News Article: Gorges doesn't know why he was traded

[Scriptor]

Well somehow, Gorges also makes a lot of how it was handled. And I would think that there is a way. Not putting him in front of a "It's Toronto, deal with it" that now makes Gorges the enemy #1 when it was clear that this team was not in his list. And I would have told him, once our decision was clear, that they were going to trade him 'cause of this and that reason. For a vet like that....I would have done it. And frankly, the way it was handled....without saying anything...forcing him to take a deal or look awful and so on...that's as close as you can find of "get your crap and gtfo....".



I'm just being consequent. I hated Gauthier's way of doing things. And it seems something really Gauthieresque. And sharing the thought process....I mean, I'm not asking the management to call him every day to tell him what,s going on. But at the very least, once the deal is done, to explain Gorges why they did it. And when you decide to move him, that they will be looking to do it during the summer. And we can't say "Well they couldn't tell him in case they weren't able to trade him...." 'cause Bergevin had no leverage after the Toronto fiasco, and still traded him anyway.

2 things here: Gorges said that the interview after the series didn't mention anything about maybe having the change the complexity of the D or anything like that. AND the Toronto fiasco, to put a guy in front of a deal and making him look like the bad guy....I just would not have done it that way.

Despite being a generous person, there's a few things about Gorges I disliked, starting with his attempt at explaining things he failed to clearly understand during the lockout. Gorges thought he understood things while only repeating propaganda he'd bought into….

Gorges also had the habit of seeing himself bigger than he really was, with plenty of interviews that depicted him as wanting to bring the Cup to Montreal, like he was a Mario Lemieux type player who could make the difference. Maybe it's just me but, having said stuff as "I'd love to be a part of a winning team in Montreal", etc., would have made Gorges more endearing.

At least, in this last interview, he stepped away from depicting himself as "The" solution….

 

[BaseballCoach]

I really can see Josh's play dropping off in the next 2 years and if that 2nd amounts to anything we'll forever thank MB. He's blocks shots and a leader, but at 3.9 we can have more. Thought the 2nd was a fine return for that caliber player and buffalo feels it was worth it to get that leader... Win-win

We would have got more for him had he been earning $3.0M. Gauthier overpaid. The more someone is paid, the less you get for him in a trade.

 

[Blind Gardien]

Anyway, I like how he clearly loved being a Hab and identified so much with the team.

I think it's fair game for him to be a little stunned in the circumstances, and if people are going to ask him questions, his responses really just show how committed he was to the team, and that's a good thing IMHO. He wasn't perfect, as a player or as a leader, but he was definitely a net positive player and a good contributor, and it will be interesting to see if this gamble pays off for the Habs. I will call Bergevin out if it doesn't. It wasn't needed.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

I hope peoples read the article and not blindly bash Gorges... But I have my doubts

I'm not gonna read the article because I've moved on.. unlike Gorges.

 

[highstick14*]

I'll give you an explanation Josh. You were expendable, and were nothing more than an overpaid, overglorified 6th (bottom pairing) defenseman.

Also, was pretty annoyed with his whole self-anointed captain attitude. What a fake.

 

[Blind Gardien]

I'll give you an explanation Josh. You were expendable, and were nothing more than an overpaid, overglorified 6th (bottom pairing) defenseman.

He was a good #3/4, and I think even the Habs brass' explanation is much better than this. Habs had no cap issues, that wasn't a factor. But I can see the Habs' wanting to focus on the LD/RD mix and try for more of a puck control game instead of collapse/shot-block style. It could pan out or bust. But I don't really see a need to get into exaggerated bashing of Gorges here. He's good at what he does, but the Habs seem to want to try for something different.

I still think they wanted Boyle, though, and his presence would have meant something different than Gilbert in the mix, including cap situation.

 

[highstick14*]

He was a good #3/4, and I think even the Habs brass' explanation is much better than this. Habs had no cap issues, that wasn't a factor. But I can see the Habs' wanting to focus on the LD/RD mix and try for more of a puck control game instead of collapse/shot-block style. It could pan out or bust. But I don't really see a need to get into exaggerated bashing of Gorges here. He's good at what he does, but the Habs seem to want to try for something different.

