Roping in some Habs reflections and predictions

Just tightening up the noose on a few links and stories that I’ve come across on the Habs over the past few days.

Carey Price: He’s on a horse. No, not like the Old Spice guy! Price took part in a rodeo event over the weekend. The following is the excerpt on his performance from the Chilliwack Times.

“Team roping, in which one rider attempts to lasso a calf's horns and another goes for a hind leg, doesn't normally get as much attention as the wild-animal riding contests. But Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price's attempt to snare a couple of calves shone a light on the sport.

Price learned the ropes, so to speak, on Friday and Saturday, before giving the event a go for real on Sunday. He should stick to hockey; he recorded two no-time scores as he was unable to snare the calf's hind leg with his lasso. But despite his lack of team-roping talent, Price was a hit with locals, according to organizer Helen Larson.

"The kids loved it; he posed for lots of pictures . . . and answered all the kids' questions," said Larson, who had Price sign her own Canadiens jersey, bought specially for the rodeo.

For those wondering, team roping was the only event the NHL would let Price participate in.”

It was the third event for Price in the B.C. Rodeo Association. He ranks 6th in the BCRA rookie of the year standings, earning $934.52 in prize money.

Clearly the Montreal Canadiens would rather that Price stick to his day job, once he signs a contract with them that is..Don’t worry kids, it will happen shortly.

Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau: “The horror! The horror!”

Boudreau was recently at an autograph signing in Toronto. I really should have gone and got him to sign a pic of that dumbfounded look he had after Game Seven. My first idea was to wear my Habs jersey under my jacket and go, “BOO!” would have been much more fun though.

A look at “old-time hockey: Dennis Kane profiles Habs Hall of Famer Sprague Cleghorn, arguably one of the baddest and dirtiest players in the game during his era.

All eyes on the blueline: The Checking Line’s George Prax looks at the Montreal Canadiens rear guards as training camp looms closer.

The Subban Network: P.K. Subban talked to TSN about his high expectations for the upcoming season.

Subban has been spending this past week, along with Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri and other NHL stars at the BioSteel Sports Pro Hockey Week in Toronto. The Fourth Period brings exclusive photos, as well as video interviews with the participating players on their main page.

Gomez and Cammalleri on Price: While at the training session, Scott Gomez and Mike Cammaleri talked to Rogers Sportsnet on Carey Price.

Fantasy Forecasts: Crash the Crease looks at the Canadiens Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri and former Habs goalie Jaroslav Halak as fans start putting their fantasy rosters together.

Moving on to more predictions and prognostications: Alexandre Harvey, from the Canadiens’ website, looks at predictions on the team’s upcoming season and individual performances from Pro Pool, the Hockey News and Hockey le Magazine.

NHL.com looks at the Habs upcoming season in their “30-in-30” series.

The things Stevie-Y should really take from Montreal: A nice list, put together by The Active Stick, on some items that the Tampa Bay Lightning can just plain have, without argument.

The Flower is free, some Habs “signings” and ticket info!

 

A dark cloud over the family of Guy Lafleur was removed on Tuesday.

The Montreal Canadiens legend was acquitted of his 2009 conviction for of giving contradictory testimony by the Quebec Court of Appeal.

The CBC was one of the first to break the news Tuesday morning.

Lafleur’s lawyer, Louis Belleau, said his client is delighted that the conviction was appealed successfully and he no longer has a criminal record. He also does not expect an appeal by the Crown.

He also mentioned that his client is a man of few words, clearly he only meant this when the subject of the Canadiens is not brought up.

Belleau and Lafleur will also be suing the crown and the police for abuse of power, to the tune of $3.5 million.

Had the appeal been rejected, Lafleur would have been required to abide to his original suspended sentence, a court order to make a $10,000 donation to a drug rehabilitation centre, and pay a $100 fine.

A criminal record would have impeded Lafleur’s travel restrictions abroad, especially in the United States where practically a near-zero tolerance level has been established at border crossings since 9/11.

He did travel to the US last July, while the conviction was appealed, appearing at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.

