Thursday, February 22, 2007

No way for Huet!

Montreal’s goaltending picture took a bit of a hit this week, as word came down that Cristobal Huet the crowd favourite in Montreal will be gone for the rest of the year.

Huet who injured his hamstring earlier last week, underwent surgery and will be out of the line up for the remainder of the season. Though he has expressed hope to be back to work once the playoffs get under way.

So far the Habs have been content with David Aebischer and the recently called up Jaroslav Halak , who actually helped backstop them to a victory over the weekend.

Montreal fans who were already cool to the former Colorado goaltender, have already started to get excited about Halak, a situation that has come with a cautionary tone from Guy Carbonneau, aware of the pressure of playing in Montreal.

But with a playoff position still on their minds, the talk as the trading deadline nears is that the Habs will be looking for some insurance in the nets, perhaps Ed Belfour or one of the western goaltenders such as Patrick Lalime.

It will all probably depend on how Halak and Aebischer handle the workload in the next few days as to whether the Habs will be looking for a bit of experience in the nets as well as what the cost will be to get some.

With a young team on its way up the food chain, picking up a costly replacement in the nets could come at a price they’re not willing to pay.

Unless Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau can see a Stanley Cup parade down St. Catherine Street in the next three months or so, it may be best to stick with what they’ve go and hope that the team can work the playoffs as long as they can.

No comments: