If you’re JUST joining in on the fun of reading a summer recap for the Habs, I strongly suggest you go ahead and read part 1 right here: http://nhlhotstove.com/canadiens-summer-recap-part-1/

Now if you’re ready for the part of the summer recap where I get all pissy and angry against one of the players I dislike the most around the league, then you’re certainly going to want to read on.

The Sergei Kostitsyn trade

June 29^th 2010 marked the beginning of a huge party in many Montreal homes: Sergei Kostitsyn, the player I deem the most cancerous in the locker room in the AHL and second in the NHL (trailing Olli Jokinen, of course), was traded to the Nashville Predators for forward Dustin Boyd and goaltender Dan Ellis. Not two days later, the Habs signed Boyd to a one year contract.

Dan Ellis, on the other hand, was not signed by les Canadiens’ management and became a free agent on July 1^st, leading him to sign a two year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightening. Ellis claimed many reasons leading to not sign in Montreal, one being money, and the second being that he wasn’t comfortable playing behind Carey Price and having to mentor him.

The Habs obtained in Dustin Boyd a gritty, hard hitting and intense forward who can effectively replace the unsigned free agent Glen Metropolit, who is getting old now. Boyd brings a fresh blast of youth to the 3^rd and 4^th lines, all the while playing at a level equal to, if not superior, Glen Metropolit’s.

Yet for me, the biggest gain in this trade for the Habs was being able to get rid of the most difficult of the Kostitsyn brothers. Ever since they acquire him, Sergei has been nothing but trouble in the locker room, and his off-ice antics have been a shame to the team and fans alike, as he has always seemed to take his position on the team as granted. Certainly, the young man has a lot of time ahead of him to develop into a much better player, yet the way he has acted during his young career, i.e. missing team buses, not showing up to practices or storming out of them, etc, have deeply hampered his development as a player and as a teammate.

Sergei is one of those players who I believe will be much better off somewhere else than in Montreal. What he needs is a change of scenery and to play in a new city where the expectations on him are not as high, but where management will still keep a close eye on him to make sure that he is able to focus on hockey and keep himself out of trouble off the ice (see: Sergei’s “friendly” relationship with Montreal mobster Pasquale Mangiola). He was a lost case in Montreal, and the change of scenery will probably help, but at worse well… the Preds will be stuck with a fat hunk of problems on their lap. But hey, at least we Montrealers won’t have to read about it in the newspaper anymore, right? The Journal de Montréal is just going to have to find some other retarded stories to put on their front page!

Oh, and in case you missed it and you’re worried, the Habs replaced potential-second-goalie-who-skipped-town Dan Ellis with another massive goalie (6’5) Alex Auld. Hopefully, the journeyman of seven nhl teams will provide some leadership and mentoring for young Carey Price the way Pierre Gauthier (Habs GM) had hoped Dan Ellis would.

Christopher Nardi
NHLHS Montreal Canadiens Correspondent
cnardi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @dragonlancehuma

Just over 48 hours later, the results of Tim Kennedy’s arbitration hearing are in.

Arbitrators announced a 1-year, $1 million deal for Kennedy with the Sabres on Thursday.

In a normal case, the team would have 48 hours after the arbitrator’s decision is announced to either pick up the contract, or walk away, allowing Kennedy to become an unrestricted free agent.

However, Kennedy’s case is different because his award is too low. The new CBA has a minimum walk-away figure for this year of $1,611,180. The figure was originally $1,042,173 when the CBA went into effective, and has increased based on the league’s average salary increase.

Since Kennedy’s contract is for less than that, the team does not have the option of walking away, confirming that the Buffalo native will remain with his hometown team for at least another year.

Kennedy had 10 goals and 16 assists in 78 games last season, including three game-winning goals. The 24-year-old spent most of the 2008-2009 season with the Portland Pirates of the AHL, where he tallied 18 goals and 49 assists, as well as 67 penalty minutes.

Melissa Kania
NHLHS Buffalo Sabres Correspondent
mkania@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @melissakania

With arbitration hearings underway, the Buffalo Sabres met with arbitrators on Tuesday to settle Tim Kennedy‘s case.

