Habs sign Pacioretty to three-year deal

From the Montreal Gazette:

Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey announced today the signing of forward Max Pacioretty to a three-year contract (2008-09 to 2010-11). As per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Max Pacioretty is a young player with a lot of skills who has the potential to play in the NHL. We are very happy to have him under contract for years to come. We feel he is ready to make the jump to professional hockey, and we will make sure to provide him with all the resources which will benefit his long-term development as a player,’’ said Bob Gainey.

Read more from Habs Inside/Out here.

Pacioretty sure impressed the Habs brass at the team's recent summer camp. If he really impresses at training camp, it wouldn't be a shock if he started the season off with the big club.

Habs still have money for Sundin

From Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette:

While the terms of the pact were not revealed, the deal leaves the Canadiens with more than $7 million to pay Sundin if he decides that he wishes to continue his career in Montreal.

Read the entire story here.

If the Habs do add Sundin to their squad, they would have to be considered the Eastern Conference favorite heading into next season.

Ryan O'Byrne re-signs with Habs

From Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette:

Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey announced today the signing of defenseman Ryan O’Byrne to a three-year contract (2008-09 to 2010-11). As per club policy, financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Ryan acquired a great deal of NHL experience last season. He is part of our young core of defencemen and certainly has the potential of becoming a very good NHL player. He is big, intense and his physical play are important assets for our team,’’ said Bob Gainey.

Read more from Habs Inside/Out here.

O'Byrne's size is an important asset on a team like Montreal which lacks size and physical play. The young defenseman has room to improve and should eventually slot into a top-four role on Les Habitants.

Top four winners so far this off-season

I realize it is only three days into the free agent process, however, there has been an incredible amount of activity the past few days. Therefore, I think it is time to compile a list of the four winners since the off-season began:

Winners

1. Detroit Red Wings: Well this is easy. The Red Wings were able to re-sign Brad Stuart to a four-year contract and then pen Marian Hossa to a one-year deal at $7.4 million. More importantly, the Wings didn't lose anyone off their 2008 Stanley Cup roster. The best team in the entire NHL got substantially better without giving anything up. With the roster the team has lined up for next season, they will be even more overwhelming favorites than they were this past season. What does Ken Holland eat for breakfast in the morning? I'd love to know.

2. San Jose Sharks: The past few seasons, the Sharks have been loaded at forward; unfortunately, the team has been lacking the necessary defensive corps to take the next step. Well, that is no longer an issue for Bay Area fans. The Sharks' back-end is now comprised of Dan Boyle, Marc-Eduard Vlasic, Rob Blake, Christian Ehrhoff, Kyle McLaren, Doug Murray and Brad Lukowich (Craig Rivet was traded as this was written). That is a terrific blend of finesse and toughness. The additions of Boyle and Blake cannot be underestimated. Maybe the most important fact of all is that both players have won the Stanley Cup.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets: Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson has done a great job of molding his team and establishing organizational credibility throughout the NHL. By signing Mike Commodore and trading for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman, the Jackets were able to solidify their defense going into next season. Additionally, the team was able to replace the scoring void left by Nikolai Zherdev by quickly signing Kristian Huselius. With these trades, the Jackets are demonstrating their intention of building from the net out. That is a perfect strategy with Ken Hitchcock at the helm. More importantly for Jackets fans is that Howson has signed or acquired players with 3/4 year deals; thus, not handicapping himself down the line when prospects Derrick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, etc. come up for their second contracts.

4. Montreal Canadiens: This may same like a strange team to include on this list but bear with me for a second. The Habs haven't done anything stupid this off-season, in fact, they have actually improved their roster. While they lost Mark Streit to the Islanders, the Habs would have been more foolish had they actually paid Streit that type of money (5yr, $20.5 million). The Habs only really need to replace Streit on the power play, and with Kirk Muller continuing to guide the team with the man-advantage and Andrei Markov playing the point that shouldn't be a big concern. Additionally, the Habs have become more talented up-front with the addition of tremendous passer Alex Tanguay. As well, the team added much needed muscle on the fourth line by signing the hulking Georges Laraque to a three-year contract. Finally, the team signed Andrei Kostitsyn to one of the more reasonable three-year contract extensions I've seen in a while (3yr, $9.75 million). Good work by Bob Gainey and Company.

Honorable mention:
New Jersey Devils

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers: Special Post-Draft Edition

Here are the morning papers from the Northeast Division:

• Mats Sundin's days as a Maple Leaf are over, writes Damien Cox. Meanwhile, the Leafs were hoping to start a new chapter last night with the selection of Luke Schenn.
• Friday was a busy day for Bob Gainey, as he acquired Alex Tanguay from the Flames and word came out that he is negotiating a deal with Mats Sundin; Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has all the details.
• Erik Karlsson was ecstatic to become a Senator last night, writes Bruce Garrioch. In other Sens news, see you later Ray Emery.
• The Bruins selected Joe Colborne last night, whose game has been compared to former Bruin Joe Thornton. If the Bruins want to make a big splash on the free agent market, they will need some cap space, writes Fluto Shinwaza.
• The Sabres are hoping Tyler Myers can live up to the Zdeno Chara comparisons.

