Habs Notebook: Draft Week Edition

A few thoughts on this week's happenings:

-Lots of people want Andrei Kostitsyn traded because he's not got the smarts to go with his skills. I honestly wonder if there's something developmentally wrong with him. No joke. He was born fourteen months before the Chernobyl reactor blew, and sixty percent of the fallout from the explosion fell on Belarus. Considering that the Kostitsyns grew up in a city built around a bunch of chemical factories, recognized as THE most polluted city in one of the most polluted countries in Europe, Chernobyl was just the topper. Could there be a chance that Andrei Kostitsyn is a Chernobyl child, with all the fallout issues they face?

-Speaking of Kostitsyn, those who want him traded want to get a big, scoring winger in return. Unfortunately, Kostitsyn's not going to bring that much in a trade. If you consider he's able to pot 20-plus goals when he's asleep for half the season, Kostitsyn definitely has talent. It's the sleeping part that annoys Habs fans and will turn other GMs off in trade talks. Nobody's going to give up their big, 30-goal winger for a big, 25-goal winger with consistency issues, and there's no sense in trading down. The other possibility is to dump his contract for a pick and use the money to sign a guy like Colby Armstrong. Armstrong is probably worth twenty points less than Kostitsyn, but he'll go to the net and hit people. There's no question about his will to win, but again, it would be a downgrade from Kostitsyn in pure talent.

-I really hope Carey Price has a sports psychologist on retainer for this season. No matter what his physical gifts may be, he's proven himself to be a bit of a headcase. He needs to learn not to flip out when he gets booed (fairly or not) and to get past bad goals and bad games without glaring at his defencemen, breaking his stick or taking unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. He's very sensitive, and unless he can control that, he won't be long for Montreal. The problem is, the Canadiens now NEED him to get it together or they'll have traded Halak for nothing.

-There's lots of concern out there about the Habs being too small down the middle for too long a time now that Plekanec's locked up. The biggest evidence is the three shutouts against the Flyers in the playoffs. I think that theory is misleading because Gionta and Cammalleri were able to score, despite their size. The big guys, Pouliot and Kostitsyn, were the ones who didn't produce. Gomez and Plekanec contributed in other ways, and helped set up their small linemates. The other two did nothing. As far as I can see, the wings are a much bigger problem than the centres on the first two lines. Sigh. Remember when Pouliot used to score?

-The cap is very, very tight right now. There's only $8.8 million left for eight players, including a backup goalie. I think it's safe to say Gauthier isn't done moving pieces around just yet. With PK Subban ready to make the team, getting rid of the last year of Hamrlik's deal would make the most sense. It's also going to be the toughest thing to move. If he had better offensive numbers, it'd be easier, but that's not the case. It's probably safe to say Sergei Kostitsyn will be gone for a late pick and a few dollars saved by bringing up a kid from Hamilton (maybe Trotter...hopefully not Maxwell) to fill his job. Still, that's not going to save much money so it'll be interesting to see how Gauthier works the trade market for the rest of this week.

-With Darche signed to a one-way deal, it looks like he'll be the 13th forward. Assuming Pouliot gets qualified and Kostitsyn won't be traded, that means the top-six will be the same as last year. It also means there will be only the six bottom-six forward spots open for newcomers. Moen's already got one of those spots, so that leaves Moore, Pyatt, White, Lapierre, Eller, Maxwell, Trotter, Pacioretty, Sergei Kostitsyn and Desharnais as possible candidates for the other five positions. With so much internal competition and so little money, I think Gauthier won't be signing any new free agents of note unless he can dump considerable salary.

-The draft is also really up in the air for the Canadiens. They have many needs, but are in line for another "project" pick. There are a couple of interesting possibilities, though. Dylan McIlrath is the guy a lot of Habs fans would like to get. He's a huge, tough defenceman who's pretty good in a stay-at-home role and has untapped offensive potential. He can also pound the snot out of guys. If he's available at #27, he'd be a good pick. If he's not and the Habs go for a forward, Tyler Pitlick (great name!) and John McFarland are a couple of centres with size and potential. The knock on McFarland is his low goal total in junior, and there's a question about his dedication in some circles, which is shouted down in others. Pitlick is from Minnesota, so he's a Timmins natural, as is Brock Nelson, a third possible choice if the Habs go with a big centre. Then there's the Kabanov question. Kirill Kabanov has top-five talent, but because of the "Russian factor" and some concerns about his headspace generally, has fallen sharply down the draft ranks. I'd think the Canadiens will at least consider him if he's available when they pick, although they may have finally been burned enough by Russians to bypass him despite his talent. Habs will need a goalie too, but will probably take one in the later rounds. Calvin Pickard could be available when the Habs choose, but I can't see them spending their first on a goaltender who could challenge Price within a couple of years.

-Speaking of Price, his contract is still up in the air. It doesn't make a lot of sense for Gauthier to have traded Halak with Price still unsigned. The goalie didn't have a lot of negotiating power with competition around, but now he's in the drivers' seat. Gauthier needs to sign him to keep him away from offer sheets, but based on last year's stats, the contract didn't need to be high before Halak got dealt. Price could have been qualified on his base salary of $895-thousand. Now that number will most likely shoot up.

-In terms of team structure, I'd like to see a change from the traditional "top-two lines/third line/barely used mishmash of a fourth line" set-up Martin used last year. Since the first and second lines will be likely the same as last year's, I'd like to see a very good defensive third line which will take some of the PK duties off Plekanec, Gomez and Gionta. I really liked the Moore/Pyatt/Lapierre line in the playoffs and wouldn't mind seeing it used full-time as the third line. If Moore can't be re-signed, perhaps Moen or White could take the empty spot with Lapierre moving to centre. What I'd like to see for the fourth line is three promising youngsters who complement each other. Maybe Eller, Trotter and Desharnais. I remember when White, Trotter and Desharnais got a start together last year when half the regulars were hurt, and they were on fire. I think giving them some ice time with other players at the same level could help them all develop in the NHL, and if it works, it gives the team a very nice option of having three scoring lines. It's a nice thought, although it would mean dumping Moen if Moore's back, so it probably wouldn't happen. Too bad.

-People are worried about Plekanec's no-trade clause. I think there's no need to be concerned. He's the type of guy who, if the GM came to him and said "You're not what we need anymore," would waive the no-trade because he wouldn't want to stay if they don't want him. I think he's got the clause because it gives him peace of mind. Now, when he hears his name in trade rumours, he knows it's BS. And, if there should be a deal to a crappy team requiring him to waive his NTC, he can decline and wait to go to a better team. Overall though, if it came down to getting stuck with an unproductive Plekanec or asking him to waive his NTC, I think he'd just agree to go.