A ruling is expected within 48 hours, and the team can either accept the ruling and sign Kennedy, or walk away, letting him become an unrestricted free agent.

According to reports, the team offered Kennedy around $700,000 for a one-year deal, which includes a $635,000 base salary and a mandatory ten percent raise. A multi-year contract would offer a higher base salary.

It’s believed that Kennedy is looking for more than $1 million per season, and maybe as much as $1.4 million depending on the length of the deal.

After the ruling is announced on Thursday, the question lies: is he worth it? The 24-year-old Buffalo native had 10 goals, including 3 game winners, in 78 games last season. He tied for 9th on the team with 26 points.

He played one game with the Buffalo club in 2008-2009, and spent most of the season playing with the Portland Pirates (AHL). In 73 games there, he had 18 goals and 49 assists and 67 penalty minutes.

Last week, Patrick Kaleta avoided arbitration and signed a two-year deal with the team. The aggressive forward will earn $860,000 in the 2010-11 season, and $955,000 in the 2011-2012 season. Kaleta made $522,000 last season and was scheduled to meet with arbitrators on July 29.

Kaleta had 10 goals and 5 assists in 55 games last season. He also had 89 penalty minutes in a season where he faced several injuries. He missed games with flu-like symptoms (1), a neck injury (3), and an upper body injury (6). Kaleta was suspended two games for delivering a hit from behind. The Angola, NY native also posted his first career multi-point and multi-goal games on October 13 and December 12.

Kaleta also led the team in short-handed goals last season.

Melissa Kania
NHLHS Buffalo Sabres Correspondent
mkania@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @melissakania

In an offseason that has seen the Boston Bruins select Tyler Seguin second overall and acquire goal-scoring winger Nathan Horton it’s hard to believe the team is still somewhat in turmoil.

Dealing with cap trouble is something that Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has been dealing with the entire offseason. He does have many pieces he can move, but not a lot of options coming back his way. There is the $4 million dollar owed to Michael Ryder for this season, the three-year, $5 million per for Tim Thomas, not to mention the Marc Savard trade rumors.

According to CapGeek.com the Bruins only have $12,229 remaining in cap space, which does not bode well for signing Seguin to his rookie contract. The Edmonton Oilers signed top pick Taylor Hall to a three-year at $900k per year and with bonuses Hall could reach just over $3 million a season.

Clearly it is a must to get Seguin signed, but if they cannot work something out there is always the option of him going back to Plymouth. All indications from summer camp are that the rook will be in Bruins black and gold this coming season. This kid is going to be a stud, his hockey sense is tops and he makes the players around him better. Reports are that his agent Ian Pulvor is confident that a deal will be made by training camp in September.

Like most, the Savard trade rumors took me by surprise, but in all actuality the depth the Bruins have at centre is deep. Teams that are reportedly interested in acquiring the 33-year-old’s services are the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings. If the Bruins decide to keep Savvy they could always look at moving someone to the wing. Seguin will probably start off on the wing then get moved to centre eventually.

The question is whether or not Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci would be willing to move off their natural position. Bergeron has tremendous faceoff abilities finishing fifth in the NHL with a %58 winning percentage while Krejci was 50.7%.

Personally if a decision had to be made I would move Krejci to the wing. It may take time for him to adjust, but he could still work his playmaking magic patrolling the left or right wing.

The real question that has been buzzing in Boston is what to do with Ryder. There is the factor that he is a free agent to be at the end of the season and will be playing for a new contract could entice the Bruins to keep the winger who scored 18 goals last season. Waivers is another option if Chiarelli cannot find a trading partner, with his contract Ryder may find himself in the AHL for the season if he is not claimed.

With camp just on the horizon there are still many moves that need to be made in Beantown. The future is without a doubt a bright one, with the likes of Joe Colborne, Jordan Caron, Jared Knight and Brad Marchand getting ready to be full time NHL contributors, it is going to be interesting to see the moves made to create space for the soon-to-be Bears.

Are we there yet?

Brandon Macdonald
NHLHS Boston Bruins Correspondent
bmacdonald@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter @bMacdonald8

From boom to bust, the Habs off-season started with a bang and has since calmed.

