long-term development of their prized rookie defender

Sergei Gonchar let Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill know over the summer hed be willing to accept a trade if it meant going to a Stanley Cup contender.Nill made his move Tuesday by sending the 40-year-old defenceman to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left-winger Travis Moen. The Canadiens get the depth on the blue-line they were seeking, while the sputtering Stars get a role player up front and open up a spot for younger contributors.I dont want to run Montreals business, but when I look at their defence I just think hes a good fit for them, Nill said on a conference call. Theyve got some good puck-movers, they got a couple other good Russian players there. Hes going to be a good fit for them. Hes a first-class individual, he brings experience of winning.Gonchar, whos in his 20th NHL season, joins the Habs after previous stints in Dallas, Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Washington. He played for current Montreal coach Michel Therrien with the Penguins.The veteran blue-liner joins fellow Russians Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin, likely pushing out a younger player like Jarred Tinordi or Nathan Beaulieu. Gonchar has a salary-cap hit of US$5 million on his deal that expires at the end of this season.After missing the first 11 games of the season with a broken foot, Gonchar played the past three and recorded an assist.Nill said Gonchar was a positive influence on 19-year-old Valeri Nichushkin and also on the Stars young defencemen. With other players like John Klingberg and Julius Honka in the pipeline, trading Gonchar opens up a spot in the lineup.Theyve earned the right, the opportunity, Nill said. I needed to start opening up some doors and some opportunity for them.And, Nill said, this is an opportunity in Montreal for Gonchar, who has 798 points (219-579) in 1,256 regular-season games since making his NHL debut in 1994-95.I think Montreals got as good a chance as anybody to win the Cup, and its a good opportunity for Sergei to go in there and show what he can do to help them, Nill said.Going the other way is Moen, a respected veteran in the Habs locker-room but someone who had been a healthy scratch a handful of times already this season. Because of that, the 32-year-old native of Stewart Valley, Sask., wasnt surprised to get the call from GM Marc Bergevin that hed been traded.Any time obviously youre not in the lineup youre always questioning, wondering whats coming down the road, Moen said on a conference call. This year I just wanted to play hockey and help my team and I was kind of in and out of the lineup. When something like this happens, you look back and youre not too surprised, thats for sure.Moen, who did not have a point in 10 games this season, said he did not request a trade and appreciated Bergevins honesty during the process.The trade of Moen is another change from the Habs team that went to the Eastern Conference final. Captain Brian Gionta left in free agency, and alternate captain Josh Gorges was traded to the Buffalo Sabres.In September, Gionta mentioned Moen as someone hed recommend to replace him as captain. Instead, Montreal went with four alternates — Markov, P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec.I think its just kind of a coincidence its veterans going, Moen said of the Habs changes. Its the way the game goes sometimes.By taking on Gonchars heavier salary this season, the Habs freed up some room in 2015-16. Moen has one more year left on his contract after this one at a cap hit of US$1.85 million.I have a lot of players I possibly could be losing next year I have to make decisions on, Nill said. Travis, I know what he is, hes a character player, were always going to need those type of players Nill expects Moen to be a big part of the Stars penalty-killing. But for a team that has lost seven in a row, getting a gritty bottom-six forward may not be the end of the moves.Its a start.Were open to it, Nill said. We have to find out internally what we have first. Thats what this trade allows us to do now.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Pink Air Max 90 2018 . The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. Black Air Max 90 2018 . The team announced that it exercised the options on 15 players including goalkeepers Evan Bush, Maxime Crepeau and Troy Perkins, defenders Matteo Ferrari, Karl W. http://www.cheapairmax90freeshipping.com/. He did one better Sunday by holing out a pitching wedge from 142 yards for eagle, capping a remarkable 28 on the back nine to win The Championship at Laguna National. Air Max 90 2018 Discount .ca. Hello Kerry, After watching Nino Niederreiter clobber Alex Burrows with an open-ice hit on Wednesday, do you think he should have gotten more than the two minutes for interference. Air Max 90 For Sale .com) - Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist both scored in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings denied the Minnesota Wilds comeback bid with a 5-4 win on Tuesday.Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly had been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games last week, at which point it seemed that a trip to the World Juniors was all but certain. And then he was reinserted back into the lineup for four straight games, predictably quieting the assumption. Leafs coach Randy Carlyle made clear, though, after Mondays game - in which Rielly scored his first career NHL goal - that a final decision had not yet been reached on whether to send Rielly to Sweden. "Were going to have a tough decision here coming thaats for sure," he said.dddddddddddd Be it Carlyle, Dave Nonis or any member of the management team, the Leafs have stressed that theyll do whats best for the long-term development of their prized rookie defender. But that assertion typically included the caveat that Rielly would remain in the NHL if he was playing regularly and contributing. "We feel that he can play here and make a contribution," said Carlyle, questioned on the subject on Dec. 2. The decision will come soon. Canada plays its first pre-tournament game on Friday. ' ' '