Yeah, this was unexpected: Yashin wants to play in Montreal...

Fresh off a huge buyout of the remainder of his 9-year/$90 million contract, that has the entire hockey world talking, and on the first day he's allowed to negotiate with other NHL teams, Alexei Yashin is at it again, except this time, Montreal is his desired target.

That's right, Alexei Yashin WANTS to play for the Montreal Canadiens.

Baffled by first reading this on RDS, I actually softened my position regarding Yashin and his Islander failure, by thinking straightly.

"Hey, this would be a pretty decent pickup at a decent price"

And why not, Yashin is still a damn good forward and was on pace to have his best season ever with the Islanders and led them in scoring through one third of the campain, until he got injured, and was never the same when he returned.

Losing his patience with the enigmatic Russian captain, Isles head coach Ted Nolan pencilled in Yashin as the team's 4th line centre for the last 15 or so games, the move outraged Yashin while fans were happy to see he got the punishment he so longly deserved.

He finished with 18 goals and 32 assists, for a respectable total of 50 points in only 58 games.

Everyone knows the "Alexei Yashin Islanders Crusade" fairy tale, and that now it is clear, that this little adventure with Mad Mike's team was never meant to be.

Now, he wants to don the bleu, blanc et rouge, and seriously...WHY NOT?

He'd be a great addition, but nothing more than 2-2.5 million for him, Bob, please.
Maybe we could really be getting something here by playing an all-Russian line: the doghoused Sergei Samsonov, the centre Alexei Yashin and the man of the year...Alex Kovalev.

But if these guys seriously were to get their grooves back, wow, NHL, watch out...
Stanley Cup? Here we come!

Yashin's "list" includes Los Angeles, Washington and most recently, according to Yahoo! Sports, the Ottawa Senators.

--BBR

Here we go again...Kovalev talk resurfaces...

This is seriously pissing me off, excuse me, but I've had enough of all these bogus journalists bringing Alex Kovalev oriented interviews from Russia into the general media.

At the end of the season, I had a discussion with GM Bob Gainey, Kovalev explained to Pavel Alexandrovich Lysenkov, the author of Kovalev's official biography. I told (Gainey) that I didn't want to be back on the team if I'm treated the same way as I was (this past) season.

Journalists can accuse me of anything they want, I'm not going to give that any importance, Kovalev said. But when your team doesn't support you, when it gives you a secondary role that won't let me play, and all without explanation... that's hard (to digest).

And I wonder why we have trouble getting actual talent here.

I'm not denying Kovalev said this, but I honestly believe that it's another paltry attempt by the Montreal media to stir something up that would get fans and bloggers like me talking about it and move free-agents further away from potentially signing with the Canadiens.

He probably did say this to a Russian interviewer, and good for him, do you think any player of his calibre (although underachieving for his money) and salary is worth being on the 4th line?
I think not, and I will not get into it, but Guy Carbonneau's so sure of himself that he decides to bench Kovalev in the most important game of the season (against Toronto), and again, I will not get into it as I've already done so in previous Kovalev-oriented posts.

Kovalev deserves better treatment than he gets, even if he's not living up to the money he's putting in his wallet.
He may not have the classy Cristobal Huet attitude, but he's not Lou Piniella either.

If I do get into this again, you may find most parts of my post vulgar and emotional.

All I can say now...when will this end?
I hope it'll end with Briere signing with Montreal and Kovalev playing with him.

What? A Habs fan can dream...but can he?

Digging deep into the Montreal Canadiens team...

Read at your own risk, it took me 2 hours to get all this frustration out...

2006-2007 record: 42-34-6, 4th in Northeast, 10th in Eastern Conference.
Missed the playoffs by one point.

A. Contract situations
(Players with number figures are under contract)

FORWARDS
F Saku Koivu, $4,750,000
F Alex Kovalev, $4,500,000
F Sergei Samsonov, $3,525,000
F Steve Begin, $1,225,000
F Guillaume Latendresse, $850,000
F Garth Murray, $625,000
F Maxim Lapierre, $563,000
F Andrei Kostitsyn, $612,000
F Mikhail Grabovski, $700,000
F Kyle Chipchura, $984,000

UFA
F Radek Bonk
F Mike Johnson
F Aaron Downey

RFA
F Michael Ryder
F Chris Higgins
F Alexander Perezhogin
F Tomas Plekanec
F Duncan Milroy

DEFENCE
D Francis Bouillon, $1,875,000
D Mathieu Dandenault, $1,750,000
D Mark Streit, $600,000

