What might have been

by Chris Boyle on Jan 10, 2012 12:15 PM EST

With Jaroslav Halak returning to Montreal tonight, I thought I would offer up a preview image of an article that I was working on when all of Montreal was shocked with the Halak trade.

The article ended up taking a slightly different approach with the same basic premise. The title was changed from "Five reasons why the Canadiens shouldn't trade Carey Price" to "Five Good Reasons Carey Price is Still in Montreal". Some new imagery and some editing and all the research wasn't wasted.

I don't really know how close the Canadiens came to really trading Price, but I was happy at the time and remain happy with their decision today.

I am not sure when this debate will finally be put to rest. Eller's emergence has dulled the debate somewhat, but I have a feeling it isn't done just yet.

The Tampa Bay Lightning was used because it was at the height of the Vincent Lecavalier rumours and a rumour had come out that Gainey had offered Tomas Plekanec and Price but was turned down!!

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If that trade had happened, guaranteed Boston doesn’t make the finals last year.

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by Andrew Berkshire on Jan 10, 2012 4:00 PM EST reply actions

If that trade had happened, does Montreal make the playoffs?

by MathMan on Jan 10, 2012 4:21 PM EST up reply actions

Doubt it.

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by Andrew Berkshire on Jan 10, 2012 6:44 PM EST up reply actions

I hope you know I mean that Tampa would have stomped them.

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by Andrew Berkshire on Jan 10, 2012 6:44 PM EST up reply actions

I know that. I’m just envisioning the Habs, minus Plekanec, minus Price, minus Eller, and plus Halak and plus Lecavalier.

I don’t think it would have made them better.

by MathMan on Jan 10, 2012 6:52 PM EST up reply actions

I think it would have made us far worse, and way over the cap. Imagine Lecavalier and Gomez’s contracts on the same team. Damn.

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by Andrew Berkshire on Jan 10, 2012 6:54 PM EST up reply actions

We wouldn’t have gotten Gomez. Maybe we’d have kept Koivu.

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by Bruce Peter on Jan 10, 2012 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

The Halak trade was after the Gomez signing though, Chris said he prepped this in summer 2010.

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by Andrew Berkshire on Jan 11, 2012 3:26 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I prepped this at the height of Halakamania between March and June.

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by Chris Boyle on Jan 11, 2012 9:53 AM EST up reply actions

And the Gainey trade rumour was from 2008-09, both during the season and leading up to the Gomez trade in the offseason. Gauthier was GM when Chris was preparing this, not Gainey.

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by Bruce Peter on Jan 12, 2012 10:34 AM EST up reply actions