A conviction could also have jeopardized his Order of Canada and National Order of Quebec status. Steve Fonyo was recently stripped his Order of Canada after multiple criminal convictions.

The entire situation was a tremendous burden on the Habs legend, and his family. His direct-to-DVD feature “Il etais un fois…Guy Lafleur” gives more detail into the family’s struggles during this period.

With this behind him, Lafleur and his family can move on with their lives, and look forward to some exciting times this October.

Lafleur is being honored by the NHL Alumni Association this fall, as their Man of the Year, for his tremendous skills on the ice and involvement with charities and communities off the ice.

Habs Signings, sorta: A few autograph signings/appearances to mention in the Greater Toronto Area for you Habs fans.

First up, P.K Subban will be appearing at AJ Sportsworld in Vaughan. Best to check with the site as this August signing appears as date TBA. Fees start at $25, but there is mail order and drop-off services available.

A pair of Habs legends also will appear ay AJ’s on September 25. Jean-Guy Talbot and Andre Pronovost will both be appearing from 12pm to 1pm. Fees for both start at $20.

Talbot was a member of the five-straight Stanley Cup winning Canadiens teams, and won two more with the Habs in 1965 and 1966.

Pronovost played with Talbot on four straight Cup winning teams from 1957-60.

Their longtime teammate, and Canadiens Hall of Famer, Jean Beliveau, will also appear in Toronto at the Sports Card and Memorabilia Expo in November. Exact day, time and fees are to be confirmed shortly.

Meanwhile ‘86 Cup winner Claude Lemieux will be appearing at Frozen Pond on Saturday October 16. Fees start at $20, and Frozen Pond also offers mail order and  drop off services.

Habs ticket sales update: The Canadiens website has indicated that 5-10 game packs will go on sale starting on September 4 at noon.

For those who cant wait for the regular season, and want to make the trip to Ottawa, tickets for the Habs/Sens game at Scotiabank Place on September 25 go on sale THIS SATURDAY at 10am through CapitalTickets.ca.

Capital Tickets will also have some 3 and 5-game ticket packs on sale Saturday, some that feature the October 23 game against the Canadiens. What you wish to do with the tickets for the other two or four games you have to buy seats for is completely up to you.

P.K Subban is making the rounds back home

He may have spent this season playing in the playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens, and most of the regular season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, but P.K. Subban is making a public splash back home in and around Toronto.

Two Sundays back, the charismatic defenceman guest hosted on the nationally syndicated “Live From Wayne Gretzky’s” radio program in downtown Toronto. You can see a segment from the show on Gretzky.com’s video player.

On Tuesday, he will be the drawmaster for this Saturday’s Pepsi North America Cup race at Mohawk Racetrack.

With his popularity in the rise, he has also been tentatively added to the Joe Carter and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament in Maple (just north of Toronto) on Wednesday.

Not a bad appearance resume for a kid with just two games of regular season experience in the NHL.

The 21-year-old Subban was born in the Rexdale area of Toronto and grew up across town in Scarborough.

photo:David Reginek/Getty Images

Did the AHL snub Habs Prospect P.K. Subban?

Hamilton Bulldogs P.K. Subban surprisingly missed out on American Hockey League’s  Rookie of the Year  award– Pellerins Photography

Tyler Ennis over P.K. Subban for the Dudley Garrett Award as AHL Rookie of the Year, really?

With absolutely no disrespect to the Buffalo Sabres first-round pick in 2008, how did that happen?

Both players had great seasons, as the stats below attest. Ennis’s just don’t appear as dominant, as a center, despite leading all rookies in scoring. By comparison the Worcester Sharks Logan Couture had 53 points in 42 games before being called up to San Jose.

Subban’s numbers as a defenceman drastically dominate across the board. He was third amongst rookie scoring (the top defenseman) and ranked third overall in scoring amongst all AHL blueliners.

	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	SOG
Ennis	69	23	42	65	-1	12	9	0	184
Subban	75	18	35	53	+47	82	11	1	185

Both players were named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

The Bulldogs rearguard was also named to the AHL’s First-Team All-Star squad, while Ennis made neither First nor Second Team.

