Another Quiet Trade Deadline...

I don't really find it necessary to waste my time complaining about this team. If it were up to me, management would go through a makeover. The fact that Gainey and Carbo are satisfied with the current roster is beyond me. Apparently we're contenders with this team... HA! The reality is that while we were all standing by watching all the trades, the buyers bought and the sellers sold.

Let's analyze the trade day. Burke did a great job. He must have gotten 3 or 4 draft picks. Tampa Bay made some cap room and brought in some prospects/picks. On the other side of the equation, teams like the Rangers, Penguins, Hurricanes, Boston, Florida, and Ottawa (I don't really care what happens in the West) were buyers, and essentially improved their teams. Rangers got Morris and Antropov, Pens got Guerin, Canes got Cole, Boston got Recchi and Montador, Panthers got Eminger, and Ottawa finally got a keeper (Leclaire). Coincidentally, these are teams a few points around us. And what exactly did they give up? Drafts and some prospects! Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those things that we already have enough of? In fact, enough to maybe... trade away? Apparently not.

Gainey did go out and bring in some new guys, but in the end... I'm not too sure if they're all that great. Schneider has resuscitated the PP, and Metropolit is at least better than Chipcura. But where is that impact player we have been waiting for? Every single year just before the trade deadline, the TRADECENTRE panel on TSN all predict that the Canadiens would be the most active team in trade-talks. And every year, we get next to nothing.

Bob, was it too much to ask for to make a gutsy move? Are you just scared to pull the trigger on Carbo? Does he have a picture of you of the time you had a few too many Coronas at that one party? How many players do you think are going to resign here next year? How many will test the market before they consider resigning with you? There are GMs that are willing to throw huge sums of money at anyone, and this "no contract extension" policy is getting really annoying. Thanks to this particular policy, we lost Streit. I'll bet you a dollar to the donut he would've resigned with us for half of what he's making now had he received an offer before the end of the season. How good of a team do you think you really have right now?