Doktor Kosmos Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 ESPN.com link Montreal Canadiens 8 players under contract totaling $14.5 million Once the Habs dispose of Patrice "Paris" Brisebois and his unsightly $3.42 million salary, the picture looks a little better for GM Bob Gainey, who must sign the team's foundation: Jose Theodore, Saku Koivu, Michael Ryder, Mike Ribeiro and Andrei Markov, all unrestricted free agents. The Canadiens have a terrific farm system, and unrestricted free agent Alex Kovalev has indicated an interest in returning to Montreal. All things considered, the Habs might be poised to make a dramatic jump in the Eastern Conference standings even without flashy free-agent signings. There are summaries for each team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trizzak Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I like the quote "All things considered, the Habs might be poised to make a dramatic jump in the Eastern Conference standings even without flashy free-agent signings." I've been seeing a lot of "We'll sign this UFA and this UFA, buyout these two guys and I think we'll have the cap space to sign 3 more UFAs at a reduced price!!!" I hate new bodies with unknown chemistry. Yes, sign a top winger for Koivu to play alongside - the bar has been set high. Yes, sign some D help - the Habs need it. But I'd hate it if half the team were new players that didn't leave room for our great prospects to jump to. What will the Habs look like this season? Hopefully not a whole lot different from last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doktor Kosmos Posted July 19, 2005 Author Share Posted July 19, 2005 Yeah, I agree. It takes time for guys to get to know each other. Shaking things up from time to time with a trade or signing a FA is probably good, but I don't see why we should want a whole new team alltogether. Let Gainey and Julien continue to build the team the way they think is best. I have a lot of confidence in Gainey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortcat1 Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Reading some stuff in various sites and watching comments by Boivin and Gainey on TV, it looks like there won't be any great movements being done by the Canadiens this summer. The reasoning is that they want to hold on to some money for an upcoming UFA availability. I can run with that quite comfortably. I don't really like this idea of high spending for possible and not necessarily assured results. Insofar as I'm aware, the Rangers are the best example of that - the Leafs fall into that category too but not so darkly. So, as your quality advisor, Messers Boivin and Gainey, I beseech you to go forth with calculated steps and the 'wisdom of a serpent'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.