Price or Halak? Four Years After

It has been more than four years now since the Montreal Canadiens decided to trade goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues. As the title says, this article will discuss how our ex-goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, has done over the years, compared to the goalie the Habs decided to keep, Carey Price, and how the main prospect we got in this trade, Lars Eller, is evolving.

I am pretty sure you all know what happened after the 2010 playoffs, but let me remind you quickly. After carrying the team on his shoulders for the duration of the playoffs, Halak got traded for forwards Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. At that time, many people were claiming it was the worst deal ever, that the Habs got robbed and some even claimed that Halak was far superior to Carey Price.

Lately, the Slovakian goalie played some very solid minutes for the Islanders, and a few people are starting to wonder what's going to happen with Eller, who's playing on the 3rd line here in Montreal, and struggling to keep a decent offensive production. Not to talk about Schultz, who still has never played a single game in the NHL.

Let's start with Jaro Halak. Since the trade, he has been the starting goaltender of the St. Louis Blues, the Washington Capitals and now the New York Islanders. He started a total of 171 games in four seasons (I am not counting this season, and let's not forget there was a lockout in 2012-13), which is an average of about 43 games per year. In three of these seasons, he played more than 40 games, which is considered about half the season. Let's keep going with his personal stats. He has kept a goal against average of 2.23 and a saving percentage of 0.916. He also posted a record of 88 wins, 51 losses and 22 overtime losses during that time. Let's add that this year, he currently has a 2.20 GAA, and a 0.923 save %. Stats might not say everything, but we must admit his are pretty solid.

As for Lars Eller, he has played a total of 279 games with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring 43 goals and recording 58 assists for a total of 101 points. So, in return of a number one goaltender, we received a 0.36 point-per-game forward whose best season was 8 goals, 22 assists. Not only to mention Ian Schultz has yet to play his first NHL game and he probably never will.

As for Carey Price now, Montreal's starting goaltender, he's been in net for 235 games (which is an average of about 59 games per season), recording a GAA of 2.42 and a 0.918  save %. He has won 119 games, lost 89 games, and lost another 26 in overtime or shootout.  This year, he has a 2.34 GAA and a 0.922 save %.

Basically, what I'm trying to show with this article is how the two goaltenders have kept similar stats over the course of these four years, and how we literally got robbed by trading Halak for Eller. Yes, he has played for three teams in four years, but wherever he went, he has always been able to show decent things. Now the defining factor could be the amount of games played in a season. Would Jaro Halak be able to be a starting goalie for more than 60 games? We might have an answer this year, since he in undoubtedly New-York's starting goaltender. As for the trade itself, Eller has shown promising things, but he has never been able to reach his full potential. Will he eventually become the power forward we've been promised, or will he stay a 3rd-4th liner? If Eller does not progress and stays where he is right now, and Halak keeps being on top of his game like he is right now, we will easily be able to say that this trade has been one of the worst even in Montreal's history.

Note: I feel the need to mention I put Price's statistics in here only for a comparison. My personal opinion is that at that time, and even today, Price still has a great potential and is truly the number one goaltender the Montreal Canadiens needed. I am mostly just saying that what Gauthier got in return of Halak was next to nothing.

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Game 25 - Canadiens vs Sabres

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

The Canadiens (16-7-1) return to Montreal to host the Sabres (7-14-2) and complete the home and home series between these teams. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on TVA and City.

The Sabres to the second game in this four-game season series Friday night in Buffalo thanks to a little bit of skill and a little bit of luck. The skill came on behalf of Tyler Ennis who combined speed, dexterity and some nifty hand-eye coordination to put the Sabres on the board. The luck also came courtesy of Ennis, who's late game dump in ricocheted off the boards in the Canadiens zone leaving Carey Price stranded and Matt Moulson alone in front with a tap-in game winner.

