Mar 06 The Weekly Backcheck - 03/06/2011

Let's Start With Habs Stuff...

• Pierre Gauthier played the trade deadline right. Face it, there isn't one single move out there that would push the Canadiens into Stanley Cup favorite status so why sacrifice assets the team can continue to build off of for a player like Dustin Penner who would improve the team, but not put them nearly on the level of a Philadelphia or Vancouver? Big deadline deals are for teams ready to go "all in" with their chances to win the Cup. The Habs are a team that's still building steadily and although patience is wearing thin among some, it's the right course of action.

• Here's a perfect example as to why Pierre Gauthier doesn't like making deals on deadline day. Islanders' general manager was reportedly demanding a second-round pick each for veteran defenseman Radek Martinek and enforcer Zenon Konopka. Considering that was the price Gauthier paid for James Wisniewski back on December 28th, can you imagine how much the price tag would've risen had Snow held on to Wisniewski until deadline day?

• Going into Atlanta, it was clear that Carey Price would have to be in top form for the team to get a win. Quite simply, the Habs don't match up well against bigger teams like Atlanta and have to be opportunistic when they do get the puck to pull out a victory, which they were. Games like that are when the team need Price to rise to the occasion the most and it's good to see him up to the task.

• What can you really say about the Habs win in Florida? I guess the biggest positive was that the team didn't fall into their unexplainable habit of playing down to their opponents but considering how putrid Florida has become, the Habs really would've had to try and be that bad. But a win is a win and Carey Price continues to erase any skepticism that came with him being handed the #1 goaltender's job at the beginning of the season. That point was only driven home further with how he carried the team to victory in Tampa.

• I've been praising Max Pacioretty for awhile now but the player he's quickly turning into is unreal. He was by far the best forward for the Habs in Atlanta with a hand full of breakaways or partial breaks. That's one rare first-round pick the Habs have made in recent memory that appears to be working out. Here's an increasingly modest prediction: Pacioretty will be on the 2014 US Olympic team.

• The benefits the team is reaping from P.K. Subban, Pacioretty, David Desharnais and to a lesser extent, Yannick Weber should reinforce the importance of the road to Montreal going through Hamilton for the team's prospects. It appears they learned their lesson with losing Guillaume Latendresse and almost losing Carey Price.

...And On To Other Stuff Around The League...

• If I had to pick a winner on deadline day, I'd say Vancouver came out best. They didn't remove a single player from their roster and added two players in Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins, who should solidify their fourth line. Higgins was one player who I felt could come into Montreal at a minimal price and contribute to the bottom six or the top six in a pinch but alas, it wasn't meant to be. As far as Lapierre goes, spring wasn't long enough ago to make me forget what an effective playoff performer he can be.

• Once you get past the obnixousness of it all, the Leafs being in the playoff race actually makes hockey more enjoyable. They are a storied franchise (even though that story is full of tears, despair and mediocre hockey) and they do have a passionate fan base and any time a franchise like that is relevant in March, it just makes things more interesting.

• Seriously, what's the point of Trevor Gillies? The hit on Cal Clutterbuck was just so stupid, reckless, unnecessary and a bunch of other similar adjectives that confirm to me that Gillies and players of his ilk have absolutely no place in a league so many other players with actual skill have worked so hard to be a part of.

• If you're a general manager starting a franchise today and you could have your pick of any player in the league to lead that franchise, you'd be hard pressed to find many more suitable names than Jonathan Toews. He was Team Canada's best forward at the Olympics, led the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup and this season, with his team's playoff participation not at all guaranteed, he's almost literally put the team on his back, recording a mere two point-less games since January 23rd.

• I was a bit surprised to see the Sharks put their faith in Antti Niemi with a 4-year deal worth $3.8 million a season. Niemi has had a good season, especially as of late, but he just doesn't strike me as an unquestionable starter in this league the way his new contract would lead me to believe. He did win a Cup with the Blackhawks last year and I'll stop short of saying they won in spite of Niemi but he wasn't exactly a cornerstone of that franchise.

About Will Martinez

Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill

Tags: Canucks \ Carey price \ Desharnais \ Gillies \ leafs \ Max Pacioretty \ Montreal Canadiens \ NHL \ Niemi \ Panthers \ Pierre Gauthier \ PK Subban \ Sharks \ Thrashers \ Toews