Gainey Confirms That He’s Shopping Halak
Montreal GM Bob Gainey took the opportunity to set the record straight on the matter of goaltender Jaroslav Halak, telling RueFrontenac.com that he initiated contact with Philly GM Paul Holmgren about moving the player. This is interesting because Gainey rarely, if ever, discusses trades and possible deals with the media.
“All I can tell you is that I called the Flyers, not the other way around,” Gainey said.
Gainey went on to say that the Flyers had shown little to no interest in Halak and that the conversation was very brief. No details were discussed and that was it.
Speculation had been running rampant about a possible deal involving the Flyers and Habs. Many reports suggested that Gainey had been looking for a top-six forward in exchange for his goalie, but he dismissed that scenario as not being realistic. It isn’t clear as to what Gainey expected to get in return for his goalie.
Gainey also confirmed that he had been shopping Halak around to some other teams in the NHL. His apparent goal at the moment is for Halak to have a shot at being a top goaltender on another club, essentially admitting that his opportunities with the Habs are destined to be small.
So it appears that Gainey is going to continue looking to find the right spot for Halak on another club and that his expectations for a return on the goalie aren’t very high. With this news out in the open, it has to impact how Halak feels in Montreal and how he fits in as a member of the franchise. Because of this, it’s reasonable to anticipate that a deal comes sooner rather than later.
Posted by Jordan Richardson.
Tags: bob gainey, jaroslav halak, Montreal Canadiens, speculation, trade rumours