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Montreal Canadiens Blogger •
Is this really how it's going to end for Saku Koivu in Montreal? Up for unrestricted free agency on Wednesday, and not tendered an offer of any kind; just allowed to walk away from his captaincy of the Canadiens?
I can't imagine how he feels. I know how I feel...
This man has bled for the city of Montreal (not just the Canadiens); he's been a leader, a hero, a role model, a champion of very important causes, a philanthropist, but above all, a great story of inspiration.
Koivu, the player, will now become one of the top unrestricted free agent forwards on the market, and likely stands to make a better living than he would've had he dealt with the Canadiens this summer. While there's no denying that his tenure as the team's top centreman was over, if the Canadiens were (or are) able to land a big centreman they'd be hard-pressed to find a better second-line anchor than Koivu.
And those famous words "we're going in another direction" come to mind, though with no tangible evidence of an upgrade on Koivu being brought to Montreal, aside from Bob Gainey's expressed desire to add an impact centreman to the team. The waiting game continues.
It's not to say the Canadiens won't have interest in retaining Koivu after they've addressed their top-line plans, but it's painfully obvious that if Koivu hits July 1st without an offer, he will sign with someone else on that day. By Koivu's own admission at the Canadiens final press conference of the season, if he wasn't offered a contract by July 1st he'd be happy to test the market for the first time in his career.
The reality has set in that Montreal will likely have a new captain for the first time in 10 years, and that's a very tough pill to swallow at the moment.
As for Koivu, he deserves the chance he was never given in Montreal; to play with elite players, and to skate for a Stanley Cup contender. But, if there's even the tiniest percentile of a chance that he could be back skating with the Canadiens, I pray that he'll remain right here where he belongs.
Throughout Koivu's career he's faced tremendous opposition, be it on a personal level, but also from fans and media members who could never recognize the type of character that he possesses-- traits that are completely foreign to those same people who judged him so negatively on a daily basis. But in this, the summer where we bid adieu to one of the greatest Montrealers of the last decade, those people who will celebrate his departure will eventually see what makes him such a special player/person. And if they don't recognize it this summer, they will by next summer...
Sadness rules today...
As reported by various sources (originally from Kevin Allen of USAToday), Matt Keator, agent for Mike Komisarek has stated that though Montreal is still in the picture, Komisarek would like to test free agency and see what's out there.
I can't imagine how he feels. I know how I feel...
This man has bled for the city of Montreal (not just the Canadiens); he's been a leader, a hero, a role model, a champion of very important causes, a philanthropist, but above all, a great story of inspiration.
Koivu, the player, will now become one of the top unrestricted free agent forwards on the market, and likely stands to make a better living than he would've had he dealt with the Canadiens this summer. While there's no denying that his tenure as the team's top centreman was over, if the Canadiens were (or are) able to land a big centreman they'd be hard-pressed to find a better second-line anchor than Koivu.
And those famous words "we're going in another direction" come to mind, though with no tangible evidence of an upgrade on Koivu being brought to Montreal, aside from Bob Gainey's expressed desire to add an impact centreman to the team. The waiting game continues.
It's not to say the Canadiens won't have interest in retaining Koivu after they've addressed their top-line plans, but it's painfully obvious that if Koivu hits July 1st without an offer, he will sign with someone else on that day. By Koivu's own admission at the Canadiens final press conference of the season, if he wasn't offered a contract by July 1st he'd be happy to test the market for the first time in his career.
The reality has set in that Montreal will likely have a new captain for the first time in 10 years, and that's a very tough pill to swallow at the moment.
As for Koivu, he deserves the chance he was never given in Montreal; to play with elite players, and to skate for a Stanley Cup contender. But, if there's even the tiniest percentile of a chance that he could be back skating with the Canadiens, I pray that he'll remain right here where he belongs.
Throughout Koivu's career he's faced tremendous opposition, be it on a personal level, but also from fans and media members who could never recognize the type of character that he possesses-- traits that are completely foreign to those same people who judged him so negatively on a daily basis. But in this, the summer where we bid adieu to one of the greatest Montrealers of the last decade, those people who will celebrate his departure will eventually see what makes him such a special player/person. And if they don't recognize it this summer, they will by next summer...
Sadness rules today...
As reported by various sources (originally from Kevin Allen of USAToday), Matt Keator, agent for Mike Komisarek has stated that though Montreal is still in the picture, Komisarek would like to test free agency and see what's out there.
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