Ennis is now up with the injury riddled Sabres (7GP-3G-5A) while Subban will finish the season in Hamilton, barring any emergency call-ups during the Canadiens playoff run.

Voting for the Garrett Award is voted on by voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 29 member cities. It was either a real close vote, or the voters were looking elsewhere when their respective teams played Hamilton.

P.K.Subban’s Learning Curve with the Canadiens

UPDATE: P.K. Subban will make his debut Friday vs. Philadelphia in place of the injured Andrei Markov!

In light of his recent call up by the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, defenceman P.K. Subban knows that is just a step in the long process of being a full-time NHL player.

With both Andre Markov and Josh Gorges questionable for a pair of home-at-home games against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canadiens made an insurance policy call for the 20-year-old.

Subban and the rest of the Hamilton Bulldogs had just arrived in Cleveland, after a five-hour bus ride, when he got the news.

“(Bulldogs coach) Guy Boucher pulled me aside when we got off the bus,” he said. “He said he wasn’t sure if I’d be playing or not, I’m not too sure still but I’m just happy to be here.”

Subban wasn’t exactly amongst strangers upon entering the Canadiens dressing room. Several players on the team’s current roster either started the season in Hamilton or were sent down at some point.

“I’m already learning,” he said watching how the Canadiens prepare for a game. “Everything’s learning and if the team needs me tonight, I’ll be ready.

“My mindset, when I got sent down in September, was to get better and improve. I’ve played 50 games in the AHL now, and I’ve learned a lot”

Subban emphasized how life in the pros, away from the rink, is also part of the learning experience, giving high praise to Boucher, his coaching staff and his Bulldogs teammates for their work to get him in the right direction.

“Becoming a pro means living on your own, and being responsible,” he said noting he no longer has the benefit of a billet, like he did in the OHL. “I’m becoming a man now.”

A third-round pick by Montreal in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Subban was third in Bulldogs scoring with 39 points (11-28-39) and a +29 plus/minus rating. Seven of his goals were scored on the power play. Subban is also third amongst AHL defensemen for points.

“P.K. has performed well in the AHL. His stats speak highly and he got the call,” said Canadiens coach Jacques Martin. “He’s adjusting and learning the pro game down there and he’s responded well.”

“We’re very happy,” added Canadiens GM coach Pierre Gauthier.“He’s growing as a person and a player. He’s going to be an exciting, and very good player in the NHL” 

Subban also knows understands his pre-Olympic call up, and where he stands with the Canadiens.

“The focus has to be on the team,” he said. “We’re so close to making the playoffs with 20 games to go, and that’s the most important thing. The team’s best interest has to be winning. It has to be that. It can’t be anything else.

“It’s about getting mature and learning things on and off the ice,” he said. “You have to be a sponge and accept that information, and if you don’t then maybe I don’t get this opportunity.”

Gauthier Makes His First Move: Acquires Moore from Panthers

It took just three days since taking over as GM of the Montreal Canadiens for Pierre Gauthier to make a trade move.

The Canadiens acquired forward Dominic Moore on Thursday, from the Florida Panthers, in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 entry draft. The team press release can be found here.

Moore has eight goals and nine assists in 48 games for Florida this season, averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time per game.

One of his best attributes is his faceoff play, where he has a win/loss record of 55.8% this season (54.1 % last season).

By comparison, the top four Canadiens centres, Scott Gomez, Glen Metropolit, Tomas Plekanec and Maxim Lapierre, have win loss percentages of 50.6, 50.4, 48.0 and 47.2 respectively.

A third-round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Moore is making $1.1 million this season and becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Maxwell demoted: The Canadiens, in the same press release, returned Ben Maxwell back the Hamilton Bulldogs on Thursday.

Frolov deal in the works?: There is also a rumour abuzz that the Canadiens could be looking to acquire Alexander Frolov from the Los Angeles Kings. Names floating to go the other way are Matt D’Agostini, Yannick Weber and Glen Metropolit.

P.K Subban called up from the Bulldogs: The Canadiens have announced the call up of prospect P.K Subban from Hamilton (AHL).

The charismatic Subban was a third round pick of the Canadiens in the 2007 draft.