I still think they wanted Boyle, though, and his presence would have meant something different than Gilbert in the mix, including cap situation.

I'm not bashing, I'm giving an honest assessment.

Gorges was comparable to Bouillon and Weaver, whom I both think are better and at a fraction of the price.

We need to make room for Tinordi.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

He was a good #3/4, and I think even the Habs brass' explanation is much better than this. Habs had no cap issues, that wasn't a factor. But I can see the Habs' wanting to focus on the LD/RD mix and try for more of a puck control game instead of collapse/shot-block style. It could pan out or bust. But I don't really see a need to get into exaggerated bashing of Gorges here. He's good at what he does, but the Habs seem to want to try for something different.

I definitely agree with your assessment. Cap space wasn't an issue. Gilbert at 2.8M is only 1.1M less than Gorges. There's no chance that Subban has a higher cap hit than 10.6M which is what he would have needed to make for us to not have enough room with Gorges instead of Gilbert. Cap space alone wouldn't have been motivation enough to make this move. We could have kept Gorges easily if we had really wanted to. So more went into the decision. Like you said the LD/RD mix and puck control... but also to make room for Beaulieu/Tinordi and to give us another option on the 2nd PP unit which we didn't have when we had Beaulieu, Emelin, Gorges, Bouillon as candidates.

The fact we save cap room is a very nice bonus but not motivation in itself.

I still think they wanted Boyle, though, and his presence would have meant something different than Gilbert in the mix, including cap situation.

You may be right, and I think that would have made us a better team... but ultimately, without trading Moen or Budaj... which might not be possible.... it might be a good thing not to have gotten Boyle for that much. It would have meant less than 10M to sign Subban. We don't know what the arbitrator will decide, and it would have given us less freedom to sign a long term deal.

Not to mention that you it's always a good thing to have some free cap space going into the season, since you can prorate that cap space into a better player at the deadline.

 

[highstick14*]

I still think they wanted Boyle, though, and his presence would have meant something different than Gilbert in the mix, including cap situation.

Boyle would've been a good addition. Better than Gilbert. I think Boyle will do better in the East than the West. I think the East is more favorable for an older player, since the grind and travel is much less than the West.

 

[GoodKiwi]

Boyle would've been a good addition. Better than Gilbert.

Pretty sure we offered more money than the Rangers did but he clearly wanted to play in The Big Apple.

 

[bigtimehockeyfan999*]

I already miss Gorges

I know....**** not saying I disagree with the move...I understand it from a cap point of view and he wasn't the greates skater...I just wsh to **** it hadn't been Gauthier in charge when he re-signed...if it had of been bergevin he would have given him a suitable contract and he could have still been here on the bottom pairing....but...that's the way it goes...I hope one day he returns here.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Pretty sure we offered more money than the Rangers did but he clearly wanted to play in The Big Apple.

Boyle at 4.5M would have been a pretty tight fit. More ? If MB knew for sure he could get Subban under 9M and didn't mind going into the season (and later trade deadline) with almost zero cap room.

Unless we have takers for Budaj and Moen which I doubt...

 

[Whitesnake]

In the end, the guy was REALLY dissapointed to leave. Which personnally, I have no idea how we can bash a guy like that for expressing those types of emotions.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Boyle would've been a good addition. Better than Gilbert. I think Boyle will do better in the East than the West. I think the East is more favorable for an older player, since the grind and travel is much less than the West.

I'd think that any player playing for the kings, sharks or ducks sees less travel than anyone else on average.

 

[Ezpz]

Sounds like he believes he was part of the second coming of the "big three" along with Subban and Markov.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

There's some blind Bergevin love in this thread. While on the outset it appears to be to make room for the kids, Bergevin has been adamant that they have to play their way into the lineup. That seems to me to be an odd reason to trade your 3rd best dman. I think the real reason why Gorges was traded was simply because Bergevin liked the Toronto offer and when it leaked out he felt too embarrassed and felt pressured into making a move just to make a move.

