Bob Gainey faced a lot of challenges over the summer and he seems to have passed all of them. The hardest was convincing free agents to come to Montreal. That has been nearly impossible for half a decade, but Gainey got some talent to come here while Bryan Murray in Ottawa struggled to get rid of malcontent Dany Heatley and interest anyone to come to the capital. Gainey's signings seem to be good ones. It is early, but Brian Gionta plays with more courage than players double his size and that's barely an exaggeration. Mike Cammalleri is a quality character and a quality player, and Scott Gomez doesn't seem to have the game he had three years ago, but he brings a good attitude and he will have many good nights. On defense, Gainey hired professionals. Mara, Gill, and Spacek are experienced and they know the game, how to get the job done, even when they are not the fleetest of foot.
So Gainey thought he could just sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour. Not so fast. The injuries are coming quickly and Gainey got about five days of peace before needing to go back to work again. And again he has gone to the free agent list and found someone who can help the club at a good price. 750 thousand dollars for Marc Andre Bergeron is a good deal. Bergeron is a bit of a liability on the defensive end of the ledger, but spotted in at the right time against the opponent's right line, Bergeron can make a difference, especially on the powerplay. Bergeron has good vision, good decision making and a great accurate and powerful shot.
Two wins in two games, but a word of caution: A team can't continue to get outshot like that on a regular basis and expect to keep winning. Goaltending is vital, but Carey Price will wear down trying to stop 40 a game. The right guy is at the helm to tighten the ship in Jacques Martin.