UFA
D Janne Niinimaa
D Sheldon Souray
D Andrei Markov

RFA
D Mike Komisarek
D Josh Gorges

GOALIES
G Cristobal Huet, $2,750,000
G Jaroslav Halak, $500,000

UFA
G David Aebischer

RFA
G Michael Leighton

B. The changes that may come

-It remains to be seen how Bob Gainey will cope with checking forwards Mike Johnson and Radek Bonk, both will be unrestricted on July 1st.
Mike Johnson made $1.9 million last season, he had a very solid season and was a great pickup by Bob Gainey and ridiculously cheap (4th round pick.)
Radek Bonk was a total bust on certain standards, the Canadiens acquired him and Cristobal Huet from the Kings hoping he would provide that much needed size and offence.
Bonk made a huge amount of money and was not at all worth the money he put in his wallet last season, after a dreadful first season with Montreal, Bonk seemed rejuvenated this season and played some of the best defensive hockey I've ever seen in my life, unless him and Johnson takes paycuts, Bob Gainey won't pay nearly $4.5 million again for them both.

It's known Gainey would like to retain them both, but, if Souray is signed and his salary is commanding, he may be forced to part with either Bonk or Johnson or even both.
Johnson would probably have a bigger role on another team and it's anyone's guess for Radek Bonk.

-Aaron Downey was a horrible enforcer for the Canadiens, he was totally useless and was a waste of cap space and jersey fabric.
The Canadiens acquired goaltender Phillipe Sauve from the Bruins' minor league club in Providence as part of a loan deal for Aaron Downey.
Sauve was acquired because of injuries to Yann Danis and the call up of Jaroslav Halak by the Canadiens, just a depth deal...
He will not be back next season and he'll be lucky to get an NHL job elsewhere.

-Michael Ryder had an up and down season, and thanks to Andrew Raycroft, he managed to score 30 goals yet again.
That won't be forgotten by his agent when it comes time to talk turkey with Bob Gainey.
Ryder is an RFA and a very good forward.
He is very inconsistent however, and it would be nice if he scored on a consistent basis, and not in short periods of time.
He made $2,2 million last season and he'll get around the same thing next season, he doesn't deserve a raise, but, if Ryder feels he does, Gainey will bite and sign him anyway.

-Christopher Higgins and Tomas Plekanec are the restricted free-agents that will likely get a huge pay raise for the upcoming season.
Higgings, arguably the team's best player for the first two months of the season before going down with an ankle injury, will probably net around $800,000 next season, that's a 127 thousand dollar raise from what he's making now.
Plekanec exploded in the second half and became the second line centre the Canadiens wanted him to be, maybe even more than many expected.
After a relatively mediocre rookie season, Plekanec was one of the many young forwards to blossom into young stars for Guy Carbonneau this season, he will likely make $650,000 -$700,000 next season, a hefty raise from his current league minimum $450,000 wage.
Alexander Perezhogin and Duncan Milroy won't have any considerable changes to their salary, they may get a little more, but not much, besides, both are slowly fading away and it is believed Perezhogin could return to play in Europe next season rather than get limited ice-time and put up 11 points in Montreal.
Milroy is the Hamilton Bulldogs' best scorer, and he finally got the call this season, but it was short-lived and he only spent a week with the Canadiens before being sent back down to Hamilton.
He is a long shot to make the club next season.

-Janne Niinimaa and David Aebischer weren't even mentioned by GM Bob Gainey at his press conference a few days ago, however, both had terrible seasons and don't figure to be in the Canadiens plans.
Aebischer, signed specifically to step up should Cristobal Huet get injured or play bad, did not show up like Montreal wanted and needed from him.
After a great start, it was all downward for Aebischer and eventually lost his spot to rookie breakout Jaroslav Halak.
Fans won't miss David Aebsicher, his iconsistent play won't find him a $1.9 million taker for next season, and probably not even a starting job like the Swiss-born goalie longs for.
Niinimaa made a good push for the last month of the season and Guy Carbonneau acknowledged that by playing him on the powerplay and in key situations.
Janne Niinimaa's career has endured a sharp decline ever since he had that devastating surgery that changed the complexion of his career.
Once considered a top defenseman with the Flyers, Oilers and Islanders, Niinimaa had two equally bad tenures with the Dallas Stars and most recently, the Montreal Canadiens.
The only way Niinimaa will be a Hab next season, is if he accepts to be the no.7 defenseman and get paid a fraction of his current salary ($2,500,000).
Ironically, he was the Canadiens' highest-paid defenceman in 2006-2007.

