The Canadiens will look within for success down the stretch.
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Three weeks after taking over as the Canadiens’ general manager, Pierre Gauthier has proven to be a man of his word.
He noted that day that the team needed to be “mindful” heading into the trade deadline. And he was. Gauthier made one swap in his NHL D-day debut with the Habs, sending Matt D’Agostini to St. Louis in exchange for prospect Aaron Palushaj. The move came just a few hours after the big win over the Bruins.
As his counterparts tossed around players and picks, he knew a big splash wasn’t what his team needed on this day. After all, with so much change last summer and so many injuries this year, the full roster has barely had a chance to show what it can accomplish.
“Our plan was to keep the team intact as much as possible,” Gauthier said via conference call from Boston. “We’ve basically had two and a third games with a full lineup throughout the season, which is quite unusual. We’re still like a new team and we want to keep developing our chemistry.
“That’s how we can make the playoffs – keep building from within rather than make more changes.”
The most discussed potential change heading into Wednesday’s 3 PM deadline was in goal, easily the team’s greatest strength. Gauthier had said upon his promotion that he didn’t foresee dealing either one of Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak. But with both still young and eager to be the go-to guy between the pipes, general wonderment was if that would hold true.
It did.
“These two young goaltenders are very good and have been strong parts of this team this year, in an injury-riddled season,” he noted. “Our best chance to make the playoffs is to keep both guys that give us a chance to win every night.”
For players, Deadline Day is a tough one. Whether or not their names are regularly bandied about in trade rumours, the possibility of being dealt always exists. In keeping the roster together, Canadiens players have confirmation that what happens down the stretch is up to them.
“The message today is the same (as a few weeks ago). We expect the team, especially after a strong game yesterday, to feel good about the fact that they can go forward and build as a group,” said Gauthier, who had Assistant GM Julien BriseBois and head coach Jacques Martin by his side throughout the day.
Among that group is one player of a just a few who have grown up within the organization: Tomas Plekanec. His contract status has been a hot topic over the course of the season, and even more so since the new year. With fans used to former GM Bob Gainey typically only delving into negotiations at season’s end, they got some good news on Wednesday.
“We’re satisfied with where we are in the discussions, both on our end and on Tomas’ end. There’s definite interest on both sides to get a deal done,” he affirmed.
He’s kept his word so far. Habs fans certainly would love to see it continue on that front as well.
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