Yes of course having a Vincent Lecavalier on the team would be great! Vinny would be the big scoring centre from Quebec that the Habs have needed since Jean Beliveau. Vinny would solidify the number one centre position for the next ten years, and the Canadiens would have their impact player they have been searching for. But what about the back end?

The Canadiens have showed that even with players like Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek and Roman Hamrlik that they still need someone else to complete their four man scheme. Josh Gorges and Francis Bouillon are good, especially Gorges who has an impressive +18 this year, and Bouillon never ducks away from the rough play, unfortunately they are both small. Patrice Brisebois is playing well again this year, but is showing signs of fatigue as he is looked upon to be the number four guy.

The solution could be prying Pronger away from the Ducks. With Pronger’s size, mean streak and toughness, to go along with his defensive and offensive skill, he might be just what the Habs need. Think of playing the Boston Bruins or the Philadelphia Flyers in the play-offs this year. Both of those teams are big and like to pound the corners, and with Komisarek being the only one who really pounds back with any consistency, the Habs are lacking back-end size and toughness.

And what about at the forward position? Even with all the injuries the Canadiens have had this year they have still managed to score goals, so scoring doesn’t seem to be the problem. An aging Steve Begin is doing what he can to play a tough and hitting game but can’t do it every night. Tom Kostopoulos is doing what he can to defend players but seems to be more of a punching bag. Guillaume Latendresse is concentrating on scoring or passing and not finishing his checks.

Could the solution be getting Neil out of the Sens line-up? Think of Georges Laraque back in the line-up playing beside Neil. The Bruins and Flyers would have a hard time with the likes of Komisarek, Pronger, Laraque and Neil. The forwards for the Habs would be able to run free and play the way they can without worrying of retribution from the other teams. Carey Price would be a little less worried about peolpe crashing his net as he would know that there would finally be some pay back.

As I mentioned before, Lecavalier would definitely be great, but if it is impossible to get him, then Pronger and Neil would be a solution to some of the problems that the Habs have. The Canadiens would definitely be tougher team, and would surely be harder to push around.

Last year in the play-offs the Habs out hit the Bruins, but where so tired after that series that the Flyers were able to push them around, if the Canadiens acquired Neil and Pronger, that would be different, especially with Laraque in the line-up.

Hopefully Bob Gainey will make the right decision and help the Habs fill in the holes they have.

The Montreal Canadiens have more points, have scored more goals and have let in fewer than at this point last year. Unfortunately the Habs power play is near the league basement this year. Who would have thought that with Chris Higgins, Saku Koivu, and Mathieu Dandenault being out for over a month each that the Canadiens would still be in good position this year. Carey Price has been battling an ankle injury for the same amount of time and Alex Tanguay and been put out twice this season thanks to two clobbering hits, and yet still the Habs are able to manage not to fall to the basement.

What’s even more intriguing is that the Habbies acquired big George Laraque in the free agent market this past off season and Laraque has not played too many games this season due firstly to a pulled groin earlier this year, and most recently a problematic back. Not to mention that Alex Kovalev who does have almost thirty points has dropped off in his goal production this year.

Tomas Plekanec has also dropped in the point producing department, which may be a factor in Kovalev dropping his production.

Mike Komisarek was injured for a few weeks also with a slightly separated shoulder.

And the second string goalie Jaroslav Halak has played in all the games since Price went down, looking decent in a couple of those, but horrible in most yet the Habs still manage to win.

The Habs good surprises this year include Matt D’agostini who was called up and started like wildfire, he has since slowed down but shows the attitude that he wants to stay with the Habs. Another is Max Pacioretti who was recently called up and has been steady with the club. Perhaps the biggest surprise this year is Mr. +- this year Josh Gorges with a +18. Not to forget aged and long in the tooth Patrice Brisebois who has played well again this most probably his last season.

Robert Lang is also proving to be a great pick up as he leads the team in points this year.

