The Montreal Canadiens got younger, faster and a whole lot smaller during the free-agent frenzy. After the disastrous centennial campaign, it became evident major changes were necessary. Habs fans were hoping the makeover would begin with Vincent Lecavalier. That wasn't in the cards.
Still, general manager Bob Gainey went to work on Canada Day spending $71 million on four players. If you take into account the Gomez acquisition, that's $104.5 million committed to five players. Who said free agents didn't want to come to Montreal?
Perhaps Bob Gainey was inspired by Muhammad Ali's famous "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" rant when he started throwing the money around.
There's no question the Habs are better today than they were before they entered free agency. There is no question a shake-up was required. Although the Canadiens changed the nucleus and the face of the franchise, they did not answer one of the team's biggest weaknesses: the lack of size. In fact, instead of getting bigger, "les Habitants" are one of the smallest teams in the Eastern Conference but also one of the fastest. The running gag in Montreal is they'll now be known as the "Smurfs"!
It'll be interesting to see how the vertically-challenged Habs will fare against big, bruising teams like the Flyers, the Maple Leafs and the Bruins.
But this might just work if...
Scott Gomez bounces back from a disastrous campaign in New York. If he and Brian Gionta can rekindle their magic from a few years ago with the Devils. If Mike Cammalleri can continue to find the back of the net on a regular basis. If Jaroslav Spacek can log big minutes on the blue line. If Hal "Skillsy" Gill still has some mileage left in him, then the Canadiens might just be in good shape.
I know that's a lot of ifs but the status quo wasn't an option anymore. The time had come to blow things up and take the reins away from Saku Koivu and hand them over to a younger generation.
If this were poker, Bob Gainey would be all in. He's taken a major gamble, hoping to hit the jackpot. It's definitely unorthodox but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
