The Montreal Canadiens’ playoff hero had $15 million reasons the be happy on Tuesday after agreeing to a four-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.
"Jaroslav will be a big help for our organization moving forward," GM Doug Armstrong said in a statement. "He has made a great commitment to the Blues as he enters the prime of his career."
Halak was acquired from Montreal last month in a trade that sent two prospects to the Canadiens. The 25-year-old became a restricted free agent on July 1.
In 101 career NHL games, he a 56-34-7 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average.
"I’ve been looking forward to playing in St. Louis ever since the trade was announced," said Halak. "I believe in my abilities and hope to do some good things for the Blues."
Also Tuesday, St. Louis signed tough guy Cam Janssen to a $600,000, one-year deal. That kept the sides from going to salary arbitration.
"I’m very happy for Jaroslav, he deserves it," said Canadiens’ general manager Pierre Gauthier Monday at the team’s development camp in Montreal. “I think the St. Louis Blues will be happy today too. They gave up a lot to obtain the player.”
Halak chose to waive his arbitration rights in a good-faith gesture to get a deal done. His former teammate, Carey Price, doesn’t have that luxury.
“I don’t wish to discuss any of the process publicly for the simple reason that we are in a negotiation and I don’t want to effect our position or to create any illusions as far as where we are,” explained Gauthier. “I would say we’re in a process. We’re confident that we’ll come to a conclusion before training camp. Otherwise, it’s just a process.”
Gauthier has signed Alex Auld to be Price’s backup for the upcoming year.
And although there is little doubt Price will carry the bulk of the load next season, the Canadiens feel no urgency to get a deal done.
“We believe Carey Price is a very good goalie going forward and he’ll help the Montreal Canadiens achieve a lot of success.
"Having said that, a contract negotiation is separate from anything else. It’s a process we go through with every player that’s not unrestricted in the summer and we’ll go through the process,” Gauthier added.
The Habs’ general manager is convinced Price is ready to take on a premier role with the club.
“Carey Price is a proud person and all the players who have achieved enough to play in the National Hockey League are proud people that want to perform. Pressure is almost a negative word that shouldn’t be used. But the challenge is always the same. It’s to perform well.
“Carey was a very good citizen at the end of the year. He wasn’t playing but he was a good team guy. We all respected that. He worked hard even though he wasn’t playing and he’s ready to move forward now.”
Notes:
-Gauthier confirmed UFA’s Dominic Moore Moore, Glen Metropolit and Paul Mara will not receive contract offers.
With files from CP
