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Halak traded to the St. Louis Blues


Easy Ryder

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Am I the only one that's bitter about this? We got a bag of pucks and a water bottle for Halak. These guys might be able to play in the NHL. That's it. We don't know. We gave up our starter and from what I can tell, a guy who can handle big pressure for two guys who have 7 games combined under their belt! The Danish thing I said came off as insensitive. I didn't mean anything racial. I would just prefer that high end prospects have more than 3 people that know who they are. (prospects are just that. They aren't NHL proven stars like we gave up!) After all, Denmark is a hotbed of prospective NHL talent.

This team has been stymied for a few years against a certain style of play. (Big guys on the back end and a defensive system) Everyone is happy to keep Plek and let Halak go. I don't get it. I realize you need to put things in perspective, but I have never seen the emotional stuff out of Halak. I want nothing more than for Price to succeed. He's from my wife's home town. (william's lake, not vancouver) I think Price will succeed. Just not in Montreal. He's a headcase. Ugggghhhh.....There better be more coming later.

First I got mad and thought it was the worst deal ever. Then I started thinking about and though it might be OK. Now I'm mad again.

Edited by BCHabnut
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Am I the only one that's bitter about this? We got a bag of pucks and a water bottle for Halak. These guys might be able to play in the NHL. That's it. We don't know. We gave up our starter and from what I can tell, a guy who can handle big pressure for two guys who have 7 games combined under their belt! The Danish thing I said came off as insensitive. I didn't mean anything racial. I would just prefer that high end prospects (prospects are just that. They aren't NHL proven stars like we gave up!) After all, Denmark is a hotbed of prospective NHL talent.

This team has been stymied for a few years against a certain style of play. (Big guys on the back end and a defensive system) Everyone is happy to keep Plek and let Halak go. I don't get it. I realize you need to put things in perspective, but I have never seen the emotional stuff out of Halak. I want nothing more than for Price to succeed. He's from my wife's home town. (william's lake, not vancouver) I think Price will succeed. Just not in Montreal. He's a headcase. Ugggghhhh.....There better be more coming later.

First I got mad and thought it was the worst deal ever. Then I started thinking about and though it might be OK. Now I'm mad again.

you keep talking like halak is a proven goalie??? he had one really good year, we all saw this before...guy have a good year,signs big deal then sucks..not saying this is going to happen but it might and because a guy from denmark dont mean anything... halak from Slovakia not like they got the best goalies in the word..I dont think halak really what to stay here anyway and the rumour is that a offer sheet was coming..

I going to have faith in the new gm....

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Halak was .500 in the playoffs? He was well insolated by the defense in Montreal, sure there was a lot of shots...but he only succeeded because the habs cleared away most of the rebounds.

I don't see how you think Price is a headcase? Cause he hates losing? Who doesn't. Price tried to do the fire in his belly thing, he was told to grow up by the media. So then he was meek in the press, joked around with them, then his passion was questioned.

Do you really think Halak would succeed next season? I was glad they got rid of Halak, he was fools gold to me, I've said this most of the season, he gives up too many rebounds, and is easily beat if you lift the puck. Don't forget what they're saying about the goalie gear scaling with the tenders height next season.

I might sound ungrateful, but I didn't and don't now have faith in Halak, he's a feel good story, and I'm feeling good, that he's a story now on another team.

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i would of kept halak if he didnt what 4-5 mil a year and what to be name the #1 goalie no matter want happens...

price is a better deal at 1.5 mil a year and is just as good and only getting better...

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i would of kept halak if he didnt what 4-5 mil a year and what to be name the #1 goalie no matter want happens...

price is a better deal at 1.5 mil a year and is just as good and only getting better...

Did i miss something ? Price agreed for 1.5 million, multi year contract.

Or it's just 1.5 until he get UFA and we lose him for nothing.

This is how we are use to see our players come and go.

Plekanek will not sign in MTL, we're gonna lose Price when he will start to be a very good

goalie, Markov will walk away next year, same old song bla bla bla...

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Did i miss something ? Price agreed for 1.5 million, multi year contract.

