Higgins, McDonagh dealt for Gomez, etc.

This is a terrible trade for the Habs!   Where is the upside?  Higgins is a better player than Gomez (bigger, more production, much better defensively), Higgins would not have Gomez's inflated salary, McDonagh is a real prospect.  I don't see how this makes us a better team, now or in the future

Journalist Eric Engles take on the trade:

"When Bob Gainey made the decision to move on from Vincent Lecavalier yesterday, the onus was put on finding a suitable replacement. Scott Gomez doesn't quite have the size of Lecavalier, but he has one more Stanley Cup ring, and has proven he thrives in a defensive system.

Everyone is asking for my take on the trade itself. I think the obvious arguments are as follows:
1. Scott Gomez is small, coming off a bad season, and gets paid too much.
2. The Canadiens shouldn't have given up Ryan McDonagh.

Let's be realistic:
Chris Higgins was expected to be traded.
Ryan McDonagh may be great one day, but any time you can get a top-line player and you have to give up a top prospect, you make the deal...ask any GM in hockey. Granted, you don't necessarily trade the number 1 pick overall, but the general consensus is you take what is proven over what is unproven.

Doug Janik, and Pavel Valentenko...throw ins...I doubt anyone is crying over their loss to the New York Rangers.

So, Montreal fans are upset it's not Lecavalier, and upset about trading Higgins and McDonagh for Scott Gomez?

No one will ever be happy in this town! "

problem with this trade is what it does for Kovalev, tanguay etc salary. Kovalev had more points than gomez last year, does this mean he is worth 9 mil per year? Can't sign kovalev for the 5 they have offered him.

I know that not a lot of people like the trade, including myself, but let's think of it this way...

- Gomez suits coach Martin's style of play. He's that kind of player. Look at how much success he had in Jersey playing a similar style.

- What would a UFA prefer: Play with Scott Gomez or play with Chris Higgins?

- Valtenko will likely never come back to the NHL.

Flip side of the coin...

- Busto and Pyatt will never make the NHL.

- McDonagh was one of our top prospects and had a very bright future ahead of him.

Overall, I don't like the trade, but we never know what can happen.

The fumes of the Vinny rumours have died down. People were shooting eachother because of HIS $7-8 million contract and how bad it is and will be.

What I'm trying to say is that... Gainey was indeed willing to spend big money on a player. Scott was this player. His salary +- equivilant to the one of Vinny's.

I'm not a fanboy of either player, but I would MUCH RATHER have Lecavalier on our team earning that much money than Gomez...

What a horrible deal, gave up way too much, unless they have an under the table agreement; where NY agreed to not match the offer that we give to Higgins after July 1st?

I just really don't understand what to make of this trade unless it's a buildup move for a bigger trade ahead...

...Hope this wasn't a deal just for the sake of making a deal...

Wow. I go out on the boat and come back to this. I guess I can wait to see what, if anything, comes next, but allow me for the moment to record this as the exact moment that I've figured Gainey has officially entered the panic zone.

Scott Gomez? Scott Freaking Gomez? He of the horrendous contract? He of the one 20-goal season? For Higgins AND two decent prospects, including a former first-round pick? Sather was desperate to dig out from under the weight of that contract, and we throw in McDonagh too? Now, we've given one of our Eastern Conference competitors wiggle room to get even better. Very slick

Were we so worried about attracting any quality free agents that we had to take this bloated contract just to hit the salary cap floor?

I didn't want Koivu back, but hell, he's a small centre who could deliver us 15 goals and 55 points for A THIRD of Gomez's salary.

Rejean Houle thinks this trade is a mess.

The word is that McDoughnut had stopped getting better and they feel he will not be as good as first thought, I think most people are upset because they were all bent on getting the big V !  Well sorry boy's and girls no big V today, let's give Scott a fair chance eh!! 

And see what we get tommorow !!!

I am still in shock.  And not a good shock.

Bob getting closer to inking that deal with the Simpsons. Krusty the clown strikes again!!! Bob officially ruined this team. If he does not get the girls tom., we better put In the 93 vcr tape again.

