June 17: Indecision to bad decision

Hockey: The Montreal Canadiens have traded Halak to the St. Louis Blues for Ian Schultz and Lars Eller. Let's go over some numbers:

Lars Eller, a 21 year old center from Denmark, stands at 6-feet tall. Not a lot of size, but he does have a 2-way upside. He's got decent speed and has shown strength in taking face offs. He played in 7 games for the Blues last season, notching 2 goals (2-0-2) and a +2 rating. He had a 25% face off record. His contract lasts through 2011-2012 at $1.275m a season.

Ian Schultz is a 20 year Canadian who played his last season with the Calgary Hitmen. In 70 games the 6'2" 200lbs. right winger put up 24 goals and 31 assists (24-31-55) with 150 PIM. He's got an aggressive streak in him, making him a good grinder and agitator. He has an entry level contract of $875,000 a season through the 2011-2012 campaign.

Jaroslav Halak. The fast Slovak had a show stealing season in Montreal. In 45 games with Montreal, Halak put up an attractive 24-13-5, 5 shutouts, 2.24 GGA, and an impressive .924 save percentage. He's dominant in the bottom of his net, has a good stick, and tracks the puck well. His weakness is his hit-and-miss glove hand, something the Flyers abused during the Conference finals. Halak did all of this at $800,000.

So, how does this trade work for Montreal? It doesn't. With the rich free agent pool this summer Montreal had a chance to go in find the grinders they needed. Price is not a #1 caliber goaltender. He had one good season followed up a roller coaster ride over the past two. Price, an RFA on July 1, would have taken a pay cut from his $2.2m salary based on his performance. That ought to have been enough cap room to keep a true number one, Halak. The dream is over Montreal. Your organization just traded away an asset with a greater worth than what you received back.

For the Blues, this is a fantastic trade. Picking up a solid goaltender to share the duties with Chris Mason/Ty Conklin is another solid building block for this team. With Alex Pietrangelo showing great strides last season, and still hope that Backes, Oshie, Berglund, and Boyes will have shaken off the freshman curse, the Blues are set for an exciting season of development. Blues fans will be hoping for a Colorado-esque season with an energetic young team backstopped by a fantastic goaltender.

Winner: St. Louis Blues.