Down the Middle

We could go after a guy like Mike Cammalleri who can play both down the middle and on the wing, but he’s coming off of a career year and will be looking to break somebody’s bank. With the cap probably coming down in 2010-2011, I’d be hesitant to over pay this guy.

In terms of other UFA centers, there’s not a ton of choice. Mike Comrie? Brendan Morrison? Nik Antropov? We need a first-line center. We either re-sign Koivu or we make a trade.

The big name horse is, of course, Lecavalier. He’s big, strong, a goal-scorer, and I think he might even be from somewhere around here. Great player. Huge contract. This would be a massive salary to take on and we’d also have to give up some good players for him. A combination of a forward, defensemen, prospect and a pick? No way we trade Markov.
The Lightning ownership can’t afford Vinny. But they can’t afford to lose fans if they trade away there most popular player. It would be risky for both teams.It would also be pricey for the Habs and would define the Canadiens for years to come.
Who else might be available?

Daniel Brière? Philly would love to unload his contract (he gets paid $8 million in 09/10, although it’s only a hit of $6.5). They’re tight for cap space and it’s debatable if the Flyers are actually a better team without him. His injuries from last year make him an unsafe commodity and the fact the he spurned the Habs so recently won’t endear him to Montreal fans.

Boston has a glut of quality centers (Savard, Krejci, Kessel, Bergeron, Yelle) but forget about making a deal with the rival Bruins. The Sharks might want to shake things up and trade Patrick Marleau… but we might not have the goods they’re looking for. If the Flames could go after Heatley, they may want to shed some salary by trading Olli Jokinen.

Right now, we’ve got Tomas Plekanec – who is a restricted free-agent – Max Lapierre, Glen Metropolit, and Kyle Chipchura. Lapierre definitely has the most going for him, Pleks should bounce back from last year’s suck-fest, Metropolit will make a good 4th/5th center, and Chipper (who’s also RFA) has got to finally step up and prove himself as NHL-worthy.
I’d also be willing to bring back Robert Lang but it’d have to be for less than the $4 million he made last year. And again, he’d provide 2nd of 3rd line depth, not be a first-liner.

Koivu. Plekanec. Lang. Lapierre. Metropolit. Chipchura.
Six centers and four spots? Seems like something has to give, doesn’t it?

Don’t be surprised if Gainey inks Koivu out of necessity, lets the 38 year-old Lang walk and trades Glen Metropolit. Bob might come to the realization that it’ll be easier to bolster his roster on the wings this summer instead of by beefing up down the middle.