Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
About Dave Stubbs
Full Name
Dave Stubbs
Web site
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/dave_stubbs.html
About
Dave Stubbs has been a sportswriter since 1976, which was roughly a decade after he wore the first of many holes through the knees of his jeans playing nets in road hockey (using a modified butterfly popularized by Hall of Famer Glenn Hall). He still has the welts to show on his shins from that rotten, frozen orange ball.
Stubbs kept thick hockey scrapbooks filled with game summaries and Gazette and Montreal Star stories, collected dozens of Bee Hive Corn Syrup photos and put a fortune of hockey cards through the spokes of his bikes. First book ever owned: Scrubs On Skates, the classic by Scott Young (Neil's dad).
Stubbs's fantasy is to travel back in time to the 1950s and watch the great Canadiens dynasty that won five consecutive Stanley Cups. Or a decade earlier, to watch Elmer Lach centre Rocket Richard and Toe Blake on the fearsome Punch Line. Or at least to get Rogie Vachon into the Hockey Hall of Fame – where he belongs.
Boone's Online Eeee-mail
Share the agony and ecstasy of Habs fandom and read live blogs from every game with Gazette columnist Mike Boone.
The Puckcast
Weekly commentary and inside info about the Canadiens straight from the Gazette's experts.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Follow Habs Inside/Out on Twitter, featuring live updates from Gazette feature writer Dave Stubbs.The Other Wing
The Other Wing features regular Habs commentary by some bloggers we like.
The Rules
Habs Inside/Out encourages lively debate, but there is a zero-tolerance policy regarding racism, profanity and behaviour that we deem to be offensive. We will, without warning, ban those who do not abide by this simple rule, so as to maximize the enjoyment of readers and participants of both sexes and all ages.
Habs Inside/Out main RSS feed
Mike Boone's RSS feed
PuckCast RSS feed
Other Wing RSS feed
Site concept and design by User Generation
Most Commented
Most commented posts from the last 7 days:
Resources
Player info: League info:Habs Inside/Out: Absolutely everything about the Montreal Canadiens For editorial inquiries, contact Gazette sports editor Stu Cowan (scowan@thegazette.canwest.com). For advertising inquiries, please contact your Gazette sales representative (gazadv@thegazette.canwest.com). ©2008 The Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Terms and Conditions Privacy Statement
This would be STUPID. Desjardins is not ready and Sanford is very average. We traded Huet too soon and for nothing. Have we not learned? These days you need two solid goalies.
"My face is my mask," Gump Worsley
how did we trade huet too soon?
lol yeah, he was traded on the deadline. I think he means we shouldn't have traded him at all (ie. playoffs).
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
price went further in the playoffs that season then huet did
and huet was a UFA that wasnt going to resign with montreal
i dont understand this feigned outrage over huet lol
Huet also finished with a better SV%, while not playing behind the #1 team in the conference. Price only had 2 more wins and sank in the second round, sure did us a lot of good...
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
price went further is my point
its so silly in hindsight
i dunno
Let's trade him for Koivu.
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
Only a Canadiens fan would consider Koivu a top 6 forward, especially the way he's playing this year.
A) It was a joke
B) I'm sorry, I thought we were all Canadiens fans here.
D) "Especially the way he's playing this year" Koivu has as many points as Gomez, at 1/3 the salary.
E) O'Byrne is your guy, and you're gonna judge Koivu? Please keep such thoughts to yourself.
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
It's a long one so be warned, but my take on Chris Lee and NHL officiating in general, and what needs to change.
__________________________________________
http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
no way the goal last night is just what could happen to price on a regular bases. he hasnt proven anything in my books. let him win a few games in regular time first. and besides that gainey would only trade for a 7thrd pick and bertuzzi
Lets hope the next hundred years are as good as the last!!!
Seriously though...This is going to happen regardless of when... Carey price has won the job and will be the one to lead us to the promised land. I love Jaro and think he got screwed during the huet era and deserves to have a starting job If we can get a quality forward for him then lets get it done!!!
No one credible is reporting this news, so it's garbage talk!
They call me Shane
What I think is wrong with this!
1st of all, we rarely hear of a trade before it happens.
