Montreal's Self-Destruction Means Major Rebuild

Whoever becomes the next GM of the Montreal Canadiens is going to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Montreal is a proud franchise dealing with one of their most dismal seasons in recent memory. Like Toronto, their whole system seems to be broken. The term 'culture change' gets thrown around a lot, but that's what needs to happen for Montreal to get back to respectability. A major purge already got started at the deadline, and expect a full overhaul by Patrick Roy, or whoever else takes over. The hard part is taken care of, as Carey Price is the answer in net for now and the future. He and PK Subban might be the only untradeables, but who else can really occupy that category? Teams that bomb eventually have to blow it up, just ask any Torontonian. 

Radulov Makes Preds Legit

(photo courtesy of theprovince.com)

When Alexander Radulov bolted for the KHL back in 2008, it sparked massive controversy about fair and proper player movement between the two leagues. With that behind him, and after dominating rinks in his home country, he has returned a more seasoned player. This has got to be scary for the rest of the West, as the Preds were already seen by many to have been the big winners on trade deadline day. They’ve now got one of the deepest forward units in the NHL, and because they aren’t a very offensively skilled team, the addition of the crafty Radulov will be a massive boost. They’ve got defense, goaltending, coaching, and now a top-end goal scorer. Other GM’s may think it’s dirty pool, but all’s fair in love and war. This move could push Nashville into legitimate contention.

Raptors Getting Real With Barbosa Deal

(photo courtesy of raptorsdigest.com)

                   

Bryan Colangelo didn't have many moves to make at the NBA's trade deadline, but he was still able to make one that made sense. Leandro Barbosa has been one of Toronto's most consistent players since coming north. His energy off the bench, ball movement, and quickness have made him a perennial sixth man of the year candidate. But Barbosa is also aging, and on a team mired in what is, in reality, still a long-term rebuild, it didn't make sense to keep him and his expiring contract around. Coming back in return was a second round draft pick, turning an aging and expiring asset into one with essentially limitless potential. It's tough losing a leader like Leandro, but the toughest decisions are often the ones that make the most sense.