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Hotstove, Ed. 42: Playing Role of Pierre Gauthier |
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Welcome to the Hotstove! As always, I'm your host, Travis Yost.
On Wednesday, Adam French and myself brought forth one of the more polarizing topics in hockey right now - the status quo of the Montreal Canadiens. One of hockey's proudest franchises continues to toil in mediocrity, much to the chagrin of the fan base in Montreal.
To say that the act is getting a bit tiresome is understating the situation. Head coach Jacques Martin has already been relieved of his duties, and now it looks like it'll be up to Pierre Gauthier - for as long as he can keep his job - to right what looks like an already-sunken ship in Montreal.
Fixing the Canadiens will be no easy task, however. In fact, considering how successful this team has been in recent years, one has to first ask whether or not substantial moves regarding the roster are beneficial in the first place. Should the team play out the string and hope the veterans can take control? Or, are serious trades - and a potential rebuild - the only way of fixing this team right now?
We'll discuss the idea below. Feel free - as always - to weigh in with your take.
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Travis Yost: In the blog's introduction, I suggested that perhaps the biggest hurdle for Pierre Gauthier and the rest of the front office in Montreal is to decide whether this current stretch of play - 13-15-7 through 35 GP - is the product of poor performance in a small sample size, or rather the reality of the situation.
As adamant as I've been about this team's potential to turn it around, I'm beginning to wonder if Montreal's best bet here is to 'hedge', per say. That is, avoid jumping into an actual rebuild, but play the role of seller at the trade deadline. Move a couple of assets that do have value, but keep the 'core' players in tact, with the hopes of returning to the post-season as early as next year.
Before I delve further into this take, let me first state that the playoffs - as ridiculous as it may seem right now - aren't out of the question for Montreal in the tight-knit Eastern Conference. Even with their weak play, the team's just a handful of points out of the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference, and is just one heater away from writing off all of the bad memories in the first half of the season.
What's enraging the fan base, though, is that there's no signs of life from this team. No pulse. No reason to believe that they may catch some luck and go on a tear. Right now, it's the Carey Price show - as always - between the net, but there's little firepower in front, and it's killing this team game-in and game-out.
To say that some of the veterans are underperforming would probably understate the bleakness of that front, as guys like Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, and Andrei Kostitsyn continue their erratic and inconsistent play. Up top, Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty are playing nicely, and Erik Cole's been able to turn it around after an ugly start. The problem? A bunch of complementary top-six forwards can't produce at a consistent rate, and it's giving the entire fan base a severe case of heartburn.
Defensively, Montreal's lost their touch, too. Sure, the loss of Andrei Markov has hurt them on the blue line, but no defenseman outside of P.K. Subban right now really gives you that 'untouchable' feel. Even the venerable Josh Gorges, shot-blocking and hard-hitting extraordinaire, could probably be moved if the price was right.
If you're looking for a potential asset or two to ship out, I'd shift my focus to the likes of Max Pacioretty, Josh Gorges, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Erik Cole. All three have been productive players in Montreal, and both 'Patches' and Gorges are fan-favorites of sorts in the city. The goal here isn't to package all of them away; that's downright suicide for a team that still can play a high-level of hockey.
The trick is to find which player is most expendable, especially since all three have a fairly significant amount of value. With each player, there's pros and cons.
Pacioretty is a hustle and heart guy who can chip in offensively, and he's signed through 2012-2013. Teams wouldn't unload for this guy, but a quality pick could be in the mix for Montreal.
Gorges is turning into a dynamic shutdown defenseman, but he'd be a 'rental' acquisition of sorts with an expiring deal. Montreal would hate to part with a guy they see as part of the future here, but if it can help in the long-run..
Kostitsyn's problem is that his value as a player is fairly low relative to where it's been in the past, but he's a classic trade-deadline rental that's a proven commodity inside of the top-six. Teams would definitely put together a package for AK27, but nothing of the overwhelming variety.
As for Cole, he's the biggest question mark. He's getting on the scoreboard with regularity now, but his contract is still inflated($4.5M through 2014-2015), meaning many of the playoff-chasing teams near the salary cap will probably lose interest. However, if Cole can perform strong elsewhere, his number isn't that absurd, and moreover he's still 33-years old, with plenty left in the tank.
All this coming from a writer who pretty much despised the Erik Cole signing from the get-go.
Pierre Gauthier's options are limited, and although the fan base might dislike it, I think in the long-run the most viable option is to stay the course and sell off a couple of pieces in February. This team has plenty of talent, and with a backstop like Carey Price, they can simply win any game on any night.
Real-life Gauthier might react differently, though; my guess is he'll buy in a desparation move to keep his job. If Montreal can turn it around, the heat will cool. But if his moves fall flat, he'll be the next in the firing line.
Adam French: Logic would dictate that perhaps it is time to sell. A lot of the main cast is underperforming currently or a just injured constantly...or both. However I don’t feel this Habs team will try to sell their players off. This is a squad whether you agree if they are contenders or not, act like them at the deadline. They love to bring in the small acquisitions that a team looking to go deep makes. These include the Dominic Moore trade and the Brent Sopel trade. They have some solid youth coming up but lack that star quality you want to see in a “rebuild.”
I suppose it would come down to their position by the deadline. If they are completely screwed and out of a spot they will logically try to sell some guys off with bigger salaries (Oh God think of what they could get for Scott Gomez). Yet if they are in contention for the playoffs I feel Gauthier will make a small move to try and bolster their bottom-6 as per usual. If they are buying I can see a guy like Dorsett fitting in to give them some size and grit they desperately need. While their defence in my opinion needs some serious improvement, they have so many contracts jamming them up I can’t see acquiring one.
If they are selling, I wonder if they would move Cammaleri? Yes, he is money in the playoffs, but if you aren’t going to make it, why not get top value? I mean imagine what a team wanting a proven top playoff sniper who has performed amazingly in the post-season for a defensive team. A top-prospect and a high pick, I would think. Somebody would overpay despite his struggles.
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Thanks for reading!
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