not have him around the team. He makes enough cash to have his own private jet, yet sits beside more productive players who earn 1/10th of what he makes.

[bbp]

I expect Wade Redden will get a similar treatment from the Rangers.

Man he still is a 6.5M cap hit isn't he...

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Wow, bizarre end to his time here. I suppose it's smart from an injury/buyout standpoint. I can't believe he didn't try to reinvent himself. Forget the contract, but why not try to be a penalty killing leader? Something, anything to help the team. He can still skate, still shoot, still carry the puck. In the end, it's probably better to not have him around the team. He makes enough cash to have his own private jet, yet sits beside more productive players who earn 1/10th of what he makes.

He never could shoot. All the bitching about his lack of goal production was beside the point. He was a rushing machine and an excellent playmaker and should have been evaluated on that basis.

Like I said in another thread, his evaporation as a productive forward is a puzzler. His skating seems as strong as it ever was...by definition his passing isn't, because if it were he would have been putting up points. I don't know how someone loses the ability to pass the puck.

From Gomer's point of view, 'reinventing himself' probably seemed premature. He had one horrible season (2011) and was apparently determined to bounce back, but the following year was decimated by injuries, which stopped that from happening. And that was it for him.

I would not be at all surprised to find him returning to the league on a much cheaper deal and being a pretty useful player used up and down the lineup, sort of like Chris Higgins.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

His time in Alaska probably gave him a lot of confidence in his play again. Gomez could carry the puck extremely well into a zone but never could get himself in a good position to do anything with it, and that included passing it. Just watch him in 09-10 for comparison. He used to carry the puck in and find Gionta and Cammalleri or whoever was on the line at the time. Now he can't find anyone and tends to pass to nobody or just lose the puck from a defender.

He's going to be a great third line center for someone I bet, but that isn't much loss for Montreal. He isn't the right kind of player for our fourth line. Bergevin likely wants that fourth line gritty, pesty and annoying. And not to our own fans. A guy like Dumont fits it much better.

That said, I was looking forward to him being depth for the team.

[brobin]

This has nothing to do with the issue being a long contract. This is an issue of it being a stupid contract. Yes, because of the contract length, both the NYR and the habs were stuck with it, for a linger period, but the main issue was that Gomez was NEVER worth the money he signed for. He had one good year, in a year a lot of players had a good year and this was one of many stupid contracts Sather bid against himself for.

To make matters worse Bob Gainey made one of the dumbest deals in NHL history trading for a guy who was NEVER going to live up to that contract.

Are you going to call the 6 year deal that Stamkos signed stupid???

Gomez did not have the track record to earn the length or dollars he got. Nor was there anyone else willing to iay as much. Lamirello offer topped out at $5m. Sather as usual overpaid because he was desperate and had an owner with deep pockets. Ironically it was the Gomez trade that he suckered Gainey into that started the turn around for the Rangers, by freeing up salary cap space AND getting a stud like mcDonough.This is the smartest move the habs have made since the Rivet trade. Now if they can only lock up Subban long term.

Any contract over 5'years is a big risk. Very few players in this league maintain performance over time. Injuries take their toll. Gomez got too much, for too long, but most of these long term contracts look bad to me. Long contracts put all the risk on team, little on the player. If Stamkos blows out his knee and sees his production drop 50 percent, then that deal might not look to smart. Still, he is a better player then Gomez OR pk, so six years might be a tolerable risk. It also depends on the age of the player.

I love PK and have personally watched him since his Belleville days, but there is no way I would sign an 8 year deal with him unless he gave me a huge discount per year to reduce my risk. I think a bridge contract makes far more sense for both parties right now. By the way, if the cap does go down, some of those long term, high money deals are going to drag teams down and get some GMs fired.

[brobin]

He never could shoot. All the bitching about his lack of goal production was beside the point. He was a rushing machine and an excellent playmaker and should have been evaluated on that basis.

Like I said in another thread, his evaporation as a productive forward is a puzzler. His skating seems as strong as it ever was...by definition his passing isn't, because if it were he would have been putting up points. I don't know how someone loses the ability to pass the puck.

From Gomer's point of view, 'reinventing himself' probably seemed premature. He had one horrible season (2011) and was apparently determined to bounce back, but the following year was decimated by injuries, which stopped that from happening. And that was it for him.

I would not be at all surprised to find him returning to the league on a much cheaper deal and being a pretty useful player used up and down the lineup, sort of like Chris Higgins.

Gomez might have looked decent if he was between Cole and Pacs last year, but he never got much of a chance as DD took good advantage of his chance. He is definitely dependant on great wingers to be productive. He might pop up with some other team once bought out, but I am glad we have turned the page.

I wonder who this years goat will be now that Gomez is gone.

[JCPetit]

He never could shoot. All the bitching about his lack of goal production was beside the point. He was a rushing machine and an excellent playmaker and should have been evaluated on that basis.

Like I said in another thread, his evaporation as a productive forward is a puzzler. His skating seems as strong as it ever was...by definition his passing isn't, because if it were he would have been putting up points. I don't know how someone loses the ability to pass the puck.

From Gomer's point of view, 'reinventing himself' probably seemed premature. He had one horrible season (2011) and was apparently determined to bounce back, but the following year was decimated by injuries, which stopped that from happening. And that was it for him.

I would not be at all surprised to find him returning to the league on a much cheaper deal and being a pretty useful player used up and down the lineup, sort of like Chris Higgins.

I see the situation exactly like you do Cucumber.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

I wonder who this years goat will be now that Gomez is gone.

If Therrien plays Bourque as a left winger it'll be him. Otherwise, Kaberle always makes a bone headed move or two even if he's better this season and there will be pressure on Gionta to score goals. In the end, dumb fans will always blame everything on the goalie.

Hey, seeing how much people detest Therrien it might even be him.