Maxim Lapierre has played well with Tom Kostopoulos this season, and since coach Guy Carbonneau told Guillaume Latendresse to smarten up after benching him for a few games this year, Latendresse has played decent with Lapierre and Kostopoulos.

Andrei Kostitsyn has woken up also, although his little brother Sergei is slowly coming out of his shell this year.

Alex Kovalev. Jaroslav Halak and Laraque seem to be the biggest let downs this year.

Factor in all that is mentioned above and realize the type of team that the Habs have. The depth they have to keep winning even-though they have lost key players with long rehab injuries this year which still have not come back yet.

I think that when all these players come back to the team at 100 per-cent that the Canadiens will be able to play the style they want.

But will the team be the same in the next few weeks?

There are rampant rumours that Bob Gainey is speaking with the Tampa Bay Lightning to help them get their salary down by taking Vincent Lecavalier off their hands.

TSN was the first to report that a trade between Montreal and Tampa Bay could happen. In the article it even goes as far as to stipulate who would be going the other way for Vinny. Plekanec, Higgins, Gorges and possible P.K. Subban as well as a couple of draft picks.

Bob Gainey. Along with Glen Sather (New York Rangers Gm), and Cliff Fletcher (Toronto Maple Leafs Gm). But more to the point, Gainey.

The Minnesota Wild have all but given up trying to sign their star forward Marion Gaborik. Previously the Wild have stated that they were not and will not try to deal Gaborik stating that they want to keep their star forward long term. There are some reports that Risebrough has been asked the same questions and has now replied “no comment”.

The link I tried to provide to the Star tribune who interviewed Risebrough did not work. But you can find the article at the Star Tribune.com in the sports section. Here are some quotes from that interview.

When asked what the progress was in the contract negotiations are between the Wild and Gaborik, Risebrough had this to say,

“Not making any headway. I was trying to do something before the season. It’s not happening… It’s not going to happen by the start of the season”.

When asked if the Wild would put him on the trade block, Risebrough answered this,

“That I’ll have to determine”.

When asked if he had been in or is currently in talks about Gaborik, Risebrough said this,

“I’m not going to comment anymore”.

The good thing about this for the Montreal Canadiens is that Gainey and Risebrough are good friends. Being that the sour taste in Risebrough’s mouth is still fresh, and that the Wild are playing the Habs tonight, could there be a chance that Bob Gainey could work something to get the star forward?

Even though Gaborik is often injured he still has scored 30 goals in almost all his nhl seasons, to go along with his over 40 goal season. Depending on what the trade would involve, it might be a good thing for the Habs.

RDS is reporting that there could be a transaction involving Ryan O’Byrne.

There is also the fact that Mathieu Dandenault seemingly has no place in Montreal.

With all of the young talent that impressed both Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau this pre-season, perhaps the Habs are finally in a situation to let some veterans go and make room for more youngsters.

Bob Gainey still wants an impact forward, even though Mats Sundin took too long to decide for the Habs, Gainey has stated for the past two years that he wants an impact forward.

Also consider that the Boston Bruins are actively trying to trade Marc Savard. Could be interesting.

There is the fact that Nashville is upset at Alex Radulov (with good reason) and that they could be looking to move him.

The Game at the Bell Centre against the Detroit Red Wings last night had 22 scouts in attendance. Sure the scouts could have been looking at the Wings also but…..

Although Marion Gaborik still isn’t signed for next season 2009-10, and that the Minnesota Wild are trying to sign him, Gaborik might be traded. All indications point to the Vancouver Canucks so that he could play with his buddy Pavol Demitra. But, there have been some rumours stating that Saku Koivu could be traded there to play with his brother………..

Either way the additions of Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang, and Georges Laraque are greatly beneficial for the Habs, and will bring some excitement to the fans, neither one is the impact forward that Gainey has said he wanted. Will Bob Gainey make a move thanks to the play of his young stars in the pre-season, or will the additions of the above mentioned players combined make the impact forward that Gainey wanted?

