Robert Lang will never upstage Patrick Roy, but the forward came oh, so close on Friday.
Patrick Roy Announcement
Just one day after the Montreal Canadiens made public their decision to retire the eventual Hall-of-Fame goaltender's jersey, they opted to make another splash in newspaper headlines by dealing a second-round round draft pick in 2010 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Lang.
While Lang's career numbers are far from jaw-dropping and his acquisition is more so one made out of a need for depth than anything else, his acquisition is noteworthy because it means the Habs are no longer in the Mats Sundin sweepstakes.
Sundin Versus Lang
Lang's $4-million price tag is about $2 million less than what the Habs would have dished out for Sundin, and, as such, fans can expect a similar translation into what his addition onto the roster will mean from a points-per-game persepective. Sundin is the epitome of consistency and has always been throughout his career, even into the recent later stages, netting around 75 points in each of the last 10 seasons.
Lang, on the other hand, is a player far removed from his 79-point season in 2003-2004 when he played for the Washington Capital and Detroit Red Wings. He's even further removed from the career-high 80 points he scored in 2000-2001 when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Really, in layman's terms, he's just far removed from Jaromir Jagr, his teammate in both cities. Whereas Sundin makes other players around him better (i.e. Nik Antropov last year), Lang has the reputation of relying on the Sundins of the National Hockey League to make him better.
The Makings of a Contender
On Thursday, the Habs were a better team than the one that won the Eastern conference last season. They had added all-star Alex Tanguay and tough guy extraordinaire Georges Laraque into the mix. The moves provide the Habs with more firepower than that which the outgoing Michael Ryder had provided as well as a legitimate guarantee that opposing players will not take excessive liberties on the likes of Alex Kovalev and Saku Koivu.
Still, it's hard to deny that Lang is another welcome piece to the puzzle of the team general manager Bob Gainey is hoping will reach the promised land. A potential first line of Christopher Higgins, Tanguay, and Lang gives the Habs two playmakers to go along with the grind, hustle, and nose for the net of Higgins. A second line of Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, and Andrei Kostitsyn has already proven to be chemistry-laden. Koivu will likely play on the third line in a more defensive role on a team no longer starved for depth. Koivu, of course, notched 75 points just two seasons ago, albeit earning a +/- -21 rating in the process.
The defensive corps, though, looks very promising, with Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek, Roman Hamrlik, Ryan O'Byrne, Francis Bouillon, and Josh Gorges returning. Following the re-signing of Patrice Brisebois, also on Friday, the team really does seem to have all of its bases covered.
A Done Deal
Gainey was quoted as saying that the Lang trade meant that the Habs would not pursue Sundin anymore. It's understandable, but Lang is nonetheless a consolation prize for Montrealers.
There's no doubt that Lang will help the Habs. At six feet, two inches, and 217 pounds, he brings more size down the middle, but, again, Sundin is even bigger at six feet, five inches, and 231 pounds. No matter how one slices it, it seems that as close as Lang was to upstaging Roy in the headlines, he will never come as close to doing the same with respect to the ongoing Sundin story.
