A Montreal Canadiens Fan Wishes Old Friends Good Luck

I'm feeling a little bit ashamed.

With the exception of Saku Koivu, I never took the opportunity to wish our free agency departures good luck with their new teams.

I know a lot of you may be thinking that I'm saying this tongue-in-cheek, but I'm not (save for a burly, blonde defenseman). I really enjoyed the team that we had and I believe that everyone played their part to the best of their abilities (for the most part).

I hope that Alex Kovalev enjoys his new role as an Ottawa Senator. His magic certainly will not go unnoticed by the fans. It's quite unfortunate that he heeded his agent's advice rather than that of his own heart.

Alex Tanguay will surely flourish in his one year with the Lightning, and provided he plays through some pain, he will most likely get another shot to sign a big deal in the NHL.

Tom Kostopoulos was always a spark-plug with the Habs. His heart was huge, but he had hands of stone. With no shortage of talent on the Carolina Hurricanes, Tom the Bomb can act like a pinball all game long without even worrying about touching the puck.

I welcomed Mathieu Schneider with open arms when he joined the Canadiens and he certainly reciprocated as a powerplay specialist. I'm sure he will complement an already strong Canucks blueline quite well. I do hope his shoulder holds up, though.

After trading both Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to free up cap space for Dany Heatley, the San Jose Sharks will most definitely add Mathieu Dandenault after his tryout is complete. The fleet-footed veteran will make a more than capable seventh defenseman for the Western Conference powerhouse.

Mike Komisarek has a very good chance of becoming the Toronto Maple Leafs' top scorer. Good luck, I hope it was worth it.

Unfortunately, Francis Bouillon and Robert Lang have not yet received contracts. Injury is a tough thing—it has been plaguing Frankie B through his entire career and very possibly could have ended Lang's. Luckily, boys, it's not officially too late until you retire. Good luck.

I was able to watch some of our newcomers play in the first Habs preseason game against the Panthers last night.  My night ended with a smile because of some dazzling performances.

Hopefully, tonight's game will be as enjoyable and new faces will be in the spotlight.

I know it's tough to say goodbye to old friends, but I sure like making new ones.