-Sheldon Souray and Andrei Markov are both key to the Canadiens, but it looks like Markov has been made a priority to be signed by GM Bob Gainey before he becomes an unrestricted free-agent.
Markov made $2 million last season and he will probably earn the double of that next year.
As for Souray, he may even get the triple of his current $2,4 million salary on the open market.

I don't think Josh Gorges is going to be Sheldon Souray.

He has said he would like to be back next season only if the price was "fair", and with him and Markov sharing the same agent, things can get sticky for Bob Gainey if he decides to keep them both.
If he does keep them both, there's no way one will make more than the other.
I think I explained this best to Sherry over at Scarlett Ice when she asked me if the Rivet trading was the first step to clear up money to sign Souray:

Trading away Rivet to clear up money was part of it, but, Rivet was also having a very ordinary season and it seemed as if he had worn out his decade tenure in Montreal.

The deal clears up about $2 million, but, with Souray breaking the record for powerplay goals, Michael Ryder (thanks to Raycroft) getting yet another 30 goal season and Sergei Samsonov's paycheck glaring unspectacularly in the pressbox, along with his measly 8 goals, it is actually more difficult for Bob Gainey to retain Souray.

Trading away Rivet was the first step, the second would be to dump either Samsonov or Kovalev, neither will be traded (Samsonov was put on waivers, and went unclaimed) because of the $8 million they represent on the salary cap level.

But Bob will buy out Samsonov and the cap hit will only be $1.2 million, freeing up a good amount, anything is a good amount when it comes to finding money to keep Souray and more importantly, Markov in the fold.

Markov is the better defencemen, I'll say it again: Souray was -28 and his only asset was the shot from the blue-line, it was a valuable one, but his liability in his own end is overshadowed by his 19 powerplay dingers.

Markov, however, is a + on a -162 team and can play 30:00 minutes of sound defensive hockey and spectacular offensive.

On Saturday, I thought Souray would test the FA market, but it appears now that he'll consider staying with Montreal and signing before July 1st only if "the offer is fair".
"Fair" in this case, means around $6 million and if he is sentimental, $5 million.

But, since the Habs were eliminated, according to the hockey media: it makes it all easier to sign Souray, since they say (even though I don't agree) there will be HUGE changes to the roster and many UFA departures (Johnson, Bonk, Niinimaa, buyout of Sammy, possible trade of Kovalev, Bouillon) have probably forced Bob Gainey to re-think his team's situation and change the way the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge look.

And for that, he'll let a few walk and free up space and Souray will be in the Canadiens' price range.

That was a few days ago, and I thank Sherry for asking me that question, as it made me think long and hard on how it would be possible to sign Souray.

But, again, if Bob Gainey is intent on acquiring a free-agent forward like Briere, he may have to let go of Souray if he thinks a scoring forward is more important than his shot.
Briere, I would say, would be more important to this team than Sheldon Souray, and it looks as if Buffalo will keep Chris Drury and let Briere walk, a bad choice in my opinion.
Gainey may be reduced to making another tough choice and getting another migraine:

Do you want to keep Sheldon Souray and his 27 goals, or, get an elite centre like Daniel Briere who can score consistently and make the players around him better.

You make the call, I won't for Gainey.

Cristobal Huet will be the Canadiens' starting goaltender next season to Mitch Melnick's dissapointment, Halak will get a fair share of starts but the Canadiens will play Huet and probably let him go as his contract expires at the end of the season.

Why let him go?

Carey Price.

Or, sign Huet to a 1-year deal and make Price the starter for the 2009 Centennial season?

It's difficult to see Jaroslav Halak be the clear cut no. 1 man for the Canadiens ever, Carey Price is a couple seasons away and Huet is under contract for next season.

It'll be interesting to see how the goalie situation turns out, but, Gainey already hinted he's not worried about the goalies and that he still has confidence in his "Crystal Ball."

-Guy Carbonneau, I'm sorry to say, is not as great as everyone makes him to be.
He expects production from his players, while he doesn't work with them to improve their game, to "cultivate them" as Pierre McGuire would say.

Take Kovalev for example, I couldn't believe that he was benched for the final minute of play in
the most important game of the season!

Like, WHAT THE HELL?

Sure, he didn't play great, but I've really become tired of seeing Kovalev on the bench, he's better than that and I wish Carbo would see it differently.
But no, he has his stubborn view on Kovalev and Samsonov, and I'm starting to wonder if they're related to the fact that they're Russian.

Scratching Samsonov for the final stretch was a totally useless move.
The guy is having a horrible year, you don't enforce that or change anything by putting him the pressbox.

