Look, I don’t think I need to explain why Montreal Canadiens news is a little more explosive than Tampa Bay Lightning’s right now. That’s because we have the amazing luck of the best owner in hockey hiring one of the best GMs — so we’re in this fantastic position to sit back, sink our hand into the greasy vat of popcorn, and enjoy other people’s summer choices.
The Habs
Way back on May 23, Habs Eyes on the Prize tried their best to warn Marc Bergevin that it would be tough to trade Alex Galchenyuk, especially after a year of corroding his confidence into the dirt. [HEOTP]
Going into this summer the situation might be more difficult for the Habs GM, as he is only trading from a position of weakness. Teams know Montreal is desperately seeking a trade for defensive help, meaning they hold all the cards in negotiations and can add more onto their asking price besides Galchenyuk. So not only could Montreal lose arguably their biggest trade asset, and one of their top forwards, they could stand to lose prospects, picks or more.
At least they didn’t lose any prospects or picks in the trade! The term ended up being pretty reasonable for Max Domi — a two year, $6.3 million dollar contract. [Montreal Gazette]
“He’s got energy,” Bergevin added about Domi, the son of former NHL tough-guy Tie Domi. “He competes every shift. There’s a time last year where he had a tough time, I admit it. We watched him and there’s nights we were wondering. But I think the package, what’s underneath that rock, I think there’s a lot more there. The fact there is a change of address, he comes to a place where he wants to be and I believe he’ll thrive in this market.”
If you really enjoy reading Marc Bergevin Saying Things, then I highly recommend this aggregated twitter article, Quotes and highlights from Marc Bergevin’s media scrum on the Alex Galchenyuk—Max Domi trade. [HEOTP] Bless.
”I encourage you to check out Max Domi highlights on YouTube. His energy and enthusiasm are off the charts.”
So…what are they getting in a nine-goal scorer? [Sporting News]
Domi tallied 52 points in his rookie season. He gained a few votes for the Calder Trophy and started to become a favorite amongst Coyotes fans. He appeared to have a promising future in Arizona. Domi’s sophomore season saw him spend a significant amount of time on injured reserve, where he missed 23 games.
I understand that we are gleefully piling on, but honestly, that’s what bitter rivals do. Let’s take a look at a piece entitled, Montreal Canadiens: Ranking Marc Bergevin’s 5 worst trades. [Puck Prose]
Shockingly, trading for a guy who hadn’t played center regularly since juniors didn’t work out well. Drouin had a rough year at center. His production was still solid, as he put up 46 points in 77 games. However, Drouin’s goal scoring didn’t take off like the Canadiens hoped. He only scored 13 goals.
So is Bergevin done for the summer? POSSIBLY NOT. Let’s see how this goes, eh? Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin willing to listen to offers for draft pick [Montreal Gazette]
“I’ll listen, I’m open,” Bergevin said about possibly trading the No. 3 pick when he met with the media Saturday morning at the Bell Centre to discuss Friday night’s deal that sent Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Max Domi. “I’ve told teams if they want to make me an offer, I’ll look at it. But again, sometimes teams don’t want to move up. As much as a team wants to move back or move up, if there’s no takers or buyers then you just sit where you’re at.”
The Bolts System
Will the Adirondack Thunder continue to be the Bolts’ ECHL unofficial affiliate next season? The Orlando Solar Bears have no affiliate at present since the Maple Leafs switched to Newfoundland, and the Solar Bears are closer to Tampa Bay’s goalie coaching staff. The ECHL is most often used to monitor 5th goalies in the system, and the proximity to Tampa might be useful. The Solar Bears, on the other hand, are likely interested in a LESS hands-on team with prospects, given that they often played with an extremely short bench when the Toronto Marlies were in need.
But let’s see out the ECHL season with this piece from our excellent Adirondack writer, Trace. Tampa Bay Lightning ECHL affiliate season in review: Adirondack Thunder 17-18, more in their own words. [Raw Charge]
The Thunder has certainly been busy. They renewed their affiliation agreement with the New Jersey Devils for another season recently. They also released their protected list and completed all future consideration trades before submitting their season ending roster later this week. During all of this, Adirondack has continued to feature the players’ exit interviews daily.
Lauren Burg of The Hockey Writers wrote a piece about Stamkos’s quest for the Cup and his bumpy ride to get there. [THW]
With both talent and a supporting cast, Stamkos has what it takes to be a champion. The only question now is, can he finally lead his team over the hump and back to glory? Unfair as it might seem, his legacy as a player depends on one thing – getting his name engraved into the Stanley Cup.
And Tyler Johnson is back in Spokane. [Bonner County Daily Bee]
Got a fan post for us? Remember that Sundays are FAN POST SUNDAYS! And we’re eager to read what you’ve got.