I guess we will all see.

The big talented Swede would most likely help the Habs attain the Stanley Cup Final. Mats Sundin would give the Canadiens that big player that is talented down the middle that they have been searching for these past fifteen or so years. Sundin would give the Habs three good scoring lines to play against anyone in the league including the Detroit Red Wings. But enough is enough!

Sure Sundin has earned the right to take his time and make a decision. But how much time is too much? No matter where he plays, his decision is taking far too long. The Canadiens being one of the teams trying to land the big Swede are wasting far too much time waiting for Sundin to make his decision.

Consider this, the Habs tried to acquire Sundin at the trade deadline, but Mats refused to waive his no trade clause. Being that Sundin had a no trade clause, one could see that Sundin was well within his rights to not waive it, but never the less the Habs were still not able to acquire him.

Next try for the Habs was at draft day when they traded for the exclusive right to talk contract with him until July 1, the same result ensued. Since draft day was the second time that Sundin was not able to be obtained by the Canadiens, they should have moved on, but general manager Bob Gainey decided to go the patient route. Alright but it has been one and a half months and still no progress.

Enough! If Mats Sundin still doesn’t know where or if he will play this coming season, either he is stalling, or he does know and it isn’t the Habs but he’s waiting to see if other teams are willing to compensate him the way he wants, not neccessarily with money. Either way the Habs have to look somewhere else and get what they think they need for the up and coming season.

The Habs traded for Alex Tanguay, and signed George Laraque this off-season so they have already improved their team. The Canadiens still need that one player, that un-deniable superstar to push them over the edge. Mats Sundin could be that player, but the waiting game has turned ridiculous. Yes I would like to see a player who has played for two of the Habs enemies play for the Habs only because Sundin would give us an edge over many other teams, however, the Habs should not wait until New Years Eve to hope to acquire him.

How about going after Eric Staal who wasn’t resigned long term? How about Ilya Kovalchuk who is in his last season, and would probably love to change teams, or Marian Gaborik?

Sundin is the star the Habs have been looking for, but if I was Gainey I wouldn’t let Sundin guide me by the nose like he is currently doing. Perhaps the other players that are out there wouldn’t have as profound an impact on the Canadiens as Sundin would, but at least they would help the Habs get further in the post season, and who knows anything can happen.

I would give Sundin another week, after that, too bad so sad, let other teams be used by Sundin to see what his value is.

Too bad, Habs fans would love too see Sundin play for Montreal in his last season. Unfortunately for him, the fans are getting a little annoyed at how much time he is taking to make his decision, and may not even care if he plays for the Habs at all. Way to go Mats!

Alex Tanguay native of Sainte-Justine Quebec has played eight seasons in the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche had Tanguay’s services for six seasons, one of which is a Stanley cup season.

The Calgary Flames had Tanguay for two seasons.

Now, the Montreal Canadiens acquired Tanguay. Michael Ryder is most likely going to be the odd man out now.

Tanguay has played eight seasons in the NHL, here are some interesting numbers for him. Within Tanguay’s eight seasons in the NHL he has 4 years with over 70 points, 5 years with over 60 points, 1 year with 81 points, and 7 years with over 50 points.

A slight comparison between Tanguay and Michael Ryder at their worst. Ryder having his worst season this year had 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points. Tanguay had 18 goals and 35 assists for 48 points. As one can see even with Tanguay’s worst year, he still has more points than Ryder at his worst.

At 6′1” and 189 pounds, Tanguay is a little taller than Ryder, but a couple of pounds lighter as well. Tanguay is the better all around player. His skating is superior, his defensive coverage is better, and he is a better passer than Ryder, to go along with scoring at the right time.

