Predators Acquire Hall Gill from Canadiens for Geoffrion, Slaney

The Nashville Predators have announced that they have acquired defenseman Hal Gill and a conditional fifth round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for center Blake Geoffrion, left wing Robert Slaney, and Nashville's second round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. The fifth round pick will go to the Predators if Geoffrion appears in at least 40 NHL games next season, which could be likely. Gill, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, has one goal and seven assists for eight points and 29 penalty minutes in 53 games with the Canadiens. Geoffrion appeared in 22 games with the Predators, recording three assists. He also played in 20 games with Milwaukee of the AHL, scoring two goals and seven assists for nine points. Slaney appeared in nine games with Milwaukee, scoring one assist. He also played in 31 games with Cincinnati of the ECHL, scoring 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points. He has yet to appear in an NHL game. Geoffrion and Slaney will both be eligible for restricted free agency on July 1. Gill really solidifies Nashville's blueline with his huge frame, shutdown skills, gritty performance, and skill on the penalty kill. However, the cost to land him was pretty steep, especially for a player who could potentially depart via free agency this summer. However, his presence on the blueline will be extremely valuable as Nashville inches closer to the playoffs. The assets the Canadiens landed in the move will definitely help in their rebuilding efforts. Geoffrion, the grandson of Canadiens' hall-of-famer Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, is a hard worker on the ice with lots of versatility and upside who could see a full time spot on Montreal's roster next season. Slaney will likely remain in the minors for the remainder of the season. It still remains to be seen how he may fit into Montreal's future plans, so it will likely be known this summer if he receives a qualifying offer from the team or not.

Canadiens Sign Hal Gill to One-Year Extension

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have signed defenseman Hal Gill to a one-year contract extension worth $2.25 million. He would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1. In 75 games this past season, he had two goals and seven assists for nine points and 43 penalty minutes. In 994 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens, he has 35 goals and 136 assists for 171 points and 911 penalty minutes. He won the Stanley Cup in 2009 as a member of the Penguins. This is a decent signing for the Canadiens, although the $2.25 million salary seems a bit high for Gill at this stage of his career. He has tremendous size and reach, plays with plenty of grit, is a good shot blocker, excels on the penalty kill, and is a leader on the ice despite being a bit of a slow skater. More than likely, he will continue to play alongside P.K. Subban on the blueline next season, which was an effective defensive duo for the team in 2010-11.

Canadiens Sign Defensemen Jaroslav Spacek & Hal Gill

The Montreal Canadiens continued to re-vamp their roster on Wednesday by signing defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill. Spacek signed a three-year contract worth $11.5 million, which averages out to $3.83 million per season, while Gill signed a two-year contract worth $4.5 million, which averages out to $2.25 million per season. Last season with the Buffalo Sabres, Spacek appeared in 80 games, scoring eight goals and 37 assists for 45 points. In 62 games last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gill scored two goals and eight assists for 10 points. He helped the Penguins capture their third Stanley Cup nearly a month ago.

These are okay signings for the Canadiens, as they definitely needed to add some veteran depth to their defense. Spacek is just coming off a career season in points and his offensive skills will be welcome on the blueline. However, Spacek is going to be under a lot of pressure to repeat the success he had in Buffalo last season and that pressure could hamper his performance. Gill gives the Canadiens a big, physical defenseman, but he is very slow and not very mobile. Gill will be Komisarek’s replacement on the blueline after the Canadiens let the latter depart via free agency, but Komisarek is an overall better defenseman. I don’t think Gill is going to be able to fill Komisaerk’s shoes completely. The other downside to these signings is that both players are paid a little too much money. If they can’t live up to expectation in Montreal, there’s no way any teams are going to want to take on those salaries.