With defenceman Josh Gorges and Andrei Markov having therapy days on Thursday, Subban’s call up is a likely precaution in case the two veterans are unable to play Friday and Saturday against Philadelphia. Expect the Bulldogs star to be returned to Hamilton once the Olympic break kicks in on Sunday.

November will set the tone for the Canadiens

Mike Cammalleri is featured on the Canadiens’ online calendar, available here.

The Montreal Canadiens managed to squeak out of October with a 7-7 record.

Granted the team was without Andrei Markov for the month less a portion of their first game, but let’s look at a few individuals and some statistical tidbits.

First some positives:

The home ice of the Bell Centre appears to have been the comfort zone for the les bleu-blanc et rouge, going 5-2.

They were 3-1 against division opponents, though two wins against the Leafs went into overtime/shootout and shouldn’t have.

In one-goal games, they went 6-4 and 6-0 past regulation.

Newcomers Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta are, thus far, a big improvement over the departed Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay and Alex Kovalev.

Travis Moen and Paul Mara are playing much better than expected.

Jaroslav Spacek and Roman Hamrlik have banked the big minutes on the blue line in the absence of Markov. Shots-per-game against are slowly getting more respectable, but still just under 30-per-game.

Now the not so good:

When their opponents scored four goals or more, Montreal was 2-3. Two of those games were severe beatings by serious playoff contenders (Vancouver and Pittsburgh).

In goals decided by one goal or more, the Habs sported a 1-3 record with only win coming from a 5-1 drubbing of the lowly Islanders

The Canadiens have 36 goals in their 14 games, 20th in the league, averaging 2.57 per game. 21 goals came in seven home games and 15 in the seven road games.

Factor out the 5 goal night against the Islanders, and the home-game average is more realistic.

The power play ranks 25th in the league at a disappointing 15.1%.

The Canadiens are tied for second in the league with 75 minutes in minor penalties, and their penalty kill ranks 24th,at 75.8%, with one shorthanded goal.

Their ability to comeback when trailing a game is just 2-4 when trailing after 20 minutes and 0-5 when behind after two periods.

Do I need to even talk about the brothers Kostitsyn? The younger ones actions speak words for him and as for the older one, just listen to the audio from Monday’s practice via HabsInsideOut.com

Guillaume Latendresse cannot find his opportunity to be the power forward that he is expected to be, and Hal Gill is quickly becoming the weak link on the blue line in the fans eyes.

The real concern seemed to be commitment to 60 minutes of play. Several games were the result of the team losing focus for a period, and the opposition took advantage of it.

Coach Jacques Martin has been emphatic through the season the the team is still looking for an identity and that has to be expected with the roster moves made in the off-season.

November should give us that identity with a dozen games (seven at home) as to whether the Canadiens can be a real playoff team or squeeze into a final spot in the last game, or two.

The Canadiens will face their rival Boston, for the first time this season, and a rematch against Calgary in the first four games of the month.

The last two weeks could be of real interest when the Canadiens have a pair of games against the Washington (Ovechkin injury pending) and games against the Detroit,  Columbus and Pittsburgh sandwiched in between.

Today in Habs History: Howie Morenz’s No. 7 was retired, posthumously, on this day in 1937. He was the first Canadiens player to have his jersey number retired.

An image from the Howie Morenz benefit game, 11/02/1937

On the same night, members of the Canadiens teamed up with the Montreal Maroons in a benefit game against all-stars from the rest of the NHL.

 Subban comfortable in the AHL: Canadiens prospect P.K. Subban tells NHL.com that he is comfortable in the AHL

Montreal Canadiens Training Camp: Day One

The stands were filled at the Montreal Canadiens training facility on Sunday. Close to 1200 fans came out to watch the team’s first day of training camp, a surprise to many newcomers to the team this year.

“That’s pretty unique,” said forward Scott Gomez. “It just shows what a great place this is.”

Gomez was paired with fellow off-season acquisition Mike Cammalleri and Andre Kostitsyn in the first day of practice, and scored during the team scrimmage.

“It’s only the first day,” he said when asked if this could be a potential starting line. “So let’s not get crazy.”

