This article is for the fans who always complain about Habs GM Bob Gainey.
These fans always complain. No matter what Gainey does,they complain. Why do they complain? Do they actually think that they could’ve convinced Vincent Lecavalier, Francois Beauchemin or Marian Hossa to play with the Habs?
If you ask them,Gainey didn’t even try to get any of these superstars to sign with the Habs. For these fans, Montreal is the only team who can have top players and it’s the only team allowed to sign free agents.
Have you ever thought that maybe just maybe they don’t want to play here?
Grow up!
What’s going to change in your life that Beauchemin didn’t sign with Montreal? Or that Lecavalier won’t be wearing the Bleu,Blanc,Rouge?
Is it the end of the world that Gainey didn’t give a contract to Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev?
So stop acting like you know everything that’s going on in the organization and for god’s sake stop complaining. The season hasn’t even started!
A lot happened with the Montreal Canadiens since July 1st. New players came in the organization,while other players to who we cheered night after night in front of our television sets or at the Bell Centre went to other teams.
Here are two players that will be missed the most by the fans of the Montreal Canadiens.
Saku Koivu, our beloved former team captain became a Duck. But the fans won’t be hunting him the next time the Ducks play in Montreal. Like one of my friends told me yesterday “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this..but I’m gonna miss him. Someone will be missing on opening night at the Bell Center…”
I’m sure he’ll be missed by many fans in Montreal. The media often criticized him for not speaking French,but Koivu held his head up high and gave it his best while playing in Montreal.
While with the Canadiens, Koivu suffered from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and many injuries, but he always came back.
“The Artist” Alexei Kovalev became a Senator. No, you won’t see Kovalev at the Parliament in Ottawa in a heated debate with other politicians. But you’ll see him with the Ottawa Senators. Just like Koivu, fans in Montreal like him…Ok let me rephrase that. Some fans like him, but he won’t be booed the next time he comes at the Bell Centre that I can tell you.
Kovalev’s fans held a protest when Habs GM Bob Gainey refused to give Kovalev a new contract. There was even a petition going around online.
Gainey didn’t change his mind. He stated that Kovalev was offered a contract,but never heard from him. Kovalev on the other hand stated that the Habs didn’t give him enough time.
With a new head coach and new players in the team will the Montreal Canadiens be a better team?
We’ll soon find out!
On a personal note,I want to say thanks to Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev for their many years with the Montreal Canadiens.
After spending five years with the Montreal Canadiens Alex Kovalev signed a two-year contract with the Ottawa Senators.
No details on how much he signed for.
In 1151 career games, Kovalev has 394 goals and 547 assists. He played twice in the NHL All-Star game. He was named the game’s MVP this past year in Montreal.
For all you Alex Kovalev fans out there who wanted Habs GM Bob Gainey to make a new offer to “The Artist”, that won’t be happening.
Even with the protest that was held by Kovalev fans outside the Bell Centre, Gainey is not changing his mind.
This morning spoke to Montreal radio station CJAD on Monday where he restated the comments he made last week about Kovalev not coming back with the Montreal Canadiens. They made him an offer last week but he took too long to consider the deal.
“We hadn’t agreed on the amount, but another player was willing to come and join our team,” Gainey told the radio station. “So the dollars that we had allotted there for a particular position were grabbed up by another player.”
Kovalev spent five years in Montreal. He was traded from the NY Rangers for for Josef Balej and a second round draft pick.
His best season with the Habs was in 2007-08 when he scored 35 goals and 49 assists.
In a previous post I mentioned that it’s unlikely kovalev will be back with the Montreal Canadiens.
It is believed that the Habs offered him a two-year offer, believed to be in between $8.5 million to $9 million per season.
But with the signings Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta,pulled kovalev’s offer of the table.
Earlier today it was rumored that both sides would meet for a new deal,but Scott Greenspun who’s Kovalev’s agent stated that the Canadiens are no longer in the running.
He does have several offers, but it’s likely he’ll take a few days to examine them.
With his chance of signing with the Canadiens gone,two teams appearently are talking with Kovalev.
The Los Angeles Kings and the Washington Capitals are the two teams that are considering to give him a contract.
The Avangard team from the KHL made him an offer.
Habs GM Bob Gainey made some major changes. He didn’t offer a contract to any of the players in Montreal.
It’s safe to say the Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay are gone. What about Alex Kovalev? Is there room for him on the team? We’ll see what Gainey or for that matter Kovalev decide to do.
On thing’s for sure, the 2009-2110 edition of the Montreal Canadiens have a lot to prove.
Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey has just met with the Montreal media at the team’s Brossard training facility to discuss his team’s entirely new face. He said his work this free-agency season is “probably done.”
There are conversations ongoing, though not in any hurry, with Alex Kovalev. Colour Alex Tanguay gone. Ditto long-time captain Saku Koivu.
En français, Gainey said he was trying to find talent, not necessarily size, and feels he has achieved that.
He said the neither Kovalev nor Mike Komisarek exchanged contract numbers, hence Gainey’s immediate pursuit of other players.
Gainey added that chemistry played a role in his acquisitions, which is part of the reason why Brian Gionta was brought in to play with Scott Gomez and Mike Cammilleri; Tanguay wasn’t seen to be the solution there.
There was discussion about the new captain, so we’ve seen the last of Koivu in a Canadiens jersey. Gainey said head coach Jacques Martin will be in town next week and the captaincy issue will be talked about then.
source: habsinsideout.com
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