Gainey wants a defenseman
Jul 29, 2005 20:11:58 GMT -5
Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 29, 2005 20:11:58 GMT -5
Gainey wants a defenseman
Jean-François Chabot
SRC
July 29, 2005 - All is in place, or almost so, for the NHL 2005 draft. The Montreal Canadiens staff hasn't known such good fortune in a long time.
With less than 24hrs to go before selecting 5th over all, Bob Gainey remains evasive in stating his priorities as a general manager. C'est normal. He doesn't want to show his hand.
Gainey is a reserved man. Calmly, he revealed to the journalists, almost all the Montréal media, what the priorities were for the Habs for this draft that many fans see as miraculous.
"We have three positions to fill on the team. We want to get a top rank defenseman, a forward, and possibly a good utility player who is able to fill in wherever there's a need", said Gainey.
Options
Among the defensemen the best options in Saturday's draft are:
# Jack Johnson
# Luc Bumblebee (a.k.a. Bourdon)
# Ryan Parent
# Marc Staal
Is Gainey prepared to exchange his 5th over all pick for an established player who could help the team immediately? Gainey does not rule that out. He would be especially interested in improving his order of selection, but nothing is certain "I have had contact with teams that will choose before us. But I can't say anything of consequence right now."
Knowing that the Pittsburgh Penguins will not trade the very coveted Sidney Crosby, one can assume that Gainey had brief exchanges with Anaheim, Carolina, or Minnesota.
Rule changes, or optics
Can the amendments to the rule book for the 2005-2006 season change the way by which the Canadiens will choose their players?
On this subject, Gainey believes that it is perhaps too early for an immediate change. "It's still very early. But perhaps in a year or two we will discover that a different type of player will better suit the new environment."
Who knows if that will open the door to more players of smaller size like Martin St-Louis. Imagine the spectacle if speed and true talent again took their proper place.
Negotiations
Gainey indicated that with regard to Canadiens RFAs, all had already received a qualifying offer for next season.
On the other hand, it's not possible for Gainey to have talks with Alex Kovalev, who is without a contract and a free agent since July 1, 2004, before August 1. Exclusivity does not exist in the case of the Russian forward. That doesn't mean that Kovalev can't return to the team, only that no offer can be made to him before Monday.
- texte français original
Jean-François Chabot
SRC
July 29, 2005 - All is in place, or almost so, for the NHL 2005 draft. The Montreal Canadiens staff hasn't known such good fortune in a long time.
With less than 24hrs to go before selecting 5th over all, Bob Gainey remains evasive in stating his priorities as a general manager. C'est normal. He doesn't want to show his hand.
Gainey is a reserved man. Calmly, he revealed to the journalists, almost all the Montréal media, what the priorities were for the Habs for this draft that many fans see as miraculous.
"We have three positions to fill on the team. We want to get a top rank defenseman, a forward, and possibly a good utility player who is able to fill in wherever there's a need", said Gainey.
Options
Among the defensemen the best options in Saturday's draft are:
# Jack Johnson
# Luc Bumblebee (a.k.a. Bourdon)
# Ryan Parent
# Marc Staal
Is Gainey prepared to exchange his 5th over all pick for an established player who could help the team immediately? Gainey does not rule that out. He would be especially interested in improving his order of selection, but nothing is certain "I have had contact with teams that will choose before us. But I can't say anything of consequence right now."
Knowing that the Pittsburgh Penguins will not trade the very coveted Sidney Crosby, one can assume that Gainey had brief exchanges with Anaheim, Carolina, or Minnesota.
Rule changes, or optics
Can the amendments to the rule book for the 2005-2006 season change the way by which the Canadiens will choose their players?
On this subject, Gainey believes that it is perhaps too early for an immediate change. "It's still very early. But perhaps in a year or two we will discover that a different type of player will better suit the new environment."
Who knows if that will open the door to more players of smaller size like Martin St-Louis. Imagine the spectacle if speed and true talent again took their proper place.
Negotiations
Gainey indicated that with regard to Canadiens RFAs, all had already received a qualifying offer for next season.
On the other hand, it's not possible for Gainey to have talks with Alex Kovalev, who is without a contract and a free agent since July 1, 2004, before August 1. Exclusivity does not exist in the case of the Russian forward. That doesn't mean that Kovalev can't return to the team, only that no offer can be made to him before Monday.
- texte français original