“We made some great plays out there,” said Paul Mara, another newcomer who was paired on the point with Andrei Markov for day one. “We’ll see what happens.”

Mara too was overwhelmed by the fan turnout and cheering on the first day, “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It really welcomes you and makes you want to play in Montreal.”

“It was real fun,” added Jaroslav Spacek. “I’ve never seen something like that.”

Habs hopeful P.K. Subban laid out a couple hits, including an open ice one on Max Pacioretty, during the scrimmage.

“He’s OK.,” he said after talking to Pacioretty after practice. “I wasn’t trying to hit him. He must not have seen me coming.”

Head coach Jacques Martin wants his defenseman to join in the offensive rush whenever possible, something that would suit the young blueliner just right.

“You have to pick the right times to jump up, and when to stay back,” Subban said. “I wanna prove that I’m reliable also, and that I know that I can play and be a sound defenseman back there.”

Coach Martin seemed generally impressed with what he saw from the first day of camp, noting the physical work of Guillaume Latendresse as well as the performance of the four goalies during scrimmage.

The coach stressed, as the players had, that immediate decisions can’t be made from one practice alone.

“My approach, to our team, is we have to find two lines that are gonna give us some good production",he said.

“I’m not sure who’s going to be our first left winger or who’s going to be our fourth left winger. I think we’ve got some battles. It’s going to be up to the players to determine that.”

Martin then gave some insight into how he formulates his lines and that he will take the pre-season to work on that.

“When I look at line combinations, a lot of times I look at a duo, a center and a winger,” he said. “If we have good a combination, for instance, center and right wing, we may see a rotation on the left side, or vice-versa.”

The coach then discussed the necessities of taking the roster GM Bob Gainey put together, and getting the players all on the same page.

“It’s going to be important for us to develop our own identity,” Martin said. “..where we all have the same goal, the same objective. That’s what we’re going to develop in the next twenty days.”

Martin later emphasized puck possession, work ethic and commitment at both ends of the ice.

“We have to work at developing that mentality and identity,” he said. “It has to come from them (the players).”

“I like the enthusiasm that’s been around the team. I like our skill level.” he added. “We just gotta keep progressing.”

Training camp resumes Monday at 10am to 1pm, with a scrimmage between practice groups A and C at 11am.

In Case You Missed it: Habs News and Blogger Views for Sept. 11

I’ll start off today’s mesh of posts and blogs with some non-Habs bits.

Control of the Coyotes: Hearings concluded this evening for the auction process for control of the Phoenix Coyotes. Now it will be Judge Baum’s decision to award the team to the NHL, PSE or throw both bids out. My money is on the league.

The CBC’s Jeff Marek did a great job of twittering highlights from the courtroom as they unfolded.

Hockeyville approaches: The 2009 edition of CBC’s Kraft Hockeyville is just a few days away. Greatest Hockey Legends has been compiling some great stories on the upcoming festivities in Terrace, BC. Well worth the read.

Theo Fleury launches his comeback: The Calgary Flames have invited reinstated winger Theoren Fleury to their 2009 training camp. The 41-year-old will attempt a comeback, much like Claude Lemieux did last season.

No trade, and no golf today, for Dany Heatley:  A report broke on NHL.com yesterday (via ESPN) that the Kings, Sharks and Senators had made a three-way deal to get disgruntled forward out of Ottawa. All teams quickly denied it.

The Ottawa Citizen reports that Heatley made his deposit on a condo being built in the Byward Market area of Ottawa.

In the meantime, the Senators made a peculiar move by asking  Heatley to not attend today’s team golf tournament, “in order to direct attention on the efforts of the Sens Foundation”.

Big Shoes to Follow: The Colorado Avalanche named veteran defenceman Adam Foote as their new captain. And no, they didn’t send a jet for him this time.

OK on to the important stuff:

Fore!: HabsInsideOut.com was all over Thursday’s team golf tournament, with tons of audio. It also includes the Gillet/Molson news conference.

ScottyHockey gives Four Habs Fans the inside scoop on new Habs blueliner Paul Mara.