Or it's just 1.5 until he get UFA and we lose him for nothing.

This is how we are use to see our players come and go.

Plekanek will not sign in MTL, we're gonna lose Price when he will start to be a very good

goalie, Markov will walk away next year, same old song bla bla bla...

well price cant walk away till his 27 and his only 22 now..i cant see price being sign for that much this year..can u?I really do think plexs well walk unless we give him 5mil ayear for 5 years but every teams players become ufa and sign with other teams, this happens to every team in the nhl just not the habs....Markov might leave he be ufa next year so thats up to him...his 32 now so i could see him moving on,lets just hope subban can be the man 2 take his place...but i like to lock markov up till his at least 35...

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you keep talking like halak is a proven goalie??? he had one really good year, we all saw this before...guy have a good year,signs big deal then sucks..not saying this is going to happen but it might and because a guy from denmark dont mean anything... halak from Slovakia not like they got the best goalies in the word..I dont think halak really what to stay here anyway and the rumour is that a offer sheet was coming..

I going to have faith in the new gm....

from his debut when he came in and got the Habs to within one win of a playoff spot and got booted for Huet, I have believed that Halak was never given respect. All he has done is work hard and perform very consistently. I do not see the extreme ups and downs in Jaro that I do in Price. For the record, only one of my jersies has a name on the back. The name is Price. I have high hopes for him as well. But to say that Jaro is not consistent, and only played half a good season is blind. He warmed the bench without complaint and played well when he was asked. He has developed more consistently with less drama and more results than his counterpart. Go back one year and I was fighting with people that Price was the man and Jaro had to go. I still don't believe that either should have gone.

I still believe that if I am evaluating a PROSPECT (someone who has never played in the NHL.) Where he developed does matter. Sorry. It's what I think. The draft is a crapshoot. Like I said draft from anywhere. But to trade a PROVEN QUALITY asset at his highest possible value for a prospect that is not proven, that also does not come from a place where hockey developement is big, is risky. I hope I am chanting Eller's name at the TV in a few years. I'm a Habs fan and I don't care if I am cheering fo Hiroshi Yanamaki. I want proven assets for proven assets. If I am getting prospects in place of assets, I would preffer that they come from somewhere that Hockey developement is strong.

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from his debut when he came in and got the Habs to within one win of a playoff spot and got booted for Huet, I have believed that Halak was never given respect. All he has done is work hard and perform very consistently. I do not see the extreme ups and downs in Jaro that I do in Price. For the record, only one of my jersies has a name on the back. The name is Price. I have high hopes for him as well. But to say that Jaro is not consistent, and only played half a good season is blind. He warmed the bench without complaint and played well when he was asked. He has developed more consistently with less drama and more results than his counterpart. Go back one year and I was fighting with people that Price was the man and Jaro had to go. I still don't believe that either should have gone.

I still believe that if I am evaluating a PROSPECT (someone who has never played in the NHL.) Where he developed does matter. Sorry. It's what I think. The draft is a crapshoot. Like I said draft from anywhere. But to trade a PROVEN QUALITY asset at his highest possible value for a prospect that is not proven, that also does not come from a place where hockey developement is big, is risky. I hope I am chanting Eller's name at the TV in a few years. I'm a Habs fan and I don't care if I am cheering fo Hiroshi Yanamaki. I want proven assets for proven assets. If I am getting prospects in place of assets, I would preffer that they come from somewhere that Hockey developement is strong.

most of this ups and down shit with price is blown up by the media..his 22 learning to be a goalie in the nhl, its not his fault he couldnt win the cup by the old age of 22...I got faith in price but feel most fans in montreal as quit on him..

Halak asked for a trade out of montreal this year( no up and downs right)I would also like to keep both but i could not have lock halak up at 4-5 mil a year...I think price is the better deal with number that are close to halak and half the price...

I think u over price halak, if you look at the goalies trade in the past 5 years i think we did pretty good in the return...

eller is a proven prospect..he was draft in the first round, played in the highest Swedish league, put up good numbers in the ahl, and in 7 games in the nhl he as 2 goals...