So we’re in mid-July and Ilya Kovalchuk FINALLY sighed with someone, more “the salary cap has once again been rendered useless” talks have sprung up (see: Kovalchuk’s contract), LeBron James ended his endless mind games and told the world where he was signing (the world that has ESPN, that is), and now you MUST be wondering: “but what has happened to the Habs? Is the city of Montreal still standing? Where can I get my poutines from now? Well worry not my friend, because Montreal is still standing, and although the changes brought to the team this summer are not as drastic or unexpected as last summer’s (although there have been quite some surprises), the Habs were not quiet this summer.

Lets go over a few of those changes that have happened.

The Halak trade

The trade that sent Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues for a couple of prospects, Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, came as a surprise to many, but to those who study the cap closely, it was a little more expected. After his extraordinary season and post-season, Halak was in a position to demand a salary that was equal to/exceded 4 million per year, a salary that the Habs just could not afford, being strapped to the cap ceiling that they were. So, they did the smart thing, and instead of allowing the matter to inevitably go to arbitration, they got the best that they could (or hopefully they got the best that they could) in return for Halak’s rights. If you want my analysis on the whole trade, and a profile on both players, click here.

Needless to say, the trade indicated that the Canadiens’ management wholly trusted Carey Price as the new starter in nets for the Habs. Although the choice may have made some jump in their seats, I, for one, am a strong naysayer about Price. I don’t believe that Carey Price has earned the spotlight at all. For sure, many goaltenders are thrown into the first spot because of necessity (see: Philadelphia Flyers’  whole past season), but when an administration willingly begins the season with a number 1 goaltender set, it’s because that player has proved his value, proved that he is ready and is willing to give it his all, on and off the ice. With Carey Price, I don’t feel any of that. His play last season had become “relaxed” at best, completely indifferent at worst, and even during his post-game interviews he seemed distracted and just generally annoyed at having to be held accountable.

The best thing that a Habs fan can hope for is that Carey is able to return to his 2007-2008 form, the year during which he charmed Montrealers with his speed, size and dedication to stopping every single Bruins puck that headed towards his crease (see: Montreal-Boston series of 2007-2008, the highlight of Price’s career, in my opinion).

Plekanec resigning

Another milestone in the Montreal squad’s summer was the resigning of free agent Tomas Plekanec. The first or second line center just came off of a career high season, notching 70 points, and a playoff series that was more average than anything else. His playoff production was exceptional during the Montreal-Washington series (8 points in 7 games, in addition to being regularly matched to the Capitals’ top line), and although his point production significantly reduced over the next two series, his defensive play was what kept Crosby at a point production low and allowed the Canadiens to move on to the next round.

Plekanec’  contract, an annual cap hit of 5 million, was a big reason why Halak wasn’t able to resign with the Canadiens. Although his contribution to the team has been immeasurable over the last season, his inconsistence over the years has me cringing at the beginning of every season, wondering which Plekanec we will see this season. Will it be the 2009-2010 Pleky, or the dreaded “little girl” Pleky 2008-2009, who was more invisible than Kovalchuk’s defensive play (or just about). Certainly as a young player (27 year old), Plekanec still has much room to improve and to steady out his play, even if his defensive play has been the more consistent aspect of his game over the years. Pleky’s new hefty contract now has most Habs fans praying hard that they will see their new-old center play a hard defensive game while contributing offensively all the time, just to make sure that every penny of those five million dollars a year are spent wisely. And if he doesn’t play up to expections? Well I can assure you that Habs fans will personally hunt him down and get every single penny he owes them back.

That’s the way Habs fans roll. Plekanec has been around long enough to have figured it out by now, so hopefully for Montreal, he’ll be able to tear it up when tearing up will be needed.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my off-season recap, where I will discuss the trading away of Sergei Kostitsyn, and ponder on how much money Carey Price will be making next year.

Christopher Nardi
NHLHS Montreal Canadiens Correspondent
cnardi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @dragonlancehuma

Hey all, this is Melissa, your new Buffalo Sabres correspondent for NHL HotStove. With just over two months before training camp and preseason begins, teams are looking to the future and improving through free agency and – in some cases – trades.

