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OTTAWA (AP) — Just in time to celebrate their 100th anniversary, the Montreal Canadiens are suddenly looking like the Habs — and not the "Hab Nots" — of old.
Strengthened by a resurgent Canadian dollar, and after patiently allowing a talented young core to develop, the Canadiens caused a stir during the NHL's two-day draft that ended Saturday.
Besides trading their first-round pick to acquire center Alex Tanguay from Calgary, the Canadiens were given permission to negotiate with soon-to-be free agent Mats Sundin, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Those are bold moves made by a team that's encouraged after a season in which it won its first conference title since 1989. That was a huge jump for a franchise that had missed the playoffs six times since winning the Stanley Cup in 1993. By comparison, Montreal had only missed the playoffs eight times in its history prior to that year.



The Associated Press: Canadiens among winners as NHL draft concludes

[b-ranosarek]

i feel that bob gainey did the right thing becuase if he didnt do what he did, we would have the 25th pick and nothing good comes out from that.