You play him, you play him and you hope he'll regain his confidence and get back into the game.
Enough already about this crap that you "focus" when you're scratched, you don't, you only sulk in despair and it makes even more distracted when you get back on the ice.

Samsonov will probably be bought out and we will bid him adieu.

He just didn't fit in here well Carbo, talk to the guy, see what his concerns are, don't got publicly out saying he's going to sit in the pressbox and never play for the Habs again, that's also another thing Carbonneau lacks: communication with his team and that's what probably cost him a chance to coach a playoff-bound team.

I'm starting to think Carbonneau was a bad choice by Bob Gainey and that he should get the whip soon, even if he is "from around here."
He was a good player, but now he's a coach...and that doesn't mean he'll be a good coach.
Man, just listening to Kirk Muller talks makes me feel like he's under Carbonneau's leash and that whatever he says, he's run it thru Carbonneau first.

I actually would like to see Kirk Muller be head coach of this team, I think he'd be better than Guy Carbonneau.

Here's to hoping Bob Gainey will somehow find this blog and read my blog post and make the right choice.

My sob-filled "it's over" post...

Only read this is you want to cry, Habs fans.

*hysterical sob*And as Mark Streit picked the puck up at his own blue line, realizing there were only 07 seconds remaining in play, I sobbed dearly.

I sobbed for the Canadiens, a team that had just blown a two-goal lead, a team that had given fans an ugly ending for the season, a team that lacked the passion the Leafs had tonight, and finally I sobbed because it was all over.

*continuous sobb*There would be no Cinderella runs for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge this year, no more glory to uphold our pride, no more passion to support our addiction; it's just all gone. *passionate sob*

*sob*Saku Koivu did not lead this team, like I asked in my prayer. *sob*
Sure he had 3 assists and was not a minus, but the guy who we're paying more than Alex Kovalev did not even get a shot on goal, let alone battle in the corners. *sob*

I am really dissapointed in his showing tonight, his opponent, Mats Sundin, recorded 8 shots on goal, had the same number of assists, but nevertheless, he led his team; he was the Captain.

And now we get to...Alex Kovalev,*sob*after all the support I have shown for him even in times of media houndling him, people getting tired with his inconsistency and telling them all he could easily be the best player in the NHL, it's time for him to go. *sob*, *sob*

I don't have anything against Kovalev, despite a poor performance, I don't hold anything against him. I will however, criticize him.

Where were you tonight Alex?
This is the night you were supposed to show up?
This is the night you HAD to show up?
This is the night, you'd shut them all up and come out of hiding!

Except, you were benched for all but two shifts in the last period of play, and worst of all: Guy Carbonneau found it necessary to put you where you don't belong with the season on the line in the last minute of play: on the bench.
And with that said, I just cannot bare to go through the 2008 season with the guy on our team.
I think Gainey needs to trade him...please, do it, I don't want to suffer with all the Kovalev talk again, and besides, you could possibly get a nice package return back for him.
And once again, I don't hate the guy, I think it's just business and that he doesn't get along well with Guy Carbonneau and the media in question.

Sheldon Souray...*sobs again* is gone.
He will file for unrestricted free-agency and leave us...*sob*He's going to leave us!
There's no way we're going to sign him, unless Gainey sacrifics Kovalev and Samsonov for the price of Souray, we can't afford to sign him.

Oh Shelly...*sob*you've played for the last time in Bleu, Blanc et Rouge...
I'd like to thank you from the heart as I sit here sobbing at my computer desk for everything you have given us during this damned season...leadership, record-breaking scoring, maybe even legendary scoring. I salute you, and I will never forget what kind of a leader you were in the dressing room, and what an offensive fireballer, you were on the ice.*sob*
Aurevoir!*sob*

*Sigh* and now we get to Cristobal Huet. My favourite goaltender and by far the classiest guy of the team. I don't blame you, Cristobal, sure you let in 6 big ones, but, you couldn't even stop 4 of them. Remember how the puck hit off a skate, a stick, a body, a helmet, the zamboni, whatever. It always hit off something and went in. I do however, blame you for one thing: not stepping up when it was needed late in the game.

You kept us in the game after facing around 20 shots in the first period, but you did let in a few softies. I also understand you haven't played in about 2 months, but on this play, it's irrelevant.

Take the first goal for example: (I'm a goalie too) What...just what, were you doing on your knees, in your crease, not even facing the player who scored right, 1 second before the shot was even taken in the slot.
You did go down to block the post, but you did not show me the Huet I admire by pushing off to face the second shot in the slot like you ALWAYS do in the season.

