Travis Hamonic-D-6′0, 192 lbs.-Shoots Right- 2nd round pick (53rd Overall)

Positives:  Is a hardworking player with a strong competitive streak…plays a hard-nosed defensive style and will sacrifice his body to block shots…good skater who brings energy to the game.

Negatives:  Doesn’t have much of an offensive upside…Needs to work on his playmaking skills…plays a style bigger than his body and could be injury prone at the pro level.

Analysis:  This was a curious pick by Snow.  Hamonic possesses some qualities of a shutdown defenseman (which the Islanders need, considering Brendan Witt is not getting any younger) but he seems to be one dimensional.  He also probably could have been taken a round or two later.

My grade for the pick:  C

It’s funny how time has made me appreciate the trade in more overall terms. Would there be NHL hockey in the southeast and southwest United States if the trade had not been made? The answer is no and the Kings franchise became a respectable one, not just one who had cool away uniforms. Looking back I feel like if Michael Jordan was traded to the Raptors, in his prime, from the bulls basketball would grow throughout Canada and the important growth in any sport starts with kids playing hockey. Those 6 and 7 year olds playing Pee Wee and Mite hockey today, in 20 years those are you season ticket holders and sponsors and advertisers.

So, at the time I was crest fallen that my favorite player was leaving a cool team to head to LA of all places, who I felt didn’t deserve him, but just like everything he does, it turned out that things turned to gold and Hockey in the USA would not be at the level that it is at w/out the trade. There’s plenty of room for growth but the Great One did all that he could and that’s saying a lot for someone who was the league for such a long time. Bruce McNall, wherever you are, you and Peter Pocklington helped USA hockey more then you’ll ever know.

Thanks for reading, comments are always welcome!

Howard Shapiro

Author, “Hockey Days” and “Hockey Player For Life”

www.howardshapiro.net

866.520.4286

Avery was signed to four-year contract on July 2nd, and brings with him a fierce attitude that will fit in nicely with the Stars already aggressive bunch. Avery comes from the New York Rangers where he finished last season with 15 goals and 18 assists in just 57 regular season games. He did have quite the playoffs, as he had 4 goals and 3 assists in eight games.

Dallas fans have to like the idea of Sean Avery teaming up with Brenden Morrow and Steve Ott. This will make for a nice balance of rough lines that teams will certainly have to be aware of when they take on the Stars.

Avery is not just a physical player, but also one who can attack the net and make those around him better because of the presence he brings. The Stars reported that he is exactly the type of player that will complement their style of play.

The Stars have been locking up players they feel will not only make an impact this year but for the next few seasons, and that is what they believe Avery will deliver. This kind of firepower has to have the Stars as a favorite to make tons of noise in the 2008-2009 season, and it will be exciting to watch this team perform especially with the addition of Sean Avery.

The point I’d like to make is that the NHL and hockey people in general should say is either you’re with us or against us. The game will never reach certain segment/demographics in the US and the NHL should realize this and market the game to the established fans and established markets. The idea that NHLers playing in the Olympics will somehow make fans out of Joe Smith watching an Olympic game in Arkansas and then have him turn around and become a Florida Panthers fan is foolish.

The league also has a problem with fighting as far as not marketing it but also not really distancing itself from that aspect. The point here is that they should either offer up suspensions if you fight or better yet, market that aspect of the game. The reason being if you go to YouTube and do a search for hockey the number 1 through about 10 videos are all fighting related. So, the NHL should embrace that aspect and market it, obviously it’s what a certain segment of the established fan base likes. I don’t necessarily agree with it but it’s like smoking, gambling or drinking… some people like it and if that is why they are watching hockey, then so be it, market the game to them. Maybe they’ll eventually come around to the realization that hockey is a game of finesse, team work and skill and that those traits win hockey games, not one’s fists.

So, Mr. Bettman and Mr. Dailly, market the game to the people you can reach, those who are somewhat interested in the game and then market the skill of the game but also the goon aspect of the game…give the people what they want.