"The Canadiens win the Stanley Cup"

I love this line by Scott Cullen in his analysis of the trade for Gomez.

Considering the Canadiens practically did the Rangers a favour by taking on Gomez's contract, it's impossible to justify McDonagh's inclusion in the deal unless the Canadiens have decided that he's not likely to make it as an NHL regular and that just doesn't seem to be the general impression of McDonagh's development to this point in his career.

It's the simple things that make me laugh.  Another beautiful day in the neighborhood.  We are officially the laughing stock of the NHL.  Like one poster said earlier, when discussing the Rangers of last year, my words were man the Rangers are bad and what idiots paying that Gomez all that money are they drunk?  I mean what kind of idiot signs a guy for that kind of contract.  BINGO here we are doing the unthinkable, signing a guy we all and I mean everyone on here thought was way overpaid and we were happy the Rangers were that stupid to pay him that much, now look at us.  The only team in the NHL willing to help the New York Rangers buy 1. giving them all sorts of cap money and 2. taking one of their overpriced NY balloon contracts.  I mean really?  Who does this?  The Montreal Canadiens that's who.

If you can't see this for what it is and insist that you think we are all just bashing the team, think again.  I know that all last year and so far this summer, not any of you would have said let's go out and get GOMEZ for 8 million, so any of those who say otherwise right now, just shut the HELL up!  None of you would have said that, so don't try walking the line now! 

The Habs just shot their future in the foot!

I'm sorry, but you look at Gomez' expression on that picture and the headline and it's like "what the f'k just happened to me?"

Glen is sucking on a big cigar with a stupid grin on his face and that's what bothers me about this trade.... Glen won. Scott may turn out to be a great player and regain his championship form, but right now..... at this moment, Gainey lost. I hope he can make up for it soon. Go Bob. 

Heatley's stubborness kills the deal to the Oilers.

Who is going to take on a whiner/nutcase like him?

I guess he'll end up in the KHL or Phoenix. Same poop, different pile.

Gomer will make AKost a very wealthy man.

I feel like this trade has united all habs inside/out posters, I mean, does ANYONE think this trade is worth it...? Give up a great prospect and an extremely solid young roster player for a talented but massively overpaid and underperforming player... I`m willing to give Gomez a chance, and who knows, maybe he`ll get back to elite form, but I see no need for this trade unless the Rangers have promised to give Montreal another asset in the future for cheap, because Tanguay is a better playmaker than Gomez and comes way cheaper, and Gomez is all of 1 inch taller than Koivu. I like the playoff experience gained but I don`t believe we should have had to pay such a premium when the rangers were so desperate to move Gomez. Is there anyone on this site who sees this as a good overall move for Montreal? I love Gainey and I know he`s a great hockey mind, but I can`t help but question this move.

Bob's worst nightmare is that Vinny is traded to some other team.  It will be the definitive nail in his coffin.

To continue, a terrible deal for the Canadiens.  Many others have already listed a pile of reasons that this trade is terrible, so I won't beat this to death reiterating said reasons.  Still, I have to believe that this won't be seen as the epic failure that it is if Gainey manages to sign a Gaborik a Havlat or even a Gionta--Gionta is likely the best fit of who is out there, based upon prior success with Gomez and lowered salary expectations, but that said, he's coming off a bad year or three as well--but if he signs no one of note to play with Gomez, it will be impossible to gloss over via a signing.

I guess I can only pray that Kovalazy gets greedy or is disillusioned and signs elsewhere.  That would make all the rest easier to bear for me. 

Losing a top prospect (allegedly), a former top prospect (the Moscow traitor), a warm body's rights (Janik) doesn't bother me as much as seeing the end of Higgins in Montreal.  A really nice guy, Higgins realized his childhood dream of playing for the Habs, but to Bob, he's been nothing but a name to be tossed into every trade discussion/rumour pertaining to the Habs for several years now.  He deserved better, despite his poor season. 

Habs rule, Leafs drool...

Forget Havlat. He REALLY wants to sign with Chicago. Check his twitter page for updates.

Gainey has $19m to spend and the following players under contract. While I'm not a fan of the Gomez trade, tomorrow and the coming days will determine the next 5 years of the habs future. I hope Bob is up to it. I don't mind what we have now, if Gainey has a good FA period, the Habs will be contenders.