His father Olaf is the current coach of the Danish Under-20 national team and former Danish international ice hockey player and former coach of several teams so iam sure that as help his developement no matter where his from...

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from his debut when he came in and got the Habs to within one win of a playoff spot and got booted for Huet, I have believed that Halak was never given respect. All he has done is work hard and perform very consistently. I do not see the extreme ups and downs in Jaro that I do in Price. For the record, only one of my jersies has a name on the back. The name is Price. I have high hopes for him as well. But to say that Jaro is not consistent, and only played half a good season is blind. He warmed the bench without complaint and played well when he was asked. He has developed more consistently with less drama and more results than his counterpart. Go back one year and I was fighting with people that Price was the man and Jaro had to go. I still don't believe that either should have gone.

I still believe that if I am evaluating a PROSPECT (someone who has never played in the NHL.) Where he developed does matter. Sorry. It's what I think. The draft is a crapshoot. Like I said draft from anywhere. But to trade a PROVEN QUALITY asset at his highest possible value for a prospect that is not proven, that also does not come from a place where hockey developement is big, is risky. I hope I am chanting Eller's name at the TV in a few years. I'm a Habs fan and I don't care if I am cheering fo Hiroshi Yanamaki. I want proven assets for proven assets. If I am getting prospects in place of assets, I would preffer that they come from somewhere that Hockey developement is strong.

Age is a huge factor for goaltenders. Jaroslav Halak may have not seemed inconsistent to you because he was in Hamilton.

The problem in Montreal is that people like to search for flaws, when they find them they obsess about them. Price came up

and was dominant for a year, then has suffered ups and downs ever since. He is just turning 23.

HEre are Halak's stats before the age of 23.

12-7-1 2.71 GAA .912 SV%

During his rookie season he had 16 starts. In 9 of them he registered a sub .905 SV%. In 4 of those games he was .939+.

During his sophomore campaign he had 5 starts including playoffs, in 3 of those games he had a sub .900 SV%.

So at Price's age Halak had 21 starts. In 12 of them he had a .905 SV% or worse.

How is that consistent?

You can even take his next 21 pro starts. So when Halak was almost 24 years old his career record was

23-15-2 2.80 GAA and a .908 SV%

Add in another 11 sub .905 SV% starts and through 42 starts Halak had 23 of 42 starts that are considered sub par.

Yet here we are 16 months later and he has been deified and irreplaceable.

So tell me how he has developed more consistently. What he has been able to do is develop outside of the spotlight

with little to no pressure on him. While Price was taking the heat for every bad goal, Halak was being adored because

he wasn't Price. He was absolutely inconsistent and average at an older age than Price, but people wipe it from their

memory because it doesn't fit their personal version of this story.

Slight of hand. While you were fixated on one thing you failed to recognize another.

Remove the emotion and study it in a historical context and the picture changes. Post expansion numbers show a goalies

peak is between 23-27. Halak is smack dab in the middle of that ascension, Price is on the bottom of the hill just beginning

his incline. At Price's age, Halak was at the base of the hill as well.

Add in factors like pressure, strength of opposition etc and it presents a different perspective.

This was a smart move by Gauthier. It is not popular and either goalie that was dealt was going to offer the

gamble of guessing wrong on potential, but in a cap age you need your talent to outperform their money slot

and Price has to chance to blow his out of the water. Halak at 4-5M does not.

Edited by Wamsley01
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1. I still believe that if I am evaluating a PROSPECT (someone who has never played in the NHL.) Where he developed does matter. Sorry. It's what I think. The draft is a crapshoot. Like I said draft from anywhere.

2. But to trade a PROVEN QUALITY asset at his highest possible value for a prospect that is not proven, that also does not come from a place where hockey developement is big, is risky.

1. Eller developed in the Sweden (good hockey country) where as a 19 year old (but in his first full season because he was injured for most of the previous season) he put up numbers identical to those Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson did in his rookie season in the SEL. Last year, he played in the AHL (good hockey country) and despite needing to adjust to NA style hockey, he was one of the key players of a very bad team. There is a massive difference between a newly selected 13th overall 18 year old and a 21 year old that was selected 13th overall three years ago and has developed steadily since then. He isn't a giant question mark. He's an NHL-quality player right now and sure to get better.

