Well, the Habs were certainly the busiest team in the league today and while I am not sold on what they've done, there is apparently method to the madness. Madness it is, mind you. Essentially, GM Bob Gainey is betting the farm, and his job, on the production of Scott Gomez and his former NJ Devils team-mate Brian Gionta, as well as Mike Cammalleri. All three are undersized but they are all, undeniably, first-rate talent. The major hitch to this plan is this: if it doesn't work, the Habs are in a world of trouble because of the size and term of all these contracts. They're all signed for five year terms. If it works, I'll be the first to say I was wrong but my concern is always on the downside protection (occupational habit). That said, the Habs need another defenceman because the current stable is one player short of a full complement.
The major disappointment for me is the loss of Mike Komisarek to the hated Maple Leafs, of all teams. I think a lot of Komisarek and I'm wondering why he was allowed to leave if all the Leafs offered was $4.5 million a year. Actually, I was disappointed he landed in Toronto but frankly, a rumour floated around the Bruins were after him and if that had come to pass, I would have been even more bothered. Not that I hate the Bruins as much as the Leafs, I don't. (who could?) The thing is the Bruins already have a really good, big team and the addition of Komisaurus would have cemented their status as a dominant force in the conference for the years to come. The Leafs, bless their hearts, suck and will for at least another couple of years so adding some talent to their putrid lineup only goes so far.
I was stunned by how little he got because the Islanders have been openly salivating for this guy for years and they surely could have come up with a better deal than he got. He'd take the Isles' dough over the Leafs, he's from Long Island. So why didn't Gainey want him back if the number was so low? I was expecting Komisarek to pull in 5.5, not 4.5. At that rate, Gainey decided he didn't want him back more than the market outbid him. Makes me why. Especially the day after he traded his close friend Christopher Higgins to the Rangers.
Here's the deal: they're younger and more talented than last year but the size and term of the contracts means it better work because they are going to be up against the cap in the years to come.
I have a theory that the room last year must have been even worse than we thought at the time because Gainey has cleaned house: Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay are all gone and not one of them got a deal on a freakishly busy Day One of the free agent period. Maybe the word is out on their attitudes. I'm only speculating but it is odd that none of them signed anywhere today. There was clearly something rotten in the team's karma last year and GM Gainey obviously felt it couldn't be addressed by anything less than wholesale changes. Time will tell if he was right.
In the meantime, *sigh* Go Habs.
In Gainey's press conference earlier this evening he said that he gave Komisarek a price and a term, which is usually followed by a counter-offer from the player. That counter-offer never came. Translation: Komo didn't want to come back.
Gainey also highlighted the fact that all the players he signed today actually WANTED to come to Montreal. They were UFAs and could have gotten similar money elsewhere, but they chose the Habs. That seems like an important criteria for Gainey and his new look Canadiens. If Komo didn't want to try to make a deal happen, Gainey wasn't going to chase him.
I've heard it's a similar situation with Kovalev--Kovy was given an offer and he didn't even bother to counter-offer.
Posted by: Jeff | July 02, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Go Jays!
Posted by: Mike | July 02, 2009 at 03:53 PM