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Gorges and Gio Depart, Bergevin Plays Big On July 1

July 3, 2014, 10:29 AM ET [1785 Comments]
Habs Talk
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1) It's February of 2007, and Josh Gorges, 22, has just been traded from the San Jose Sharks--where he was an 18:00-a night defenseman--to the Montreal Canadiens, in exchange for heart and soul veteran Craig Rivet.

Gorges' first game as a Montreal Canadien is an 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, in which he's not even mentioned in the Associated Press' write-up, not even in the pregame notes.

Gorges played 21 shifts that night in just over 14:00, coming in at -2 without recording a blocked shot. This is the beginning of a near year-long struggle to get into the good graces of then-coach Guy Carbonneau, who finally promotes Gorges to a full-time position in December of 2007.

We're talking about an undrafted player who played his way into big responsibilities on a very solid San Jose team, and a guy who had to prove he was worth a full-time spot all over again in Montreal.

December 13th, 2007, in Philadelphia, is the beginning of an era for Gorges in which the term healthy scratch no longer applies. It's the beginning of an ironman streak that takes him all the way to December 26, 2010 and an ACL procedure that should've been done nearly a decade prior.

Do you think Gorges had a deep appreciation for all he had earned in the NHL?



Memories flood in, with Gorges alongside Hal Gill, helping to lead the Canadiens to the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. There he is, shutting down Sidney Crosby to bring the Canadiens further along in the playoffs than they had been since they won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

There's Josh blocking a shot with the back of his head. Oh my God!



Two nights later, he's back in for 23:00 against the Flyers in Philadelphia.

There's Josh taking every hit, to make every play. There's Josh wincing on the bench. There's Josh on top of the NHL in blocked shots.

Character? He defines it.

Character? He nixes a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, not because he's concerned about his Cup aspirations and whether or not the Leafs can make them a reality over the remaining four years on his contract, but because he can't fathom pulling on their sweater and giving it 100%; because for all his years in a Habs sweater, he's hated them in the purest way imaginable.

Gorges is the exception. He's the undrafted, cast out. He's the never-quit warrior. He's the rah-rah force in the room before an exhibition game, a regular season game, a playoff game. He's the devastated guy with his head between his hands at the end of any loss--not just the tough ones. He's the guy who stands up in spite of that devastation, offering his most honest assessment of the situation to herds of reporters, wave after wave, instead of cowering away to the showers.

Make no mistake about what it means to lose a player like that in your locker room. It's a serious loss, and all that resonates from his presence is the hope that his character has rubbed off on a number of others he's led in his time with the team.

This is a league that rewards goals, assists and premium skill. But hockey is the world where character guys like Gorges are valued more than the fans realize in their daily analysis of who drives possession, who helps the team generate even-strength scoring chances, who helps slant the ice towards the offensive zone.

To think that some have labelled Gorges' shipment out of town as the jettison of a bad contract is plainly wrong. Gorges earned his money--and will continue to--much more than many others in this league that will make much more than he does.

2) The Canadiens couldn't absorb the loss of such a player like Gorges were it not for a number of changes.

The first is "shift of leadership"--as Marc Bergevin described it weeks ago after the Canadiens were eliminated from the post-season. From Subban to Eller, to Gallagher and Desharnais and Pacioretty, younger players for the Canadiens are excelling quickly, and their voices are becoming louder.

Bergevin's signing of Tom Gilbert for $2.8M/season combined with the signing of Mike Weaver at $1.75M for next season offers the Canadiens a better balance on the back end, and also allows them to maintain some of the things that Gorges brought to the team. Gilbert is more suited for top four minutes, and his addition helps push Alexei Emelin to his natural position. And Weaver's inclusion serves to balance the risk quotient in Nathan Beaulieu's game while providing a great example for Jarred Tinordi to hone his.

3) Manny Malholtra wasn't just attractive to Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens for his size and his ability to win 60% of his faceoffs. At $850,000 for one season, Malholtra was a no-brainer.

But you can bet that Malholtra's dedication to the game--character personified--is a big part of the reason Bergevin brought him into the Habs fold.

Malholtra was nearly robbed of the vision in his left eye after being struck by a puck near the tail-end of the 2010-2011 season. Malholtra's struggle the next season was well-documented in Vancouver, as he didn't appear to be the same player after the injury. In 2012, the Canucks shut him down less than 10 games into the season, and the fear was that he was finished.

