If the Canadiens decide to trade goaltender Jaroslav Halak this season, it could come closer to the Mar. 3 trade deadline, reports the Montreal Gazette.
Halak, 24, has been battling Carey Price for the Canadiens' starting goalie position all season.
Allan Walsh, Halak's agent, told the Gazette Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has an issue every general manager in the NHL would love to have; two capable No.1 goalies.
Halak has played extremely well this season, being named the Molson Cup recipient as the Canadiens' player of the month for December. He was also selected to the Slovakian national Olympic team and was awarded last week's NHL's first star.
Gainey admitted last month that he contacted the Philadelphia Flyers about Halak, but the Gazette suggests the Habs might hold on to this rising star until closer to the deadline.
Halak reportedly asks the Canadiens to move him earlier this season, but neither he nor Walsh would comment any further on that subject.
Walsh would not comment on whether or not he's spoken with Gainey lately about his client's future.
Halak is in the final year of his current contract, at a salary of $800,000, and can become a restricted free agent this summer.
Files from:
Montreal Gazette
[ From the Editor ]
If Gainey receives a good-enough offer for Halak, I'm sure he'll pull the trigger. But, like any smart GM, he's going to wait as long as he can before he receives an offer he simply cannot refuse. The Canadiens have invested a lot in Carey Price, who has looked brilliant at times, and not so brilliant on other occassions; but he's young and the Habs believe he'll be a superstar between the pipes. The Canadiens want to bolster themselves up front, by acquiring a big top-six physical forward, or acquire a steady rock on the blueline. -- David Pagnotta
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