2nd I don't think a Halak trade will yield anymore than an unproven quality prospect or a pick. (unless the team is desparate)
3rd I have heard Detroit mentioned. They may be desparate enough, but not known for making extremely risky deals. Which, if they gave up a proven top 6 forward, this would be extremely risky for them.
Lastly, we rarely hear of a trade before it happens. This news is likely a year old!
Halak and Laraque to Philly for Scottie Hartnell and Dan Carsillo and a 2nd rd pick. Thats what i heard via, voices in my head. Makes perfect sence. Just like all you guys.
...Trade Halak now would be a similar mistake to letting Huet go too soon
...not wise to do UNLESS Carey Price is presigned
...not wise to take Halak's competition to Price away too soon
...not wise unless We had a comparable goalie in the systen to replace Him ...which I don't believe We have
...the Only Way I would trade Halak is IF there was an overwhelming return for a for-sure gift of a big skilled forward OR a likely top-5 First Round draft pick ...as anything is possible in this crazy cap-world
...but if it's for a mediocre return ...I would be upset
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
again
huet was traded at the deadline
how is this too soon
unless we have different definitions of deadline?
The competition aspect is an EXCELLENT point, I hadn't thought of that.
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
Boy, this is a heart-breaker; more worse if Halak actually traded now for a top-6 forward...
So, who do you think we'll get, an another smurf?
http://www.atdhe.net/ <---in case of emergency...
So maybe, if we do get a top 6 forward (a legit one), we might spend more time in the offensive zone, thus making Sanford or Desjardins adequate for a backup goalie. Maybe.
So here's a scenario to chew on. We trade Halak (Hope it doesn't happen as I love him) and then when Price becomes an RFA, Brian Burke makes a crazy high offer sheet that Bob can't afford to match because of his rampage this past summer. Toronto may not need him, but BB could do it just to screw the Habs. Not likely to happen, I know, but the thought has crossed my mind. What would we do then?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ "This kid is going to win a Stanley Cup one day and hopefully I'll be with him when that happens" - Saku Koivu
Can't do it, he doesn't have his first round picks remember?
Okay so Boston does it.
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
The way I see it, we currently have 4 legitimate "top six" forwards: Cammalleri, Plekanec, Gionta, and Gomez
We have 2 whose potential to be "top six" is quite strong: The Kostitsyns
And we have 3 who might one day become "top six": Pacioretty, D'Agostini, Pouliot.
So from this viewpoint, I think any player we get in return would have to have the potential of the Kostitsyns and come for much less money.
(now if Chicago wanted to unload some of that Patrick Sharp or Dustin Byfuglien on us...well I wouldn't object ;)
I think the article meant a top six forward. Not someone who might one day play that way.
Byfuglien makes me salivate...
THF - Both your posts make perfect sense. Let's see what our kids can do in the next few months.
Plekanec is currently ranked 19th in overall points, with Cammaleri at 28th for the league. Gomez and Gionta don't even register, in fact for Gomez and about the same for Gionta they don't even show up in the top 100 Gomez registers at 174, behind Metropolit who is at 169 and Gionta is at 202 well behind Bergeron who is at 189 and Hamrlik at 194, so really in a way, Top 6 means Top 6, and the top 30 players overall, has names which I doubt none of the teams would be interested in Halak's services, anyway the Habs couldn't afford now to trade Halak, there is no cap space, nor would any teams want any of the ones we would be willing to give up.
So really do we have Top 6 scorers on the team?
"There you go again Jimmy..."
Frankly I'm not so sure that Halak would be more in demand than Biron will be when DiPietro returns. There's nothing wrong with shopping, so long as you don't end up making an impulse buy you later regret :)
Ha... I love Halak, god bless his soul, but he is not a top 6 forward material. Why trade him? I love the guy, he is one of the best backups in the league, he will get only better. And how much power will Habs have when it is known they are "actively" looking to unload Halak? This is so stupid.
correct me if i'm wrong. both price and halak are RFA's after this year, right? i don't think that montreal will be able to lock down both, that is not without dropping a lot of dime. what with allan walsh's tweetling, i think he'll try to maximize the value of halak (looks like he was dropping hints earlier this year), he'll at least ask for what price will ask for, i think. i imagine price will be looking for a contract between 3 to 4 million. that said one of these goalies are gone, gainey's got to know that.
the question is: do you try to get something for one of them now (i say halak got more trade value what with his current contract), or wait until some other team's first three picks.
ur scaring me a bit...i love both our goalies. PRICEY more though but still.....i want them both.
it raises an interesting question doesn't it? Is Halak on his own worth more than a 2nd round pick (which I suspect would be the compensation required for a realistic offer sheet...it's a 2nd rounder for up to $2.6 mil/yr right?) Cause if he isn't, it might behoove us to wait out for an offer sheet and stockpile some picks.