Forced into signing a 25-game tryout with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers in 2013, Malholtra managed to earn a two-way contract with Carolina on October 31st of last season. The team was so inspired by his dedication, he was named a full-time assistant captain as Tim Gleason was traded to Toronto.

Talk about perseverance.

4) Jiri Sekac. All we know is what we've been told. Late-bloomer. High-end skill. Size. Comes from the Czech's hockey factory in Kladno, where he undoubtedly was a big fan of Jaromir Jagr and Tomas Plekanec. Has played three seasons of pro-hockey, and really impressed in the KHL last year. Teams scouted him heavily, up to 15 made offers to bring him in this year. He turned down the other 14 to come to the Canadiens, and as a KHLer, that's probably without any intention of passing through Hamilton.

Nothing's guaranteed, but the Habs have to believe this kid can play his way into the fold immediately.

5) Brian Gionta was never fully appreciated for what he did in Montreal, and when all was said and done he made a decision that was best for his family. He got more than 12 million dollars to move to the Buffalo Sabres for the next three years--where his kids can be closer to his parents, who are around the corner in Rochester.

The Canadiens didn't want to let him go, and probably even less so with the knowledge that they were committed to trading Gorges. But they couldn't spend that kind of money, nor could they even promise Gionta more than a season. Gionta held out hope that the offer from Montreal could get better, but it wasn't going to. And so, he moved on. No hard feelings.

6) 15.7%. That was Rene Bourque's shooting percentage in the playoffs. Do the Canadiens and their fans believe that's even remotely sustainable?

During the regular season, Bourque scored on 7.6% of his shots through 63 games, accounting for nine goals versus the eight he managed in 17 playoff games.

Bergevin says there are players who get you to the playoffs and players that get you through them. Bourque was the latter for this latest chapter, but can he be that moving forward?

It's not a given that the Canadiens are going to take a wait and see approach with Bourque heading into next season.

Not sure whether you see this as a thing that makes it more likely Bourque stays, or something that makes it more likely that he's traded, but he only makes $2.5M per in actual money over the next two seasons, and is a very digestible cap-hit if you believe in his upside at $3.3M. Digestible for sure when players like Benoit Pouliot are pulling in $20M over 5 seasons, and Nikolai Kulemin is making $4.18M.

7) Joey MacDonald was signed to play in the AHL. Dustin Tokarski needs to clear waivers to be sent down, even though he's on a two-way deal for the first year of his two years with the Canadiens. And passed-over Peter Budaj, where does he stand?

Will the Habs trade Budaj? You'd have to think they would. You'd have to think there's a taker, considering Budaj's sterling reputation as a great team guy and a very serviceable back up.

8) Travis Moen is an unheralded leader on the Canadiens. He's a big part of their room. No question. But it doesn't look like he has a place on this team right now.

9) Say what you will about Daniel Briere, but he was all class, all the way with the Canadiens.

Speaking with Briere Tuesday, his only regret is that the Habs weren't able to get past New York to play for the Stanley Cup.

Briere said what the Canadiens have in their room is what makes them a threat in the Eastern Conference. Dynamics between the team and the coach be damned, the players are in charge of their fate, and that's how you have success.

He loved his teammates, and they got him through some tough times in Montreal. And he was proud to have contributed despite limited opportunity to do so, especially in the playoffs.

He moves on to Colorado to play with a lot of skilled players. He'll be a better fit there. He'll get a better opportunity. And he'll probably have another chance to do some more magic in the playoffs.

Good for him.

As for P.A. Parenteau, he wasn't a favorite of Patrick Roy's for the same reasons he won't be a favorite of Michel Therrien's, if he doesn't seriously dedicate himself to working as hard as possible to earn his place in Montreal.

Bergevin called Parenteau to say: "Come to camp ready, and do what you have to do during the summer to get there." It's the kind of thing that doesn't usually need to be said, but it's pretty clear what'll make this talented player play to expectations.

10) Subban and Eller are up next. Cap space is available to potentially add a forward, though you'd expect that might be more likely through trade.

A lot of fans are clamoring for the Habs to free up a spot at centre for Galchenyuk, but there's really no rush. The Canadiens have Plekanec, Desharnais, Eller and Malholtra slotted in right now, but it's a long season, and injuries happen. They don't have so much else in the pipeline that Glachenyuk wouldn't immediately move to the middle if the Canadiens lose a centre to injury.

Expect Galchenyuk to get a long look at centre in training camp too. If he's too good to keep out of the position, the Canadiens will have to strongly consider moving a centre.

More to come...
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