Discerning Gainey’s philosophy
March 1st, 2008 by wrightOnce again Bob Gainey confounded the pundits with another seemingly inexplicable transaction at the NHL’s trade deadline last Tuesday. Despite stating that the Habs were looking to acquire an impact player, the only move Gainey made was to trade the teams starting goaltender , Christobal Huet, to Washington for the Capitals second round draft pick in 2009. The reaction from the media and the fans was ferociously negative. The experts were mystified by the move. Common perception was that Gainey had weakened the team, taking away the veteran presence of Huet, and entrusting the most important position in the game to two very inexperienced young goalies in Price and Halak. Additionally, Gainey had failed to address the teams perceived deficiencies, a lack of grit and secondary scoring amongst the forward units. In a press conference the next day, Gainey further antagonized the media by stating that the Huet deal was a single deliberate deal, not part of a more complex transaction that failed to evolve in terms of acquiring an elite level player, such as the rumoured Marian Hossa. The one constant in Gainey’s tenure as general manager of the Habs, is his against the grain, somewhat peculiar decision making that seems counter intuitive. The reality is that the vast majority of Gainey’s moves are part of a methodical plan to enable the Canadiens to become consistnet contenders on a annual basis.
The Huet deal and Gainey’s decision not to make a more substantial trade were equally calibrated to ensure on going success for the remainder of this season, and for future seasons. In trading Huet, Gainey had determined that the goaltending combo of Price and Halak would be as efficent or superior to Huet’s abilities. More importantly the combined salary of Price and Halak is 1.3 million, a substantial savings from Huet’s 3 million annual salary, and projected salary that he will probably receive on a new contract commencing next season. For Gainey this season is a test run for a young team to gain experience of high pressure playoff games. Price, the goalie of the future needs the exposure now to be battle tested when the Habs legitimately threaten for the cup in the upcoming years.
Gainey wisely decided not to mortgage away the teams future by succumbing to the pressure of the media and fans to make a high profile deal for an impact player that would in essence be only a two month rental. Similarly, trading away some of the clubs blue chip prospects and a high draft pick for a Brad Richards and his heavy contract of 7.8 million a year, would constrict Gainey’s payroll flexibility.
The methodolgy behind Gainey’s tactics in formulating a Stanley Cup contender, is a hybrid system of organically
building within, drafting and developing talent, maintaining maxium payroll flexibility. The core of the team will be weighted upon youth, with short term contracts, supplemented by a couple of veteran players with longer term deals. Gainey’s emphasis is to keep the talent pipeline from the farm system as the organizations central nervous system. Veteran experience will be sacraficed for youth. Veteran players with significant contracts will always be percieved as expendable in exchange for youth and draft picks. (As evidenced in The Rivet trade of a year ago that netted out a first round draft pick and Josh Georges, who is already evolving into a superior defenseman). Gainey recognizes that significant salary committments in a salary cap environment constricts the long term health of a franchise. As a result, non performing personnel with major contractual obligations such as Theodore,Samsanov etc are quickly purged.
It would appear, that Gainey views franchise building as a mechanism of constantly rotating parts. The present youth core of Plekanec, Higgins, Komisarek, Price, and the Kostitsyn brothers is temporal in nature. As they approach ufa status, Gainey will not attempt to resign them all. At present they are valuable assets, based on their skill level in relation to their inexpensive contracts. Gainey, in his typical enigmatic style will determine which players he will hold onto, and proceed to trade off others from the existing core for more obscure prospects and draft picks. As the team grows, Gainey will constantly be prunning back certain present assets for future assets to ensure long term competitive positioning. In a salary cap, parity driven NHL, dynastys are a thing of the past. Virtually all cup contenders will be flawed in some way. Therefore a better than average team will always be in a position to challenge. That is Gainey’s mission statement. High roster turnover, characterized by a preponderance of young players fortified by high potental prospects in the farm system will enable the Habs to have long term capabilities of winning consistently.
With an emphasis to maxium salary cap flexibility and maintence of young talent, it was hardly surprising to understand Gainey’s trade deadline move and non moves. Huet was shipped out because Gainey wanted to get the maxium production out of his young goalies with as minimal salary cost as possible. Gainey fully “gets” the present collective bargaining agreement. With unrestricted free agency available for players at the age of 27, the future for young prospects is now, before they become almost impossibly too expensive to maintain through long term contracts. As a result, the Habs have only two players signed beyond 2009. The Canadiens have one of the leagues deepest and most talented prospects in their farm system. A majority of the Habs current roster is comprised of players that the organization drafted and devloped internally. The Canadiens youth movement will be an annual event, and as long as Gainey is gm, the team will constantly be one of the youngest in terms of average age of its personnel in the league. Gainey will not sacrafice his overall philosophy for a “quick fix” deadline deal. He will not trade away a plethora of young prospects and young talent for an aging veteran with a large contract. Youth, with inexpensive, short term contracts will not be sacraficed to appease the masses demands “to go for it now” approach.
Drafting and development, is a core value of Gainey’s philosophy. Within that context, the Huet trade makes sense. A good player and a seemingly good person was sacraficed to further ensure the long term viability of the team. As a result, Gainey will more often than not be a short term seller, to reap the longer term rewards. Gainey’s vision is presently paying major dividends, and will continue to do so for the future.
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