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After a June trade saw Jaroslav Halak head to the St. Louis Blues by way of the Montreal Canadiens, the goaltender has signed a contract with his new team.
The Blues already had a goalie before this Jaroslav Halak trade on Thursday. His name was Chris Mason, and two years ago, he was seen as the future in the Blues crease. Or something like that. At the very least, Mason was liked by people in St. Louis after he played a major role in a 2009 stretch run comeback by the Blues, hoisting them into playoffs after death had once seemed imminent.
Mason dropped off a bit this season, but so did the entire Blues team, who most people think were playing way over their heads during that insane run in '09. So, you might understand then that Mason, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, was a little surprised when he heard that his team went out and got another goalie.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"I was pretty shocked," said Mason, who will become a free agent July 1 after compiling a record of 57-43-15 with a 2.47 GAA in two seasons with the Blues. "We had been talking the last couple of weeks, and I felt pretty good about getting a deal done this week.
"It was just a matter of getting confirmation and getting everything in order. It was delayed a couple of times and now we know the reason why. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was disappointing. I loved being a St. Louis Blue and I thought I was going to continue to be."
Mason will, more than likely, hit the free agent market on July 1 with hopes of landing somewhere. With the amount of goalies on the market this summer, though, that might prove difficult.
(H/T ProHockeyTalk)
Robert over at Habs Eyes On The Prize is trying to inject some thought into the rage his fellow Canadiens fans hold over the trade of Jaroslav Halak. A day after that deal went down, people are angry. Robert tries to change that.
"I cannot believe the Canadiens have traded the player who singlehandedly allowed them to beat Washington and Pittsburgh and make it to the third round of the playoffs! What were they thinking!"
The reaction is a common, and angry one, upon first take. Fans, after all, are supposed to be passionate!
It is a broad summation of the feelings of Habs fan immediately after hearing news of the trade, but it is quite typical of what information is consistently fed to brains in small bits and bites, usually and largely, through the media.
Often, what one selects to believe determines reactions.
Jaroslav Halak is one heck of a good goaltender, and his greatness will be determined by his longevity.
But my friends, things must be placed in proper proportion, analysed some, and disected smartly, before rendering an absolute opinion one way or the other in deciding whether the Canadiens chose the right course of action.
If this were the summer of 1985, I suppose I would be devastated had the Canadiens traded Steve Penney to Calgary for Joel Otto and prospect Brett Hull, placing all their hopes on a skinny kid named Roy.
The comparison is totally superfluous of course, because we have benefit of hindsight.
But maybe it isn't all that out of whack.
The headline over at our Blues blog, St. Louis Game Time, says it all:
Here's how the folks over at Game Time, and presumably throughout St. Louis, are reacting to this trade:
Yes, you read that correctly. The latest Patrick Roy du jour of the Montreal Canadiens is now our newest actual real starting goaltender. In case you've forgotten, that hasn't been the case since Grant Fuhr.
[...]
In return, the Blues ship back Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. While I am upset to see a prospect like Eller go, the Blues were in dire need of a solid starting goaltender. Chris Mason put up solid numbers for us in net, but his propensity for softies and the occasional wonky move, he also became a lightning rod of derision. This gives St. Louis a solid starter in net, one of the best back-ups in the league, and a good and growing defensive corps. Remember those blown couple goal leads and one goal losses that kept us out of the playoffs? There's hope now that's a thing of the past.
For more from the fans in St. Louis, head over to SLGT.
Pierre Leburn of ESPN is reporting that prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz are the return in Thursday's trade of goaltender Jaroslav Halak from Montreal to St. Louis.
Eller was the Blues first round pick, chosen 13th overall, in 2007. He's one of the best prospects in the Blues system. He played seven games with the NHL club this season, scoring two goals in those games. He's a nicely sized prospect who has a very well-rounded skill set.
Schultz, who last played with Calgary of the WHL, is less of a known asset. He was selected in the third round by the Blues back in 2008 and his junior eligibility is up, meaning he's set to turn pro. It would be shocking to see Schultz in the NHL with the Canadiens next season.
The Blues have confirmed the trade on their website. There have been reports that Brad Boyes was involved as well, but that's not included in the report by the Blues. Here's a bit from it:
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced Thursday the club has acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forwards Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
“Jaroslav’s play in this year’s regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs was remarkable,” said Davidson. “He has had very impressive numbers in the NHL and we are thrilled that he will be wearing the Bluenote for us.”
Halak, 25, was 26-13-5 in 2009-10 for Montreal and ranked 4th in the NHL in save percentage (.940), 9th in goals against average (2.40) and was tied for 5th with five shutouts. In his 26 wins this season he had a GAA of 1.68 and a save % of .948. He was 4-2-0 vs. the Western Conference with a GAA of 2.19 and a .928 save %. The 2009-10 “Molson Cup” winner as team MVP was 44-27-6 over the last two seasons in Montreal with a save percentage of .924 and GAA of 2.59.
Hilariously, Halak's agent, Allan Walsh, had the following message on Twitter Wednesday night.
Received an e-mail from reporter claiming inside knowledge that Jaro Halak just purchased big home in Montreal. Total fantasy.
We'll be back with reaction from both cities shortly.
And it's officially the NHL offseason. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak, largely credited with that team's impressive run in the postseason, has been traded to the St. Louis Blues.
RDS first reported the news, and while they may have a shaky reputation when it comes to these things, the report has been confirmed by at least one other source. TSN, the more-respected English-language partner of the Francophone RDS, also confirmed the news.
Halak, 25, is a restricted free agent this upcoming summer, meaning that come July 1, any team can send him an offer sheet. The Blues now have his rights, though, so they have the opportunity to match any offer.
Given the situation, it has to be assumed that the Canadiens have a substantial return coming their way. That, or Pierre Gauthier really hates his job and sees this as the easiest way out...
We'll have more as it comes out.
For reaction, head to Habs Eyes On The Prize and St. Louis Game Time.
Jaroslav Halak Signs Four-Year Deal With Blues
The St. Louis Blues announced on Tuesday that they've agreed to a contract with restricted free agent goalie Jaroslav Halak, who they acquired via trade from Montreal on June 17. From the team:
According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, Halak will get $15 million over the course of the four years. It's an average cap hit of $3.75 million, and the salary steadily rises from $2.75 million in 2010-11 to $4.5 million in 2013-14.
For more, visit St. Louis Game Time and SB Nation St. Louis.
Jul 06 1:43p by Travis Hughes - 0 comments