He Said: To Trade or Not To Trade Roman Hamrlik

by Willey

Roman Hamrlik Keeps Hammering Away!

In a recent blog I suggested that Pierre Gauthier would be wise to immediately seek a trade partner for Roman Hamrlik, sending him to a team like Edmonton who is desperately trying to find a home for Sheldon Souray.

Fact of the matter is that the big Czech blueliner is 36 years old, plays on old legs and comes with a price tag of $5.5 million per season.

When a team is right against the salary cap, like the Montreal Canadiens are, having this sort of price tag for a player who is not considered one of your top-two blue liners is hard to overcome.

Websites and hockey forums alike have filled up with banter proposing everything from trading the Habs D-man to whichever team would want him, to demoting him to Hamilton, to sending him to the KHL just to get that nasty cap hit off the books.

The question which is on most peoples mind's however; should he be traded and would I trade him?

At first I was of the opinion that without a doubt we must do everything in our power to rid ourselves of this contract however upon further reflexion I have changed my mind.

The answer is now NO and this is why.


First Reason: Youth
The 2010-11 season will see perhaps the best and most highly anticipated prospect to come up through the Habs' system since Saku Koivu.

Pernell Karl Subban is a blue-chip player. He led all Hamilton D-men in points last season, was named to the Rookie All-Star team, won the AHL’s President Award and proved in the 14 games he suited up for last season, that he can play a regular shift in the NHL.

When your most important asset is ready to step up to the NHL, we need a mentor who can play alongside him and develop him slowly and Hamrlik is ideal for this role. Before the arrival of Jaroslav Spacek, Hamrlik was responsible for mentoring Ryan O’Byrne, Josh Gorges and Mark Streit and now all are proving to be NHL caliber D-men. With his previous NHL club in Calgary he was the mainstay for Dion Phaneuf who is now regarded as one of the best D-men in the league.


Second Reason: No Defenseman Coach
You can argue that this goes hand in hand with my first reason but this needs clarification. For the past five to seven years most of our player assets have been as defense. Mike Komisarek, Pavel Valentenko, Ryan McDonaugh, David Fischer, Matt Carle, Yannick Weber, PK Subban, Josh Gorges and so on and so on.

With such a plethora of D-core talent it would only seem logical to hire a D-man coach to bring these kids along. For some reason however the organization never saw the need to do so. We need someone who has been through the war before because this element is still lacking.

You can argue that Hal Gill or Andrei Markov could fill this void, and to be honest I could see your point. Gill however is brand new to the organization and Markov has proved up until this point that he is more of a quiet leader. Each is extremely useful in their own way however neither can provide the necessary vocal leadership both on and off the ice that No. 44 would provide.


Third Reason: Team Success
Five hockey seasons have come and gone since the “New NHL” opened its doors in 2005. In those five years since the lockout only two players have worn No. 44: Roman Hamrlik and Sheldon Souray. Not only were they the only two players to wear the number however one was a direct replacement of the other.

Post lock-out and until the arrival of Hamrlik, the Habs were an average team and Souray was one of the reason why. The team never finished higher than seventh in the Eastern Conference and collectively never got past the second round of the playoffs.

Since the arrival of the big Czech d-man however the Habs finished with an overall record of 127-88-31; a winning percentage of 0.591% and have finished anywhere between eighth and first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, ultimately never finishing out of the playoffs.

The team has further experienced even more playoffs success having made it to the second round in 2008 and the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.


Fourth Reason: His Numbers
With a team who in recent years had the ability to dress Markov, Spacek, Jorges, Gill, Komisarek, Streit, Schneider, et al. was anyone aware of the fact that No. 44 has been the second most used defenseman on the team behind only Andrei Markov. Hamrlik has averaged anywhere between 22:00 and 23:30 minutes of ice time in every season since he has joined the blue blanc rouge.

Further to his large minutes playing on the ice and despite his limited point production Hamrlik is a combined +9 over the past three years despite the fact that he was used as the primary shutdown D-man for the team. Over that same span only one blue liner has had a better +/- than No. 44 and that would be Josh Gorges.

What else can you ask for from a player then to be used more than most of the players and ultimately be on the ice for fewer goals?


Fifth Reason: Tradability
Trading away a $5.5 million salary in the NHL today is extremely difficult. If Gauthier were to find a taker then we would simply have to take on a salary almost of equal proportion in its place.

When the trade deadline comes around however there will be many teams who feel that they have a legitimate shot at the cup. Teams like Nashville, Anaheim, and Columbus for instance all strive to maintain a floor limit salary cap yet seem to make the playoffs fairly consistently.

Obtaining the services of a Hamrlik prior to the start of the season would be next to impossible for any of these teams. However budgeting one third of his salary at the trade deadline for a proven D-man who can play big minutes, is the type of move a lot of teams would love to make. It is also a move that Montreal could surely consider if they find themselves losing track in the playoff race.

All in all, Roman Hamrlik is a very crucial component to the immediate and prolonged success of this team. He has demonstrated that he still has the ability to play big and hard minutes, and can keep the puck out of his net. The biggest question mark and perhaps only justification for trading him would be his $5.5 million salary. So if we are under the cap, have the ability to ice almost the same roster that took us to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010 then why would we want to break this up and take a chance that a kid can do a better job?

Simply put...we cannot afford to take that chance.

Read the She Said counter-point.

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Willey was the shinning light among the wicked growing up as the lone Habs fan in Toronto. Pray to Holy Ghosts of the old forum and all shall be answered I was told, and just like that my family was transferred back to Montreal and away from the damned. Olé Olé Olé.

Posted in: habs,he said/she said,montreal canadiens,roman hamrlik