*sob*

I'm sorry we couldn't help you more tonight. I still have confidence in you, and I can't wait to see you play next season.

''Some people might question Carbonneau for putting Huet in, but I think we made the right move,'' said centre Chris Higgins, who scored two goals and added an assist against Toronto.

"The summer will be long," said Huet to the French press.

And yes, you're right, the summer will be VERY long.

I've had enough of ranting and sobbing now, but another thing bothers me.

The 2008 campaign? It could be the worst season in the new NHL era for the Canadiens.

Saku Koivu is not leading the team to wins, like a typical fan like you or if you're a psychotic fanatic like me, would want.

David Aebischer? Bye-bye! There's zero chance you're coming back next year thanks to your crappy play, and the emergence of Jaroslav Halak, makes it all but clear. I don't want to start on you again, I've already said it many times in many posts.

Radek Bonk? Ah, Radek. I hope you get signed, you had a fine year on defence and I appreciate the little things you did that helped this club A LOT.
I realize that you probably won't be retained, if Bob Gainey wants to attempt to keep Andrei Markov and Sheldon Souray, then you're toast mon ami.

*sob*Barring any big discount from the $2.3 million you're making now, I don't see you coming back, nor do I see the most-expensive d-man on our team returning...no, it's not a Markov or a Souray, it's Janne Niinimaa.

I still think management should offer him a contract and remain as the 7th defenceman, rather than bring up a dud like Jean-Phillipe Cote from Hamilton.
His strong play over the month of March is enough of an indication to me, that he wants to remain here. But maybe Bob Gainey will see it differently, and he likely will.

*sob*Mike Johnson? Wow, just a great pickup by Gainey! He had a very good season, and if Mark Streit didn't have a good year, I think he would have been nominated for the Masterton, and possibly (this is WAYYY stretched out) the Selke.

He had a very sound year on defence, and was a good surprise on offence (30 points and over 15o shots is good production at this point in his career).

I don't know if the Canadiens will retain him, he's making $1,9 million and I doubt he'd make that much next season.
I hope he and Bonk will come back, I really do...

I'm worried about this team for the upcoming season, because there is a major need of talent here. I would absolutely love to get Daniel Briere, but, it seems like nobody wants to come here and that Bob Gainey is reluctant to make big trades.
Both those items will cost us dearly next year.*sob*

Here's to hoping Gainey will make the right decisions and turn our team around.

And in the meantime, Go Sabres, but in my heart, I will always bleed Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.

Canadiens fans everywhere...pray.

May Habs fans everywhere please rise and pray for the Canadiens.

Pray for Cristobal Huet to be healthy tonight, to be back into the game, to have regained his first half magic and last but not least to make those key crucial saves. Pray for him to steal us the win and let us sneak into the playoffs and finally, pray for Cristobal...

Pray for Alex Kovalev to come out of hiding. For his heart to wake up and bring the player that has been hidden inside an imposter's body wearing the same jersey number during the entire season. Pray for him to do what he does best, and his best would be enough to carry us to victory tonight...

Pray for Sheldon Souray. Pray for him to remain a Canadien after the season is over. Realizing this could be his last game, God, please let him score once more and let victory roll over when the siren rings as we see him walk off the ice in Bleu, Blanc et Rouge for possibly the last time ever...

Pray for Michael Ryder to do his thing tonight. Pray for the real Ryder, not the -26 Ryder that doesn't backcheck and gets stupid hooking penalties, but the one who shoots the puck with passion and is driven to get the goal judge to ring up the red light on the opposition's net...

Pray for Chris Higgins to wake up. The Chris Higgins we have seen this year is a mere reflection of last year's breakout. Pray for him to drive to the net, to make the play he made before getting injured, and to become a feared player once again. Pray to God to also let him wake up from a condemned sleep, which has showed us minimal offence...

Pray for Tomas Plekanec. Pray for the guy that was considered too weak to play with Kovalev and Samsonov to carry the team should the Kaptain and Kommander fail to do so...

Pray for the Kaptain. Pray for Saku Koivu to lead us in these times of uncertaincy and keep the pride when we need it most. Pray for him to lead us into Lord Stanley's ring...

And finally...Pray for Guy Carbonneau. Pray for the rookie coach to make the right decision for us when times are dark, pray for him to do what is best for us to win and pray that he continues to blast referees.

Last but not least...Pray for Josh Gorges (who's a healthy scratch). Pray for him not to make that bonehead play and cost us a goal. That's all I'm asking. (Even though he's a healthy scratch! :D)

Ah what the heck, it's the Leafs, I think I'm overreacting, after all, it is the Leafs we're playing...