2. Trading Halak at his highest possible value is exactly the point. Ideally, every time you trade a player he's at his highest value. This is what a goalie at his highest value gets you. Name me trades in the past 10 years where a goalie retrieved more than this in return.

You also haven't mentioned the cap - the most important part of this deal.

Since almost a year ago when we got Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri and Spacek we knew (expected) that we would get worse this off-season. We were right up to the cap, with Plekanec and both goalies needing new contracts. There was no way we could retain our line up from last season. As of a week ago, our choice was this:

Lose Plekanec via free agency, without signing a replacement. We have no internal replacement. Taking an 8th seed team, subtracting their leading scorer and then trying again is a disastrous move. Not an option.

Lose Hamrlik via buyout, without signing a replacement. We have Subban as an internal replacement but our defense needs more than that. Maybe an option.

Lose Halak via trade, sign a cheap quasi-replacement to be our back up. We have an internal replacement in Price. Receive compensation (a great prospect that can help us short term plus another pretty good prospect). Maybe an option.

We chose Option 3 for clear reasons: we have an internal replacement and we get to add new talent to our system. It should also be said that Lars Eller is exactly the type of player that a team carrying Scott Gomez and Roman Hamrlik's contracts needs: cheap players that can contribute more than their salaries would suggest (young players). We had Subban on D, and now we have Eller at F. Our team was very short on this type of player that could produce without boasting a 5 million dollar price tag. We used to have an army of such players (Higgins, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Komisarek, Price, Halak, Streit) but they all left or commanded higher salaries with age. Eller will provide us with cap-friendly secondary scoring for the next couple of seasons before he gets a raise.

Whether you like the value of Halak/Eller comes second to the fact that a Halak trade was (almost) necessary. We were in a tough position and Gauthier had to make a tough, unpopular decision. If we enter next season with a lineup better than last season's Gauthier will have done a remarkable job this off-season - and will likely receive little credit for it.

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1. Eller developed in the Sweden (good hockey country) where as a 19 year old (but in his first full season because he was injured for most of the previous season) he put up numbers identical to those Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson did in his rookie season in the SEL. Last year, he played in the AHL (good hockey country) and despite needing to adjust to NA style hockey, he was one of the key players of a very bad team. There is a massive difference between a newly selected 13th overall 18 year old and a 21 year old that was selected 13th overall three years ago and has developed steadily since then. He isn't a giant question mark. He's an NHL-quality player right now and sure to get better.

2. Trading Halak at his highest possible value is exactly the point. Ideally, every time you trade a player he's at his highest value. This is what a goalie at his highest value gets you. Name me trades in the past 10 years where a goalie retrieved more than this in return.

You also haven't mentioned the cap - the most important part of this deal.

Since almost a year ago when we got Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri and Spacek we knew (expected) that we would get worse this off-season. We were right up to the cap, with Plekanec and both goalies needing new contracts. There was no way we could retain our line up from last season. As of a week ago, our choice was this:

Lose Plekanec via free agency, without signing a replacement. We have no internal replacement. Taking an 8th seed team, subtracting their leading scorer and then trying again is a disastrous move. Not an option.

Lose Hamrlik via buyout, without signing a replacement. We have Subban as an internal replacement but our defense needs more than that. Maybe an option.

Lose Halak via trade, sign a cheap quasi-replacement to be our back up. We have an internal replacement in Price. Receive compensation (a great prospect that can help us short term plus another pretty good prospect). Maybe an option.

We chose Option 3 for clear reasons: we have an internal replacement and we get to add new talent to our system. It should also be said that Lars Eller is exactly the type of player that a team carrying Scott Gomez and Roman Hamrlik's contracts needs: cheap players that can contribute more than their salaries would suggest (young players). We had Subban on D, and now we have Eller at F. Our team was very short on this type of player that could produce without boasting a 5 million dollar price tag. We used to have an army of such players (Higgins, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Komisarek, Price, Halak, Streit) but they all left or commanded higher salaries with age. Eller will provide us with cap-friendly secondary scoring for the next couple of seasons before he gets a raise.

