Montreal Canadiens sign veteran defenseman Chris Campoli to one-year deal worth $1.75 million -NHL
Montreal Canadiens signed on veteran defenseman, Chris Campoli, to a one-year deal, worth an estimated $1.75 million, on Monday, September 26, 2011, adding defensive depth to their line-up which could use that extra experience during the upcoming National
Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
Canadiens' general manager, Pierre Gauthier, termed the decision as one which had him thinking about using Campoli’s experience for the team.
"Any time there's an experienced player that can help your club you look at it", said Gauthier. "In this case, Mr. Campoli is an experienced player and he can play various roles on your defence, so we feel he's a good addition”.
Campoli was traded to Chicago Blackhawks after having spend three straight seasons with Ottawa Senators last season and played only 19 games with the 2010 Stanley Cup champions. He was not able to find his game with the franchise and thus, was unable to
renegotiate with the team for another contract after becoming an unrestricted free agent earlier in July.
"Mr. Campoli was in a difficult situation because by the time Chicago walks away after arbitration you're almost into August, and then the market is a lot different", Gauthier added. "There are not too many buyers, and if there are buyers you don't know
what kind of resources they have, so these things evolve but we're happy they evolved with us today".
Drafted 227th overall during round-seven of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by New York Islanders, Campoli had spent his first four seasons in the major league with his original draft team after being traded.
Not having defenseman, Andre Markov on the line-up, Montreal were in dire need of veteran leadership to fill in the gap and with the situation in the free agent market, there was not a better choice than Campoli, who is also a high level scorer.
It is not certain when Markov might be able to make a comeback from his nagging knee, which has been operated on for the second time in two years, but until then, Montreal will have to do with Campoli.
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