With Mats Sundin still in limbo and unable to come up with a decision as to whether he'll play next season or not, Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey must move on to plan J. Or is it plan K? Or maybe in this case plan L would be appropriate. Plan L as in Plan Lang; Blackhawk Robert Lang.
In comparison, both guys are similar in size. Lang is 6'3" and 220 pounds, while Sundin weighs in at 6'5" and 225 pounds. Skill-wise, there is less of a comparison. Any GM would rather land Sundin than Lang. Age is not a factor since they are just a few months apart.
If Sundin decides to simply retire or sign with another team, Lang could do the job in Montreal.
The Habs need a big center. Lang recorded 21 goals and 54 points in 76 games last season. He has a plus-9 differential and only 50 penalty minutes. Lang could bring lots of experience to the team.
Of course, Sundin had a better record last year with 32 goals and 78 points in 74 games. But can he be as good next season if he comes back?
I would have no problem with getting Lang in Montreal if the Habs can't get Sundin. I think Gainey will get him through a transaction, so the $4 million spent on Lang would probably be absorbed in part by the Montreal player traded, which would leave some cap space for another good player.
I wouldn't want to be in Bob Gainey's shoes right now. We all know that if Gainey fails to land Sundin and trades a prospect for Lang, Montreal fans will want to crucify him.
Good luck Bob!
1 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Matt Eichel 11 months ago
Wow, Robert Lang. That would be a possible warm welcome. But what happens if he turns into another Radek Bonk? He has size, but looses the scoring touch just as did Sergei Samsonov, Mariusz Czerkawski, and others.
Good read!
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.