OTTAWA — Just in time to celebrate their 100th anniversary, the Montreal Canadiens are suddenly looking like the Habs — and not the “Hab Nots” — of old.
After patiently allowing a talented young core to develop, the Canadiens caused a stir during the NHL’s two-day draft that ended Saturday. Besides trading their first-round pick to acquire center Alex Tanguay from Calgary, the Canadiens were given permission to negotiate with soon-to-be free agent Mats Sundin, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Those are bold moves made by a team that’s encouraged after a season in which it won its first conference title since 1989. That was a huge jump for a franchise that had missed the playoffs six times since winning the Stanley Cup in 1993. By comparison, Montreal had only missed the playoffs eight times in its history prior to that year.
“We’ve been a franchise that over a few years out of necessity has been patient,” general manager Bob Gainey said. “(But) There’s only a place for so many new and young players on a team that needs to be complemented by older players. … We were aggressive in developing, now we’re aggressive in doing different things.”
Montreal’s Eastern Conference rivals have taken notice.
“I think they proved last year that they were back,” Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said. “They’re trying to add to their hockey club, and time will tell.”
On Saturday, there were numerous players selected in the second round with notable connections, including right wing Jared Staal, who was picked 49th overall by Phoenix. Staal, who plays for OHL Sudbury, is the youngest member of the Thunder Bay, Ontario, family that’s produced three first-round picks: Eric (selected No. 2 by Carolina in 2003), Marc (12th overall by the Rangers in 2005) and Jordan (selected No. 2 by Pittsburgh in 2006).
Should Jared Staal make it to the NHL, the family would become the first to have four players in the league since the Sutter family had six.
The Islanders, in the third round, selected center David Toews, the brother of last season’s NHL Rookie of the Year finalist, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews.
The Canadiens used their seventh-round pick (206th) on U.S. high school center Patrick Johnson, the grandson of Penguins Stanley Cup-winning coach “Badger” Bob Johnson, and son of Mark Johnson, a member of the U.S. “Miracle on Ice” 1980 Olympic team.
Besides draft picks, much talk Saturday centered on how teams will approach free agency, which opens July 1.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had only four picks in the draft, and had to wait until the fourth round to make their first selection when they took OHL Kingston center Nathan Moon.
Then again, the Penguins have other issues to address. They’re attempting to retain Marian Hossa, who’s eligible to become a free agent, and also likely to lose center Ryan Malone, while hoping to sign forward Evgeni Malkin and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to contract extensions this summer.
GM Ray Shero said he’s made Hossa an offer, but expects the player to test the market.
San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said he’s still in talks to re-sign defenseman Brian Campbell, and planned to meet with the player’s agent this weekend.
The Phoenix Coyotes used two first-round selections — left wing Mikkel Boedker (with the No. 8 pick) and Russian forward Viktor Tikhonov — on players projected to have a shot at playing in the NHL immediately. The Coyotes then acquired forward Olli Jokinen in a trade with Florida. Phoenix gave up two defensemen, including stalwart Keith Ballard, but are confident they added a necessary veteran presence and established offensive threat.
“With the strength of the West, we needed someone to really step in and play a role for us,” Coyotes coach and managing partner Wayne Gretzky said, referring to Jokinen. “We like where we’re going. It’s an exciting time for the entire organization.”
The Los Angeles Kings also made moves to improve their young core, even though they traded center Mike Cammalleri to Calgary. The Kings used four of their nine draft picks on defensemen, starting with Drew Doughty, who was selected No. 2 overall.
Kings GM Dean Lombardi said it was unlikely the team would have been able to afford to re-sign Cammalleri when he was to become a free agent next year.
“He was a one-year asset to us,” Lombardi said. “Our chances of signing him were probably negligible.”
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