Surprise, surprise, the enigmatic Sergei Samsonov wants to be traded. This is of course not the first time that Sammy has complained via the press that he is unhappy in Montreal...he bitched and whined earlier this season when Carbo demoted, albeit for a brief period, to the fourth line.
So what is Bob Gainey to do....this is his mistake, he did sign Sammy to a fairly heavy 2 year deal, one that sees Sammy earn 3.75 million next year. There have been the rumours that Sammy is going to Chicago for Aucoin, their salaries match up and it would be a pure problem for a problem swap. There are a number of problems with this deal, the biggest being that Aucoin is a shell of his former self. He is now longer the type of dman that can eat up 30 minutes a game. He has been plagued by injuries, and it seems he maybe be too slow for the "New NHL". I believe this is a rumour fueled by the media...name one time where the media, or a rumour site has predicted a move that Gainey has made...you can't Bob is a private man, leaks never leave his office. So this deal is not going to happen.
So pontificate away...do I believe that Gainey would like to move Sammy, maybe, I am also under the impression, that he may be a stubborn old bugger, one who does not like to admit his mistakes...Sammy's deal, the money he threw at Boullion, and to a lesser extent the Janne deal are all stinkers. Gainey will do something sooner or later, he is working the phones like every other GM in the league, but don't expect anything too earth shattering. I can see him picking up some grit, maybe some depth at center (don't look now but the Habs number 2 centerman, Pleks, has been their best player for the last month...funny how that works) and maybe a young dman..considering the trouble he may have signing his 3 ufa dmen next year. But who knows, this is silly season in the NHL, anything can happen.
So what is Bob Gainey to do....this is his mistake, he did sign Sammy to a fairly heavy 2 year deal, one that sees Sammy earn 3.75 million next year. There have been the rumours that Sammy is going to Chicago for Aucoin, their salaries match up and it would be a pure problem for a problem swap. There are a number of problems with this deal, the biggest being that Aucoin is a shell of his former self. He is now longer the type of dman that can eat up 30 minutes a game. He has been plagued by injuries, and it seems he maybe be too slow for the "New NHL". I believe this is a rumour fueled by the media...name one time where the media, or a rumour site has predicted a move that Gainey has made...you can't Bob is a private man, leaks never leave his office. So this deal is not going to happen.
So pontificate away...do I believe that Gainey would like to move Sammy, maybe, I am also under the impression, that he may be a stubborn old bugger, one who does not like to admit his mistakes...Sammy's deal, the money he threw at Boullion, and to a lesser extent the Janne deal are all stinkers. Gainey will do something sooner or later, he is working the phones like every other GM in the league, but don't expect anything too earth shattering. I can see him picking up some grit, maybe some depth at center (don't look now but the Habs number 2 centerman, Pleks, has been their best player for the last month...funny how that works) and maybe a young dman..considering the trouble he may have signing his 3 ufa dmen next year. But who knows, this is silly season in the NHL, anything can happen.
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8 comments:
TSN's report:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=19
5112&hubname=
and this the quote that I find confusing:
'Samsonov was placed on waivers by the Canadiens Wednesday afternoon.'
um its only Tuesday...how can somebody be placed on waivers on Wednesday, when its only Tuesday???
I thinking that this is an editorial mistake, or TSN used Google translator to rejig the Journal de Montreal story and failed to see what it popped out.
right on, TSN has edited the story, guess Sammy has been waived...I guess Bob couldn't find a suitor...the Chicago rumours can be put to rest je pense.
Would any Habs fan actually miss the phenomenal production "Sammy" has put up this year? This guy is done... He appears to be in that stereotyped (discussed last week on Faux) "Lazy" Russian mold...
Nope, I think he has been a distraction all season long....my only hope would be that some of the millions that Gainey invested in him could yield some sort of return. Shite I'd be happy with a draft pick..thing is if Sammy is traded, he will be moved for a pricey problem child that a rival club wishes they could rid themselves of (damn you salary cap!!!!), and so the viscous circle continues.
1) With Sammy clearing waivers it shows there was NO market for this guy. Even for 'free' no club bought in
2) As we wrote on our blog the next step will be the intersting thing to see:
a) Will the Habs demote him to the AHL?
b) If yes, will he report or be suspended?
c) Will the Canadians then try to bring him back (re-entry waivers) when a team can claim him at 1/2 his salary?
3) Looks like Sammy wil get his wish to play in a new city. Bet he didn't think it would be Hamilton. LOL
He is staying, for now, he might even suit up on Thursday....the long term status of Sammy as a Hab is certainly in question, but he aint going to Hamilton, or anywhere else, unless of course Bob trades him.
1) Question Joe. If no team claimed him off waivers for free, who would now be willing to give the Canadians something in return for Samsonov?
2) Perhaps this was just a move by BG to shake up Sammy, but we doubt it'll have long term impact
Well they wouldn't really be claiming him for free...they would still be faced with paying the rest of his inflated salary.
Seeing that it does not look like he will be sent to Hamilton, and will then not have to go through re-entry, this looks like Bob saying to Sammy and his agent the same thing you are asking me...basically, Bob proved to Sammy that there was no team out there willing to take on his salary.Bob might still be trying to swing a deal which would be less of a finical burden on the other team, one that would see him add a player, or players with a similar cap hit.....
all that and the motivation factor as well of course. i say put sammy with saku, if he still doesn't produce...let him fade from our collective consciousness.
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