posted by Kyle

Ok, so the title is a bit misleading.

Nevertheless, can we please temper our expectations as to what we may expect in return for Jaroslav Halak, who further reduced Bob Gainey’s leverage today by demanding a trade?

I like Halak. Halak him a lot! If there was ever a gem found in the 9th round of the draft, he’s it. As far as 9th rounders go, he’s probably already “overachieved” in his young NHL career. Most 9th rounders never see a shift in the NHL (I also don’t know if that’s true).

It’s been nice having him as Carey Price’s backup. Let’s clear up a couple things:

1. Jaroslav Halak does not want to be a backup, or even a “1A” type goaltender.
2. The only reason why Halak has been a member of the Canadiens for so long is because he’s never had the leverage to change his situation. The Canadiens owned him.

This situation is about to change. He will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, and someone is bound to throw an offer at him, which Gainey will be forced to pass on, lest it compromise his negotiations with Carey Price and/or Tomas Plekanec. To any Habs fan wishing we can keep both: please save your sanity and purge yourself of those thoughts now. We can’t keep both. It’s foolish to believe that goaltenders with #1 goaltender potential and talent would willingly split top playing time. Professional athletes are not wired that way, nor are their agents. They’re not kids in the sandbox being told by their mommies to share the dumptruck. They’re egotistical athletes who want their share of limelight.

Habs fans are notorious for it, and here we go again overvaluing one of our own. A typical Habs’ fan’s snap assessment of Halak’s abilities would probably lead one to say that he’s a talented kid with obvious starting goalie potential. Others say he’s better than Price, and has simply been denied his rightful place as #1 by a stubborn Bob Gainey.

So what is Halak’s value? Well, he’s only played 68 games in his career. 68 games! That’s it! He’s got a 36-26-6 record and a .912 save percentage. Solid numbers to be sure, but hardly enough of a sample size to dictate much. Take a look at Raycroft or Jim Carey’s stats after 68 games in the league, and then take a look at where they are now. General Managers are a pretty savvy bunch, and they’re not going to break the bank for an unproven commodity.

He’s also a Jeckyll & Hyde goaltender. He’s been very good at home, and less than average on the road.

Consider this: in 1992 Dominik Hasek was traded to Buffalo for journeyman netminder Stephane Beauregard and future considerations which eventually led to the selection of Eric Daze. Sure, it’s easy to laugh at the Hawks now, but at the time, they made a deal that made some kind of sense.
Further to the point, Cristobal Huet (remember him?) was traded for a 2nd rounder. Huet was a local folk hero, and at least had some GREAT numbers to fall back on, and still Gainey could not squeeze more than a 2nd rounder from Washington. Martin Biron, and Miikka Kiprusoff have also both been traded for 2nd rounders. Still thinking that Halak is worth a top-6 forward, or blue chip prospect straight up?

My point is that Halak hasn’t done much of anything in his young career to merit anything other than what is rumored to be coming back to the Habs: a 2nd round draft pick. History says the same thing. Some would have you believe that Halak could bring back a James Van Riemsdyk from the Flyers. Keep dreaming, true believer!

If Halak is packaged as part of a larger deal, then all bets are off. But as a standalone player, he’s not going to do much for the Habs in the short term.

The other option, of course is to keep him until the end of the year and see what happens. But do you want a guy who no longer wants to be a part of the team? I sure don’t. Do you believe that (should the Habs make the playoffs) Halak will serve any real purpose? It’s rare that the backup goalie sees any action in the playoffs unless the #1 gets hurt.

In my final analysis, I think once a player asks for a trade, the case is closed. Time to move on, and I think Gainey needs to get to work. There’s no sense in keeping the young man on the bench, only to see the rare game. That doesn’t help the Canadiens or Halak in any way.