Canadiens Trade Options: Bob Gainey Needs to Act

Saturday's blowout victory by the Ottawa Senators over the Montreal Canadiens shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who bleeds bleu, blanc, et rouge. 

The 4-3 squeaker win by the Habs last Tuesday came at the expense of a Sens team minus Heatly and Alfredsson, both of whom were key factors in the 6-1 revenge killing Saturday night.

Couple that with a loss to the struggling Leafs and, once again, the Canadiens find themselves not only looking forward but behind as well. 

The log jam in the Eastern Conference means everyone is jockeying for position. The Bruins, Rangers, Flyers and Devils are all nipping at the skate heels of the Habs, all of whom have posted winning records in their last 10.

Montreal has also posted a winning record (5-4-1) but the Kovalev-Kastsitsyn-Plekanec line can't carry the team alone. It's time to act. 

Last year, GM Bob Gainey did little come trade deadline. It didn't hurt the team, but it certainly didn't help. Decimated by illness and with little spark following the all-star break, the result was a heartbreaking, season-ending loss to Toronto in their last game of the regular season. 

The only consolation for Habs' fans was that the Leafs lost the next day, dashing Toronto's hopes at ending its 40-year Stanley Cup drought. Still, in a hockey hungry town like Montreal, that small morsel did nothing to fill up the swollen, Molson-muscle bellies of Habs' fans. 

This year, Gainey has to pick up the phone and work some angles.  Unloading Michael Ryder seems the obvious choice, the winger having sat out a number of games this year for under performing. 

Ryder has always had potential—30-goals each of the last two seasons—but, realistically, trading only Ryder isn't going to net much. To get what Montreal needs, Gainey will have to sweeten the pot. 

It's no secret Montreal's top-line isn't getting it done. Saku Koivu knows it, Christopher Higgins knows it, and if you didn't know it, the Montreal media is quick to point it out.  So, if Ryder is readying a bag to move to whatever NHL city wants him, that same city may want a Koivu or a Higgins, too. 

Higgins seems the obvious choice, and his name has already been tossed around in trade rumors with the Atlanta Thrashers. A Ryder/Higgins trade for Marian Hossa is a good move. Trading the duo, or even Koivu, for Buffalo's Brian Campbell or Tampa Bay's Dan Boyle would also benefit the Canadiens, but it's a highly unlikely scenario. 

There's also a case to be made for picking up Toronto captain Mats Sundin. It's a risky move, but one that could pay dividends for the Habs as they make a run for the Cup.  Sundin is a solid goal-scorer and a team leader. 

The problem is, Toronto isn't going to give him up for nothing, and it's doubtful Montreal will want to unload some of its younger talent or future draft picks for a costly veteran with more playing days behind him than ahead. 

The other option may be a shake-up behind the bench. Coach Guy Carbonneau's line-juggling act is comparable to Quebec's other import, the Cirque-du-Soleil.  Sometimes it works, other times, a disaster. 

If Carbonneau isn't inspiring the boys, perhaps it's time he move on, leaving coaching duties to the more-than-capable Kirk Muller. Making that move, however, will depend on how the team finishes out the season. 

Whatever Gainey has up his sleeve, it's time to show it to the waiting audience. 

Otherwise, Montreal may be looking forward to next season and looking back on what could have been.