Canadiens' General Manager, Pierre Gauthier, has a familiar dilemma to face, once again as the NHL trade deadline approaches. He may have to make some tough decisions where his defense men are concerned.
The Canadiens are at risk of losing all 4 veteran defense men to free agency on July 1,2011 with no players or draft picks in return. Gauthier has to decide who, of these defense men (Andrei Markov, James Wizniewski, Hal Gill and Roman Hamrlik) to re-sign. This decision will not be easy, especially with the salary cap restrictions. Josh Gorges and Alexandre Picard, who are restricted free agents could be re-signed. There is less urgency to sign these players because the Canadiens could match another team's offer or choose to accept draft choices as compensation. P.K. Subban, Yannick Weber and Jaroslav Spacek are still under contract. The team could revamp the defense to be more physical, Mobile and younger or try to mix some of the veterans with the younger players.
It will be very interesting to watch what could unfold over the next few weeks and then after the playoffs up to the July 1st deadline. The general manager is definitely in the driver's seat to make changes if needed. Teams should always pair their defense men together, by having an offensive defense men with a more stay at home defensive defense men.
The following is what I would do if I were the General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens:
Andrei Markov could be signed at a much lower salary on a short term deal of 1-3 years. The Team will have to let him go if they can not negotiate a better price than the present contract. He has not played that many games in the last 3 years and has been out way too much in the playoffs. The Habs are showing they can play without the all-star defense man. He is, however still one of the league's top defense man (when healthy) both offensively and defensively. If the Habs need to make a choice, it will be Markov over JamesWizniewski but only at the right price. I think the team will take the risk only if the doctor's reports are good about the knee. The Habs will probably sign a very short term contract but it will be a good pay cut to help with the salary cap issues. The Habs have in their favor that he loves playing and living in Montreal but remember it is a business for the Canadiens. I would sign Andrei Markov to a one year at a lower price with incentive clauses for points and games played for the season and playoffs before July 1.
James Wizniewski is simply a rental Player. He is gives away the puck too often up the middle of his defensive zone and he is slow to back check when pinching in at the offensive blue line. He doesn't look when he passes the puck in his own zone, too soft fighting for the puck behind the goal line, and he is making mistakes in defensive zone coverage that most minor league players don't make. He won't even score as much as M.A Bergeron, at a much higher salary and he is missing opportunities to shoot on the power play. His asking price and length of contract is going to be too high for what he is really worth. He is surely no Andrei Markov and the price could end up being about the same. They are not even in the same class of defense men, so it's a no-brainer for me. I simply don't re-sign James Wizniewski before July 1.
Hal Gill is teaching P.K. Subban how to be better defensively just like he did with Josh Gorges last year. He might be slow of foot but is the Habs' biggest and best defensive defense man. Gill clears the front of the net, comes to the defense of teammates, blocks shots like a wall and the biggest reason for the Habs' success on the penalty kill. His leadership should never be underestimated both in the dressing room and on the ice. It was not by chance that the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with him on defense for them. In 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost a hard fought seven games series against the Montreal Canadiens. He was a huge part of shutting down the high powered offense of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Canadiens should not let Gill get away. I think the team sees these values and will re-sign him at about the same salary as this year. If not it is a big mistake on the Canadiens' part. I would definitely re-sign Hal Gill to a one year contract with an option for 2nd year with a buyout clause. I would discuss the possibility of him wanting to be the next assistant coach for the Canadiens to help with the defense men.
Roman Hamrlik is good but definitely not at the present salary as he is slowing down and at times a step behind. He has played big minutes with Markov out, on the penalty kill and the power play. He is starting to make big mistakes and they are showing up in the form of goals against the Canadiens. Hamrlik won't be back without a big cut in salary or a one year contract, unfortunately age is now working against him in today's younger, faster NHL. He also loves playing in Montreal but this is business and I believe the team will go acquire a bigger, younger all-rounded defense man instead of keeping him. I am Sorry, I hate to see Hamrlik go because he has been really good for the Habs and came to Montreal when other big names free agents just wouldn't sign with Montreal. I would not sign Roman Hamrlik before July 1, and I could use the money saved from his salary elsewhere.
Josh Gorges is just what the Habs need but not with a long term contract yet. He is just coming off major reconstruction of his knee and it will take him 6 months to be back to the same level of play as before the surgery. It is way more difficult for the defensemen because they have to pivot both ways going backward and push back against on rushing forwards, this puts more stress on the knees. He will have to adjust his skating style to compensate for the fact that the knee was injured for over 7 years (since his junior days). Gorges has shown just how important of a defense man for the Habs' penalty kill which has now dropped from 1st to 6th in the NHL with him out of the line up. He has good leadership skills, can definitely play with pain or injuries, a big shot blocker and plays big minutes against the opposition's best line. He is a true warrior, leader and the Canadiens will keep him for sure. I would re-sign Josh Gorges for only 3 years with an incentive clause for games played and his +/- ratio.