Dennis Kane looks at the new Canadiens lineup for 2009-10 with notes on P.K. Subban.

Lions in Winter looks at recent developments and comments in the Canadiens lack of francophone players.

Camp Roster announced: 54 players were invited to the Canadiens’ 2009 Training Camp. Only three players from the rookie camp did not get invited. Robert Lang is not on the list either, so that rumor is put to rest.

Getting closer: Canadiens Rookie Camp starts Sep 7

 

In just three days, the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp begins.

The Official Press Release is below, with information pertaining to the team’s annual golf tournament and full training camp as well.

__________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE

MONTREAL -- The Canadiens announced Thursday that 29 players will participate in the team’s rookie camp from September 7-11, at the Bell Sports Complex, in Brossard.

From Monday, September 7 to Thursday, September 10, players will take to the ice twice a day using both surfaces of the Bell Sports Complex; practice sessions divided by position in the morning (8:15 to 11:15 a.m.), and a full practice session from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

An intersquad game is scheduled for Friday, September 11 at 9:00 a.m. Off-ice conditioning sessions will also take place every day.
Fifteen (15) of the 29 players at camp are Canadiens draft selections.

The group includes first-round pick Max Pacioretty, as well as prospects P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber. 

Twenty-three (23) of the 29 players also participated in the Canadiens’ 2009 development camp last July.

Players participating in the rookie camp will be available daily to the media following the afternoon practice session (17h30).

Canadiens' rookie camp roster

Annual Golf Tournament

The Canadiens will hold their annual golf tournament to benefit the Montreal Canadiens’ Children’s Foundation on Thursday, September 10 at the Club de golf Laval-sur-le-lac.

Main Training Camp

The Canadiens’ main training camp will debut on Saturday, September 12 as players report for medicals and physical exams at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

The training camp will run until Wednesday, September 30, and will include a stay in the Toronto area (September 28-30), in preparation for the season opening against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Center on October 1st.

Free agency will be less of an issue in 2010

Criticized by many for not making the big off-season signing for the past several off-seasons, Bob Gainey may have silenced his critics this summer.

Going into the July 1 free agent deadline, Canadiens’ GM Bob Gainey had ten unrestricted free agents to deal with.

What did he do?

He blew up the team, essentially cleaning house of the supposed “cliques” and locker room problems that burdened the 2008-09 edition of the Canadiens.

Although he did offer contracts to notables such as Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Mike Komisarek, those players elected to seek other pastures.

Gainey had been scrutinized in the past for allowing key free agents to walk away (Sheldon Souray in 2007 and Mark Streit in 2008), but this off season he made sure the gaps were filled.

And what a job he did, landing Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez with contracts that will keep them, barring trades, in  the bleu-blanc et rouge until the 2013-14 season is over.

Jaroslav Spacek, Travis Moen, Hal Gill and Paul Mara were then picked up on the cheap for three,three, two and one-year deals respectively.

He then re-signed restricted free agents Kyle Chipchura, Tomas Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse for one-year terms.

Curtis Sanford was grabbed to be the bridge goaltender between Hamilton and Montreal.

Based on data from  nhlnumbers.com that leaves $3.2 million and change left over that will likely go to resigning Matt D’Agostini and Gregory Stewart.

Prospect P.K. Subban is signed to a 3-year entry level deal, but it has yet to reflect on the cap.

So what was a panic situation by many, on June 30 at 11:59 pm, now appears to be a well balanced group of players with a new head coach in Jacques Martin and a revamped coaching staff (with the exception of assistant coach Kirk Muller) at both the NHL and AHL level.

What’s good for Gainey is that at the end of the 2009-10 season, he will have 16 signed players in the organization, seven restricted free agents (all of whom are making less that $1 million this season) and five unrestricted free agents.

The principle free agent next season will be goaltender Carey Price.

Pending his performance, we can expect “The Franchise” to sign to a long term extension sometime this season.

In all likelihood, Jaroslav Halak could be moved at the trade deadline. The kid is too talented to remain a backup, unless he and Price go the Hayward/Roy route for another two or three seasons.

