WIN, WIN.....WIN situation with WIZ?

Chris Botta

Former New York Islander employee, reporter and blogger, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) reported on his twitter account that James Wisniewski would be signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets within 24 hrs.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, I'm not saying this is definitely going to happen.  I'm just relaying what I've read and considering the source, I wouldn't be surprised if it did indeed pan out as Mr. Botta is reporting.  One has to think logically that during Wiz's time in Long Island he may have built a professional rapport with Chris and therefore may have some inside knowledge as to what James is planning on doing.

If Wisniewski does indeed sign with the Blue Jackets, this has to be seen as a win, win, win situation for the Habs.  Not only does the return for Wisniewski become a respectable 5th round pick but you've also managed to ship Wiz off to the Western Conference and keep him away from your bitter rivals, the Boston Bruins, who will be desperately looking for a powerplay quarterback.

Although, I still think the most logical destination for Wisniewski is to go back home to Detroit, I would be more than happy to see Detroit not gain the services of Wisniewski considering their already potent firepower.

ASSESSING THE "D" BEFORE JULY 1st

So we've learned quite a bit today on how your Montreal Canadiens defense is shaping up before the free agency frenzy that starts on July 1st.

We know that James Wisniewski is not signing in Montreal after being shipped off to Columbus earlier this afternoon for a 7th round pick (to be upgraded to a 5th round pick should the Blue Jackets succeed in signing him).  We also know that Roman Hamrlik has refused to accept the 1 year deal that Pierre Gauthier offered him.  According to Petr Svoboda, Hamrlik's agent, the dollar amount was decent but the term was not with Hamrlik looking for a 2 to 3 year deal.

Finally, a news release from the Canadiens indicating that Yannick Weber had agreed to a 2 year deal that would pay him $1.7M over the term of the contract.  A cap hit of 850K is reasonable and well-deserved for Weber who continues to develop and showed glimpses of really solid play in the postseason last year.

Although there is a still a slight possibility that Hamrlik could potentially re-sign with the Habs, I would consider that possibility remote.  Considering the lack of free agents this year, I have little doubt that Roman will get his 2 year deal from another team and I don't blame him for going after it.  This is most likely his final NHL contract and he should maximize his earnings before he retires or goes the way of the KHL.  He provided the Habs organization with solid and effective play over his 4 years with the club and was handsomely rewarded for his efforts.