Scott Gomez
Tomas Plekanec
Andrei Kostitsyn
Sergei Kostitsyn
Max Lapierre
Guilluaime Latendresse
Matt D'Agostini
Max Pacioretty
Gregory Stewart
Glen Metropolit
Georges Laraque


D
Andrei Markov
Yannick Weber
Ryan O' Byrne
Josh Gorges
Roman Hamrlik
Carey Price
Jaroslav Halak

You can add a small player like Gomez and give up on a prospect like McDonagh when your organization is not hurting for size, but this is not the case in Montreal. We needed to get bigger to keep up with the Bostons and Philadelphias of this league, instead we reverted back to the days of the Smurfs.

Personally, I think it was a mistake to take on that huge salary that Gomez will bring into town with him, and IMHO, it was a monumental mistake to lose McDonagh, arguably our best blueliner prospect.

Did Gainey succumb to the pressure Montreal? It seems so, because he just mortgaged the future for a very expensive quick fix.

EDIT: As a sidebar, it's nice to see Heatley headed out west.

Just the other day, I was sitting on my couch, watching the draft, talking with a few buddies about what we thought would go on around the league.  The idea that the Rangers could be July 1st players for any UFAs or even Danny Heatley was greeted with derisive hooting.  Who, after all, would take either of those two terrible so-called "Blockbuster" free agents--Gomez or Drury, both WAAAAAYYY overpaid--off Sather's rahter inept hands?

oh

This just in...Heatley for Penner, Cogliano and Smid, confirmed by Sportsnet.

Habs rule, Leafs drool...

I see gomez acquired to be thrown into a bigger deal tomorrow ;)

In Gainey we trust

i was a little shocked when i heard this trade because we are bringing in a lot of salary, but i see gomez wanting to prove him self after having a horrible season, hopefully martin would make him to a 85 point man.

the free agents i want mr gainey to approach are

Brain Gionta- he can come cheap and he can play with gomez and bring back the devils in them.

Marian Hossa- just a dynamic player

Martin Havalt- he showed he can work with the young guys.

Also i would love if mr gainey made a trade for simone gagne and pick up a few defence men.

furthermore the habs can have a brand new team and its going to be great days to be a habs fan

In gainey i trust

...above and BEYOND the fact that there are much BETTER players than Gomez to add to Our Team (especially at his cap hit) ...logically (I am trying ...but having difficulty ...getting inside Bob's brain here...) ...but if I was having discussions of a trade with Sather ...I would come with a well-founded assumption Sather NEEDED to seriously divest salary to go after OTHER priorities for next season ...I would feel quite confident a straight Higgins trade for Gomez should be more than ample ...without losing ANY further asset(s)

...this trade is Beyond My Ability To Understand ...or FORGIVE ...at this time

...just hope there is BETTER news to come

Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049

Typical negativity from Habs fans! Finally Bob made a big move to improve the team. Are Koivu or Higgins as good as Gomez? Of course they aren't  and he has a winning record and has tasted a couple of stanley cup victories. That experience and desire to win is exactly what we needed. If we get a star winger in addition to him we will be a much better team . People arent looking at the big picture and Gomez is healthy. Vinny is damaged goods and just came off surgery and his team has one of the worst records in the NHL. So get over Vinny,SUNDIN ETC.. and get real! We need to get a mix of talented players in our lineup and not put all the eggs in one basket. Gomez can play great two way hockey and with Kovy and the passing skills we will be in great shape. Add Havlat ,Hossa or another top winger and we will have a potent powerplay which led us to 1st place in our division two yrs ago.

