Montreal Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau told the press he's not surprised by the hubbub surrounding general manager Bob Gainey. He has won Stanley Cups both here in Montreal and in Dallas, he said, before adding: You guys say that Gainey did not do anything at the deadline. You are wrong. Gainey traded defenseman Craig Rivet for Josh Gorges two weeks before.

Carbonneau is taking all the pressure on himself, and the organization should plan to build around this guy. If the press succeed in pushing Gainey out eventually, Carbonneau should take care of both jobs.

Is there a plan to attempt to sign defenseman Andrei Markov and keep Sheldon Souray? Is there enough under the salary cap to do that? The only way to achieve this is by giving up one forward. And the choice is there: Will someone want Alex Kovalev? How about Sergei Samsonov?

Both have huge salaries for their ordinary offensive output. Samsonov was even sent to the waivers twice this season and nobody picked him up.

If all else fails for those two, the player I would personally trade to achieve this plan is Michael Ryder. He could play on the top lines in at least 50% of the NHL teams and would interest someone. But that's me.

With half a season as co-coach, now finishing his first full year after being named head coach, Carbonneau is in sync with the league, knows how to win and loves the game. Should the organization fire him, it would be a disaster for three years.