What to Watch

The Canadiens have no scored just one goal in their last two games and three in three. At 2.42 goals per game, the Habs are 23rd in the league in scoring, a stat they'll need to improve before they can truly compete with the league's best. Considering Buffalo is in the bottom four in terms of goals against, the Habs should be able to take advantage of home ice advantage to rally their lethargic offense.

The Sabres will hope that Ennis, their leading scorer with seven goals and 15 points, has another goal like this in him for Saturday night:

What's at Stake

Passing up points once against the worst team in the league doesn't bode well, but the Habs have an immediate opportunity for redemption on home ice. At 33 points the Canadiens still hold the Eastern conference lead, but Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and the Islanders are each right behind the Canadiens with 32, and Detroit is in the mix as well with 31 points this year.

Who's Out

Michael Bournival (shoulder) is nearing a return but still might not be ready to play on Saturday. Aside from that the team is healthy, but Alexei Emelin will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety prior to Saturday's game and may receive a suspension for his hit on former teammate Brian Gionta.

The Sabres were without Josh Gorges (knee) and Cody McCormick (concussion) on Friday, although Gorges may make his return at the Bell Centre. Drew Stafford (lower body), missed part of Friday's game and may miss Saturday's action as well.

What Else

The Canadiens power play found success in Buffalo using four forwards and a 1-3-1 set up. After an ugly stretch of extra man opportunities, the Habs have found a bit of consistency with the man advantage, especially since the arrival of veteran power play specialist Sergei Gonchar. In the eight games since Gonchar joined the team the Habs are 6-for-24 on the power play, after going 3-for-42 up to that point.

The Question Mark

What are your thoughts on the "new look" power play the Habs experimented with on Friday, and the power play in general since Gonchar joined the team?

Tonight's Show

Join host Steven Hindle along with Kosta Papoulias and Rob Elbaz for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 6:00 Saturday night to preview the Canadiens and the Sabres.

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Game 24 - Canadiens at Sabres

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

After four days without hockey, the Canadiens (16-6-1) are finally back in action Friday night when they meet the Sabres (6-14-2) in Buffalo. The game starts at 7:00 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet East.

This is the second of four meeting between the Habs and Sabres this season and the final match in Buffalo for the year. The Canadiens beat the Sabres in unconvincing fashion the first time these teams met, taking a 2-1 shootout victory on a regulation and shootout goal by P.A. Parenteau.

What to Watch

At just past the quarter mark of the season, the Canadiens have seven scorers with five goals or more, led by Max Pacioretty who is ninth in the league with ten goals already this year. At 18 points, Pacioretty leads the Habs in that department as well.

The Sabres are at the bottom in of the league in a handful of offensive categories, including goals per game (1.59), power play efficiency (6.2%) and shots per game (23.1), so it should be no surprise that they're also last place in terms of points and points percentage. With 13 points on the season, Tyler Ennis, the team's leading scorer, is 100th in the league in points.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens set out on a four game road trip in the coming week, visiting Colorado, Minnesota, Chicago and Dallas. Friday and Saturday's home and home versus the basement dwelling Sabres is an opportunity to secure points that the Habs won't want to pass up.

Who's Out

Over the past week, Nathan Beaulieu and Drayson Bowman have been sent to the AHL Bulldogs in favor of pre-season acquisition Eric Tangradi. With Michel Therrien favoring a seven-defensemen set-up since acquiring first Sergei Gonchar and then Bryan Allen, there's no guarantee Tangradi plays. Also, Michael Bournival (shoulder) is close to making his own return.

Former Hab Josh Gorges (knee) has missed the Sabres last four games but could be ready to play on Friday. Tyler Myers (undisclosed) is questionable for Friday's game while Cody McCormick (concussion) is out.

What Else

The Canadiens have won their last six games against the Sabres, going back to April 2013. The shootout loss earlier in the season was the first time the Sabres came away with any points versus the Habs since their 2-1 win on March 23, 2013.

The Question Mark

Since taking over as Habs GM in May 2012, what is your favorite move that Marc Bergevin has made to improve the team?