With long term signings in place, and a good crop of young players signed and in place, it’s safe to say that come June 30 2010, Canadiens fans will be chewing their nails a lot less than this year .

Not to mention that we won’t be worrying about a #1 or #2 d-man walking away next summer.

Habs Prospects gather next week for Development Camp

The Montreal Canadiens will hold their annual development camp from July 6 to 12.

Forty prospects will ascend on the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard made up of 25 forwards, 10 defensemen and five goalies.

Twenty-four of the prospects invited were selected by the Canadiens in the NHL Entry Draft, including the team’s 2009 first-round pick Louis Leblanc.

Twenty-four participants are returning from last year’s camp.

Max Pacioretty at the 2008 Development Camp 

Three invitees (Max Pacioretty, Ben Maxwell and Yannick Weber) all saw time with the Canadiens in the 2008-09 season.

The 40 Prospects attending the ‘09 development camp (click for a larger image) – habsinsideout.com

The event is open to the public with the first of the daily on-ice sessions starting Monday at 1:30pm.

The participants will also have daily off-ice conditioning sessions.

A detailed schedule of events will be posted at the complex.

An inter-squad game wraps up the event on Saturday.

Carey Price, Guillaume Latendresse, Kyle Chipchura, Matt D’Agostini, Sergei Kostitsyn and Ryan O’Byrne are some of the 2008-09 Canadiens who have taken part in past camps over the years.

Canadiens/Lightning deal could depend on Islanders first round pick.

Tampa Bay Lightning GM Brain Lawton and Habs GM Bob Gainey

T-minus 47 hours and counting until the start of the 2009 NHL Draft.

As team general managers and staff from all thirty teams, as well as top prospects expected to go in the first rounds ascend on the Bell Centre, the trade rumors circulate more and more.

For Canadiens fans, the “topic-des-last six months” has been Viincent LeCavalier coming to Montreal.

An apparent deal between Montreal and the Tampa Bay Lightning was killed when names of players the Canadiens were planning to move were made public.

Habs' GM Bob Gainey pointed fingers at Tampa GM Brian Lawton for leaking the names after Montreal’s season ended.

Lawton quickly dismissed the allegations.

With the Lightning struggling in the bank account, it seems imminent that they will move their franchise player before his no-trade clause kicks on July 1.

Despite the verbal exchange between Lawton and Gainey, a Montreal-Tampa deal still shows high on the rumor charts.

The question is, who is Tampa willing to move?

In media interviews today, Lawton seemed determined that LeCavalier would remain in Tampa.

Lawton smiles too much when he talks for my liking. I think he’s bluffing.

So if he is moving LeCavalier, the Canadiens would have to give up a fair bit.

The initial speculated deal in January involved forwards Chris Higgins and Tomas Plekanec, prospect defenseman P.K. Subban and draft picks/prospects going to Tampa.

This scenario could still work with Higgins being a RFA. The prospect could be a goalie with Kari Ramo reportedly off to the KHL.

Subban would be likely substituted as he just signed with the Canadiens this spring.

The key to the deal between the two teams could be dependent on who the New York Islanders select first.

If New York goes with Victor Hedman, that’s how the deal could go.

With Tampa having the number two pick Friday, they can grab John Tavares to fill the void at forward and still have Martin St. Louis and the learning Steve Stamkos with a lower payroll for a couple years.

The alternate scenario could go a different way though.

Still provided that Hedman goes first, Tampa could give up their pick (Tavares) and a few others lesser players for Montreal’s 18th overall pick and a smaller package of players.

Maybe throwing Martin St. Louis into the mix will sweeten the Canadiens end of the pot, and help Tampa’s pocket book.

Montreal retains some cap room to announce that Saku Koivu (on the cheap), Alex Kovalev and, maybe, Mike Komisarek (depending on the Islanders choice) are re-signed.

If Tavares goes to the Islanders, we could see possible a deal along the latter of the two or a deal back to square one.

With a stash of centres in this years draft likely to go in the first round, both Montreal and the Lightning could still have a winner in the draft down the middle.

In all likelihood, we won’t know officially though until sometime early Friday evening when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman takes the stage to make any deal official.