Tanguay is consistent. Unfortunately for Ryder who in his defense has only played half the seasons than Tanguay, his time is most likely over in Hab town. Perhaps he will flourish in another organization, but the fact that the Habs have only offered a one year deal for Ryder the past few seasons says that they were never really sure they wanted to keep him anyway.

Tanguay has stated that he hopes to sign an extensionwith the Canadiens. Bob Gainey-GM of the Habs–has stated that perhaps Tanguay could remain a Hab for longer than one season.

The Montreal Canadiens have in Tanguay, a player that can play either side of centre, or centre itself. With the speed Tanguay possesses he is already better than Ryder. And Tanguay’s vision is better than Ryder’s also. To put it brief, if Tanguay plays with Saku Koivu, they should both have a good season. Koivu’s confidence in Ryder had been almost in-existent this past season. Tanguay should provide the Habs with a second scoring line that can produce, something which they needed in the post season against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Canadiens won the Eastern Confernce without the consistent scoring of Koivu’s line. If Koivu’s line produces, what can the fans expect this year with two lines scoring?

Tanguay will have pressure as a French Canadian player who has talent playing for the Habs. But playing with Koivu on a team which is getting better year after year with young blood should be just what he needs to keep his consistency up and make the Habs better than they were last season.

On a side note, the Canadiens have the exclusive rights to talk to Mats Sundin until July 1. But if Mats decides that he doesn’t want to come and play in Montreal, the Habs should go after Marian Hossa. Possibly Sean Avery and or George Laraque as well depending on who the Habs acquire. Sundin for two years would be great, unfortunately he seems to be playing games with the Habs saying that he hasn’t decided if he wants to play hockey again. Look Mats, I know you gave everything you had to the Maple Leafs when you played for them, but this is business. Either tell the Habs that you are not interested so the team can move on, or sign with them. Sundin only has 1-2 years left in him. If he plays the waiting game, he might regret it in the end.

Hopefully for the fans, Sundin will sign with the Habs. If not then Bob Gainey should move on to the next target as it appears that the Habs are serious about putting the right talented veterans with their crop of young guns this year.

The trade consists of Habs first round pick this year and their second round pick next year, for Calgary Flames forward Alex Tanguay and Flames fifth round pick this year.

Tanguay had this to say,

“I’m very excited about this great news. I’m a hockey fan, and I like the way the Canadiens play. It suits my style of play”.

Cliff Fletcher–GM of the Leafs–had this to comment,

“We have given the Montreal Canadiens permission to speak with Mats Sundin. We have no further comments at this time”.

With the Vancouver Canucks waiving their number 10 pick around, coupled with the fact that they most likely won’t resign forward Brendan Morrison and the possibility that Markus Naslund will resign cheaper, the ‘Nucks will try something.

It is still unclear at this point if the Toronto Maple Leafs will resign Mats Sundin. What is clear however is that they are waiving their number 7 pick around and have been linked with Patrick Marleau, Olli Jokinen, and Vincent Lecavalier to name a few.

The Montreal Canadiens have also been rumoured to try and move up in the draft to make a deal go through. Andrei Kostitsyn should be signed by the draft. Marc Streit could be also although rumours suggest that he would be traded. The Habs are also being linked to Marian Hossa, Sundin, Eric Cole, Ryan Malone, and Lecavalier to name a few. In Hossa’s case the Habs are trying to trade for his rights.

The Carolina Hurricanes are rumoured to be in on Joni Pitkanen.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are rumoured to be in on Marleau as well as Malone.

The Calgary Flames are rumoured to be hunting Jokinen.

The Boston Bruins are hunting Hossa.

To be brief, just mentioning seven teams and one could see that the draft this year might live up to the hype that every media source is putting out there.

Perhaps the draft will be more exciting than the first week of July.

Let’s hope that this year’s draft will be one not to miss.

The entry draft is for minor league players to move up in life, unfortunately for the minor leaguers, fortunately for the fans, this year it should be more about NHL players changing addresses.