Whether you like the value of Halak/Eller comes second to the fact that a Halak trade was (almost) necessary. We were in a tough position and Gauthier had to make a tough, unpopular decision. If we enter next season with a lineup better than last season's Gauthier will have done a remarkable job this off-season - and will likely receive little credit for it.

People are reacting to this based on emotion. As long as you do that, it will never make sense.

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People are reacting to this based on emotion. As long as you do that, it will never make sense.

Right. Half the fanbase now feels like they have "lost" the Team Price vs Team Halak war and will, led by Jack Todd, rage for months about how we traded a "PROVEN" superstar goalie for a bag of pucks (AKA a top prospect that they had never heard of). Red Fisher's article is a perfect example of viewing the trade emotionally. His only argument is "Did you see the saves he made against Washington?" and does not mention the players being sent in return, the salary cap or the context of the deal.

My father, for instance, has pretty much agreed with everything Jack Todd has ever written about the goalie situation and wastes no opportunities to complain that Montreal's management is incompetent. The main flaw in his reasoning is that he overrates Halak (as a surefire elite goalie) and underrates Price (as a career back up, peaked). Then there are the facts that the salary cap means nothing to him and he doesn't know who Eller is so he just calls him a "prospect."

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Right. Half the fanbase now feels like they have "lost" the Team Price vs Team Halak war and will, led by Jack Todd, rage for months about how we traded a "PROVEN" superstar goalie for a bag of pucks (AKA a top prospect that they had never heard of). Red Fisher's article is a perfect example of viewing the trade emotionally. His only argument is "Did you see the saves he made against Washington?" and does not mention the players being sent in return, the salary cap or the context of the deal.

My father, for instance, has pretty much agreed with everything Jack Todd has ever written about the goalie situation and wastes no opportunities to complain that Montreal's management is incompetent. The main flaw in his reasoning is that he overrates Halak (as a surefire elite goalie) and underrates Price (as a career back up, peaked). Then there are the facts that the salary cap means nothing to him and he doesn't know who Eller is so he just calls him a "prospect."

This is 100% correct. Those same fans will try to stoke the fire after every poor game Price plays over the rest of

his Montreal career.

Perception is far from reality. I thought the habs might deal Price until I saw his salary and his missed bonuses.

Once I realized he was going to make less than $2M per, I knew he would likely stay. I just wasn't sure that Gauthier

had the gonads to do it.

That one move and his accompanying press conference made me feel a lot better about this team than I have since

Gainey blew up the roster. I liked Eller before he came here, added with Subban and Price, the habs have a trio of players

who can give them monster value to make up for the over inflated UFA deals.

Unfortunately Price is now in the center of a flaming inferno and anything less than a great season will be criticized.

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This season will be a test for habs fans, and I hope we all pass. Will fans boo Price every mistake just to prove that they were right, or will they want the best for the team regardless if they were wrong about the Price/Halak debate.

I really don't see how experts can dub Halak an elite goalie on the strength of a .500 playoffs, his lack of playing an entire season load. Not to mention his seeming need to rest IN THE PLAYOFFS, a elite goalie does not need rest in a playoff stretch. I just can't see how editors of papers/tv/etc, can let these articles go forward, unless they know they're doing one thing, provoking the audience and enflaming the public.

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This is 100% correct. Those same fans will try to stoke the fire after every poor game Price plays over the rest of

his Montreal career.

Perception is far from reality. I thought the habs might deal Price until I saw his salary and his missed bonuses.

Once I realized he was going to make less than $2M per, I knew he would likely stay. I just wasn't sure that Gauthier

had the gonads to do it.

That one move and his accompanying press conference made me feel a lot better about this team than I have since

Gainey blew up the roster. I liked Eller before he came here, added with Subban and Price, the habs have a trio of players

who can give them monster value to make up for the over inflated UFA deals.

Unfortunately Price is now in the center of a flaming inferno and anything less than a great season will be criticized.

i hope the leaders on this team sticks up for price with the media.....