I will be surprised if this situation lingers to come to an offer sheet. Halak will likely demand a trade long before that.
General managers are paid to make smart hockey decisions, but they are also people. Halak has been a good soldier for 3 years now, constantly being shunted down the Habs hierarchy to make room for Price. He feels that he deserves a shot at a #1 job, and it is clear to Gainey, the fans and Halak's camp that that opportunity will not develop in Montreal.
I suspect that come the trade deadline, Halak will have been shipped off for as big a return as Gainey could get for him. Not because trading Halak makes the most sense from a hockey standpoint or business standpoint, but because it is the right thing to do. Many people in here were happy with all the changes this past summer, as it cleared the malcontents out of the Habs dressing room.
Thus far, Halak has been good about a bad situation, but you can bet that his frustration is mounting. If the right opportunity arises for Halak, it is time to let him go.
I would be surprised as well. My suspicion is that Halak will be agressively shopped at the trade deadline.
If this is true, it must mean that Gainey has worked out a longish-term deal with Price. No way he trades Halak without having RFA Price secured.
How many teams have 2 amazing goalies? or even decent goalies? We have to trade Halak if we want another fowrad, but if you ask me, id rather take a good defenceman that can make a pass and actually clear the zone. Every team is in the same boat if there starter goes down, why are people even using that as a reason not to trade him.
i think our current defensive prospects fair better than the offense. matthieu carle didn't look too out of place, and subban is coming along very well. weber? he's got to play more consistent, but he has streit-like tools. i really thought martin made a good decision of playing MAB on the fourth line and using him on the point for the powerplay. injuries has moved bergeron back on D. if we were totally healthy on D, i can't see bergeron playing back there even strength.
we need some extra men up front. poulliot is a wait and see. white is in the revolving door. pyatt shows heart, and i like it, but heart doesn't show on the scorecard. BGL is an expensive detterant.
Markov will be back soon, and Weber and Suban are waiting in the wing - this team needs offense.
Just to vent out my final thoughts regarding last night despite this not being the proper venue (Halak):
I've displayed my disgust with NHL referees since the botched called by Dave Jackson on Michael Ryder 3 years ago during the last game of the season vs. the laffs (anyone remember?) This has been an ongoing conspiracy for quite some time now (the damage inflicted within my house says it all). Now we may add one more jerkoff to the list that already includes the aforementioned Jackson, Tim Peele and Kerry Fraser
------------------------"Let this be a reminder that this organization will not tolerate failure." Dr. Evil
we need a top 6 BIG forward back. NO MORE SMURFS. We'd have to throw someone else in to make it work cap-wise. The move would bring us closer to becoming a contender instead of borderline playoff team if we stay as is
it's in the habns best interesats to lose as many games as possible. squeezing into the playoffa won't make this team better. only worse. finishing in the bottom 5, will get us a high draft pick and the team can then improve and rebuild. I wish hab fans couyld see that. Aren't we tired of squeezing into 8th place only to be eliminated in the 1st round, no improvement, and deja vu every year.
Personally I hope this team loses and losses and loses, until we get the kind of draft picks Pitt, Chicago, Tampa, Bos have gotten. Then and only then will you see a good NHL habs team.
Begone troll ...
Or if you seriously mean that, you have no idea what being a Habs fan is all about.
Trade Halak in December?
- if Price gets a significant injury, then our season is over. The AHL isn't the NHL and Vancouver let Sanford go so they could sign Raycroft. That's not a good omen.
- Halak is more than just a backup as he is also here to push and challenge Price. Without competition, Price may not work as hard.