There are 30 teams in the NHL. Perhaps not all the teams will make something happen, but if one believes the hype, it should be a draft day frenzy.

Rumours are that the Tampa Bay Lightning are a little worried. First they are worried that Vinny might not sign a long term deal when he becomes an un-restricted free agent after the 2008-09 season. Secondly they are worried about Vinny making a full recovery after his shoulder operation.

There are also rumours that Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey is up to something. What it is however remains a mystery. However, with the Habs only signing Maxim Lapierre so far and having only started discussions with Andrei Kostitsyn and no one else at this point so close to the draft, well, one could presume that something is happening.

These rumours about Vinny, are hopeful speculation at best. Even though Lecavalier stated to a newspaper earlier this month that he likes they way the Habs play, Lecavalier has also said that he would “possibly” like to stay with Tampa.

Some are saying that if a deal was to happen between the Habs and the Lightning, it would include Chris Higgins and possibly Jaroslav Halak, to go along with a pick.

But these rumours are un-confirmed at this point.

If Tampa doesn’t think that they can sign him, then why not trade him to a team which would give them so much in return? These rumours are un-confirmed, but not ridiculous at this point.

In the article by RDS, it is also stated that Anaheim Duck’s General Manager Brian Burke also believes that Selanne could accept this time.

This is the confirmation to an article I wrote about this rumour. Selanne is the right player for Koivu to play with. They played together in Finland. Koivu tried to convince Selanne to come here a couple of years ago. Selanne decided to play for the Ducks, which won the cup, last year he gave the team another chance.

This year however, is Koivu’s last contract year. Why wouldn’t Selanne play one year with his best friend before retiring?

Considering what happened to Michael Ryder’s production this past year it would be a vast improvement. Selanne still has what it takes. And the chemistry between Koivu and Selanne would give the Canadiens a second scoring line which they need.

If the Habs manage to sign Selanne, at a modest salary, then I’m all for it. He would help the Habs.

If the Habs manage to sign Selanne, then it leaves a veteran goalie to get, and a centre, or winger.

First the update. Habs Inside Out is stating that the new contract that Maxim Lapierre inked with the Habs will pay him $575,000 for 2008-09 and $800,000 for the 2009-10 season for an average of $687,500 a season. Not far from the $700,000 I suggested in a previous article.

Next we have RDS who is reporting that the Kloten Flyers of Switzerland are interested in Corey Locke. Well I guess that this gives an out to Habs General Manager Bob Gainey. If he Locke decides to play for the Flyers of Kloten then that would give the Habs a little more to work with and combine it to what they have all ready. Locke is a good minor league player however at 5′9 and 169 pounds he is a little on the smallish side for the NHL at the centre position.

Next we have un-confirmed reports that the Habs asked about acquiring Brian Campbell when the Marian Hossa deal fell through, and that there is a possibility that they are wondering if he will be available come July 1.

I don’t know why the Habs would pay Campbell 7-$8 million when there are other possibilities available to them if they are looking for a defense-man.

The Miami Herald wrote that soon to be restricted free agent Jay Bouwmeester is noncommittal about his future for the Florida Panthers. Jacques Martin had this to say about the situation,

“There is no progress in contract talks. He wants to win. That’s the issue. He wants to be in the play-offs. We all do.”

Why not try and grab Bouwmeester instead of Campbell. He would be just as good and a little bigger but would not cost as much in salary as Campbell. Unfortunately to get Bouwmeester would mean a trade.

How about RFA Shea Webber of the Nashville Predators? At 6′3″ and 213 pounds with a mean streak, why wouldn’t the Habs offer a little package for him?

Of course this is all speculation as Canadiens GM Bob Gainey stated in an end of season press conference that he will be looking to bolster the forward position. Was that statement a smoke screen? Are the Habs trying to land a D-Man and a forward?

Well one thing is for sure, the Habs are in on a lot of high profile names at the forward position.