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Monday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the Western Conference playoff match ups:

Detroit versus Nashville:

• Nicklas Lidstrom used his old slapshot trick from 2002 to lead Detroit into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now that the Red Wings defeated the Predators in the first round they can breathe a big sigh of relief, writes Drew Sharp. Chris Osgood is heading into the Red Wings' next series versus either Colorado/Calgary as the team's starter.
• The Predators' storybook season came to an end yesterday afternoon, writes John Glennon. Jason Arnott sat out the Predators' final two games with a concussion he received on a celebratory hit from teammate Alexander Radulov. Even though they were defeated, the Predators sure impressed the Red Wings.

San Jose versus Calgary:

• After last night's performance, it is fair to say the Sharks left their game in San Jose, opines Mark Purdy. The Flames were desperate and the Sharks were not, it is that simple, writes David Pollak. Jeremy Roenick took the news that he was benched last night like a pro.
• The Flames were the dominant team last night, writes Scott Cruickshank. As George Johnson writes, the Sharks themselves admitted that they weren't competing at necessary levels. Bruce Dowbiggen wonders if Mike Keenan can win Game 7 against the Sharks? Give Kristian Huselius credit, he answered the bell.

Minnesota versus Colorado:

• The Wild is going to look a lot different at training camp than the team does now, writes Michael Russo. Jim Souhan thinks it would be foolish for the Wild to trade Marian Gaborik. Sid Hartman provides readers with GM Doug Risebrough's thoughts on the Wild's season.
• The Avalanche's disciplined game was one of the main reasons the team is playing in Round 2. If the Avs want to keep advancing, they will need Jose Theodore to continue playing at this elite level.

Anaheim versus Dallas:

• Dallas was the better team in the Ducks' six-game defeat, writes Dan Wood. It is no surprise what cost the Ducks the game in the third period last night, writes Helene Elliot. The Anaheim players were very impressed with the play of Stephane Robidas.
• The Stars ended their three-game power play drought at just the right time last night. The Stars did this all with three rookies on defense, writes Mike Heika. Stephane Robidas was the best defenseman in the series. Meanwhile, Mike Ribiero is thankful Bob Gainey traded to him to an organization like Dallas.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Tuesday Editorial: Sometimes the best moves are the ones you do not make

Often times, after the trade deadline has passed, hockey websites will compile a list of “winners” and “losers.” These listings generally involve teams that were active at the trade deadline. While I have no problem with these articles (as they are generally a good read), I always find myself wondering why other general managers, who decided not to pull the trigger, are excluded from the “winners” section. The odd time, teams are criticized for not doing enough and are, therefore, cast as “losers” post trade deadline. On the other hand, you rarely, if ever, see a team cast as a “winner” after doing hardly anything come deadline time.

We do not have to look far for an example of this phenomenon. Last season, Ducks GM Brian Burke decided to add checking forward Brad May at the trade deadline and that was it. He did not acquire a go-to scorer, or another top tier defenseman; instead, he liked his current roster and decided to add a character player such as May as a depth forward. In hindsight, this was a terrific move. Not only did Burke not mortgage the future for a quick fix, but he did not mortgage the future and still went on to win the Stanley Cup. That being said, you did not see any commentator say after last season’s trade deadline that Brian Burke was a “winner.” Though it may seem surprising, sometimes the best move is to do little, if anything, when it comes to player movement.

That brings us to the 2007/08 trade deadline. After the February 26th deadline passed, many were quick to criticize Bob Gainey for not bringing aboard another go-to scorer, and for dealing off his veteran netminder Cristobal Huet. Fans and commentators alike believed that Gainey subtracted from his roster and handcuffed his team’s chances come playoff time. While the playoffs have yet to be played, the Habs have already become one of the first teams to qualify for the big dance. Furthermore, the Habs are currently the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Is that success attributed to a deadline acquisition like Brad Richards or Marian Hossa? I did not think so. Rather, that success should be attributed to Montreal’s both experienced and youthful roster; a roster that has not seen much change over the course of the season.

It says here that It is about time that Gainey receive some credit for not being active at the trade deadline. His trust in his young players, including but not limited to Carey Price, should be commended. Sometimes the best move is to trust your team, its chemistry and its ability to grow as the season moves along. Gainey’s work proves that you don’t always have to be active to be a “winner.”

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.