Habs finalize roster. Lapierre Halak and O'Byrne on the road to Hamilton

Bob Gainey earlier today reduced his roster to the maximum 23 players. Several comments can be made about the cuts.

Firstly, Lapierre is on his way to Hamilton after a very ordinary training camp. Carbonneau several days ago stated his disappointment in Lapierre's play, opening the door for a possible demotion to Hamilton. I have to admit I didn't expect Lapierre to be cut on the basis that he was part of a commercial about the Habs starring other than himself, Latendresse, Komisarek, and Higgins. Maybe this demotion will serve as a warning to everyone. No players are safe, and they will have to answer for there lack of effort and/or production.

Next, Price will be Huet's backup. Gainey obviously out-weighed Carbonneau who had earlier in the pre-season that if Price were to stay in Montreal, it would be as the starter. Did Carbo change his mind or did Gainey make the decision on his own? For the good of the team, I hope they reached a consensus.

Last but not least, O'Byrne was cut on the basis that he is the only defenseman able to go to Hamilton without having to clear waivers. Expect him to be back quickly if an injury occurs on the blue line.

Going Carey Crazy

Anyone else feeling the Carey Price buzz? He's only a 19-year-old, a whole two months younger than me, yet he's accomplished just about every feat he's faced this season.

He led his CHL team, the Tri-City Americans, to the playoffs after three consecutive disappointing seasons. It’s not that Price was bad early in his CHL career, he just didn't have the team in front of him.

However, his final minor-league season would see him bring home the CHL's best goalie award before packing his bag for Hamilton where he'd see two regular season starts with a solid Bulldogs' team in front of him.

To understand Price's ability to lead the 'Dogs to a Calder Cup victory, one must look back at the 2007 U-20 World Junior Championships. It was during that stint that the young goaltender learned what real pressure was, and furthermore, how to handle it. In overcoming the pressure, Price was named the Tournament MVP and top goalie.

Price had it easy in Hamilton when you think about it. Games weren't televised to a national audience observing his every move from the edge of their seats. No, instead Price would turn in home ice wins at the Copps Coliseum to a mere couple thousand fans compared to the millions upon millions who watched him capture gold at the World Juniors this past January. Once again, he earned MVP honors as the AHL playoff's best player.

While he hasn't proved anything at the NHL level just yet, it's hard not to feel confident that the Montreal Canadiens have in their system yet another one of the best goalies to play the game.

Personally, I can't help but expect Carey Price to leap-frog Jaroslav Halak or Cristobal Huet on the depth chart this upcoming fall. It's also not hard to believe that he may just grab the starting role sooner rather than later.

Maybe I'm just feeling the Carey craze right now and he's not actually that close. What do you think?