My next post will talk about the marketing that I am doing with my upcoming Hockey book.

Thanks for reading!

Howard Shapiro

www.hockeyplayerforlife.com

howard.shapiro@hotmail.com

866.520.4286

This is a rivalry of the original six and it will be a heated battle as well as a memorable one. The Chicago Blackhawks have revamped their team will some much needed offense, defense, and net minding while Detroit recently acquired Marian Hossa. This will be a good showdown.

The fact the Fernandez is working out at the Bruins annual development camp shows what type of player he is and that leadership should not go unnoticed. With the 2008-2009 season being a contract year for Fernandez, he is out to prove why he was and still is an elite NHL goaltender.

The Bruins players are seeing just what Fernandez is to the team, as he is working hard to get back. That is a lost trait it seems like in the world of sports and while Fernandez understands he must be patient in his return, there is so much more he can provide Boston with in terms of leadership and guidance. Especially for the prospects, as having veteran leadership is something that we see all the time that makes teams as successful as they are.

Sure the young talent is the future, but experience goes a very long way especially in the NHL. So I think a lot of Bruins fans are anxious to see what the upcoming season will bring for Manny Fernandez because he is the type of guy you want around, and in the Bruins case back.

Boyle does not intend on playing anywhere but in Tampa Bay next season and that is very unfortunate for the Lightning, because from what I am hearing, the offers are very, but very interesting and really deserve consideration. Thanks to the no-trade clause he signed earlier this year, he had full rights to reject the Lightning’s demand.

It is a weird move coming from the Lightning since they just signed him not too long ago to a 6 years/40millions contract, but from all the thing’s I have seen so far from the new owners, it seems like owning an NHL concession has just turned into a mascarade.

Now the bad news for Boyle is that there is no clause that prevents the Lightning to send him back to the minors and if I was Boyle, in that case, I’s rather get the hell out of somewhere I am not wanted.

To be honest with you I consider Ryan Malone a good forward, while he may not enter in the elite category of the NHL he can still raise some eyebrows.

But don’t you think 7 million dollars a season is just too much for a guy that has not yet produced over 70 points?

In my opinion I believe Tampa bay will either sink or swim during the next season.

Either way it should be fun for everyone to see Steven Stamkos play along with Vinny Lecavalier, Ryan Malone, Dan Boyle and Martin St. Louis.

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.

The Montreal Canadiens are heading into draft day so far without signing any of their RFA’s or UFA’s. With the top priority for the Habs being the Mark Streit situation, there has been no news since the end of the Habs post season campaign. One has to think that Gainey is up to something.

Mats Sundin–who the Canadiens tried to acquire at the trade deadline–has yet to make up his mind about his future, or has he?
David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail wrote an article called “Sundin Coy About Future”. In this article Mats Sundin was asked if he was going to retire or return to the Maple Leafs, Sundin replied,

“I do think I have a lot of different options I can explore. I think I still want to end my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Saying that though, the way the situation is right now, I don’t have everything in my control either.”

Sundin went on to say,

“There’s got to be a mutual agreement there. And as I said, I don’t have anything I can say about what’s going to happen next year yet. I don’t know. Obviously what’s going to happen in Toronto is very interesting, and it’s going to affect my decision in the future.”

When Sundin was asked when he thought his decision would be made, Sundin had this to say,

“In the next month or so, I guess.”

Wow. For someone who said in late February that he wanted to stay in Toronto he sure changed his mind quick.

If Sundin becomes a UFA come July 1, Montreal will surely knock on his door again. Sundin made $5.5 million last season and if one reads between the lines he will want more to play next year. Will the Habs clear some space to accommodate him? I believe so.

With Bob Gainey studying what’s happening around the league right now, is he also planning something? Gainey has a plethora of young players to sign and his pick in this year’s draft to go along with a potentially un-happy goalie in Jaroslav Halak to deal with. Will Gainey make something happen at the draft and worry about signing players after the draft to see what he has left?