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This season will be a test for habs fans, and I hope we all pass. Will fans boo Price every mistake just to prove that they were right, or will they want the best for the team regardless if they were wrong about the Price/Halak debate.

I really don't see how experts can dub Halak an elite goalie on the strength of a .500 playoffs, his lack of playing an entire season load. Not to mention his seeming need to rest IN THE PLAYOFFS, a elite goalie does not need rest in a playoff stretch. I just can't see how editors of papers/tv/etc, can let these articles go forward, unless they know they're doing one thing, provoking the audience and enflaming the public.

I fully expect the fanbase to push forth their own personal agenda. It has worked like that in Montreal

(and probably every NHL city) for my whole life.

It is human nature and when you forge a relationship with a logo based on emotion you get emotional responses.

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i hope the leaders on this team sticks up for price with the media.....

1 more reason I really began to like Hal Gill. I loved to pile on him when he was in Toronto, but

he is an effective player and showed me plenty of strong leadership skills. He stood up for Price on

plenty of occasions when nobody would and he apparently sat him aside and explained to him that

showing up his defense was counterproductive, because every time he was hung out to dry their

was an equal amount of times where they saved his ass.

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Price better not get a 3 to 4 million dollar contract or I will be fuming! Dealing Halak frees up cash, but if it all goes to sgning Price, what's the point?

Price will probably get something like 9 or 10 millions for a 3 years contract. If the Habs are really serious about him, they could offer a 5 years contract for 15 to 18 millions. I know the numbers are big, but that's the way it will have to be negociated if we want him signed for the long term. Otherwise, it will be a one year or 2 years contract, for 2.5 or 5 millions, and the risk to lose him to free agency if he becomes the all-star goaltender a lot of people see in him.

Edited by JCPetit
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I think BTH wins this thread with his careful analysis of the options facing the Habs in this cap-tightened era. :clap: Once you read that post, it is - or should be - simply impossible to revert back to a knee-jerk 'what an awful trade' reaction a la Todd and Fisher.

In the end the trade is impossible to evaluate on anything other than a theoretical basis, because NONE of the players involved are proven commodities. Halak just came through his first pro season (really, half-season) as a #1 goalie - not exactly a towering body of work. Price is a work in progress. Eller and Shultz are prospects. So all you can do is analyze it the way BTH has done. And once that's done, you see this trade makes a lot of sense.

The ultimate outcome could take any number of shapes. E.g.,

-Halak regresses and Price develops. We win.

-Halak stays where he is and Price comes up to his level. We win.

-Halak stays where he is, Price stumbles, Eller emerges as a major player. We win or lose depending on whether we can fix the situation in net.

-Halak stays where he is, Price stumbles, Eller emerges as merely OK. Whether or not we patch up the hole in net, we lose.

And there are plenty of other scenarios.

What bugs me is that the fans and media themselves are an independent variable here and there is considerable danger that they will work to validate their own hypothesis, by putting so much heat on Price that he will simply not be able to survive. Then, once the kid has been broken by a level of mass hostility that would break ANYONE, the people who have broken him will righteously declaim that this 'proves' what a bad trade Gauthier made.

As Wamsley said, the Habs MUST be attuned to this possibility and protect him. I remember when Price did his FU to the crowd and Roy commented that this showed 'he's not well surrounded.' Gainey's big mistake with Price wasn't in playing him, it was in not adequately mentoring and protecting him from the jackals of the Bell Centre and the perils of Montreal. The Habs' future depends on their not repeating this mistake. Fortunately, the leadership core of the new team seems very strong. That could make all the difference.

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My opinion is that Plekanec won't be signed. I see Moore coming back, centering the 3rd line. Gauthier might try both Desharnais and Eller to play on the 2nd line, but I doubt that. Gauthier might try to get a 2nd line centerman by way of a trade, but it's anybody's guess as who he would like to add to the lineup. If the K brothers don't come back, I would like to see either Horton or Marleau, but that's wishful thinking from my part.

