Trades are a part of the NHL.
That's true in all professional sports but to me it seems like more deals happen in the NHL than in MLB, the NFL, or the NBA. Just take a look at past trades that happened at the trade deadline and you'll see random Canadians moving from team to team for no other reason than "Team X made a deal, we have to make a deal."
Trades can happen at anytime in the NHL whether it is in the middle of a road trip, after a morning skate or right before a pregame warm-up.
But on Thursday night in Boston I saw a trade made that was odd not only for the deal itself but also for when the deal went down.
Montreal forward Mike Cammalleri was pulled from the lineup during the 2nd intermission and was told by Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier that he was being traded to Calgary for Rene Bourque.
The timing of the deal comes one day after Cammalleri made comments to the media about a "losing attitude" that is surrounding the Canadiens.
When asked about pulling Cammalleri from the lineup and trading him Gauthier said the trade had nothing to do with Cammalleri's comments and that a deal with Calgary had been in the works for a while.
I'm not buying it for one second.
I don't doubt the fact that Gauthier and Flames GM Jay Feaster may have had discussions during the year and Cammalleri's name may have come up.
But if a deal was imminent why wouldn't you just wait until after the 3rd period to announce the deal or better yet scratch Cammalleri from the lineup so Montreal isn't down a forward on the bench.
Cammalleri played for only nine minutes before being pulled from the lineup. It's not like Feaster saw the 1st period and told Gauthier "I'll take Cammalleri and I'll take him now."
This was a panic move by Gauthier. He trades a player who has been a 30+ goal scorer twice in his career for a player in Rene Bourque who highest season goal total is 27.
In all fairness Bourque does add size up front to a Montreal team that has been looking to get bigger at the forward position.
But a player like Cammalleri should fetch you more on the trade market than a guy who teeters between being a top six forward and a 3rd line winger.
Four years ago Montreal was the top team in the Eastern Conference and two years ago they were and Eastern Conference finalist. Now they are a franchise that looks completely clueless with how they handle things.
First they fired an assistant coach in October to buy Jacques Martin more time to turn things around only to fire him a week before Christmas. Then they hire a coach who can't speak french (not that it should matter) upsetting a province that has a majority of Francophone's. Now they trade one of their better forwards to the first team that would agree to take him off their hands.
Canadiens owner Geoff Molson needs to re-evaluate his player personnel department at the end of the season. If that means bidding adieu to Gauthier as general manager then so be it.
The Montreal Canadiens are the most historic franchise in the NHL. The league is a lot better when they are good than when they are bad. Right now I don't see things getting better for Montreal with the people they have running the show.
Here is the Power Poll for Week 13:
1. Boston 28-12-1 57 points
Bruins are 16-2 this season in games which they score first.
2. Detroit 28-15-1 57 points
Red Wings have won 14 straight games at Joe Louis Arena.
3. N.Y. Rangers 28-11-4 60 points
Followed up 3-0 win over Toronto with a 4-1 defeat in Montreal.
4. Vancouver 28-15-3 59 points
Some good news for the Canucks as they welcome back David Booth to the lineup after missing 18 games with a knee injury.
5. Chicago 27-13-6 60 points
Dan Carcillo will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. This will only help the Blackhawks in the post-season.
6. Philadelphia 26-13-4 56 points
Bad news for the Flyers as James Van Riemsdyk is out indefinitely with a concussion.
7. St. Louis 26-12-6 58 points
Blues are 5-0-1 so far in the month of January.
8. San Jose 25-12-5 55 points
Sharks are 10-1-4 in their last 15 games.
9. Nashville 25-15-4 54 points
Check out this hip check by Rayn Ellis on Wayne Simmonds.
10. New Jersey 25-17-2 52 points
2 goals in 2 minutes help the Devils get two points in Winnipeg.
11. Ottawa 25-15-6 56 points
At some point I'm going to have to start taking the Senators seriously as a playoff team.
12. Washington 24-17-2 50 points
It took a while but look who's back on top in the Southeast Division.
13. Dallas 24-18-1 49 points
Jamie Benn out 10-14 days with an appendectomy.
14. Colorado 24-20-2 50 points
Avalanche welcome back Peter Mueller after missing 40 games with a head injury.
15. Pittsburgh 23-17-4 50 points
The depth of the Penguins is being tested with all these injuries.
16. Los Angeles 22-15-9 53 points
Darryl Sutter is victorious in his first game back in Calgary as coach of the Kings.
17. Toronto 22-17-5 49 points
Defenseman Luke Schenn could be on the move as the Maple Leafs try to acquire a forward.
18. Minnesota 22-16-7 51 points
Shoulder injury to Mikko Koivu is one of the last things the Wild need right now.
19. Florida 21-14-8 50 points
No longer in 1st place in the Southeast Division, let's see if the Panthers can hang around.
20. Calgary 21-20-5 47 points
It's gonna take more than Mike Cammalleri for the Flames to make the playoffs.
21. Winnipeg 20-19-5 45 points
Loss to the Devils on Saturday is one game the Jets might like to have back.
22. Phoenix 20-18-7 47 points
Coyotes are 17-2-4 in games where they score first.
23. Buffalo 19-20-5 43 points
Sabres have lost eight in a row on the road.
24. Montreal 17-20-8 42 points
Odds of the Canadiens making the playoffs is 15.1 percent.
25. Tampa Bay 17-23-4 38 points
I thought the Lightning would fall back a little bit this season. I didn't expect them to be last in the East.
26. Edmonton 17-23-4 38 points
Win over the Kings snaps the Oilers winless streak at 5 games.
27. Carolina 16-24-7 39 points
Hurricanes welcome back Jeff Skinner after missing 16 games with a concussion.
28. N.Y. Islanders 16-20-6 38 points
Congrats to Evgeni Nabokov on win number 300.
29. Anaheim 15-22-7 37 points
Might be a little too late but the Ducks are 5-0-1 in their last six games.
30. Columbus 12-27-5 29 points
Congrats to Todd Richards in his first win as head coach of the Blue Jackets with a 4-3 win over Phoenix Saturday night.
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