Alexandre Picard has not played very much recently and appears to be the teams 7th defense man. He played well enough to allow the Canadiens to trade Ryan O'bryne to the Avalanche earlier in the year. Picard has good offensive skill, can play on the power play and has size (6'-3", 215lbs) but must be more physical. He has improved play on the defensive side with the Habs and +/- rating is now +1, better than his career NHL numbers. You really need to look at his stats since joining the NHL. Early in his career, they used Picard as an offensive defense man but playing time was reduced because he was a defensive liability. You have to look at the teams that he played on, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Ottawa. They were not very good defensively during those years he played for them. In last 2 years, he has improved into a plus player. Picard is becoming a better all-around defense man but could improve even more with a veteran partner or Hal Gill's help. The Canadiens can easily re-sign Alexandre Picard very cheaply. I would definitely re-sign Alexandre Picard again to a two way contract for one year.
P.K. Subban is the next superstar defense man for the Montreal Canadiens, he has all the offensive skills, quick excellent skating speed and a real show stopper. His weaknesses are defensive zone positioning, high risk moves out of his zone, shifts are too long at times, and takes himself out of the play going for that big game changing hit. Subban can get too offensive at the wrong times and tries to do it all by himself especially when the team is behind in the game. These are all rookie mistakes that will improve with coaching, experience and the continued help of Hal Gill. Subban just has to be who he is and continue to bring that fun, passion and youthful exuberance to each game. He is a fan favorite in Montreal where the pressure to perform can be difficult to deal with at times. I would look at signing an extension with P.K. Subban now, because later it will be more expensive.
Yannick Weber is showing better defensive play but has to start scoring more on the power play. Could he be the odd man out, a possible prospect for trades or next year's cheap 7th defense man? We will see how he plays the rest of the year. What a bargain to keep! Teams looking to improve on the power play or need a good shot from the point might be looking to trade for Weber. He is a good fit for a team with big, physical defense man and need a skating puck moving defense man . The Canadiens have many of options with him so they will be cautious in any deals. I would see what I can get for Yannick Weber or a package deal with another player to bring some more speed and size in return. If not, he is still under contract so I can continue monitor his defensive progress. I would make a trade only with the right offer for the team.
Jaroslav Spacek is always a step too slow defensively and pinches at the wrong times on offense. Martin tends to like the veteran defense men but now has Jaroslav Spacek playing with Yannick Weber as the teams' 3rd set of defensemen. He is probably 5th or 6th on their depth chart and way over priced at $3.8M for next year. Spacek is no longer playing against the other teams best lines and if you look at the last 10 games, he is only averaging 14 minutes per game. It is clear that the coaches are protecting him while seeing that he's a step too slow and for playing on the power play.The Canadiens could buy Jaroslav Spacek out, place on waivers or get real lucky with a trade. There are no guarantees of a starting job next year as age and high salary will be the deciding factors. George Laraque's last year of contract buyout is off the books for the Canadiens giving the team more salary cap space for next year. I would look at all these options to find the best one for the team but I would not if possible keep Jaroslav Spacek next year.
Alexandre Picard, Yannick Weber and P.K. Subban will only get better and are inexpensive right now. The Canadiens are not looking at the Russian, Alexei Yemelin who may be leaving the KHL to try-out for a position with the Habs. It's not going to happen, the Canadiens have been burnt twice already by Perezhogin and Valentenko because there is no transfer agreement between the NHL and the Russian Ice Federation or the KHL. The progress of young Jared Tinordi in the juniors could prove to be very interesting as he is a big, tough defense man who can play well in both ends of the ice.
The Habs only need a big, scrapping, tough defense man, who is good defensively. They might be trying to pick up a guy like Chris Phillips and a big offensive forward Jason Arnott as rentals players for the playoffs. Robyn Regehr is a big defensive defense man but has too big a contract for the next couple of years. Dustin Penner is a big forward the Canadiens are looking for but the contract is probably too big to fit under their salary cap unless the Canadiens move other big salaried players. I don't see Pierre Gauthier waiting too long to make any moves, as we have seen from last year, the Canadiens try to make trades well before the deadline. The big deals and large changes to any of the clubs late in the year at the trade deadline, usually don't work and disrupt the team chemistry going into the playoffs. Most teams will only tweak lineups if they are in a playoff position. It's the ones really out of the playoff hunt or have decided to start rebuilding for the next year who trade the most players.
The Habs' failure to sign big free agents in the past are over because the Canadiens are a better team and organization, thanks to Bob Gainey. Look at the record of the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs in the last 4 years. The players called up have shown they can step in and do the job necessary to keep the team in the playoff hunt.
I believe that you will see Pierre Gauthier and the Montreal Canadiens keep Hal Gill,Josh Gorges, P.K. Subban, Alexandre Picard, Andrei Markov and Yannick Weber. They will try to pick up that big, tough, younger veteran defense man who can play well in both ends of the ice. No matter what happens this year, the Montreal Canadiens are going in the right direction with their personnel in the defensive zone. They have cut the shots on goal and goals against way down from previous years which is a big step in the right direction. Now The Habs just have to get the right players to protect their best asset, their young goaltender Carey Price. The offense will definitely need bulking up for the playoffs and the next season but that is a story all by itself, after the Stanley Cup Playoffs are over.
Here are my choices for Montreal Canadiens defensemen for the upcoming 2011-2012 NHL season:
The Montreal Canadiens Defense Men
(L) (R)
H. Gill P.K. subban
A. Markov J. Gorges
? Y. Weber
A. Picard
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