The Sabres entered free agency with a handful of players to deal with, and as free agency began on July 1, they lost two key defense. Henrik Tallinder, who had been a member of the organization since being drafted in 1997, quickly signed a four year deal with the New Jersey Devils. The deal will pay him an average of $3.375 million per year. Defenseman Toni Lydman also signed with the Anaheim Ducks for a deal that will pay him $9 million over three years.

On the same day the Sabres signed defenseman Jordan Leopold who played with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the end of last season. Leopold signed for a three year, $3 million/yr contract. The 29-year-old knew current Sabres forward Thomas Vanek, and contacted him for advice before agreeing to sign with the Sabres.

The team later re-signed enforcer Cody McCormick, who played most of last season with the Sabres’ AHL team, to a one year, $500,000 contract. Young defenseman Mike Weber, who has a chance to play with the big club this season, accepted his qualifying offer, and the team also signed Derek Whitmore.

To the surprise of many fans, the team chose to resign goaltender Patrick Lalime to a one-year deal. There were talks that the team would not sign a goaltender, and instead bring up Jhonas Enroth from the AHL, but this new deal allows Enroth one more year of experience in the AHL before probably coming up to the NHL next season.

The Sabres lost left winger Philip Gogulla, as he decided to return home to play in Germany. Defenseman Mike Kostka is also reportedly not returning to the team. Both players were in Portland (AHL) last season.

The biggest splash in the team’s offseason thus far has been the signing of forward Rob Niedermayer to a one-year, $1.15 million deal on July 7. Niedermayer adds veteran experience to an otherwise fairly young team. He had 10 goals and 12 assists in 71 games last season with the New Jersey Devils. Niedermayer also won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07.

On July 16, the team announced that they have signed UFA Tim Conboy, who spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, to a one-year deal.

The Sabres are far from done this off-season. Hometown forward Tim Kennedy is taking the team to arbitration. The team is also taking Angola native Patrick Kaleta to arbitration, a rare move that ensures Kaleta will suit up for the blue and gold next season.

They also have a couple free agents still on their radar, including Raffi Torres, who was a disappointment with just five assists in 14 games with the team last season. Adam Mair, Matt Ellis, Jeff Cowan and Joe DiPenta round out the UFAs for the team. Mark Mancari, Matt Generous, Marc-Andre Gragnani and goaltender JP Lamoureux are all restricted free agents.

Melissa Kania
NHLHS Buffalo Sabres Correspondent
mkania@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @

The Toronto Maple Leafs had much work to do this offseason in order to become more competitive for next year. They took a huge step forward last night by acquiring yet another Chicago cap casualty, Kris Versteeg.

If there was one thing that was certain this off-season, it was that the Leafs needed major renovation prior to entering this season. It was a priority to beef up the top six by acquiring/signing high quality forwards. With the defense “presumably set”, the Leafs set their sights on acquiring  forwards at the least possible cost. Enter Kris Versteeg and the Chicago cap situation. Chicago was forced into dealing onr of their better, more expensive players in order to keep their “core” locked up. It was a necessary transaction, because Chicago was in deep cap trouble, and Brian Burke came in and swooped like a vulture. Like the Dion Phaneuf trade, he was able to turn a few spare parts that didn’t fit in going forward,  into the top six forward he has coveted.

To be fair, he didn’t just give up any old players. Viktor Stalberg is a speedy offensive threat, who, if able to find his game could become a good second or third line player. Chris DiDomenico is a resilient, young player with offensive and defensive abilities to be proud of, and he is projected as a high energy, bottom line player. Philippe Paradis was a relatively unknown prospect in Toronto, having been previously acquired a short while ago in exchange for Jiri Tlusty. He was only expected to be a big, industrial checker on the fourth line, so nothing really lost there. His stock was falling fast.

It is my opinion that the drafting of Josh Nicholls and Sam Carrick in this years entry draft made DiDomenico and Paradis expendable. Then you factor in that Stalberg is older than Versteeg, and Versteeg has accomplished much more, you see why Toronto made the deal.

It’s hard to determine a winner yet on the deal, but you can see that obviously both teams addressed their issues: Chicago’s cap problems and Toronto’s lack of top six forwards.

