The Schneider Effect: The Canadiens' Power Play On Fire

Since being acquired by GM Bob Gainey from the Atlanta Thrashers last Monday, Mathieu Schneider has played three games for the Canadiens. The veteran defenseman already has two goals and one assist, all on the power play, and despite being -4 during that span, Schneider has played very well for the Habs, logging about 23 minutes of play per game.

With Francis Bouillon's long term groin injury, Schneider's acquisition is even more important for the Canadiens to get some stability on their top two defenseman pairings. Schneider has played with Andrei Markov, while Mike Komisarek has played with Roman Hamrlik.

Guy Carbonneau doesn't have to over-utilize Patrice Brisebois or Josh Gorges, with Schneider around.

However, the main beneficiary of Schneider's presence has been their power play. In 12 attempts over the past three games, the Canadiens have scored seven goals; that's a 58,33% rate!!

The Canadiens are now ranked 17th in the NHL after this recent boost. They hovered around the 25th rank for most of the season.

With a motivated Kovalev, an explosive power play and Alex Tanguay's imminent return, GM Bob Gainey will be in good position at the deadline to make the right move to consolidate the Canadiens' position as a playoffs team.

Senators Surprisingly acquire Mike Comrie from Islanders

Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray acquired centre Mike Comrie and defenseman Chris Campoli earlier today in exchange for veteran forward Dean McAmmond and San Jose's 2009 first-round draft pick, obtained from the Tampa Bay Lightning in August 2008.

Comrie, 28, has 20 points in 43 games for the Islanders this season. He played 41 games with the Senators in 2006-07, recording 25 points. Comrie, who is making $4 million this season, will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

Campoli, 24, is an offensive defenseman who is having a rough year in New York. In 51 games, Campoli has 17 points, but he also has a -20 plus-minus differential. Campoli, who only makes $633,333/year, is a very affordable defenseman.

McAmmond has seven points in 44 games with Ottawa. He has played on the Sens' fourth line for most of the season. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The 35-year-old forward has played 916 regular season games.

GM Bryan Murray decided to help his rookie coach by getting offensive help. With Captain Daniel Alfredsson rumored to be out for a few weeks because of a fractured jaw, Murray acted fast in replacing Alfie's offensive output. Comrie should fit nicely in Ottawa's new up-tempo forechecking style, while Campoli will help Ottawa's transition game.

GM Garth Snow still has plenty of veteran players to trade before the trade deadline, such as Guerin, Weight, and Witt. Nice job getting a first-rounder for Comrie and an underachieving Campoli.

I do believe, however, that it's too little too late for Ottawa to clinch a playoff berth. The Senators are currently 13 points back from the eight seed occupied by the Sabres. They do have two games in hand.

The Senators will visit the sinking Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon in a very important Northeast division matchup.

Rookie goaltender Brian Elliott will be in goal.

Canadiens and Thrashers Talking Trade

The Atlanta Thrashers are actively shopping centre Erik Christensen and veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider and according to various sources, the Montreal Canadiens, among others, have inquired about the above players.

Christensen, 25, is having a sub-par season with the Thrashers, notching only four goals and eleven assists in 36 games. He was acquired with Colby Armstrong and Angelo Esposito for Marian Hossa and the trade deadline last season.

Christensen, 6'1'', 208-lb, is a shootout specialist with great skating abilities and soft hands. Earning only $750,000 this season, he is a restricted free agent at season's end.

Schneider, 39, is a power play specialist with a great vision and good skating abilities. He is having a rough season with the Thrashers, recording only eleven points in 39 games. He had a great season with the Ducks the year before, notching 39 points in only 65 games.

His high salary, $5.625.000/year makes is very available. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

Atlanta is reportedly seeking a middle-round draft pick and second-tier prospect.

With the long term injury to Robert Lang, the Canadiens have the cap space to absorb both players' salary.

Would you do it if you were Bob Gainey?

Bob Gainey Must Move, and Move Fast

With the latest long term injuries to veteran centre Robert Lang, winger Guillaume Latendresse and defenseman Josh Gorges, the Canadiens players are dropping like flies.

They will be joining winger Alex Tanguay (shoulder), George Laraque (back) and Mathieu Dandenault (wrist) on the injury list.

