So our boy Jaro Halak is getting some solid time between the pipes. For a guy who was never really given much of a shot to compete for the starting role ever (think back 3-4 years ago – did he even register with Habs fans) he sure is making the best of his situation. Now, I know he got shelled last night and looked tired and hung out – but that comes with the territory.

Think of it this way – he plays as a backup, so that earns you 20 games maximum in some situations. If there’s an injury (like last year) you may find yourself playing 25-30 tops. The rigours of an 82 game schedule creep up very quickly, and if you’re not in game shape, both mentally and physically – you’ll suffer. Sometimes its even harder to come back after an off night, and the bad mood lingers (ask Andrew Raycroft about that one.) Point is, Halak is a good goalie – but he needs more back-to-back-to-back starts to get him into shape for longer stretches.

The way I see it, I don’t think he’s going to be sticking around in Montreal for very long. He’s a solid goalie reaching the prime of his career, and could do well in a fill-in role on a struggling team in order to boost their stats and Jaro’s confidence. If the Habs play their cards correctly, we could come out with a decent return, as we have some depth at the backup goaltending position this year. Perhaps Jaro is there as a safety net for Carey Price – who doesn’t appear to be too interested in elevating his game beyond his current skill set. Who knows? Either way, there’s question marks in goal again this year – and after a few short games into the season, Habs fans have already begun to lose faith in their number one pick and are raising concerns as to whether or not he is a first round bust.

I’m not going to go that far, yet. If Price can’t challenge Halak for the starting job, and plays with minimal effort and has no confidence, then maybe. I don’t see any Toskala or Raycroft syndrome sneaking in just yet. You can credit some of our losses to poor defensive play and bad bounces. That just seems to be the way things have gone lately – key injuries, players still trying to adjust, and a lot of backpedaling. I think the Habs are in a movement phase – trying to push, shove and squeeze their way into a comfortable position before finally settling in to something that works for everyone in the system.

Perhaps the goaltending situation is unique – it always seems the goalie with the least amount of pressure and expectations plays the best. Check out this interesting history. After Roy was dealt, look at how the Habs goalie situation developed.

- Patrick Roy leaves and Jocelyn Thibault is put in place to fill the role
- Thibault struggles and is assisted by Andy Moog
- Moog retires, Thibault continues to struggle and is traded for Jeff Hackett
- Hackett plays solid, but struggles with injuries and is supplanted by prospect Jose Theodore
- Jose Theodore plays well for a number of years, but loses focus and is often injured, and he is replaced by Cristobal Huet
- Huet plays well, but conditioning is a major concern, and Price is given the nod to replace him after stellar play
- Price is struggling as a starter, and now Halak seems to be getting more games

Interesting trend. But this is a discussion for another post.

We can clearly see some changes coming in Montreal – who knows if it is a shift in the focus of the goaltending situation or not. We do know that Martin will ride the hot goalie when confidence is needed. Jaro Halak has returned some of that confidence, but how long can that last? Habaneros are wondering what the future will hold for Halak as well – does he want to stick around, or does he want to try his hand at being a number one somewhere else and follow in the footsteps of guys like Kiprusoff and Turek – journeymen who never really got a fair shake at the starting position…

I keep saying this over and over – the time is right to get good value for our boy Halak. He loyally served the bleu, blanc et rouge and its time he gets some cred for being a solid goalie. I just want to make sure we got something decent in return. Here’s another question – will we ever see another homegrown goaltending prodigy playing for les Glorieux?

So the slapped together plan for a Centennial outdoor game has been scrapped, finally. I don’t really see the need to have an outdoor game for the sake of having an outdoor game. Sure, you could argue that its for the Centennial and that’s reason enough, but most Habs fans like me just want to put that 100th year to bed since it was such a disaster and just forget about it and move on. We can have the other Big O at the Big O another time.

Jaro Halak – he’s been quietly minding his own business as a backup for the last few years, and has come off the bench to provide some solid play – solid enough to get the fans behind him and call for starts over Carey Price.

So he’s got some worth – but where would he go, and what could we get for him?