Do you like horror movies?

You do? Ah, well, here's how it starts:

Here, we examine the worst +/- players in the 28-39-14 Washington Capitals team, in 14th place with 70 points:

And here, we can observe the same stat for the 42-33-6 Montreal Canadiens, in 8th place with 92 points (22 more than the latter)



See anything weird there? Oh, it's no big deal, the Canadiens only have 3 players in the minus twenties whereas the Washington Capitals HAVE NONE!
I can't believe it, really. Even if the Caps have Ovechkin, who is a thousand times better than Koivu and Ryder put together, their team +/- rating is -135, the Habs sit 26 back with...wait for it, -161!
Koivu is -22, Ovechkin is -19.

And worst of all, which makes this stat even more scary, is that the Capitals and Canadiens both have scored the exact same numbers of goals heading into Saturday night, with 234 a piece and the Canadiens, who sit in playoff contention, have allowed about 30 goals less than the Capitals.

There's a problem here, and I just can't see how this can be.
I know the Habs' penalty kill dropped off badly from 1st to the mid-teens recently, but the Capitals have been consistently mediocre all year long.

If anyone can tell me, I'd gladly appreciate it.


In other relative Habs news...

-Cristobal Huet will tend goal for the Canadiens tonight. It will be the French goaltender's first start since he injured his hamstring against the New Jersey Devils about 2 months ago. Huet appeared for the 3rd period of Thursday's 3-1 Habs' loss to the New York Rangers, when he replaced Jaroslav Halak, who allowed 3 goals on 25 shots.

This is a reasonable move, Carbonneau probably panicked at Halak's shaky play and didn't want it to transition to this game, he knows they can't afford to risk anything with the playoffs on the line, and the logical choice was to go with Cristobal Huet, who hopefully, once again will save the team as he did last season.

See Matthew's post above for more information heading into tonight's Habs-Leafs tilt.

Kovalev and Yashin la creme de la creme of the NHL's 4th liners...

Alexei Yashin (left) and Alex Kovalev (right) are the best 4th line players in the NHL

Alexei Yashin was demoted to the fourth line in Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, as coach Ted Nolan was steamed that he did not cover Vincent Lecavalier in the second period, leading to a goal. "Whether it's our captain or not, you have to perform. At this time of the year, there's no excuses."

Alexei Yashin is now the most expensive 4th liner in the National Hockey League, beating out the Canadiens' Alex Kovalev by a $5 million margin.
Kovalev is making $4.5 million in Bleu, Blanc et Rouge this season whereas Yashin's always-famous 10 year/$90 million contract is still glaring brightly in Long Island.

Ironically, both players are underachieving and they're getting paid a lot of money to do so. But, both still remain top-notch players with Kovalev getting the slight edge, despite his inconsistency.

Yashin was well on his way to his best season since signing the second biggest deal in Islanders history (recently beaten out by Rick DiPietro's 15-year contract) until a knee injury put him out of action for a good period of time.
Since his return to the lineup, Yashin has only 2 points in 6 games, and is hardly the player he was in the first part of the season, as he formed a great duo with impending UFA Jason Blake, who's still going strong.

Kovalev was benched in a game against the Ottawa Senators a few weeks ago as the Canadiens dropped back-to-back games against the latter and falling lower in the playoff race, when he gave the puck away at his own blue-line, costing his team the game.

New York Newsday cites that he was benched for a nearly identical reason, as he did not cover Vincent Lecavaler who added to his league leading goal total and helped his team go 2-0 over the Islanders. The Islanders fought back with 3 consecutive goals from Richard Zednik, Richard Park and Miroslav Satan to take the lead but the Lightning still ended up winning in overtime.
The loss was costly as the Islanders fell to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 1 point behind the 8th spot which is up for grabs by three teams (Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes)

Yashin has been an underachiever since he came to New York, fresh off outstanding season with the then-depleted Ottawa Senators, he was expected to produce big-time and put up all-star numbers, season-by-season.
He has not done that and up until today, he has been an average (for his salary) 60-70 point player for the Islanders and has not helped them advance past the first round of the playoffs.

The Russian-born player still remains however, a good tennis parter of owner Charles Wang...and the Russian-born Kovalev is excelling on the 4th line with Quebecois rookies Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse, some even say it's been his best showing in a long time.

The move to the 4th line is likely temporary in Yashin's case, since excluding certain teams, as the Canadiens, Sabres and Stars, the 4th line doesn't get much ice time.