I might be one of the few who's happy with this trade. I thought right away that our new coach would love a guy like gomez, as he did excel in a defensive minded system, which seems to be where the habs are headed. Would I have been happier with Lecavalier? Probably. But who knows how I'd (or we all) feel about it in 2 or 3 years time, when the end of Vinnys contract is still no where in sight. Gomez didn't come cheap, but he's definitely an upgrade at center in all aspects. While very much taller than Koivu, he packs on a lot more weight, and isn't soft, is younger, he's actually won a cup, and who knows what having a strong winger like kovalev (yes I think kovy will re sign, and hopefully Tangs will too) will do for his numbers? Trading Higgins was not an issue for me, and from what I was reading/hearing all over, McDonagh did not progress this past season nearly as well as expected, so we can't exactly guarantee he would have been a good defenseman in a few years time. And when all is said and done....AT LEAST WE STILL HAVE MARKOV, WHICH WE WOULD DEFINITELY NOT STILL HAD IF THE VINNY TRADE HAD HAPPENED!!!!!!! That being said, I will be greatly dissapointed if this is the end of all the important moves the habs make this summer. We still need a couple more defensemen, and we need to fill out our offense a bit. Here's to the excitement that the Pre-Hockey season brings! Hopefully by this time next summer we will be celebrating a great season instead of mourning another disaster like the "C" word (centennial, hopefully that one will spread around loll)

Peace and Blessings to all

...I admire people who can express differences of opinions without profanity ...but *** ! ...THIS makes me sick to my core

Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049

OMG, what a pile of negative comments here. Oh well, I guess that is to be expected. Gainey really can't win for losing on this site anymore. Usually he is too conservative, preaching 'patience', then when he pulls the big trade it is within hours the worst trade in history! lol

I am looking forward to seeing Gomez in a Habs jersey. He is a slick, 2 way forward who will bring a lot to this team offensively down the middle. Granted, he is not the Big Centre we have been looking for, but he is a great player. I do think he is overpaid, but I will be reserving my complete judgement on that till after I see him playing with us for a while.

This could be the end for eiether Koivu or Pleks or both if Gainey has something else up his sleeve.

The only big downside for me is McDonaugh. I have been excited about this guy since he was drafted and thought he would be with the 'Dogs this fall. Perhaps Fischer will turn it around after he gets his degree this year (sarcasm).

I am happy for Higgy. He needs a change in scenery. He doesn't know if he is a scorer, a grinder, or both. He is going home and I wish him well.

A few thoughts:

- Gomez is durable, a fast skater and relatively consistent.  RDS pointed out that the pitch to have him as a centre is better than what it would have been with Koivu.  If we get Havlat tomorrow, will everyone still complain?

-Higgins was a quick, two-way player who had a few injury problems and was offensively inconsistent.  Would he have stayed in a year when he will be a UFA?  Would he have helped to attract UFA wingers this year?  Unlikely on both counts.

-McDonough is really the key here.  Nobody has watched his development as closely as the Habs.  He may be a few years off and maybe he isn't quite what they thought he was two years ago.  If he turns out to be a number 3 d-man in 3-4 years time, will the deal have been worth it?  Higgins straight up would not have been enough, I think that is clear.  Who else do we give up?  Weber, Subban, Plecks?  You can't get someting for nothing.  Someone else of value has to go with Higgins.

-Is anyone really naive enough to think that we would not have had to give up more to get Lecavalier?  Maybe the same package plus Plekanec. 

-Lots of people complained when Theo, Rivet, and Huet were traded.  But where are those guys now?  What did we get in return?  Gainey's moves havent all been gold, but some have worked out in our favour without question. 

Basically everyone needs to chill the f out until the season starts.  Almost everyone was outraged by the last 30 games and the playoffs.  We needed to make changes.  None of the internet GMs know what type of deals are being discussed and what other teams are asking for.  Do you think that Gainey did not look around and weigh his options.  I have an uneasy feeling about this trade as many othrs do, but let's see what else happens.  Only time will tell.

Too funny here.  Playing for the Canadiens gives an average player the high-drama marketing of a super star.  Chris Higgins had more than ample opportunity to prove himself as an all-star FWD.  His play is exactly that of a third-liner.  There was a time the HABS actually iced a first and second line - Higgins doesn't fit that bill.  Gomez?  He's a younger Koivu, solid #2.

Komisarek:  deserves the money Hamrlik earns, nowhere near the d-man of Markov.  He too thinks of himself as an "all-star" and we fed that ego as fans voting him onto the team as a starter.