There are rampant reports in Montreal that the Tampa Bay Lightning could be preparing a trade including Vincent Lecavalier and Evgeni Artyukhin. Could Gainey be secretly in on this deal? With the sale of the Bolts being imminent, I find it hard to believe that the new owners wouldn’t want Lecavalier’s star power on the team but they could also want to start their own team with Steve Stamkos expected to be their pick in this year’s draft.

Then there is the Marian Hossa sweepstakes which will commence on July 1, 2008. Hossa will be the most sough after UFA this summer. With most likely almost all the 30 teams in the NHL already talking to his agent, Hossa will have exactly what he wants. Gainey also went after Hossa at the trade deadline. Will he attempt to sign Sundin and Hossa? Is Gainey preparing something at the draft to enable him to do so?

The goalie situation is also interesting. With Carey Price being the franchise goalie it and the Habs needing an experienced goalie to help Price develop and provide some relief duties, will Gainey go after disgusted goalie Olaf Kolzig? Kolzig was basically replaced buy Christobal Huet when the Canadiens traded him there at the deadline. Kolzig has said that he will not be returning to the Washington Capitals.

TSN wrote an article on Kolzig, when asked about his feelings on how the turn of event affected him Kolzig replied,

“For me it was disappointing the way it ended. It’s unfortunate because they have a good team here now. It’s a fantastic team, fantastic group of guys. Not to be part of that is going to be tough, especially after 17 years and three years of what we went through post lock out.”

When Kolzig was asked about his future he had this to say,

“I haven’t completely made up my mind. For me it’s all about my family. The situation has to be good for my family. I still feel that I can be a dominant goalie in this league. If the offer is not out there…. I’ll just sit by the pool with a six-pack.”

It is too quiet in Montreal right now. Nothing is going on. Some are speculating that there is something going on. Gainey could be setting the table to do something at the draft to either set his team up to sign a couple of UFA’s (Sundin, Hossa) or acquire a player to entice one or both of those players to come to Montreal. Gainey has to make his team better than last year as all NHL eyes will be on the Habs considering all the celebrations planned for this year.

Colin Wilson - C-6′1, 215 lbs.-Shoots Left

There is much speculation about the future NHL career of Colin Wilson. Scouts seem to view him as either a solid, two-way forward with potential or a big time bust waiting to happen. There are certain aspects of Wilson that are indisputable, though: He does possess NHL-caliber size, is strong in protecting the puck and is reliable defensively. His scoring ability may be limited, but many draft observers like his power in driving to the net and the fact that eschews fancy moves in order to net the puck in an expedient fashion. However, concerns linger over whether he will ever be more than third line player for many teams.

How he’d help: The Islanders are one of the few NHL rosters that does not field a legitimate first line center. This dearth of talent makes almost any prospect who can play the position attractive. Nevertheless, Wilson’s upside seems too low to spend a top 5 pick for and New York will almost certainly look elsewhere to address it’s needs.

Lafleur said in his column that both Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev will be unrestricted free agents after next season. He went on to say that the Habs should re-sign Kovalev and let Koivu go. Lafleur had a few comments to add,

“I have the conviction that Kovalev is more useful to the Canadiens than the captain, especially if Kovalev continues to play as he did this year.”

 

Lafleur also had this to add,

“Not that Koivu doesn’t have his place on the team or that he hasn’t given everything to the Habs during his career in Montreal. But business is business and the best possible team must be given to the fans. In this regard Koivu is an excellent (chip) who could bring interesting dividends (in return).”

Saku Koivu is slated to make $250,000 more than Kovalev this year at $4,750,000.

Perhaps some agree that this must happen. Maybe some do not agree.

Something to take note of in the case of Mr. Lafleur, these recent comments about the Habs are coming from the same person who commented earlier this past season that the Canadiens were a team with 4 fourth lines and wouldn’t accomplish much. I guess Lafleur ate his words at the end of the season.

Alex Kovalev has undoubtedly the most talent on the Habs roster. Saku Koivu is talented but also has the  most heart on the team. If the Canadiens were to re-sign the talent and not the heart, they would have to replace it. Sure there are some players on the Canadiens who have heart. Unfortunately most of those players don’t have the talent or sheer determination that Koivu has.

