update: TRADE CONFIRMED by Pierre Lebrun, Espn...with Return details.
Francois Gagnon of La Presse is reporting, via twitter, that he believes Maxim Lapierre has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
Gagnon said the team is at the rink in Florida, while Lapierre remains at the hotel.
If it is in fact the case, it's not a surprising move.
Renaud Lavoie from RDS reported, and it's been confirmed, Lapierre requested a trade earlier in the week.
Lapierre fell out of favor with Jacques Martin, after playing his best season in '08-09 for Guy Carbonneau in a much more prominent role with the Canadiens.
Under Martin, Lapierre shifted from centre to wing, he was taken out of a penalty killing role with the team--a role he filled so well under Carbonneau--and his regular season play last year was largely disappointing as he acknowledged.
After a solid playoffs, Lapierre claimed in training camp to be ready to perform this season. It would seem the Canadiens weren't adequately satisfied with his performance.
The return is still unknown.
Stay tuned...
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From Earlier:
With so many willing to throw in the towel already, it would seem the fan base's morale is about as high as their team's. Natural, I suppose, as all parties have
suffered through 8 losses over 10 games, at a juncture of the season where a slip in the standings was expected.
The problem is, a slip is turning into a mudslide with seemingly unstoppable force. Mud...because it's been so ugly.
If Carey Price's reaction to being posterized by Steven Stamkos on a questionable penalty shot call didn't perfectly encompass his team's mentality, I don't know what would.
They're reaction to Max Pacioretty's opening goal on the opening shot almost outlined their timid, if not completely reserved excitement. Instead of celebrating, they went for 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, and when none of it came, 1-1 was enough for them to break from their focus.
After Martin St. Louis found the back of the net on the powerplay, the Canadiens failed to summon the energy to compete as though they were still leading 1-0--pushing for 2, 3, 4.
Alex Auld played the final 7:50 of the game; a move RDS play-by-play man Pierre Houde presumed was to get Price some rest ahead of the Habs taking on the Panthers today at 5:00pm. Considering Price was about as strong as his teammates were in this one, I wouldn't bet my life on Houde's presumption.
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James Wisniewski's debut with the Canadiens was impressive. He and partner Yannick Weber were the only pluses on the Canadiens side of the ledger last night. Safe for a few powerplay adjustments he'll need to make given his unfamiliarity with new teammates, he's already helping the troubled Habs.
How hard it must be to join a team mired in such a funk. Ask Scott Hannan how easy it was to get a pulse for what kind of team the Caps were, when he entered a broken locker room that was on display for the HBO-watching world to see.
What will other changes bring to the Canadiens?
Some insight:
-Will Pierre Gauthier be able to pretend for much longer that Lars Eller is more NHL-ready than David Desharnais? If Ben Maxwell was worth a shot last season, what does that make Desharnais?
-Are the Canadiens missing what healthy scratch Tom Pyatt brings to the equation, or are they missing what Ryan White's been hiding in Hamilton all season?
-Will Josh Gorges' return to the lineup immediately signify a demotion for Yannick Weber, or for P.K. Subban?
These are the internal changes that will almost surely be made with another loss--one against the Panthers today--if they haven't already been decided on.
Externally, there's money to burn, and it will be burnt at a later date. This team will have to find its way with what they have...that includes the coaches.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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