This article will present what I think the Habs need to do to boost their team and make them cup contenders next year, as opposed to a bubble/Cinderella team.

On Plekanec:

The Czech Olympian had a career high REGULAR season this year, topping his previous high by one point, scoring 25 goals and notching 45 assists for a total of 70 points.

Compared to last season, where Plekanec told the media himself that he was playing like a little girl, Tomas had a break out season, helping feed a very streaky team with a relatively regular stream of goals and set-ups. Then, during the playoffs, Pleky had a dynamite series versus Washington, laying out the assists and goals, finishing the series with eight points, helping the Canadiens accomplish one of their two upsets.

But after the first series, Plekanec all but disappeared, scoring a massive three points in the 12 following games, playing once again like the “little girl” of 2008-2009. So how to calculate his REAL value then?

Earlier this week, Tomas(ette) signed a six year, 30 million dollar extension with the Habs, pocketing five million a year, becoming the sixth player on the team to make over five million and 23rd player to make too much money.

In Montreal, the reactions were very mixed. Some thought that Plekanec was a useless player, too inconsistent, (newly) overpaid and that his turtleneck just makes him look ridiculous, while others think that he is a main cog on a team that needs as much talent as it can get, that his salary is in accordance to his skill set and value, and that his turtleneck is actually pretty hot and distinguishing (per female commentators and Benoit Brunet).

Personally, I’m in the camp of those who believe that, although he is an important, skilled and most importantly, dedicated member of the team, this contract is a tad too lucrative. Over the years, Plekanec has gotten to know the city (and the high expectations and pressures that come with it), the administration and the system that has been set into place.

As a veteran of the CITY (which is something that is valuable in Montreal), he has been a relatively solid pillar to a Habs team that has often needed a scoring playmaker. Also, with the now-oft injured Markov sitting on the bench a lot, the Habs have learned to depend more on Plekanec’s centering ability to get the puck to the right person. BUT I do believe that his streakiness and lack of physical play is something that plays against him strongly.

As a GM, I would have been more than happy to sign him to a four to six year deal, but for between four and four and a half million dollars/year (up from 2.75 million/year). At that price, Montreal acquires a solid second or third line center, but also leaves itself some wiggle room to fill some breaches that will be left starting July 1st, when 11 of it’s players become UFAs/RFAs.

On the Kostitsyns:

Get rid of them. I will keep this paragraph short and sweet.

Sergei Kostitsyn: His attitude, his work ethic and his princess-on-ice attitude have negative effects not only on his play but on the play of his teammates as well. His coaches are sick of him, a good part of the offensive unit that work with him are sick of him, and the AHL Bulldogs are sick of him. He has talent, he has speed, but he’s never going to develop as long as he keeps on thinking he’s the Lord walking on water when playing. It’s frozen Sergei, and EVERYONE can walk on it, get over yourself.

Salary: 2.45 million/3 years (816 667$ cap hit; RFA in 2010)

Solution: trade, deportation, or Tortorella boot-camp for a week

Andrei Kostitsyn: Of the two brothers, Andrei is the one that is more defendable when it comes to keeping him. He has a super wrist shot, a big body and a good hockey sense, but he also has little work ethic and he’s the streakiest player in the game after Alex Kovalev. But another issue that plagues Andrei and that is actually only known to Montrealers who know where to read the right articles is that Andrei actually speaks very little English.

When Sergei was suspended during the ’09-’10 season and later sent to Hamilton, it was reported from within the locker room that Andrei’s linemates, then Plekanec and which ever right winger clicked with them, were having trouble communicating with him because they knew no Russian. When Sergei is around, Andrei has no trouble because he can either talk to his brother or use his brother as a translator if need be, but with Sergei so often in the minors, Plekanec said in an interview that it was hard to communicate with Andrei, but that they did the best they could so that the line would have a certain chemistry during matches.

But the fact that after all these years Andrei has not made it a priority to at least learn English, if not some French, adds a strain on a team who, at the beginning of last season, didn’t even know itself!