Some numbers of note for Guy Lafleur:

Drafted first overall in the 1971 amateur draft by the Habs.

3 Art Ross Trophies

2 Hart Memorial Trophies

1 Conn Smythe Trophy

3 Lester B. Pearson Trophies

5 Stanley Cups

These stats are impressive but do they make him an expert in today’s NHL? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But like I said if the Habs do not tender a contract to Koivu they will have to replace his talent as well as his determination.

The top blue-line prospect for the Canucks had a promising future in the NHL. Unfortunately for us the fans, we will not get the chance to see Bourdon flourish in the NHL.

Prayers and best wishes go out to the Bourdon family as well as the Canucks organization and their minor league team the Manitoba Moose.

This is a sad day to say the least. I hope that the NHL will help the Bourdon family in whatever aspect it can.

First off, Habs gm Bob Gainey was selected as best gm this year by his peers. This according to RDS. This latest news for Gainey should be even more evidence for Habs fans as their own gm has been chosen amongst 29 other gm’s and by 29 other gm’s as the best among them. Bob Gainey is slowly but surely making the Canadiens an organization of the future. Perhaps it is not going fast enough for some fans but consider this, why would all the other general managers in the NHL vote Gainey as gm of the year? Gainey has accomplished almost all of what he wanted too, almost. Good for the rest of the league’s gm’s for noticing.

Secondly also according to RDS, Pierre Boivin President of the Montreal Canadiens, was not surprised to learn that his gm Bob Gainey was voted as the best gm of the year. When asked about the Habs Boivin had this to say,

“We have a direction and we are respecting it. Our goal is to have a competitive team for years to come.”

When Boivin was asked about what the chances of the Canadiens obtaining a free agent starting July 1, were he had this to say,

“The most important thing is that we are close. Before we were not even in the race.”

Pierre Boivin thinks that his team has a good chance to land a free agent or two because of the succes of his team in the regular season and told RDS this,

“When you finish third in the league, and first in your conference, you are one of the best teams. We can’t control the choice of individual players but we will be in the running for sure.”

RDS questioned Boivin about the fact that some Russians might go back and play in the new Russian league and that they could lose Andrei Kostitsyn and had this to say,

“We’ll do everything we can to keep our players. Our Russians had a good season. In that group we have leaders and players which are still developing so we will keep them with us.”

Another article by RDS states that impending Restricted free agent Andrei Kostitsyn wants to stay in Montreal. This is a good thing as Kostitsyn still has alot to offer the Habs and it would be a shame if they lost him.

The Cincinnati Cyclones–a Canadiens affiliate team in the ECHL–has made it to the final series, winning their first three series 4-0, 4-3 after being down in the series 3-2 and 4-1. During the regular season the Cyclones had a record of 55-12-1-4 giving them 115 points and the triple crown consisting of winning their division, conference and being the number one team in the league. The cyclones are in the final against the Las Vegas Wranglers and will try to bring home the Patrick J. Kelly trophy. Currently after two games the series is tied 1-1.

Even if the Cyclones don’t win the trophy, it is more proof that Bob Gainey is making the Habs an organization to be proud of and not just a team. Last year the minor team of the Habs the Hamilton Bulldogs won the Calder trophy, now the Cylcones have a chance to win their league’s respective trophy. Bob Gainey deserved to win the best gm in the league. Perhaps the Cyclones might not win but at least they made it to the final. The Habs now have to get past the second round next year, and with talent still in Hamilton and Cincinnati, the future looks bright.

Sure, it was a 19 game playoff run, but it didn’t do much for the development of the future Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jiri Tlusty, he of nude photography fame, scored a whopping two goals in 19 post-season games. Yikes. Even Andy Wozniewski managed to score four. Tlusty’s playoff disappearing act certainly doesn’t bode well for the future, although it’s not like he and the Leafs will be playing in playoff games anytime soon.

