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.

Habs trim down roster to 26 players.

Not many surprises with this wave of cuts, as the Habs get closer to the season opener in Carolina.

the following nine players will have to clear waivers before reporting to Hamilton:
Goalie
Yann Danis
Forwards
Jonathan Ferland
Corey Locke
Duncan Milroy
Cory Urquhart
Defensemen
Jean-Philippe Côté
Jamie Rivers
Mathieu Biron
Andrew Archer

Expect Montreal to lose Danis, and possibly Côté.

18 players will report directly to Hamilton without having to pass through waivers. Notable players going back down to the farm team are Sergei Kostitsyn, and Matt D'Agostini, who was told to be on the doorstep of the NHL in a press conference held by coach Guy Carbonneau last week.

Back to the Habs training camp. GM Bob Gainey has mentionned that Halak and Price will be competing for the back up spot on the Habs roster. The other will become Hamilton's starter. We can safely determine that a goalie will be cut leaving us 25 players. A NHL team roster is generally composed of 23 players. This leaves 2 players to be cut amongst the 14 forwards and 9 defensemen left. Its safe to say that at least one defensemen will be cut. Gainey can afford to cut a forward having Mark Streit in the lineup who has proven last year that he can play up front on the third or fourth line. Will Garth Murray be sent packing to leave room for some younger talent?

Gear up for the season ladies and gentlemen because it's right around the corner!

Should Gainey have just left Brisebois alone?

EXLUSIVE TO XNHL.NET

I have a column over there, and from time to time, I will share with you the stories I publish there.

As we all know by now, the Canadiens officially signed veteran free-agent defenceman Patrice Brisebois to a one year contract, likely worth around 700K.

I guess it's a bargain for a guy that could put up 30 points in a full season...and if he could put up another +17 rating, like he did a few years back with the Habs, then it's a good signing nonetheless.

Otherwise, it won't matter if he sucks or not...he's not getting paid the $4.5 million to play "crapily" (is that a word?) like he did in his last season in Montreal and get literally booed out of the city.

Or maybe Bob is just a sympathetic guy who wants to see this vet retire in a Habs uni.

I, for one, would have preferred Gainey to let Brisebois retire, and take a good hard look at some nice young guys down in Hamilton itching to earn a spot on the Canadiens roster next season.

The obvious option is Ryan O'Byrne, who looks to me like a lock to make the Habs' squad...his size and shot being his most useful assets.

Another option, though unlikely, is Mathieu Biron, a former NHLer with the Washington Capitals and now the Bulldogs' main powerplay quarterback.
When I saw him play, along with the rest of the team at the Bell Centre a few months ago.
I was especially impressed with his offensive game, his booming slap shot on the powerplay won't replace Sheldon Souray's...but it would be a pretty nice consolation prize.

Besides them, there isn't much to hope for...besides Jean-Phillipe Cote, who had a cup of coffee with the Canadiens 2 seasons ago, but has fallen way low due to injury and inconsistency since then.

Gainey finally realized the Habs lacked depth on defence, and had little options in Hamilton, and as a result, the 2007 Habs draft class consisted of mainly defencemen, notably top-ranked Ryan McDonagh (1st round) and the big muscular P.K. Subban (2nd round).

The question is: will the presence of the 36-year old Patrice Brisebois force Bob Gainey to potentially cut a promising young player from next year's team in training camp?

-BBeR