- the goalie market hasn't been that strong as of late in terms of trading for a tangible asset. I can't see us getting a top six forward for Halak and some spare parts. How many teams are looking for a goalie right now? What other options are out there? (Harding in Minnesota as an example)
- cap space is an issue because you also have to spend money to replace Halak and any roster players that might be going the other way. You don't really save the entire salary of traded players due to the fact that they have to be replaced in the line-up. We also would have to be careful that we're not trading for a guy who is going to leave us next summer.
- players dealt at the trade deadline usually have more value than those who are dealt part way through the year. What's the rush? Some Cup contending teams may lose a goalie to injury in the new year which would also strengthen the market.
- if we trade Halak now, it only gives Price more leverage when he goes to sign his RFA contract this summer. We are royally screwed if he gets an offer sheet and leaves. The goaltending cupboard would be totally bare if we trade Halak and lose Price 6 months later.
teh habs will match just about any offer for price unless it's somethign like 6m+ but in that case mtl would get like 4 first round picks if they didn't match it.
i figure te habs will sign price to a 4year 16m deal
Desjardins has been playing really well this year, he just had a 215 minute shut out streak. Sanford started off better but lately he has been getting scored on quite a lot. I would like to see Desjardins get a chance if the team trades Halak.
I think the Habs would fair better if they trade Halak for a draft pick than a player.
You make some excellent points Steve. I particularly agree with your first one. Some posters have stated that trading Halak is the same as giving a vote of confidence to Price, and that this would help his game. But I agree with you that Price needs to be pushed. He seems to thrive on the competition with Halak. Take him out for a game or two, and he comes back more focused than ever.
What's the rush?
We cannot score. It is pathetic. Martin's system looks stifling on some nights and not so on others (41 shots on goal vs Pens). We need to open it up a little and let the horses run. But we need scoring more than we need a goaltender who sits out 75% of the games we play.
I agree, we aint gonna get no top 6 forward for Halak, nor can we afford one without moving someone else, but packaged right, we can aquire a scorer of some kind.
And, like I said, Halak pushing Price isnt working. Without a quality backup option, Price may finally respond.
sj - Good point. For me, the question is do we wait for SK74 or MaxPac to step up and take on that top six role, or do we play the Halak card at this early point of the season? If we do, then we won't have it down the road when we might need it even more.
all good points steve..its still good management to explore it...its likely just games someone is playing.
Halak is more than just a backup as he is also here to push and challenge Price. Without competition, Price may not work as hard.
The fact that his contract is up at the end of the season should give him enough incentive to play well, no? Case in point, Tomas Plekanec.
C - but that's really my point. The presence of Halak should push Price to work harder. If Halak leaves, then Price knows full well the Habs have their back against the wall in terms of a new contract. There may not have to be any incentive if you know that you're holding all the cards.
I'm not saying that Price would ever think like this - it's more a case of competition is healthy for all the parties that are involved. I can see Halak being traded at some point in time, but the question is when is that timing most advantageous?
This was a post I made on a previous thread but it got buried under 100 other comments so I'm makin' it again!
Halak's worth SHOULD be irrelevent until Price is signed long-term. That MUST take priority before any trade baiting can take place. What if Price doesn't like it in Montreal and wants to play elsewhere? Or, what if he wants too much money? Halak may not have as much potential as Price, but he's certainly up to the job of being someone's #1 goaltender. That fact alone should give the Canadiens some negotiating power with Price(on what his raise will be) and with other teams for what we can get for him.
This is where they have to start thinking ahead about salary cap space, which the habs are unfortunately extremely short on.
How much do you offer Price as an RFA? His cap hit right now according to this site http://www.nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=MTL&season=0910 is 2.2 mil. Stats .914% and 2.71 GAA.
Tuuka Rask has .932 save % and 1.97 GAA with a 3.25 mil cap hit. When Cristobal Huet got offered 5 mil on the open market, he had similar numbers to Price this season. Pascale Leclaire is getting 3.8 mil and Fleury is getting 5 mil. Rask, Leclaire and Fleury are mentioned because they're all guys in their 20s. Lundqvist is 27 making close to 7 mil. Bryzgalov who was claimed off WAIVERS is making 4mil+.
Price is an RFA but we still have to offer him something. Who knows what they might give him in arbitration?
All I'm saying is there are a lot of scary numbers out there floating around for goalies close to Carey in age and stats.