Speaking of two, that’s how many playoff games Justin Pogge, the franchise’s anointed goaltender of the future, the goaltending prospect the brains upstairs chose over Tuukka Rask, started out of 19. Yeah, that’s really going to help him develop into a top-flight NHL calibre goalie. Well done coach Greg Gilbert, well done.

Alex Foster, who I believe got into a few games with the big club a few months ago, also contributed a measly two goals.

So did Jay Harrison, but he added 10 assists and was one of the few bright spots for the Marlies. Where the was this guy this past season? How is it humanly possible that Andy Wozniewski made the Toronto Maple Leafs - Andy Wozniewski! - out of training camp, and Staffan Kronwall got the call when Carlo Colaiacovo went down with his annual season-ending injury, while Harrison was toiling in the minors? Ridiculous. Straight ridiculous.

If you’re wondering, John Mitchell led the Marlies in goal scoring with eight and David Ling led the team with 17 points. For the full scoring breakdown, check out the layout.

A serious lack of discipline devastated the Marlies against Chicago. The Wolves averaged more than eight power plays a game in the five game series and they made Toronto pay, scoring 10 power play goals on 41 opportunities. Last night they were 3-for-9 with the man advantage. In contrast, the Marlies scored two power play markers all series. It’s pretty obvious the Marlies are the farm team of the Leafs. Much like the big club the Marlies can’t score on the power play or kill penalties, either. Idiots.

In my honest and ever-important opinion, Greg Gilbert should be fired for choosing to play Scott Clemmensen ahead of Pogge. It was an absurd decision and one that could only be allowed to happen under this franchise. Someone - i.e. Cliff Fletcher - should have stepped in and made sure Pogge was between the pipes. What you have here is another, might I add shining, example of Toronto Maple Leafs player development. Textbook MLSE development. You know how we do.

The optimist in me wants to believe that Pogge won 50% of the games he started, and that Tlusty, who finished fifth on the team in playoff scoring with 10 points, is going to be one fine NHLer. But the realist in me knows that Tlusty went AWOL, that a great opportunity to see what Pogge could have done has been lost, and that this franchise is being run by some people who clearly don’t know what the they are doing.

I need a drink.

Mikkel Boedker-RW-5′11, 201 lbs.-Shoots Left

Mikkel Boedker is considered to be among the top offensive prospects available in the 2008 Draft behind Steve Stamkos and Nikita Filatov. A gifted playmaker, he also possesses top-notch quickness and a laser accurate shot. He recently posted 6 points in 6 games during the World Juniors Championships, proving he has the ability to perform on a big stage. Boedker is a hard worker who toils constantly to improve his game. However, two major detriments to him being drafted are his lack of elite defensive skills and an unwillingness/inability to play the gritty style so crucial for success in the NHL.

How he’d help: Boedker’s offensive skills certainly could land him a spot on an Islander team so desperate for scoring. Coach Ted Nolan would probably like his willingness to improve and would work with Boedker to adapt his technique so that he could flourish in the tough Atlantic division. Be that as it may, the 5th pick could be a bit high to select him as there will still be more well-rounded players on the board at that point.

Bob Gainey–general manager of the Habs–will have 10 million more to work with next season in cap room, not to mention the salaries of Christobal Huet–2,750,00–Michael Ryder–2,950,000– for a total of 5,700,000. Being that the Habs were already 4 million under the current cap, if the cap rises to 56.3 million the Canadiens will be 10 million under the cap, factor in the 5,700,000 that they will not be paying to players this season and that is 15,700,000.

Add in player which the Habs were still paying for like Garth Murray being paid a little over 500,000, and it’s even more.

Mathieu Dandenault has voiced his unhappiness at playing so little last season, and it would seem that he no longer has a place with the team. If the Canadiens chose to buy Dandenault out of the remaining year of his contract they will still save money. It’s not ridiculous to suggest that the Habs might have over 16,000,000 to work with for next season.

