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.

What a farce! Already players don’t want to come to Quebec to play hockey for reasons such as, the taxation rate, the language debate, not being able to send their kids to English schools, the fact that even if they already know four languages, and could only play for the Montreal Canadiens for one season, why don’t they speak french, the constant nit-picking by the French media, and so on. Are people going crazy?

Last time I checked, some of the top selling albums in Quebec belong to 50 cent, Shania Twain, Kelly Clarkson, see any pattern there? You know for a society that prides itself on the French in it’s province, they sure love English music!

I have French in my blood, I’m bilingual, and believe that if one comes to Quebec to live, then they should learn to speak French, but if you are a hockey player, not knowing how long your stay in Montreal is, should you really be forced to speak it?

What in the world is the difference what music is played at the Bell Centre? The music is there to entertain the crowd, and possibly the players as well, and I guarantee that even the French speaking people in the crowd enjoy the top ten English hits of the music world!

With the Habs being first in the East this season, and having a good team, even Bob Gainey stipulated that it would hopefully be easier to entice players to come to Montreal, well guess what, unless you pay that player 11 million dollars, that player will look at the language issue here and stay away.

The political parties here make it a point to constantly argue the language issue here, but this is sports, not politics! Look Toronto is slated to have the NFL’s Buffalo Bills play a few games there for a few years, what if that was Montreal, would the French activist politicians say that the Bills would have to learn French as well?

Sports is sports, leave it that way. In Quebec, a person who’s father did not attend English school in Quebec can’t go to one, so players from the United States are out of luck, unless they send there kids to school in Hawkesbury, or Ottawa, that is ridiculous. Our taxes here are too high, another reason why if we do land a superstar, that we would have over pay him to compensate the tax difference between us and the States. Saku Koivu being the captain of the Habs is constantly peppered about the fact that he has been here for 13 years and doesn’t speak french, who cares! Sure he could have made an effort, but does that change any-one’s life?

In Montreal we are hard on our players, we don’t like players who mail it in during games, but I believe that no person, who calls themselves Habs fans would give a damn if Koivu, or Alex Kovalev, Mike Komisarek, or Sergei Kostitsyn scored the game winning goal in the seventh game of the Final series to win the Stanley Cup, yes it gives the fans something to follow when a player is from here, and speaks French, sort of an identity that they see on the team, but in the end, it wouldn’t matter who scored the game winning goal, as long as we won.

Leave the Language issue for the politicians, it has no place in hockey, the music at the Bell Centre could have a little more French content, but the fans listen to English music anyway, so what is the difference? Perhaps the reason is so we can show the rest of Canada how ignorant we are. Please, leave the political arguments in the Senate, and leave hockey alone, there are already too many reasons for players not to come to Quebec to play hockey, don’t give them anymore, the Habs did well this year, and have a chance to get some good free agents, don’t kill the opportunity, or do you never want to see a great team, and only a good one?