Diognosing the Canadiens 29 cuts

[Habsfan84]

Since the players cut from the Habs' training camp today are best summed up here, I'll be concentrating on a select few in this post.

First, on those hitting waivers:

A total of nine players are available to any team wishing to pick them up off waivers. However, I only see three of them as a good chance of finding a new home - G Yann Danis, D Mathieu Biron, and F Jonathan Ferland.

Danis still has some NHL potential, but he's not getting any younger. He'd be a safe pick-up for any team looking for depth in net - something the Habs already have.

Biron was solid for the Bulldogs last season as they made it all the way to the Calder Cup and won. He'd be a good 7th or even 8th defenseman on teams lacking size on the back end. Maybe Philly would be interested in reuniting Martin et Mathieu?

Ferland is a tenacious forward with some offensive upside - albeit not a lot. He'd make a cheap, reliable 4th line grinder for any club seeking assistance in that department.

Second, those who hold promise for the future:

Defensemen Mathieu Carle and Pavel Valentenko along with forwards Matt D'Agostini and Sergei Kostitsyn are players you could very well see playing with the Habs as early as this season.

I am convinced at this point that D'Agostini will be up with the Habs sooner rather than later. The talented winger can score - an asset not shared by most Canadiens at this time. If he shows improvement on his overall game, I guarantee that Matt will be up with the Habs before Christmas.

Carle's development will be set back a couple of months thanks to a leg injury, but that shouldn't stop the offensive defenseman from making his mark this season.

When Montreal brought in Valentenko, there were high expectations involving the Russian blueliner making the NHL out of camp. However, it is he headed to Hamilton thus far, not Ryan O'Byrne. Makes sense since he'll need to learn the North American game first.

While it would be awesome to see the Kostitsyn brothers playing together this season - there simply isn't a spot for Sergei right now. Also, I feel this move will allow Andrei, the older of the two, to concentrate on his role in the organization.

Lastly, those left behind:

Before the start of training camp, one wouldn't be surprised if Carey Price remained with the Montreal Canadiens through the end of training camp. How things change - some, including myself, figured that Price would be heading back to Hamilton after Cristobal Huet seemingly picked up where he left off before being injured last season.

It's possible that Halak's inability to keep the three and two goal cushions Montreal held against Boston in yesterday's exhibition match has management concerned.

It's possible that they want to give Price one last look, or maybe the move to keep him around is so that the 20-year-old could benefit from the remaining activities in store for the remaining players.

I'm not sure O'Byrne will survive the final cuts, but he is certainly close to a roster position. If he absolutely outplays and forces the Canadiens to keep him, a trade may be on the way. Mathieu Dandenault anyone?

In my mind, Kyle Chipchura has already made this team. However, by keeping Mikhail Grabovski around, I'm not sure what to think. The dynamic center certainly has the skill set to produce at the NHL level, but can he survive physically? I wonder if Gainey may want to showcase Grabs in another game or two in hopes of moving the youngster for help in another area.

That concludes my diagnosis of the Canadiens' cuts. With so much depth headed to Mount Tremblant to continue the camp, it looks more and more like Gainey & Co. will need to make a move to free up some room for a youngster.

With only two games remaining on the exhibition schedule, you can be sure that the competition will be stiff for the very few spots remaining and I can't wait to see it unfold!