To that 16,000,000 factor in that if the Habs chose to keep Brian Smolinski–who becomes an un-restricted free agent July 1,–which it appears that they won’t, then they would most certainly sign him for less next season as this season his salary was 2,000,000. What would they offer a player who’s best days are behind him? Perhaps between 1,000,000 and 1,500,000, there would be more money saved. The Habs would be better suited to not tender a contract to Smolinski and save all of the 2,000,000, Smolinski is a nice guy and did help out in a minor way, but aren’t there any players in the minors who couldn’t be any worse? The Habs would be better off trading for, or bringing up someone to replace Smolinski.

Let’s presume for arguments sake that the Habs will have between 16,000,000 and 18,000,000 to work with. Even if the Habs re-sign RFA’s like Ryan O’Byrne, Josh Gorges, Corey Locke, Maxim Lapierre, Mikhail Grabovski, Jaroslav Halak and Andrie Kostitsyn, they won’t bust the bank. First off there is no-one who could say out of those 7 RFA’s who will return. Andrei Kostitsyn has been rumoured to have listened to an offer from the Russian Elite League. Halak wasn’t happy with his playing time last year, and wants to play more than 25 games next season. Mikhail Grabovski pulled a disappearing act in Phoenix last season when the coach didn’t play him, so in reality who will be back?

Let’s presume that they all will, Lapierre who made 562,000 last season won’t be making much more, let’s say 700,000. O’Byrne is still too young and didn’t play much, his salary was 590,000, so let’s say 800,000. Gorges played well especially after the mid-way point of the year, his salary was 495,000, so let’s say 1-1.5 million. Locke has almost never played for the Habs, his salary was 495,000, let’s say 6-7,00,000 for him. Andrei Kostitsyn will be the most expensive signing as he made 612,000 last year and with his 26 goals, 27 assists for 53 points and a +15 rating in the regular season to go with his 8 points in 12 games in the play-offs, he will most likely make 1.5-2,000,000 next season. There is Halak who made 500,000 last season, he would be looking for something between 1.5-2,000,000 as well. Lastly Grabovski who made 700,000 last season will probably go up to 900,000 or 1,000,000.

If, and that’s a big if all those RFA’s end up being signed by the Habs next season, taking into account the highest numbers that I provided, the Habs would be looking at 7,700,000. Now these numbers are an approximation, and could either go up or down, but these numbers only work if the Canadiens keep all their RFA’s, which they might not. Let’s round it off to 7,000,000, if the Habs have between 16-18,000,000 to work with then they will have 11,000,000 after they sign all their RFA’s–if they keep them all–and would be able to attract a nice high profile free agent, or two.

Yes the Canadiens have some players to sign 2009-10 season as well but the cap will probably rise again, and they might not keep all those players either.

For the sake of argument the Habs are in good position this year, even if they chose to keep all their RFA’s. Let’s hope that the brains–Bob Gainey–behind the Habs will use his money wisely and help get the Habs closer to what hasn’t been here in 15 years.

Since the lock-out season in 2004-05, the cap has steadily continued to increase. From three years ago until now the NHL has increased it’s cap, with three years left in the CBA, it isn’t ludacris to suggest that by the end of the current CBA the NHL will have a salary cap of over 70 million at the current rate of inflation.

It’s a good thing that the cap continues to climb, sure the fans are paying more for their tickets, but it also means that even if ticket prices have soared the fans are willing to pay, which in turn means more revenue for the NHL, and teams.

Unfortunately for the NHL when the current CBA ends, if the cap is 70 million or over, teams like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and maybe a few others will be able to maintain a competitive team, however there might be another debate as to small market teams like the Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames–to name only two– and if they will be able to survive with the cap and floor being so high.

This could result in the public and players as well as the owners losing one year of hockey and revenues as well as salaries for nothing, Eventually you might have teams being able to support two three or four players making over 8 million a season. That doesn’t mean that a certain team will be the best. Look at the Tampa Bay Lightning, until the trade deadline Tampa had Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, and Martin St-Louis, and they did poorly even though those players had a good year.