Tonight's Show

Join host Steven Hindle along with Kosta Papoulias and Rob Elbaz for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 6:00 Friday night to preview the Canadiens and the Sabres.

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Rumor: David Desharnais for David Perron?

According to several news outlets, the future of left winger David Perron is sealed in Edmonton after the comments he made on the team's poor start last Friday. Stacked on the wings, the Oilers are currently looking for depth at center because the team is very thin at the position after talented youngster Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The team was forced to keep rookie Leon Draisaitl and play journeyman Marco Arcobello as the organization's 2nd and 3rd line centers, respectively, because of its lack of depth down the middle. Now that the team has lost seven games in a row and has fell out of playoff contention, once again, general management Craig MacTavish is finally looking to shake things up.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Canadiens have been interested in David Perron and GM Marc Bergevin is not afraid to make a move as shown by his latest acquisitions of Sergei Gonchar and Bryan Allen.

With the excess of defensemen in Montreal as well as the possibility of trading one of the team's top-three pivots to make room for Galchenyuk at center, it would make sense that the Habs call the Oilers about Perron.

One of the names currently being mentioned as a possibility for the Oilers, other than Artem Anisimov and Patrick Berglund, is diminutive center David Desharnais as mentioned by Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

Off to a very slow start for a first-line pivot, Desharnais has only 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points in 23 games, posting a good +9 rating along the way. While DD has improved at the dot, winning 197 of the 363 (54.3%) draws he has taken so far, the Saint-Apollinaire native has only 22 shots this year, which is less than a single shot per game.

As for Perron, he only has 2 goals and 8 helpers for 10 points in 22 games for a struggling team. The good side about him is that he is only one year removed from a successful season during which he potted 28 goals and 29 assists for 57 points in 78 contests. A left-winger who shoots right, Perron is also bigger than Desharnais (6'0'', 200-lb vs. 5'7'', 175-lb), which is not a minor detail when it's playoff time.

If we look at some advanced stats, Perron has a Corsi For % of 54.0, which is pretty good with a bad team like the Oilers. He has also been extremely unlucky as his low PDO of 96.5 and his -11 plus/minus rating can be easily explained by the poor goaltending of the Oilers this season, which is ranked last in the NHL with a putrid .885 save percentage. Perron is also shooting a paltry 3.8% (2 goals on 52 shots), while his career average is 12.8%; as a result, expect a improvement in this department, which means the goals should start coming very soon.

At the other end of the spectrum, Desharnais has been very lucky with a high PDO of 105.7 and a +9 plus/minus differential that is helped by the Canadiens' solid save percentage of .919 this year. His Corsi For % of 52.1 ranks him fourth on the team, but he's trailing his favorite line-mate Max Pacioretty by seven points, despite spending most of his ice time with him.

Financially, Perron's cap hit is $3.812,500 for the next two campaigns, making him a free agent at the end of the 2015-16 season at the ripe age of 28. As for the 28-year-old Desharnais, who is earning $3.5 million this season, he will still have two years left on his current contract after the season.

Such a move would allow the Bleu Blanc Rouge to shift Alex Galchenyuk back to his natural position at center and would give the team more depth at left wing after Max Pacioretty.

The Canadiens could sweeten the deal by trading a second-tier prospect like Dalton Thrower or a middle-round pick to help the Oilers rebuild their ever-struggling franchise.

Potential line combinations with Perron:

Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Perron-Plekanec-Parenteau
Sekac-Eller-Prust
Bournival-Malhotra-Weise
Extras: Bowman, Tangradi

Being the easiest center to replace internally, David Desharnais would be the current Habs' player that most fans would want to trade first in the event Marc Bergevin makes another move up front.

Would you make that trade, or would you rather send another forward to land Perron?

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Follow me on Twitter at @FredPoulin98.

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Game 23 - Canadiens at Rangers

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

The league leading Montreal Canadiens (16-5-1) are in New York to face the Rangers (8-7-4) Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. The game is set to start at 7:00 and can be seen on RDS and City.