Sportsnet  is reporting that former San Jose Sharks head coach Ron Wilson was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs officially today. This after weeks of speculation. Wilson had this to say about his new endeavour,

“This is an unbelievable day for me. The last couple of weeks have been very exciting.”

Wilson also went on to say,

“I view the Leafs as a team in transition. It’s going to require a lot of work, and a lot of attention to detail.”

Wilson continued by adding,

“As a coach, you just want to put yourself in a position to knock on the door. And if we can be knocking on the door in two years, I think that will be a tremendous accomplishment. Then we’ve just got to knock the door down.”

Ron WIlson is a good coach. The Leafs have a person who could potentially turn the play of the team around. Unfortunately some people are crying tampering.

With the rumours still around that the Leafs are waiting for Brian Burke of the Anaheim Ducks to be their next General Manager, the hiring of one of Burke’s friends is sending flags up everywhere. Sure the Leafs can argue that they hired who they thought was the best candidate for them and leave it at that. If Burke somehow becomes the Leafs next GM however, there will be many people who will question the decision on WIlson.

For now congratulations to the Leafs. Wilson should put them in the right direction.

RDS is reporting that the L.A. Kings have fired coach Marc Crawford. Crawford still had one year left on his contract.

When questioned about his decision, Kings Gm Dean Lombardi had this to say,

“We appreciate what Marc has done here for the past two years. We believe however that a coaching change was the right decision to make.”

Too bad. The Kings young talent like Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Patrick O’Sullivan where starting to play well. Something to take note of however, the Kings have no starting goalie. Is that Crawford’s fault?

The Kings will be good in a couple of years. They also have the number two draft pick and should be able to pick someone of good abilities.

One could make a strong argument that this player is one of the best at his position ever in the NHL. WIth his five James Norris Memorial trophies, one Conn Smythe, having appeared in nine All-Star games, having been voted to the NHL All Rookie team and the Olympic tournament All-Star team and just recently winning his fourth Stanley cup Nicklas Lidstrom  also made history.

Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings. Having been named captain after Steve Yzerman retired at the beggining of the 2006-07 season, Lidstrom has never looked back. Being that Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings, this means that he will go in the history books as the first European to be the captain of a Stanley Cup winning team.

Before this season, no European was ever captain of a Stanley Cup winning team. No small feat. Yes one could argue that Europeans haven’t been in the NHL since the beginning of the league, but even so, one could look at some teams that boast having a European as their captain and see if they have ever won the cup with them.

The Mats Sundin Toronto Maple Leafs. Sundin is an excellent player and captain on his team, but for whatever reason, the Leafs haven’t won the cup with him at the helm, albeit not the fault of Sundin.

The Saku Koivu Montreal Canadiens. Same could be said for them.

The Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks. Same.

The Jaromir Jagr New York Rangers. Same.

To name a few, the European captain teams mentioned above have not won the prestigious cup with those captains. Those teams all have had a chance but have not been able to capture the biggest prize in the NHL.

Not that those captains aren’t good players, they are, but for whatever the reason be it lack of talent on the team, no goalie or whatever, they haven’t won it. This is just an overview but the stats remain.

Nicklas Lidstrom has taken a great team and lead them to the promise land. Something that European born players should be proud of. Lidstrom has now opened the door for others to follow. And this should quiet the “No European has ever been the captain of a cup winning team” talk.

Lidstrom will forever be in the history books as the first European born player to have won the Stanley Cup as a captain.

There is no more of a deserving European captain to be the first. With Lidstrom’s impressive resume, he will undoubtedly be in the Hall of Fame. He might even capture one more cup in the process. And he can now add something else to the list of accolades he possesses, European captain winning the cup.

Congratulations to Nicklas. All his hard work and determination as well as his dominating the offensive defense-man position has paid off before, when he won three Stanley Cups, but this one the fourth, will be the crowning achievement of his career.

