Habster:

Bob Gainey is doing a great job of keeping available cap space for the possibility of Mats Sundin signing with the Canadiens but with that being said, locking up Halak for two years at $1.55 million is a solid deal for both sides. Halak gets a one way deal which will give him more financial security and allow him to feel more at ease when the Habs training camps is done with him still on the NHL roster.

Jaroslav Halak will play any where between 15-30 games depending on the consistency level of Carey Price. Which ever way you look at it, the Canadiens goaltending siuation for the next two years and beyond is looking very bright.

For any Marc Denis fans yelling at me through their computer screen, sorry but don’t thing for a moment that Mr. Denis will be on the Canadiens roster when the season starts. Unless Halak is injured or completely falls apart, Denis will be the starting goaltender for the Hamilton Bulldogs and is a great insurance policy in case of injuries.

I think Denis’ poor play with the Lightning has a lot to do with the type of system Tampa Bay played under John Tortorella (an all out offensive style with tons of forechecking) as well as the lack of talent on the Lightning blueline.

There is a reason why Tampa has become a graveyard for goaltenders and I honestly think Marc Denis will fair a lot better under the tutoring of Habs goaltending guru Roland Melanson.