Jacques Martin Falls in Montreal but Markov, Gomez, and Kaberle Remain ??

Looks like the curtain has finally fallen on the Habs circus; at least for coach Jacques Martin.  The beat goes on in Montreal and the unusual moves by Pierre Gauthier continue.  Just a short time after getting Tomas Kaberle in an unexpected trade from Carolina; the Habs put the coach on the chopping block and Martin is history.   

The move to fire the coach was not unexpected but questions remain.  The trade for Kaberle and the fact that Gomez and Markov are still riding the pine with their big salaries calls into question the management skills at the top level in Montreal.  Management never owned up to mistakes that were made with Markov and tried to mask it by getting the highly paid but under performing Kaberle. The ship is sinking fast in Montreal and Gauthier is hiding behind PR stunts to shield the obvious.  This guy is not being upfront with Habs fans.  The Habs have officially entered a rebuilding period and chances of real competitiveness are years away.  Salary cap issues have got this team tied in knots thanks to the three horsemen of the financial apocalypse (Markov,Gomez,Kaberle) the Habs face the real possibility of losing Georges, Eller and others.  That's right; they will be losing the young guys who can win games and be stuck with a team of oldies but goldies who watch most of their games from the press box.

Carey Price and PK Subban are brilliant young players but they are not and cannot be an entire team.  Molson has to clean house and get rid of  Pierre Gauthier before it is too late.  Maybe Martin, Gauthier, Gomez, and Markov can form their own golf foursome.  Hmmmm....Habs on golf carts.  I think it is funny (sad) but I am not laughing. 

CAREY PRICE FOR A BAG OF PUCKS ?

Fans in Montreal are notoriously hard on the Canadiens.  Montreal is a hockey hotbed and the fans right now are in considerable pain given that the Habs are languishing near the bottom of the NHL .  Hockey heroes have turned into hockey losers and everyone in La Belle Province has an idea on how to solve the Habs' slump.

This writer today was at lunch and overheard a distraught Habs fan saying that the Habs should be trading their fallen hero, Carey Price , for a bag of pucks.  Of course this kind of talk is extreme but it does show how badly sentiment has worsened in the last week or so.  Talk shows and newspapers are speculating about trades and firings.  Coach Martin is front and center in terms of the speculation and the tension will only get worse if they lose tonight.  The boys in the red, white and blue are taking on the Flyers and we another loss looms large.  On top of that ; the Habs' next opponent is Boston.  If these guys lose those two games; Martin could be out of job by the weekend.

It is way too easy to toss the coach.  The coach doesn't lace up skates and play.  Players play and right now the Habs don't have enough skilled or experienced players to compete. Hopefully the Habs will see their way clear to trading a few of their high price players and keep Martin behind the bench.  Maybe Price for a bag of pucks is a bad idea but Price for a second or third line center and an experienced defenseman would go a long way to stemming the bleeding.  Time will tell what's around the corner for the Habs but we think there is more pain to come. Hopefully they don't keep losing at the same pace because if things get much worse the Price for pucks deal will look like a great deal.