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No Brainer: Habs Should Offer Guerin a Contract |
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In assessing where the Canadiens stand in relation to the cap, it's easy to assume they can't afford to add anything to the picture once Carey Price puts pen to paper. But an interesting option is on the table with news that the Pittsburgh Penguins will not tender an offer to bring back aging winger, Bill Guerin. The Canadiens would be wise to consider Guerin, as his experience and skill set would be a very a healthy addition to their offensive arsenal.
Guerin, who will turn 40 this year, still has plenty left in the tank. His 9 points in 9 playoff games last spring speak to his ability to continue to be an impact player in the National Hockey League. His grit, size, his right-hand shot, his powerplay presence and his leadership encompass the dynamics that are so clearly lacking in Montreal's top six.
The Canadiens currently have 5 players who shoot right-handed. Lapierre and Gionta are the only forwards who shoot right, O'Byrne, Weber and Subban are the three defensemen. That's not a major issue, but it does impact the decisions behind line-making, and certainly influences the structure of the powerplay. Guerin's right-hand shot (a healthy one too) would certainly be a welcome addition to the top 6 and the powerplay.
Find a player in the top six of the Canadiens that has size, speed, grit and experience. Good luck! Guerin's not shy to drop the gloves, either. Guerin made 2 million dollars last season, and figures to make little more than half of that on a new contract. The point being, it wouldn't take too much creativity to fit Guerin under the Canadiens cap, no matter the amount of space they'll have after Price signs.
The Canadiens have great leaders in Gionta, Markov, Cammalleri, Gill, Gorges etc, but in my four years of reporting I've yet to come across a player who gave me a greater insight into the dynamics of an NHL room than Bill Guerin has.
The Penguins were in town last season, on December 10, 2009. The Canadiens had electrified the building as they carried play through 2 periods of a deadlocked game. Thirteen minutes into the the third period, Pascal Dupuis let go of a shot on the rush from 50 feet out, and Price whiffed on it with his glove. The deflation was palpable, and the Penguins pulled the game out despite the intimidating crowd that had them lose their wits in the second period, during a momentum shift that saw Montreal go from down 1-0 to up 2-1 in less than three minutes.
As one of the first reporters into the Penguins room, I caught a rare glimpse of the guys still celebrating their exciting win. It was Bill Guerin tempering the mood, not just because reporters had begun to storm the room, but Guerin had to be the voice of calming resolve to remind his teammates to "bury wins as quickly as you bury losses." The excited buzz came to a whisper as Guerin encouraged teammates to shower up quickly because the bus for the airport was leaving at a certain time--a reminder that by the time they set foot on it there would be another game to focus on. Everyone obliged speedily.
Though this isn't the most glaring example of leadership, it speaks to the respect level Guerin's teammates had for him. It wasn't Sid or Gonchar telling everyone what to do. It wasn't Dupuis or Orpik. Bill Guerin was the authoritative voice of that team.
When Bob Gainey elected to overhaul the roster last summer, he went after players with Stanley Cup experience. Scott Gomez was the first, and Brian Gionta, Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek, Travis Moen and Marc-Andre Bergeron came shortly after. Needless to say, Guerin fits the mold. The team's leadership, with the exception of Markov, is entirely made up of Americans and Canadians with solid NHL and international experience. There's familiarity with Gomez and Gionta (not to mention both players can bring the best out of Guerin's game) and there's a good personality fit with players like Cammalleri, Gill, Subban, Gorges and Price. He can be a mentor for wingers like Kostitsyn, Pouliot, and Pyatt, and a moral compass for Maxim Lapierre.
The question is, does Guerin have an interest in suiting up for the Habs? Because, for the Habs not to consider him would be a foolish mistake.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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