Latendresse is out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury that he sustained during Sunday's matinee against the Boston Bruins when he collided with Chuck Kobasew and fell awkwardly into the board.

Gorges is out indefinitely with concussion symptoms after he was vicously hit during Saturday's matchup against the LA Kings when Denis Gauthier nailed him with a vicious elbow to the head. Gauthier, who received a five-minute major and a game-misconduct on the play, has been suspended five games by the NHL earlier today for this behavior.

While Latendresse and Gorges were playing very well recently for a Habs team that is sinking fast, the injury to Lang is the most costly. Lang is currently leading all Canadiens forward with 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points in 50 games. He also has a team-leading eight power play goals.

Lang's season-ending injury means Gainey must get help down the middle if he wants his team to be successful come playoffs time as neither Tomas Plekanec nor Saku Koivu have been able to pick up the slack offensively.

Youngsters like Ben Maxwell and Kyle Chipchura have shown the management that they are not ready to carry the offensive load in Lang's absence.

Who would you trade for if you were Bob Gainey?

Vacation

Please note that I will be on vacation to Cuba from Jan. 19 to Jan. 26, 2009.

I'll be back after the all-star break.

Where Is The Canadiens' Captain? Koivu Still Bothered By an Ankle Injury

The Canadiens' captain last played on Dec. 11, 2008, against the Lightning. Ever since his ankle injury, Saku Koivu experienced various problems delaying his return in the Habs' uniform.

Koivu suffered his latest setback yesterday when he was forced to leave the ice during practice because of lingering pain on his injured ankle. As a result, the team doctors ordered him to take a few days off the ice to rest his ankle.

This guarantees Koivu won't be back before the All-Star break and maybe more. The Finnish captain has now missed 15 games in a row and since the Canadiens are playing well without him, this will likely put an end to his tenure as the Habs' captain.

Earning $4,750,000 this season, Koivu, 34, is in the last year of his contract and he's set to become an unrestricted free agent. Unless Koivu accepts to take a large pay cut to stay in Montreal, I highly doubt GM Bob Gainey will tender an offer to his ageing captain because of the numerous UFAs or RFAs the Canadiens will have to retain at season's end.

Alex Tanguay, Alex Kovalev, Robert Lang, Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos, Mike Komisarek, Francis Bouillon, Mathieu Dandenault and Patrice Brisebois will all become UFAs, while Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, Gui Latendresse and Kyle Chipchura will become RFAs.

Would you keep Koivu? Or is it time to pass the torch to a younger captain (AKA Komisarek)?

Senators send Gerber to Binghamton of the AHL

As per TSN:

The Ottawa Senators announced Thursday that goaltender Martin Gerber has been sent down to the AHL's Binghamton Senators on a two-week conditioning assignment.

Gerber, 34, has a 4-9-1 record with a 2.86 goals-against average and .899 save-percentage in 14 games this season. He was a healthy scratch in Ottawa's 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Thrashers in Atlanta.

He last saw action in a 6-4 loss to the Bruins in Boston on Jan. 8.

In 100 games with Ottawa, Gerber is 49-36-8 with a.907 save-percentage and a 2.76 goals-against average. In 214 career NHL games, he has a 104-73-7-14 record with a .910 save-percentage and 2.61 goals-against average.

Waiter! A Cold Miller On Ice For The All-Star Game Please!

With Carey Price being more and more doubtful for the All-Star game, the league will likely have to find him a replacement. The Eastern Conference's backups being Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist, who gets the third spot?

If we look at the statistics of the other candidates, Ryan Miller emerges as the likely replacement for Price. Ranked second in the conference with 19 wins, Miller has already four wins in January. His GAA and his save percentage are both ranked sixth in the conference. Miller is also leading the conference with three shutouts (tied with three other goalies).

Miller, 28, has bounced back from a subpar season in 2007-08 where he only won 36 wins despite playing an enormous 76 games. The Sabres even missed the playoffs for the first-time in three years.

The Sabres currently ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference only one point ahead of the Panthers who are currently ranked ninth. Without Miller's strong play this season, the Sabres would be way out of contention.

Other candidates include Scott Clemmensen and Craig Anderson (1A goalies who replaced respectively Martin Brodeur and Tomas Vokoun).