On top of that Gainey has to consider how to afford Plekanec, Bergeron (who we may want to keep for next season), Metropolit and a few other RFAs.
So if they trade Halak for something, we may be way over the cap limit when Markov gets back and we'll have no way to keep what we get when June rolls around. A trade right now would be disastrous in 6 months unless we unload some $$$
It's so ridiculous...everyone is potential trade bait given the right trade - to say that Halak is available for a top 6 forward is not news - Carey Price is also available for the right trade as is every single NHL player in the game...report trades after they happen, not obvious speculation...
DD...
agreed..well said.
indeed.... if 99 can be traded anyone can
If a deal was struck it would be logical in that Halak is our best trade bait. But this will not be a one for one deal beacuse of the cap implications. I can see Halak, along with Lapierre or Dags and Mara for three players : a backup goalie, a power forward and a 5/6 D man.
"If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." (anon)
Flyers are desparate for a goalie.
Claude Giroux $850k wouldnt be too bad. James van Riemsdyk would be a steal but pretty far-fetched.
Personally, I don't like those Montreal medias, spreading those rumors to gain viewership. It is going to negatively affect Halak and the team. Remember Plekanec's name was constantly involved in the trade rumors last year.
without the interest of the cap hit (which could be easily solved by not having any spares :P ask the calgary flames last year).
i'll play with who we can get with the aforementioned wings and blues
Wings:
leino, flippula, williams, dan cleary (they don't have much depth anymore). all of which suck or injured this year. cleary seems the best out of the bunch
prospects: abdelkader, landon ferraro, and tomas tatar (for forwards)
Blues: (they don't need a goalie...conklin and mason are doing really well so ??? but anyways)
perron, backes, berglund (6'3 C), kariya, boyes, macdonald, oshie
prospects: lars eller and aaro palushaj (i know nothing of these guys)
verdict, the blues have more top 6 scoring depth available...it looks to me as backes, boyes and macdonald would be off the list..possibly perron too...so berglund oshie and kariya could be in play...oshie is too small (or just right?) for us...berglund would be my pick...but if it's a salary dump...then we could end up with kariya, whom i loved in the late 90s and early 2000s, but he's no longer the same player.
- let's make it a triple crown: Impacts, Alouettes and now the Canadiens!
I'm trying to think of the teams that need goalies...
Philly - Briere, Gagne.
Ottawa - Kovalev
Toronto - ???
Detroit - ???
Edmonton - ???
LA - Frolov
Atlanta - Kovalchuk (right!)
I can only see Philly as having a surplus in top six forwards. I can't see a lot of potential here.
from philly if there's one player i'd like to have...it's scott hartnell...i hate it when we play against him and i hate his hair...the guy is a bonafide wreckingball out there...plays hard and can score. i'd trade halak and a 2nd for hartnell
- let's make it a triple crown: Impacts, Alouettes and now the Canadiens!
agree on hartnell..hate that guy but love to have him........a monster.
Going by how much a player iritates the crap out of me when we play against them, Hartnell always seems to be in our face. I don't know what his stats are though. Is a 25 goal or better guy?
he had a career high 30 last year and is on pace for 25 again this year...he mostly averages around 25.
- let's make it a triple crown: Impacts, Alouettes and now the Canadiens!
Hartnell makes $4.2M. We would have to move BGL (Philly loves thugs) and Laps or maybe AK46.
move laraque, and mara or just send mara through waivers...i like him, he's a good leader, but him and laraque open up 3 million in cap space...there's only 1.2 million to make up and there's the certain percentage we can be over the cap too that can help us out...shave off another 600k somewhere and we should be fine.
edit: halak makes .775 million so add that to the 3 million we clear from moving the aforementioned...we're in the game for hartnell
- let's make it a triple crown: Impacts, Alouettes and now the Canadiens!
likehoy, GMs don't waive players they just signed as a free agent unless something drastic happens. If you think it's tough now to sign UFAs, wait until Gainey pulls something like that.
Isn't it a little bit dubious given that the only La Presse article talking about trading Halak is in fact an opinion piece against trading him. Labbe mentions in the piece that teams are interested in Halak. But aren't good teams just interested in about every good player in the entire league?
I think the report makes sense and that's why it's floated, but the basis for the source is in severe doubt. This is an Eklund-type job. Which, I should say, is not entirely foreign to Sportsnet.
