Halak or Price? Habs must pick best goalie

'Why not see if Halak can handle playoff pressure – if Canadiens get there?'

MONTREAL – Halak or Price? The answer to that question could be the most important decision a Canadiens general manager has faced since Réjean Houle had to trade Patrick Roy in 1995 – and we all know how that one turned out.


With goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price both becoming restricted free agents at the end of this season and the Canadiens up tight against the salary cap, there won't be room for both of them next season. So, who stays and who goes?


That's a debate that can get heated among Canadiens fans and even members of the media.
My pick right now would be to keep Halak and trade Price, but I think Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier was smart not to deal either of them before the March 3 NHL trade deadline. Since it's such an important decision, why not take as much time as possible before making it? Why not see if Halak can handle the playoff pressure if the Canadiens get there?


Earlier this season, former Canadiens GM Bob Gainey made it clear he was ready to trade Halak and ride his "thoroughbred" Price into the future. There were reports that Gainey had talks with the Philadelphia Flyers.


In hindsight, it might turn out to be the best trade Gainey didn't make – and the worst trade Flyers GM Paul Holmgren didn't make.
In fact, the turning point in the Canadiens' season might have been on Feb. 8, when Gainey stepped down and handed the GM job to Gauthier. Heading into last night's game, the Canadiens had a 9-4-2 record since Gainey resigned. Halak had posted a 7-2-1 record during that span, while Price was 2-2-1. Somehow, I don't think Halak would have gotten all those starts if Gainey was still in charge.
Gainey basically gave the No. 1 job to Price on a silver platter after selecting him fifth overall at the 2005 NHL entry draft. Halak, who was a ninth-round pick (271st overall) in 2003, seemed like nothing more than an afterthought. But despite having the odds stacked against him - and despite some obvious frustration – Halak refused to give up. All he did, when given the chance, was keep stopping pucks and keep winning games.


With Gauthier's arrival, Halak has finally been given the opportunity to show what he can do in the No. 1 role.


I've heard some Price supporters say that since he dominated at every level of hockey before reaching the NHL, there's no doubt he will dominate in the NHL. But I have a two-word response for those people: Alexandre Daigle.


Some people also forget that in 2005-06, Halak led the East Coast Hockey League in save percentage (.932) and was second in goals-against average (2.05). In 2006-07, he was named to the American Hockey League All-Rookie Team and posted the league's best goals-against average (2.00) before being benched for the playoffs when Price arrived on the scene in Hamilton and led the Bulldogs to the Calder Cup.


Price was a first-round pick and Halak was a ninth-round pick - so the Canadiens' goaltending battle stopped being a fair fight. Price was the golden boy.


But the NHL entry draft is a crapshoot. If you look through the year-by-year list of first-round picks in the NHL Official Guide & Record Book, you will see more names that you don't know than those that you do.
Price was selected fifth overall in 2005, and here's a list of the No. 5 picks from the 10 previous years: 2004, Blake Wheeler, Phoenix; 2003, Thomas Vanek, Buffalo; 2002, Ryan Whitney, Pittsburgh; 2001, Stanislav Chistov, Anaheim; 2000, Raffi Torres, New York Islanders; 1999, Tim Connolly, New York Islanders; 1998, Vitaly Vishnevski, Anaheim; 1997, Eric Brewer, New York Islanders; 1996, Ric Jackman, Dallas; 1995, Daymond Langkow, Tampa Bay.


Price is only 22, and I wouldn't bet against him becoming an NHL all-star in the future, but I wonder if he can do it under the bright lights of Montreal. Like Guillaume Latendresse, he might need a change of scenery.


One of the strangest things I found during Gainey's tenure as GM was the way his young players acted. One of the first things Gainey did after taking the job in 2003 was get rid of the Three Amigos - party boys José Theodore, Mike Ribeiro and Pierre Dagenais. But after doing that, the Canadiens somehow seemed to become the 10 or 12 Amigos under Gainey's watch.


Ryan O'Byrne was charged with grand theft after being accused of stealing a woman's purse in a Tampa Bay nightclub, the Kostitsyn brothers were linked to an alleged Montreal mobster, and there was no shortage of Internet photos of Canadiens players in full party mode, many of them featuring Price.
Halak is only two years older than Price, but he seems much more mature. At this point, I don't think it should matter who was the first-round pick and who was the ninth-round pick – simply pick the best goalie.
Halak or Price?

I like them both. They are both equal and the Habs could use some better defensemen. That's my opinion. Whoever gets traded away will do okay wherever he goes.
They traded away Jose Theodore. I don't know why. I thought he was good.