Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier content with team’s off-season moves
It has been often been said that the best poker players play with their cards close to their chests, and that they never reveal their emotions during play. And when it’s time to strike, they take immediate action, and leave the competition completely stunned.
The same can be said about Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier. Taking a cue from the classic Kenny Rogers tune, Gauthier definitely “knows when to hold ‘em, and knows when to fold ‘em.”
Taking over from outgoing GM Bob Gainey, who vacated the post on 8 February, Gauthier has been one of the National Hockey League’s more reserved GMs. But like a good poker player, he has dropped a few bombshells during his short tenure.
Arguably the largest of these bombshells was the trade that sent star goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for two prospects. The deal sent shockwaves throughout the league, especially in Montreal. The team was coming off an unimaginable playoff run that saw them play the role of giant killers against the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
However, the magical run was curtailed in the Eastern Conference final, as the Habs were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in five games. During the playoffs, Halak established himself among the NHL’s goaltending elite with his stellar play, and he carried the team on his back to an improbable result.
The keys to the Habs’ net have now been handed to restricted free agent goalie Carey Price, who Gauthier signed to a two-year, $5.5 million deal recently. Also signed was veteran centre Jeff Halpern, who had spent the 2009-10 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Gauthier says that the Halak deal was a difficult decision for him to make, but added it was the best possible result for both netminders.
“This was a difficult decision, and we did the best for both young goalies,” Gauthier explained. “Never at any time was it a matter of contract. You could predict (their money) based on comparables and salary. It was a matter of who it was going to be going forward.”
Halak was definitely moving forward with his amazing play in the regular season and the playoffs. He eventually became the club’s number one goalie after Price began to falter greatly down the stretch.
Regarding the upcoming season, Gauthier has mentioned that the winds of change will be blowing once again. The Habs were without a captain last season, after the departure of former captain Saku Koivu to the Anaheim Ducks. The team opted not to name a full-time captain, and instead went with three alternate captains.
“There will be a captain before the season starts,” Gauthier said. “There has been a process developing an identity for the club last season, and the further we advanced (in the playoffs), the more people stepped in - it wasn't just a select group of players. We're going to get the end of the process before the start of the first (regular season) game.”
A handful of players currently on the Habs’ roster are being considered for the captaincy, but Gauthier seems to favour one veteran player over the others.
“We like Andrei Markov," he said. “There were preliminary discussions last year with Bob Gainey and (agent) Don Meehan. There are no rules on those types of things (contract talks).”
Regarding the prospects in the Habs’ pipeline, Gauthier said that he was happy that top prospect Louis Leblanc chose to make the jump to the major junior ranks. Leblanc has already racked up five points in two games with the Montreal Juniors, and will join the team’s rookie development camp.
“He's a good young player and we're very happy he's positioned himself closer to the National Hockey League,” Gauthier said of Leblanc. “He needs to get stronger and build his confidence on who he is as a player. We didn't really ask him (to go to junior). It was his decision. Our thought was, 'go where you think you can have the most success.’”
The Canadiens are headed for a long season, but Gauthier hopes that his moves will steer the team in right direction. If everything goes according to plan, there’s no telling how far the team will go.
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