Alex Kovalev has 14 goals and 28 assists for a total of 42 points in 65 games this season, a considerable drop-off of the 65 he ammassed in 69 games last season.
Captain Yashin has 14 goals and 26 assists for a toal of 40 points in 48 contests.
Yashin has the slight advantage of a better entourage than Kovalev, who had to suffer with Sergei Samsonov and the used-to-be mediocre Tomas Plekanec on his side.

I don't think Samsonov is exactly Blake, but, nonetheless, both are underachieving, highly-skilled players.

Drumroll...Three-way tie...damn!

Andrei Kostitsyn, the new "AK" in town, scored this nifty one which proved to be the winner, in the shootot as the Canadiens beat the rival Leafs 3-2 last night at the Bell Centre...

The Canadiens and Maple Leafs both faced off yesterday at the Bell Centre in Montreal with the teams both needing points to advance in the ever-toughening Eastern Conference standings.
Before the game, the Canadiens sat in 11th place with 76 points, 2 behind the 8th spot Islanders and 1 behind the 9th spot Leafs.

Now?

Now they sit in a sticky three-way tie with the Islanders, who lost big in Florida yesterday, and the Leafs.

It was a fun-filled game for the most part.

Alex Kovalev came back into the lineup and played well partly on the 4th line and near the end of the game, on the 3rd.

Francis Bouillon dropped them...again, he did too against Atlanta a few games ago and got his *insert word here* kicked badly, against our favourite guy, come on, guess who?
He did alright against Darcy Tucker, landing him a few punches to the head and getting some back. The winner? Definitely Bouillon.
The two landed 5 minute majors to end the first period and returned in the second.

The 1st period was more or less end-to-end hockey, with both teams gaining momentum they forced each other on defence constantly, there was none of this "New Jersey Devils" crap.
The forecheck and body was on and there were shots on net.

Jaroslav Halak FINALLY gave the Canadiens some kind of goaltending, playing great, making key saves for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge and keeping his head up all game long.
He also kept his head up when in the same period, Leafs captain Mats Sundin attempted a wraparound and the young Slovakian shut the door.
Sundin's reaction was one of the many let go by the referees last night, who did a pretty horrible job in this department.
He just lifted his stick under the chin of Halak and pushed his mask up, RIGHT NEXT TO THE DAMN OFFICIAL, Andrei Markov amazed of the no-call, yelled at the official during the play.
He made 37 saves including big ones on Kyle Wellwood and Darcy Tucker in the shootout.

"I thought he played really, really well, especially in the third period when Toronto came out strong," said coach Guy Carbonneau, who went with Halak after a bad outing by David Aebischer in a 6-3 loss in Pittsburgh on Friday night. "They got the puck to the net with traffic, so he had to make some big saves."

Andrei Kostitsyn, who's finally showing his potential the Canadiens drafted him to be, scored the first Canadiens goal of his abbreviated season, slipping it through the legs of Andrew Raycroft and a helpful screen Hal Gill on a left-wing rush from the Belarusian youngster.

"Let's settle down and don't push him," said Canadiens captain Saku Koivu of Kostitsyn who also had a goal in regulation and in the shootout. "He's a young, very talented player working his way up to the NHL."

Darcy Tucker had a bad night and must've taken on at least 7 hits.
He did not seem like the offensive force he should be and for some reason, was never in front of the net! Probably because he was afraid of getting hit by Mike Komisarek, who had a solid game as well and laid down a few nice body checks too.

I don't know, but I'll always be there if he wants to play physical," said Bouillon of Tucker "That's the kind of game I like to play in - so intense and physical, but with good hockey at the same time."

Saku Koivu had a good game and got his 60th point of the season by putting his 19th goal of the season behind Raycroft, backhand style, in the 2nd period of play.
This is Koivu's 3rd 60-point season and hopefully, he will continue to do the same each game.

Nik Antropov really surprised me.
I know of alll the criticism the kid takes for not being good enough but hey, he can hit and skate! He doesn't have much of a shot, but I was surprised at him putting the body on that often, it's even more surprising he's a European! (no pun intended)

Pavel Kubina is still not worth the money he's getting from John Ferguson Jr.
His goal was a lucky bounce off Chris Higgins in the 3rd to tie the game at 2 and send it to extra frames. He should be a superstar, but, he's not, and he's a HUGE waste of $5 million a season.
Despite his injuries, he should be doing a lot better.

Too many Leafs fans in the Bell Centre uhhh, it was paining to hear them scream go Leafs go along with pissed Habs fans go Habs go to give go Laffs go!

Yanic Perreault played a good game, however, he's better than a 4th line centre.