I doubt anybody would ever admit to that, but even if Gilbert was Bergevin's man (which he obviously wasn't, he had to settle), and even if Bergevin feels that Weaver can do everything Gorges did for less than half the cost (which I doubt he believes), and even if he wanted to open up a roster spot for the prospects (this one is definitely most believable) there was still no sense in trading Gorges when he did. He had an entire off season to do it but traded him away as fast as he could and got a poor return as a result. It was very reminiscent of the way Gauthier did business (thankfully not as bad or common though), and that is concerning.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I'd think that any player playing for the kings, sharks or ducks sees less travel than anyone else on average.

I'd imagine anybody playing in the East minus Florida, Tampa, or Carolina travel far less, not that it matters though. Distance travelled has no real effect on the players.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I'm not bashing, I'm giving an honest assessment.

Gorges was comparable to Bouillon and Weaver, whom I both think are better and at a fraction of the price.

We need to make room for Tinordi.

This is absolute non-sense. Bouillon's NHL career is over and Gorges is a top 10 penalty killer in the NHL.

 

[habs03]

Loool so funny that you explain the PLAN to me
Didnt know his dad was his whole family

Edit: funny how you dont mention his mom moving with him, as if you wanted your post to look better
They always moved, all their life following alex senior, you'd think they didnt want to join Alex junior in MTL? Like they were bothered to do so? Stop talking out your ass thanks.

My post had little to do with Gally and his family, but more to do with no one stepping up on the team other than Gorges.

Alex family was in Sarnia with his father, and while his sisters and mother came after the 5 game mark when the Habs told him he was here to stay, he was living out of a hotel.

This is during camp...

"The odds-makers’ favourites to host Galchenyuk, should he stick around beyond the five games, are veteran winger Erik Cole and Gionta, both of whom live a short distance from the team’s suburban practice facility.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...her-to-start-season-with-habs/article7511937/


Yet no one stepped up, not even for first few weeks before the Habs told Gally he was here to stay and his family could move here.

Gorges being traded was simply because he was not good enough for the role he was doing, he isn't good enough to play on the top pair with Subban, and he isn't good enough offensive to play on the 2nd pair with a guy like Emelin.

That doesn't mean he wasn't a good leader here, and IMO the way he was traded should have been handled better.

 

[Scintillating10]

Gorges gained us a 2nd round pick and saved half a million in payroll. As Gilbert just as good as Franson.

 

[Blind Gardien]

I'm not bashing, I'm giving an honest assessment.

Gorges was comparable to Bouillon and Weaver, whom I both think are better and at a fraction of the price.

I hope you don't mind if we can't take that assessment very seriously, though. Bouillon... no, just no. It amounts to bashing, sorry. Gorges is soooooo much better than that. There is justification for making the move, just not that.

 

[No More Subban]

Cry me a river.. The team made the decision that they have a better chance to win without you. Shut up, man up and grab a tissue

Seems to me he sulks about everything.. Sulkes about subban hold out.. Sulked about being asked to waive his clause.. Sulked about being traded.. Sulked between periods.. Sulked a month after being traded.

My goodness.



Your anger and hatred towards players, man.. is something else.

 

[ECWHSWI]

I'm not bashing, I'm giving an honest assessment.

Gorges was comparable to Bouillon and Weaver, whom I both think are better and at a fraction of the price.

We need to make room for Tinordi.

two teams were interested to trade assets for Gorges, Bouillon wont cost any assets to acquire but has yet to find a team willing to offer him a 1 year contract...

says a lot about your thinking.

 

[yianik]

I thought Gorges needed to go, and said so, and I had named Gilbert as a guy to get, so I am happy with the moves.

However, Gorges was absolutely loyal, gave it everything he had, and loves this team. These are the things we want all the players WE want to stay with the team to have. When WE don't want them, its see ya later. So I do feel a bit of the b-st-rd for wishing this, but as I think the team is better, that's just the way it is.

 

[Kojo]

Ignoring the fact that he's not worth that kind of money, 4 more years at 3.9M AVV could have become an issue next year for a fringe top-4 defenceman.

It's Beaulieu and Tinordi's time.