--I will die a delirious fan and never apologize for it!--

Guys, it's not your money .No one wants to sign here, and trades are the way the organization has to go. Everyone knows that, and Gainey is over a barrel.

The team got a good centre for a player all kinds of (now quiet) posters were wrongly ready to trade for a lawn chair last season. Remember? So the trade's made and the team has a forward. I like Higgins. I like what I've seen of Gomez. If his wingers are Laraque and O'Byrne, we're screwed. But now the rest of the team has to be assembled. Let's hope the next trade is at least three lawnchairs for O'Byrne.

Alright, here is my two cents:

1)  Is this an odd and out-of-the-blue trade?  Yes.

2)  Is Gomez's cap hit large?  Yes, but it is NOT 8MM, but closer to Lecavalier's 7.5MM....which brings up his fact:  if you were ok taking Vinnie and his cap hit, then Gomez's cap hit should not be an issue as it was this afternoon....for those of you jumping ship, just say it:  you hate this trade and Gainey because it is not the player YOU wanted.

3)  Remember Gomez's pedigree...he won two Cups in a super-defensive system in NJ AND put up great numbers that made the Rangers hot for him, thus the giant salary...granted he did not do nearly as well in NYC than NJ, so maybe a change of scenery and going back to a defensive system may get him back.

4)  The only bright side to his contract compared to Lecavalier's is that the term is half the length.

5)  We all wanted Gainey to do something major and he has....just because it is not what many wanted, does not make it wrong, the only way to know if it is wrong is after the season starts.

6)  He did not give up TOO many prospects....Janik was a spare part that you all dumped on anyway; Valentenko is in tthe KHL (we'll see if Sather convinces him otherwise) and most of you said good riddance anyway...so it is McDonagh and Higgins for Gomez...do not start changing your tune about giving up prospects, you were all willing to throw multiple players, prospects AND draft picks for Lecavalier and you did not give a rat's *** about Janik and Valentenko.

So in the end, this is like many trades and drafts, it COULD work out or it could just as easily not....the only way to find out is to try and see what happens.

HOWEVER, I will say this, Gainey will also have to do something else on 07/01/09 for this not to look fruitless.

Let the games be played and let's find out how this all works out.

"Even Roy can be run out of town after 2 Stanley Cups."

I have to admit, this trade has thrown me for a loop.

For years, we have been told we must be patient, there is a plan, there is a process. Draft well, hang on to the kids, trade judiciously, build the team from the ground up, spend wisely. The mantra, In Bob we trust, became the rallying cry. Today, in one trade, the whole premise is exposed as a sham, there is no plan, there are no ideas.

What the Habs did today was blow up the notion of building for the future, of sagely following a road map. No, this was a panic move motivated by the need to something, anything, by an organization that has no idea where next to turn. The irony is, my expectations were so low, I didn't think they could sink lower after last year's disgraceful performance. I had resigned myself to losing Komisarek (the only free agent we really needed to keep) and probably seeing the return of the retreads Koivu, Kovalev & Lang. But at least, I clung to the notion to the team would keep its options open, not overpay and be in a position to benefit in a couple of years when the cap comes down and all those blue-chip, can't-miss prospects starting arriving into town from the minors. Guys like Higgins, Plekanec & Price would be hitting their prime just as the draft choices started to hit the big time and the team would be well-positioned to take advantage of the falling salary cap because of the room it had saved by keeping its young players and not overpaying free agents as other teams were doing.

in one fell swoop, that theory is shot to hell. There is no plan, there is panic. There is not big-time centre, there is yet another pipsqueak forward who will wilt under the Montreal glare, for which he is being paid more money than Crosby, Lecavalier or almost any other superstar. Montreal has tried to fake its way through a season without a legitimate first-line centre for almost 20 years and once again, we are locked in for a stretch with a lovely second-line alternative earning huge dollars to disappoint when he'll be asked to do more than he can do. So while Komisarek will walk away for nothing, as Souray did, as Streit did, while Bouwmeester signs for $6.6 million in Calgary for 5 years, the Habs will be stuck paying Gomez almost a million more to do what he cannot do. And now, there is no money left to get the guy we need, a big, tough SOB who can score.