I presume that for now all the fans can do is go with the flow, and challenge their respective teams to use the accending cap to acquire better players or keep the good players that they already have. However if the world of hockey is subject to another lock-out in three years I don’t think that the fans will be so quick to come back to the sport.

For now let’s all enjoy the fact that there is hockey, and make our teams use the money that is available to them and acquire some more players, let’s enjoy it while we can.

Ferland who seemed to be a career minor leaguer, chose to go and sign in Europe. Probably a wise decision as the Habs were never going to bring him to the big leagues. Ferland played a couple of games in the NHL, but never showed any kind of readiness to remain there. There were no rumours that any of the other 29 NHL teams were interested in him, which is why Ferand most likely chose to play for a European team. There was no room for him with the Canadiens, and it’s about time he left the organization. Ferland has been playing in the system for too many years. Feralnd’s departure leaves room for someone else, a fresh face.

Ryan White is a 6′ 213 pound centre who was able to have 72 points in 68 games this season. He could help out the Hamilton Bulldogs for a season or two. At 20 years of age he still has a few years before it will be essential for him to make the NHL. White’s stats are better than Ferland’s. White is an all-around better player than Ferand was.

One leaves, another arrives. Let’s hope that White will help out the Habs minor system next season. The Canadiens selected White 66th overall in the 2006 draft.

First off, Bob Gainey ( general manager ) thanked the fans for their support through-out the season, especially during the play-offs. Gainey stated that the fans support made the atmosphere of the city a great one, and that the fans made the whole Habs organization feel special.

Gainey went on to say that the Philadelphia Flyers were the better team, and deserved to move on. He also stated that the Flyers did well in their off season by acquiring good players, and that they started their rebuilding after a bad season in 2006.

Gainey stipulated that he now knows, having gone through the play-offs, where the holes are in the team, and that they will look to fill those wholes in the off-season either with free agents, or by their minor league system. Gainey also added that he wants to be a contender next year, and for years to come.

Bob Gainey said that he would be looking for a forward in the off-season, but failed to mention what type of forward he would be looking for.

Carbonneau said that the Habs lost as a team, and that no one player was to blame. The young players grew together, and saw what they will need to perform better in next years play-offs. He went on to say that Carey Price was tired, but that Price also now knows that the play-offs in the NHL are different than in the minors, and that he will be back next year in better physical, as well as mental shape to start the season, and that he will be better in the play-offs to come.

Gainey said that he is aware of the rumour that Andrei Kostitsyn is being tendered a contract by the Russian Super League, and that he accepts the reality of the situation. Gainey knows of the possibility, if Kostitsyn decides to go to Russia, he would deal with it when it would happen, and is fully prepared to do so.

Gainey said about Michael Ryder that Ryder tried to change his game, and that last year he scored 15 five on five goals, this year he scored 13, but that at the end of the day, the Canadiens were a better team without him. Gainey also said that Mark Streit will be interviewed, and if he wishes to stay with the team, perhaps something can be arranged. As for the other free agents, Bob Gainey has not made his assessment of the whole team yet.

Gainey said that by draft day 2008, the Habs will know what direction they are going in for next season, and what type of player(s) could help them.

On the question of if the centennial changes anything, Gainey said that it does as all the media will be focusing on Montreal, and that some pieces of the puzzle are already in place, now they just have to complete the puzzle.

Fabian Brunnstrom was in Montreal this past Saturday, are the Habs interested? Gainey said that they are interested, and have given their proposal to him, and his agent, and that the Canadiens should know by late this week, early next week what Brunnstrom’s intentions are.

Gainey was asked if the team needed more size and grit, to which he replied that they do, but that they are a fast team, and would like to remain as such, but that some more grit couldn’t hurt.

Gainey also replied to the fact that some teams could tender an offer to Andrei Kostitsyn, like the Edmonton Oilers did to a player of another team, and said that it is a posibility, but that he can do the same also. Basically giving an un-official warning.

Well now that the season is officially over Bob Gainey will take a deep breath, and a little break before starting again, the Habs need some little tweaking to be a real contender, what will Bob Gainey do?