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Gainey's silence spoke volumes at deadline

March 5, 2009 12:14 AM | Posted by   Elliotte Friedman  

Without making a single move on Trade Deadline Wednesday, Bob Gainey proved why he is the right man to run the Montreal Canadiens.

The best coaches, the best general managers, the best players – they simply don't bow to the pressures of their fans. They appreciate the support and are thankful for the passion. But as Bob Knight once said, "If you start listening to the fans, pretty soon you'll end up sitting next to them."

In Quebec, they were howling for Olli Jokinen. They were screaming for Jay Bouwmeester. But neither player made sense for the Canadiens and Gainey knew it. He knows the truth. His team is not good enough to win.

No support in Montreal

If we've learned anything about Olli Jokinen, it's that teams cannot expect him to elevate them as their featured, front-line forward. In Calgary, surrounded by Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow and a blistering Mike Cammalleri, Jokinen has better chance for success. Such support doesn't exist in Montreal.

Same goes for Bouwmeester. After the deadline, Washington GM George McPhee told reporters that the Panthers wanted Karl Alzner, Simeon Varlamov and current London Knight John Carlson, a first-round pick in 2008. You can imagine what Jacques Martin wanted from Vancouver and Philadelphia, the two finalists. That's outright thievery for a free-agent-to-be. I totally understand why McPhee, or anyone else, would run away from this deal.

For Gainey, either move would have been irresponsible. The honest truth is that with either Jokinen or Bouwmeester, the Canadiens wouldn't be good enough to win. Heck, I'd argue that adding both of them still isn't enough.

Only a bad GM would panic and waste precious young players/draft picks in such a deal - and Bob Gainey isn't a bad GM.

Other deadline day notes:

On Sutter

The only way Darryl Sutter makes those moves is if he honestly thinks his team can win it all. It's gutsy, real gutsy, especially since the Flames might have to go through both Detroit and San Jose. But Sutter is a contrarian by nature and when you tell him he cant do something, he is driven to prove you wrong. That's why he could play 406 NHL games, despite being an 11th-round draft pick.

On Jokinen

There are a lot of people in the NHL who don't like Jokinen. The critique? He is a selfish player, only interested in stats. What he's being given here, however, is a chance to prove everyone wrong. He will probably get less ice time. He will probably get less power-play time. But if he deals with it and plays to his potential, he will be an awesome fit for the Flames.

On Lightning- Leafs trade

That 'trade' between the Lightning and Maple Leafs is an embarrassment. Never mind the sheer ridiculousness of the players involved. Toronto bought a draft pick, while Tampa Bay drops enough payroll to get a larger revenue-sharing cheque. Tell me again how the Lightning have no cash problems. And while you're at it, also explain why a team almost barren of prospects is selling a pick to begin with.

By the way, the Lightning basically traded Dan Boyle for Andrei Meszaros, Steve Downie and Noah Welch.

On Upshall for Carcillo

I was shocked at Philadelphia's decision to move Scottie Upshall for Daniel Carcillo. Obviously, if it led to some other major deal, all is understood, but Kyle McLaren didn't qualify. Yes, the Flyers are in cap hell, but ask the Penguins what happens when team chemistry is tampered with. Upshall was a huge part of that room, very tight with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and the rest of the young players who run that team. Carcillo is a difficult fit, a potentially talented player who can be immature. This could be like my Grade 10 science experiment – an explosion waiting to happen.

On moving long-term contracts

As expected, it was impossible to move long-term contracts. With a bad economy and the cap in danger of falling by as much as $10 million in two seasons, such players (Scott Hannan, for example) are as untouchable as pure plutonium.

On first-round draft picks

Just two first-round picks were traded: Calgary to Phoenix in the Jokinen deal and Ottawa to the Islanders in last week's Campoli/Comrie deal. You could also count the number of blue-chip prospects dealt on one hand. As the cap shrinks, these entry-level deals become even more critical. GMs were saying the quality of offers was way down this year and that's going to continue.

On Don Maloney

Don Maloney did pretty well in Phoenix. He got a first-round pick, a second-round pick, Matthew Lombardi, Upshall, Brandon Prust and two players who might really benefit from a change of scenery in Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha. His biggest challenge will be getting Lombardi and Upshall over the shock. Both looked devastated.

On everything else

Sami Pahlsson is the reason Dominic Moore is not in Chicago.

Ottawa will resume contract negotiations with Chris Neil in a month or so.

I liked what San Jose did with Travis Moen and Kent Huskins.

I liked Edmonton getting Patrick O'Sullivan.

I will always be curious to know what the Oilers would have received had they decided to trade Dwayne Roloson.

Pretty sure Columbus tried to get Anton Stralman from Toronto.

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