I was completely ready to sit through a rebuilding team next year. Watch them lose more than they won and while it wouldn't have been fun, it would have been a necessary step to getting better, waiting for the kids to develop. Well, two of those kids are gone tonight and with them goes any hope the GM has any idea what to do next. What happens tomorrow? This team needs at least, at least, two more front-line forwards plus at least one top-two defence and another top-4 d-man. What is the plan? Who are they planning to put on the ice next year?

What stuns me is that Gainey was allowed to do this with the new owners waiting in the wings. Clearly, George Gillett has the class to have passed the final decision-making reins to the Molsons and that they have allowed this travesty to occur does not bode well for Hab fans.

It looks like there is nothing but famine on the road ahead and that is the most depressing thought of a very depressing 2009. Thank you, Bob.

After taking some time to mull it over, I'm pleased.

[This paragraph of my comment is going to go over the heads of most commenters here, but I'll post it anyway on the off chance there is a kindred spirit out there]  Check hockeyanalysis.com and behindthenet.ca for the quality of Gomez's icetime.  Last two seasons he's posted a Corsi of 11.3 playing with Jagr and Shanahan, and a whopping 16.2 playing with Naslund and Callahan.  He's been the top guy two years running, playing against the top shutdown D and top lines, with solid numbers all around except for the counting stats.  And remember the Rags under Renney were defense-first and points were hard to come by. 

With Gomez's weak counting stats, Gainey bought low.  Smart move.  Gomez is the real deal.  I'm looking foreward to seeing him in Martin's system.  The cap hit stings, but not as bad as Lecavalier would.  With some solid wingers (say, AKost and Tanguay), the Canadiens can finally go tete-a-tete with the top lines in the East.



Now, the downsides:
- Gainey also sold low with Higgins.
- losing Valentenko and McDonough sucks.  Then again, I don't think young defensemen have a lot of value under this CBA.  It's better to let other teams draft and develop them, and sign them when they're mature players.
- Habs need scorers more than passers.  That said, Gomez should make it easier to attract snipers
- no shot at the Sedins :(
- either Koivu or Plekanec is gonzo :(

This is what you can do... I would rather you had not, I am just stunned. And I do not like this player at all. Are you really what you think? Even if Gomez (ugh) has a good year, this is not a player that I actually like. I guess that I said what i think. Nope. Bye..... a long time, I guess until 2014.  

I heard a new rumor.  Andreas Dackell is gonna get signed by the habs tommorrow.  E10.  Might as well, it feals like the 90's all over again.

Chris

I'm not entirely sold on Subban either but then I'm not sold on McDonagh either. I just don't think Gainey had to add anything

Higgins for Gomez straight up is enough, given the contract Gomez carries. If New York signs Komisarek, basically it comes down to Higgins,Komisarek and McDonagh for Gomez.

or if not Komisarek, whoever Sather spends the extra $$ on. It's a horrible deal.

Lucky we don't have that very overrated blowhard of a GM named Burke!  That dummy would have never made this deal.  Aren't we all so lucky to have Bob.  Get used to the huge smirk on the face of Burke every time we play the Leafs.

The new NHL punishment

Let that be a lesson to all players who nail huge contracts and underperform. You risk getting traded to Montreal!

I couldn't resist that one.

That's it!!   Les Canadiens management, and players will have to go F**K THEMSELVES, LIVE on national TV(with their grandma's watching) before they get another penny from me!!!!   To think people at this site were calling me derogatory terms a few days ago.  Well you dog-f**ker whores can all go do yourselves up the a**, with a rotted, splintered two-by-four!!   Another runty, yankee pig.   That's your big center man!!   UP YOUR CENTER SHAFT CANADIENS!!!

Joe Sakic, 6 million, played 15 games, scored 12 points.

Mats Sundin 8.6 million 28 points

Ryan Malone 6 million, 45 points

Paul Kariya 6 million, 15 points

Ryan Smyth SAME MONEY, SAME SIZE, No where near Gomez former numbers or success.

YET WE RANK THIS AS THE WORST DEAL OF THE HABS...  Have we all gone CRAZY?