Maple Leafs Mid-Season Awards: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Halfway through the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have 16 wins, 21 losses, six overtime losses for a total of only 38 points in 43 games. They currently sit in the 11th spot of the Eastern Conference, nine points out of a playoffs spot.

It's time for the mid-season report card.

The good:

Nik Antropov: The giant Russian is having a good season with 33 points (13 goals and 20 assists) in 43 games. He's been very consistent on a line with Stajan and Ponikarovsky. He also has avoided the injury bug as of today... Burke should trade him before he goes down with an injury.

Matt Stajan: Stajan, 25, is having the best season of his short career so far. In 37 games, he has 32 points (ten goals and 22 assists). He missed six games with a freak soccer incident two weeks ago. Stajan is thriving under Ron Wilson after he was a healthy scratch earlier this season.

Alexei Ponikarovsky: The Poni Express is having a surprisingly good season after a very ordinary 2007-08 season. Ponikarovsky, 28, has notched 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 43 games this season, only five fewer than last season. He also has a good plus/minus differential at plus-3.

The bad:

Jason Blake: After a very slow start, Blake has produced a little bit more lately, but that's not sufficient for a player of his caliber. In 39 games in 2008-09, Blake has only ten goals and 14 assists for 24 points while getting plenty of ice-time. He has been made a healthy scratch a few times by Wilson to no good avail. His inflated salary (thank you John Ferguson!) makes him almost impossible to trade.

Mike Van Ryn: Acquired from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Bryan McCabe, Van Ryn has been injured most of the season. A talented offensive defenseman, Van Ryn has always been a band-aid boy and he is proving it this season having only played 17 games, notching three goals and six assists. He is currently out with a concussion since Dec. 19, 2008.

Lee Stempniak: Acquired from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo in early December, Stempniak has been nothing short of a deception. After registering 13 points in 14 games with the Blues, Stempniak has slumped mightily in Toronto, notching only three goals and five points in eight games.

The Ugly:

Ryan Hollweg: After 25 games with the Leafs, Hollweg is already on his way out. He has had as many suspensions as he had points (2) this season and with the arrival of Brad May and the emergence of Andre Deveaux, there is no more room for Hollweg. Don't forget the Leafs traded a fifth-round pick to get him...

Vesa Toskala/Curtis Joseph: One of the worst goaltending tandems in the league, they have been pretty bad for most part of the season. Toskala's 3.31 GAA is ranked 42nd among the qualified goaltenders this season. His disappointing .883 save percentage ranks hims 43rd in the league. He has allowed three goals or more 21 times this season. Joseph's stats are atrocious so I don't even want to look at them.

The Surprises:

Mikhail Grabovksi and Dominic Moore have been pleasant surprises so far in Leaf Land, the former showing flashes of brilliance of the ice with his speed and quick hands, while the latter proving to be a very reliable two-way centre who's good on face-offs.

It's now time for Brian Burke to make changes to start the reconstruction of a Maple Leafs team that's been very inconsistent this season. The lack of talent and depth is quite apparent and the Leafs must head NOW into Tavares' direction if they want a fast and painless rebuild.

What are your Good, Bad, and Ugly players?

The Price Is Wrong For The Canadiens

Carey Price has yet to play in 2009, having played his last game on December 30, 2008 in Tampa Bay, earning a 2-1 shootout win. Before going down with a lower-body injury, Price was having a great season, posting a 16-4-5 record with a good 2.30 GAA and a great .921 save percentage.

Originally expected to only miss one week with an unspecified lower-body ailment, Price has been shelved for over two weeks and there is no sign he will be back soon. Price was back on the ice Monday for about 20 minutes trying to recover from the injury (likely an ankle injury) that he sustained on December 30.

Price also missed part of December battling a cold and a another lower-body injury. It is believed Price won't be back before the All-start break as the Habs as extremely cautious with their young goalie and due to the strong play of Jaroslav Halak lately.

The Canadiens host Nashville tomorrow before leaving for a three-game road trip with stops in Ottawa, Atlanta and New Jersey. Since the Senators and the Thrashers are not NHL powerhouses, there is no need to rush things with Price, especially since he seems more fragile than the Canadiens expected.

Is the Price right or wrong?