Salary: 9.750 million/3 years (3.250 million$ cap hit)

Solution: Trade, Rosetta Stone

On Goaltending

It came as a surprise to me, and basically every other Montrealer to ever exist, that playoff star goaltender Jaroslav Halak had been traded to the Blues for two prospects.

For many, Halak had now replaced Carey Price as the number one goalie and was the perfect starter for next season. Sure, his price tag was going to go up considering he was about to become an RFA, but the Habs haven’t had a really reliable goalie since Patrick Roy, and this guy just might be it (ironically, just like Price in 2008). But GM Pierre Gauthier seemed that he’d rather spend his five million on Plekanec and trade away Halak, thus thrusting Price right back into the spotlight. Some love it, some hate it. Personally, I wouldn’t “like” it on facebook.

Certainly for me, Halak is not really a star goaltender. I am amazed by what he did in the playoffs against two teams that are not at all foreign to scoring, but in my mind, one excellent playoff run does not erase three previous seasons of complete and utter suckiness.

During the 2008-2009 season, Halak played 34 whole games, in which he won 18 and lost 14. He had a 0.915 S% and an abysmal 2.86 GAA, and attracted the ire of most Habs fans who were sick of feeling like a game was lost in advance when they heard he would be starting. Furthermore, although he played a decent 45 games last season, those 45 games almost equal the total amount of games he’s played during his three last years in total (56). So there is not a good record for a team to be able to settle down and say to themselves that they have their goaltender of the future when that player has played on average 25.25 games/season. I do think that Halak would be a good temporary replacement for Price, but only until the Habs can find a real starting goaltender.

Salary: 1 550 000/2 years (775 000$ cap hit, RFA in 2010)

Solution: With the money retained from trading away both Kosts (total of 4,066,667 cap freed) and add one million (which could have been saved by signing Pleks for four million instead of five) and sign newly available Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov is a tried and tested goaltender who is coming off what I would say is an off year (if you can call .922 S% and 2.43 GAA an “off year”) for a 3 year, 15 million dollar contract. Nabokov’s old salary represented a cap hit of 5.375 mil$, but knowing his age, I’m sure he would accept a 15 million dollar contract for three years, be it steady or declining. That would give the Habs an excellent starting goaltender while Price is allowed to develop more as a second goalie and can learn to deal with the pressures of being a netminder in Montreal before being once again thrown into the spotlight when Nabokov’s contract expires.

On the draft and other pressing issues

Another article will follow soon, but I need all your comments/questions so I can know what is important to YOU the reader that you want me to write about. So leave me a comment at the bottom of the article and I will gladly consider all your questions for my next article!

I hope you enjoyed the draft.
Christopher Nardi
NHLHS Montreal Canadiens Correspondent
cnardi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @dragonlancehuma

With the 27th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens select…

Calvin Pickard

With little left in the system as far as goalies go, and having traded away Jaroslav Halak, the Canadiens could use some help in between the pipes for the future.  With Jack Campbell going 17^th overall to Colorado, Pickard is the best goaltending prospect remaining.  Look for him to continue developing and building on an already strong technique and quick reflexes.  Has the basics of the position locked down and can handle the puck comfortably.  Pickard put up respectable numbers on an otherwise unimpressive Seattle Thunderbirds team putting up 3.09 GAA with a .914 SV% in 62 games.  He says the challenge helped him improve his game and confidence.  Look for big things from him sooner rather than later if Carey Price continues to falter.

Jose Simoes
NHLHS Restoring the Rosters Correspondent
jsimoes@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @RTRHockey

With the 23rd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Buffalo Sabres select…

Quinton Howard

Looking to add depth down the middle, Buffalo selected the best available C with the 23^rd pick.  Howden will need to put on some bulk before he makes it to the NHL, but he already is a solid 2-way player that can skate. The added bulk will make him a force battling for the puck.

Finishing up the ’09-’10 season with Medicine Hat as a point-a-game player with 65 points in 65 games.  Being a smart defensive Center will fit right in with Buffalo’s game plan.  Look for him to develop into a solid 3^rd liner with 2^nd line potential in a few years.

Jose Simoes
NHLHS Restoring the Rosters Correspondent
jsimoes@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @RTRHockey