This is the second of three meetings between the Habs and Rangers this season, the two teams that faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Montreal already picked up a 3-1 victory on home ice earlier in the season on goals by Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller, and Max Pacioretty.

What to Watch

Carey Price may have earned his second shutout of the season and league best 13th win Saturday against the Bruins, but Dustin Tokarski is expected to get the start Sunday in New York, his fifth of the season.

Like the Habs, the Rangers are also coming off a shutout performance by their goalie, and like the Habs, that goalie, Cam Talbot in this case, isn't expected to start on Sunday. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start on Sunday. In 28 career regular season starts against the Habs, Lundqvist is 13-12-2 with a .897 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens are hot and there's no sense slowing down now. With just one loss in their last nine games, the Habs have surged to the top of the standings and are building a healthy cushion on their competition. The Rangers have been struggling in November as well, posting a 3-3-4 record this month and a 2-3-2 record in their last seven.

Who's Out

The Habs are missing Michael Bournival (shoulder) but are otherwise healthy going into Sunday's game.

The Rangers are without their captain and former Habs prospect Ryan McDonagh (shoulder). They could also be without Lee Stempniak (back) who is listed as day to day.

What Else

Andrei Markov scored career goal number 100 Saturday night against the Bruins, becoming just the fourth Canadien and 86th NHL defenseman to hit that milestone. Markov is one of just three Russian-born defenseman to hit the mark, new teammate Sergei Gonchar is another, with 219 career goals to his credit.

The Question Mark

Given his wealth of options, how would you like to see Michel Therrien set his top six (or seven) defensemen?

Tonight's Show

Join host Steven Hindle along with Kosta Papoulias and Rob Elbaz for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 6:00 to preview the Canadiens and the Rangers.

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Game 22 - Canadiens at Bruins

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

Hockey's greatest rivalry continues Saturday night when the Canadiens (15-5-1) face the Bruins (13-8-0) in Boston. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on TVA-Sports and Sportsnet.

This is already the third of four games between the Habs and Bruins this year, and the first in Boston. The Habs have won both their games versus the Bruins already this season by a combined score of 11-5. Max Pacioretty has three goals and two assists already this season against the Bruins, and Brendan Gallagher has two goals and two assists in the series.

What to Watch

P.A. Parenteau had another solid game on Montreal's top line against the Blues on Thursday, springing Max Pacioretty on a breakaway for the game winning goal. Pacioretty, who turned 26 Thursday night, had a pair of goals bring him up to ten on the season. He also has nine points in his last seven games.

Although the Bruins are an ailing team, they were able to fend off the equal beat up Blue Jackets Friday night, winning 4-3 on a goal in the seventh round of an otherwise scoreless shootout. Alex Khokhlachev broke the deadlock to grab the extra point for Boston.

But enough about all that, watch Milan Lucic get dropped:

What's at Stake

The Canadiens have won both their games this season against the Bruins, but this is also their first visit to Boston. The league leading Habs can put a bit more distance on the rest of the league with a win against a hurting Boston squad.

Who's Out

The Habs are without Michael Bournival (shoulder), they still have just 12 healthy forwards on their roster.

The Bruins are suffering going into Saturday's game, missing many key pieces. Zdeno Chara (knee), David Krejci (undisclosed), Adam McQuaid (broken thumb) are all out and Brad Marchand (undisclosed) is day to day and did not play Friday night.

What Else

Marc Bergevin completed his second trade of the season prior to Thursday's game, sending Rene Bourque to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Bryan Allen. Allen, a former teammate of Bergevin, joins the team in Boston and is expected to dress for his first game as a Hab. The 6'5" defenseman has played 716 NHL games split between the Canucks, Panthers, Hurricanes and Ducks. He has 29 career goals and 135 points.

The Question Mark

With Sergei Gonchar and now Bryan Allen joining the team, how should Habs management use Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi this season?

