The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
When the NHL belatedly entered the salary cap era in 2005, fans knew they were in for a big change. With teams of all heights constrained by the same ceiling, summer roster shuffling would be almost as eventful as the season itself. Players would be packing their bags more than ever before. That has not always been the case. In fact, in many instances the opposite has proven true as guys like Rick DiPietro (15 years), Mike Richards (12 years) and Rick Nash (eight years) look for the security of long-term deals with their clubs. Nonetheless, this summer (I use the term technically, not based on the weather) has brought a flurry of transactions. Some teams have made themselves better, some worse, while others are merely as good (or bad) as they were. It has been a mixed bag for Canada's six franchises. In Montreal, the Habs wisely divorced from captain Saku Koivu after a 13-year marriage. Koivu is a courageous man who loved his team, but he is emblematic of the Canadiens' biggest dilemma of the last dozen years. Which is to say that he is usually good but rarely great. As part of a massive overhaul in hockey's most sacred city, GM Bob Gainey brought in centre Scott Gomez and wingers Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri. They combined for 75 goals and 200 points last season, a number that you might say is good but not great. The trio also represents another challenge for Montreal: all are small players. On a blueline still recovering from the loss of Sheldon Souray two summers ago, Montreal scooped up the decent Jaroslav Spacek and Paul Mara along with a behemoth of a man in Hal Gill. They lost Mike Komisarek. Critics will say it's all a wash, that the Habs are as average as they were last season when the skin of their teeth separated them from ninth place in the East. Truth be told, the Canadiens are better. Not break-out-the-champagne better, but better. In all of the excitement, Montreal bid au revoir to enigmatic winger Alex Kovalev, who went to another group of underachievers in Ottawa. Some have gone so far as to call Kovalev one of the finest natural talents in hockey whose enthusiasm and consistency hold him back from bigger and better things. Still, he did have 35 goals and 49 assists just two years ago. That's better than what Dany Heatley, the man Kovie was brought in to replace, could muster last season. For the second time in his career, Heatley has demanded a trade, but as of this writing there are no apparent takers. He has already refused a move to Edmonton, and now there is hope he will have a change of heart and remain a Senator. Even that wouldn't solve the Sens' core problems, though. Their defense remains stunningly mediocre, and new starter Pascale Leclair is, like Kovalev, an on-again, off-again phenomenon. The Sens simply have too many guys who are used to choking. Bigger changes are needed to bring Ottawa to where it needs to be. Further south in Ontario, the Leafs expedited their rebuilding process with an emphasis on the blueline. The centrepiece is Mike Komisarek, the hard-hitting, shot-blocking stay-at-homer who signed a whopping contract. Stanley Cup winner Francois Beauchemin is a workhorse who knows how to pass the puck. Garnet Excelby adds toughness to the defence corps and many like what they see in the inexperienced Colin Stuart. See 'Steady' on pg. Continued from pg. In net, Jonas Gustavsson Ð seen as one of the best goalies outside the NHL Ð settled on T.O. He might be the answer to Vesa Toskala, who put up hugely disappointing numbers in his first season in blue and white. The Leafs are wisely resisting the urge to bring in a slew of big-name free agents, an approach that has failed so many times before around the league. Toronto appears content to continue a steady climb back to respectability. Out west, the Flames may be the most improved of the Canadian teams by augmenting their blueline with Jay Bouwmeester. The former first-round pick is the complete package. Size, playmaking skill and even some scoring touch. J. Bo hasn't received as much attention as he deserves playing in Florida. That will change in a true hockey market like Calgary. On the other hand, you don't just brush off the loss of a talent like Mike Cammalleri, who was Calgary's top-scoring centre last year. Fortunately, the Flames will enjoy a full season of Olli Jokinen while demanding more from former 46-goal man Todd Bertuzzi, who at 34 may still regain his game yet. In hockey's northernmost market, the Oilers decided 39-year-old Dwayne Roloson was not the man to mind the net. So in comes Nikolai Khabibulin. When he's on his game, few are better than The Bulin Wall. When he's off his game, he ends up on waivers. Khabibulin is a Stanley Cup winner who will, if he so chooses, make Edmonton a more worthy opponent. As the Oilers' young talent blossoms, one of the lower rung playoff positions in the West is within their grasp. The Vancouver Canucks are after much more than a playoff spot. Coming off a 100-point season, they're looking to take the next step. Much of GM Mike Gillis's attention was taken up by the will-they-stay-or-will-they-go drama of the Sedin twins. After they were re-signed, Gillis was able to land Mikael Samuelsson, the type of two-way presence the Canucks were sorely missing. Having spent four seasons with the Red Wings, Samuelsson knows how to win. Unfortunately, Mattias Ohlund, a rock on the Vancouver blueline for a dozen years, put on his suntan lotion and headed to Tampa Bay. Ohlund is a loss, but one the Canuck blueline is strong enough to sustain. Look for Vancouver to remain among the cream of the NHL crop. If they manage to tack on another solid defenceman and more grit, they could top the West both in the regular season and the playoffs.