Sheldon Souray had a few braincramps last night...and imagine, he's like -20 and he has 23 goals this year, what if he didn't have all those goals? -33? -40?
God...

Kyle Wellwood is a good player. I like him a lot and he's very dangerous, the most creative passer in the game today, he set up Kubina with a nice back pass to tie the game in the 3rd and scored himself the other Leafs goal to tie it up in the first, finishing a pretty passing play.

Andrew Raycroft played how the Leafs want him to play. Ok, he'll give up the occasional softie, but all-around, he kept his team in the game.

Mike Modano scored twice liked I predicted a few lost posts ago...he's now 1 goal away from becoming the all-time American-born top scorer and a pass to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Stephane Robidas was taken off on a stretcher after a cou-cou play by the seemingly over zealous Jordin Tootoo.

Eric Brewer pushed the Oilers' streak to 10 in a row, scoring 2:04 into overtime against his former team in a 3-2 Blues win. One more loss and the Edmonton Oilers will tie the franchise record of 11 losses in a row, set 13 years ago.

Mike Comrie honored his mother, who died of breat cancer when he was just 10 years old, and used a pink stick in honor of her in a 3-2 Senators win over the falling Flyers.

Martin Gerber got the start in net against Philadelphia and Dean McCammond and Wade Redden also helped out Comrie with pink sticks...

Brendan Morrison scored a shorthanded goal against the Wings to give them a 4-1 win in a crucial matchup in the West. Roberto Luongo made 32 saves.

Chad LaRose scored twice as he switched to center in a 7-2 mauling of the New Jersey Devils which put Carolina in the 7th spot and solidified its chances of an encore playoff run.

Dave Lewis was not pleased as the Bruins lost 7-0 in MSG, humiliating the coach and the players. Tim Thomas gave up 3 goals on 15 shots and Lewis put waiver claim Joey MacDonald in.

"Excuses are for losers," Lewis said. "We looked slow, weak, soft and
intimidated."

Updated standings
Playoff Push

Going to the Bulldogs-Cruch game at the Bell Centre today, boy, can't wait!

Habs notes: Kovalev will hear "Vertigo" again tonight...

[...] that is...if the Canadiens do score tonight as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in another battle for the ages...

Alex Kovalev will indeed play tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs as the Canadiens host T.O at the Bell Centre according to RDS.

Kovalev has been suffering from vertigo which has caused him to miss one week of action, but there's no telling how much longer it will plague him.

Kovalev did not fly to Pittsburgh on Thursday night and instead remained in Montreal, where he practiced hard and alone on the Bell Centre ice.

The Kommander has been in a funk all season and he will hopefully regain consistency and beging helping the Canadiens as they slowly fall out of playoff contention.

Rookie Jaroslav Halak, in spite of my willingness to give Michael Leighton a chance, will get the nod in goal as he hopes to put an end to the Canadiens' recent embarrassing goaltending situation.

Guy Carbonneau's response to a reporter of this decision was: "Do I really have a choice?"
Good answer Guy, it's not as if you have a choice, you're stuck with a bunch of no-shows for goalies, particularly David Aebsicher, blech.

• Because of the three-headed monster of David Aebischer, Jaroslav Halak and Michael Leighton, forced me to look this up...
  

As always, this is...

The story never ends for Kovalev...

Alex Kovalev (above) is suffering from vertigo.

Barely 2 weeks after the Russian radio saga, in which he alledgedly said "bad things" about his teammates, coach and certain players in particular, Alex Kovalev's still got another chapter in his long book to write:

"Vertigo"

Vertigo, from U2, is also the Canadiens' goal song in the Bell Centre, and it is also what Kovalev is suffering from. It's not something you can just brush off like a cold.

Kovalev said he got up in the middle of the night and all was spinning and he was "scared".
He missed Tuesday's game against the Islanders in which the Habs won 5-3 with "diziness" and that it was flu-related.

And diziness is what it is, vertigo has been known to end many players careers including most recently, ex-Canadiens goaltender Jeff Hackett in 2004, however, what Kovalev has is a light form of vertigo and it is not as serious as Hackett's but he still calls it "career-threatening"

According to a recent TSN report, Kovalev is "feeling better" and that he does not wish this upon anyone. He says his vertigo makes him face a labyrinth and that it worries him.

Oh god, please no Kovy!

He must be getting better as he did skate alone yesterday and drove his car to the Bell Centre.

Good luck Alex!
He is also questionable for tomorrow's game in Pittsburgh and it will be determined today whether or not he takes the trip there.