Tonight's Show

Join host Steven Hindle along with Kosta Papoulias and Rob Elbaz for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show at 6:00 Saturday night as we go live from the Peel Pub at 1196 Peel to preview the Habs and Bruins.

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Interview With New Habs Acquisition Sergei Gonchar

In this translated interview from Russian, originally appearing on the popular Russian portal Sport Express, Sergei Gonchar shared his views on the trade that brought him to Montreal and confirmed that he’s very happy about playing for the Habs.

- In Russia, one of the most chatted-about NHL topics is your inclusion in the club of players who scored 1,000 points. You are only eight points away from being the first Russian defenseman to get into the “Club 1000”. It looks like you have more chances to get into the club with Montreal, rather than with the Stars.

- You can always hope for the best, but as in any interview regarding the “Club 1000”, I’ll tell you that I’m not running ahead of time. Once I’ll score my thousandth point, then we can gather and discuss this achievement. But for now, I don’t want to think about it.

- Did you manage to say your former teammate Valeri Nichushkin goodbye a last time?

- Yes, of course. He had a major injury, had to undergo surgery… Of course, now it will be hard for him. He’ll be the only Russian in the team. But this is life and hockey players have to deal with this all the time.

- Are you satisfied about the trade?

- Yes, everything went very well. The results of the team are very good, the environment is great and I know the coach as I worked with him in Pittsburgh; therefore, I more or less know what he wants. This really helped in adapting to the new team. Generally speaking, I’m very happy about the trade. Everything went very well. Even if, of course, it wasn’t easy to leave my teammates and, even more important, my family.

- Since you moved to one of the contending teams in the Eastern Conference, probably now you constantly hear talking about the Stanley Cup.

- Well, they always talk about it in Montreal. Here you have such an impression that they’re always talking about it. But well, yes, the team has a chance because all is going well, not only looking at the results, but also looking at the way the team plays. The team is very balanced and the results are a consequence of it.

- Will your family join you in Montreal?

- Yes, they will be here next week, during the Thanksgiving Day holidays. But then they will be back. Since the children go to school, it’s hard to make them move. Of course, they’re sad because they don’t spend a lot of time with me. But in hockey you never know if you have to move. Like they say here, “it’s part of the business”.

- How many journalists wanted to interview you after the first game for the Habs?

- Oh, they were a lot! I never seen anything similar. Radio, televisions, both English and French speaking channels. I didn’t expect such an attention on me.

- Is Montreal happy about you?

- Hard to say. I try not to give attention to the public’s reaction, I try to focus more on my game.

- The Habs have two great defensemen in Markov and Subban. Will it be hard to get space and playing time?

- The guys accepted me very well. The coach had some tasks for me since I arrived here. Maybe I’m still not fully complying with them, but the process is going on very well.

- Can you remember when three Russian defensemen played in Montreal at the same time?

- Igor Ulanov and Vladimir Malakhov played for the Habs. Did they have a third [Russian defenseman]? Honestly, I don’t remember.

- Was the trade a surprise to you?

- Yes, of course. Everything happened fast, there weren’t many discussions. It was more like my agent calls me and says “You’re gonna be traded to Montreal, are you ready?” The fact is that, according to my contract, each trade should have my consent. I quickly signed all the papers, then I went to get my passport, got on the plane and that was it.

- Did you think a lot about approving the trade?

- No, I didn’t even think about not approving it. The team is good, I know the coach; therefore, I didn’t worry and I gave my consent right after.

- Did Therrien explain what he’s expecting from you?

- Well, I won’t unveil any secret. We talked a bit, and he showed me in the team’s schemes. We didn’t have any time for long conversations. I got to Montreal in the game day itself.

- According to that game’s outcome, it looks like your role in the team is pretty important.

- I don’t know, but I hope that it will be like that. Everything works so far.

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Translation by HabsAddict's Russian Correspondent Alessandro Seren Rosso @AlexSerenRosso.

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