Really, I believe that with Halak gone this early, the team might change a bit more than I first thought possible after the playoffs. Of course, I don't know if we will feel sorry of having chosen Price as the cornerstone of our defense, but nobody will say that Gauthier is afraid of bold moves.

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1. Eller developed in the Sweden (good hockey country) where as a 19 year old (but in his first full season because he was injured for most of the previous season) he put up numbers identical to those Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson did in his rookie season in the SEL. Last year, he played in the AHL (good hockey country) and despite needing to adjust to NA style hockey, he was one of the key players of a very bad team. There is a massive difference between a newly selected 13th overall 18 year old and a 21 year old that was selected 13th overall three years ago and has developed steadily since then. He isn't a giant question mark. He's an NHL-quality player right now and sure to get better.

2. Trading Halak at his highest possible value is exactly the point. Ideally, every time you trade a player he's at his highest value. This is what a goalie at his highest value gets you. Name me trades in the past 10 years where a goalie retrieved more than this in return.

You also haven't mentioned the cap - the most important part of this deal.

Since almost a year ago when we got Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri and Spacek we knew (expected) that we would get worse this off-season. We were right up to the cap, with Plekanec and both goalies needing new contracts. There was no way we could retain our line up from last season. As of a week ago, our choice was this:

Lose Plekanec via free agency, without signing a replacement. We have no internal replacement. Taking an 8th seed team, subtracting their leading scorer and then trying again is a disastrous move. Not an option.

Lose Hamrlik via buyout, without signing a replacement. We have Subban as an internal replacement but our defense needs more than that. Maybe an option.

Lose Halak via trade, sign a cheap quasi-replacement to be our back up. We have an internal replacement in Price. Receive compensation (a great prospect that can help us short term plus another pretty good prospect). Maybe an option.

We chose Option 3 for clear reasons: we have an internal replacement and we get to add new talent to our system. It should also be said that Lars Eller is exactly the type of player that a team carrying Scott Gomez and Roman Hamrlik's contracts needs: cheap players that can contribute more than their salaries would suggest (young players). We had Subban on D, and now we have Eller at F. Our team was very short on this type of player that could produce without boasting a 5 million dollar price tag. We used to have an army of such players (Higgins, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Komisarek, Price, Halak, Streit) but they all left or commanded higher salaries with age. Eller will provide us with cap-friendly secondary scoring for the next couple of seasons before he gets a raise.

Whether you like the value of Halak/Eller comes second to the fact that a Halak trade was (almost) necessary. We were in a tough position and Gauthier had to make a tough, unpopular decision. If we enter next season with a lineup better than last season's Gauthier will have done a remarkable job this off-season - and will likely receive little credit for it.

New front runner.

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I am so shocked at all the articles claiming the Habs were foolish to trade Halak, am I undervaluing him to some great degree? I mean..I did see him get pulled 3 times in the playoffs right? Have him lose a start to the backup, right? Went just .500 for a record?

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This is 100% correct. Those same fans will try to stoke the fire after every poor game Price plays over the rest of

his Montreal career.

Perception is far from reality. I thought the habs might deal Price until I saw his salary and his missed bonuses.

Once I realized he was going to make less than $2M per, I knew he would likely stay. I just wasn't sure that Gauthier

had the gonads to do it.

That one move and his accompanying press conference made me feel a lot better about this team than I have since

Gainey blew up the roster. I liked Eller before he came here, added with Subban and Price, the habs have a trio of players

who can give them monster value to make up for the over inflated UFA deals.

Unfortunately Price is now in the center of a flaming inferno and anything less than a great season will be criticized.

That's the problem. Does he have what it takes to handle all this criticism? I don't dislike Price. But the media and many fans do. I think he is going to have a tough time with these fans. They will get back into his head. As for Halak, I just though they could have got more for him.

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That's the problem. Does he have what it takes to handle all this criticism? I don't dislike Price. But the media and many fans do. I think he is going to have a tough time with these fans. They will get back into his head. As for Halak, I just though they could have got more for him.

do anyone think its time to look in to hiring roy to help out with price and so he can tell the media where to go and iam sure fans well fall in line..

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