RDS is reporting that Maxim Lapierre was indeed signed by Bob Gainey–General Manager–for two years. Gainey had this to say about Lapierre,

“Maxim is one of our young core group of players that contribute to the success of our team. His grit, determination and energy are important attributes that we look for in our young players”.

With this signing, Gainey is starting to make his fourth line. Lapierre is quick and has some talent, however he hit the boards more than hitting the players last season and will have to change that if he is going to make a statement for the next two years.

Lapierre will also have to work heavily on his face-offs. Lapierre has some size at 6′2” and 200 pounds to win face-offs on a regular basis. Lapierre was decent in the circle at the end of the year, and in the play-offs. Unfortunately decent doesn’t cut it in the NHL.

Maxim who has the capability to be one of the best pests of the league, will have to improve on his fighting skills also. Going after P.J. Axelsson won’t get him any respect around the league. He has to be willing to back up all the words he uses during a game.

Gainey made a good signing. Lapierre won’t be expensive for the next two years and has gained experience while playing for the Habs last season. Lapierre has the talent to be a good third line player, possibly a fourth line player as well. He is young and well liked in Montreal. Lapierre knows his role, now he has to fully embrace it or run the risk of being sent back down to the minors like the early part of this past season. There will be many youngsters gunning for his job during training camp. Contract or not, it will be up to Lapierre to win his spot next season.

One RFA down, six to go. That is if there are no trades that happen before the next season starts.

First off, RDS is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens are under negotiation with Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn who is slated to become a restricted free agent come July 1, is said to be general manager Bob Gainey’s top priority.

Bob Gainey said this about the RFA,

“We think in Andrei’s case considering the season he just had, that he is the most important RFA that we have to resign.”

When asked about Mark Streit Gainey had this to say,

“Mark brought the team a particular contribution this year. He had many points on the power-play. The question is if we will have enough room in our team salary structure.”

With the Streit statement, one could surmise that the Habs want to keep him but not at any price. Could there be something else going on for the Habs to possibly use their money?
RDS is also reporting that Habs affiliate team the Cincinnati Cyclones have won the Kelly trophy in the ECHL. A team which Bob Gainey has helped to build.

Now for the good stuff.

The Hockey News is reporting that soon to be unrestricted free agent Mats Sundin might not resign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that the Detroit Red Wings could be gunning for him. But Sundin is also rumoured to be asking for 2 years at $8 million per year. Montreal and Ottawa are also rumoured to be getting ready to make a pitch to Sundin.

Next we have un-confirmed reports that Saku Koivu could be trying to convince Teemu Selanne to play with the Habs, this being Koivu’s last contract year. Koivu would like his best friend to play at least one year with him before Selanne retires for good.

Another un-confirmed report states that the Canadiens could be interested in soon to be RFA Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators. Although I do believe that Redden still has juice in the tank, is he the answer the Habs need at the blue-line? Redden is a puck mover, and is not physical, considering that when the Sens went to the final last season that the Anaheim Ducks pounded him like there was no tomorrow, I’m not sure that he is the answer. He is still good, depending on the price, and depending on who the Habs will have surrounding him to be the physical presence.

Next there is the fact that Pavol Demitra could be interested in the Vancouver Canucks and the Canadiens. Although this winger might still have a good season or two left in him under optimum conditions, he is not the answer for the Habs. He is good but why take a roster spot away from a youngster, I would rather see Selanne.

Lastly, something I mentioned in another article is that Olaf Kolzig could be in Montreal next season. With the New York Rangers so far being the only other team manifesting interest in him, the Habs could luck out. Kolzig is also part owner of the Tri-City Americans, a team which new number one Habs goalie Carey Price has played for.

Also there is mounting evidence that the Tampa Bay Lightning may be a little worried about Vincent Lecalvalier’s shoulder, and might be willing to trade him. Montreal is rumoured among other names to have thrown in Chris Higgins as part of a possible trade. Wouldn’t that be nice.