Nonsense, It is hard to get real news anymore, this is someones fantasy with a pen stuff. If Price goes down without Halak on the roster, our season is finished.!
Wise words Ian.
The Habs let go of Streit, Souray, and then Schneider assuming they could just replace their Power Play rocket launcher. I guess they did manage to do it again with MAB, but finding a really good back-up goalie is harder. There almost seems to be an arrogance that they can just make another Halak. Of course the other issue is cap space and the lack of it to sign our FA's. And you know why that is....
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
The team currently has two of the best goalies in the AHL... Perhaps where their "arrogance" comes from.
Fair point. Let's hope they do okay in the bigs.
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
you have a crush on gomer.
He's a closet gomosexual, not that there's anything wrong with that.
*apologies to Seinfeld*
lol.
You guys crack me up.
Did you see the shot I took at last nights game?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robswick/4176709994/
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
Seems to me our season was finished from the 1st game. At least from anything special happening. by that, I mean a real chance at a deep playoff run.
Thats the problem with having a GM like Gainey, who thinks cause he's got a talented horse in nets that he can squander all the money on trying to buy top 6 forwards only to be able to buy expensive second liners and pay them as top 6, with the exception of Camalleri. Maybe its time Montreal got rid of its goalies and concentrated on building a real hockey team. Don't destroy the team to build around Carey Price, cause in the history of hockey that has not worked. Look at Boston trying to build around Cheevers, or Chicago around Espisito, those franchises never got anywhere. You would think Gainey who was playing on the ice around that time would remember, but no, he has to learn the hard way. And around the centennial celebration too, which is a waste for any team, wasting a 100 year legacy on a washed up AHL goalie who didn't pan out in the NHL, or am I premature in writing the epitah on Price's Habs history? Batting just over .500 for a quarter of the season is not the mark of a number 1 goalie, or the mark of a top 6 goalie, in fact it should be the mark for sending the goalie down to the minors and letting the contract run out like many Habs goalies who didn't clear the cut. The only thing is in Montreal cause everyone kisses you know who's butt, they think Price is the thoroughbred horse....
nunacandien: Even though you confuse the hell out of me I must say, like the poster below, I find your comments very, er, entertaining. And, like Timo and his constant negativity, I always read your posts. Although, in your case, I must admit I read them 3 or 4 times just to make sure I've actually read what I think I have. Anyway, cheers man.
GO HABS...
i would rather have a horse in nets..lol.
Wow..what is the matter with you ?
Price, an AHL goalie...pass the doobie man.. This is the same Carey Price with a .914 save pct ( for comparison, Olympian Roberto Luongo has a .915) ? Wow.
lol, I love your posts, keep them coming. Very entertaining.
perhaps habs could trade him for a competent ref.
Halak to Minnesota for Guillaume Latendresse! He is cheap and will be one of the league's best power forwards for many years to come.
"A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries." -Mario Lemieux on his off-season training.
Why trade Halak for someone who was a total stiff the entire time he was in Montreal? He'll never be a star in the NHL, only in your dreams.
Ouuhh this is making me nervous..I think we should wait until the end of the season, not now!
----- AMEN to the JM SYSTEM!!! go habs go -----
Everything about this rumour actually makes pretty good sense.
First: A backup goalie -- no matter who he is -- is a luxury, especially on a team that has trouble generating offensive chances. Come playoffs (if they make it) the number one goalie plays every game...period. If Halak (likely packaged with d-man or perennial farmhand) can return a decent scoring forward, well, heck yeah you do this deal.
Second: By letting this piece of news slip out, BG (giving him too much credit?) might be employing some crafty "pull" advertising, rather than "push," which would mean lighting up the phones asking every GM, "Does anyone want Halak?"
Third: Moving Halak means the backup option is a scary place to go. No more controversy about who is number one. Price was giving the chance to win the job and maybe didnt flourish in that environment. Perhaps Pricey will respond better with the organisation giving him this ultimate vote of confidence: "You're the man cuz we traded the other man." When the 'puck stops here' some players respond accordingly.
I like it. Halak, no matter how talented he is, struts his stuff every 5 or 6 games on average. If we can get an everyday scoring forward for him...you betcha!