Latendresse and Pouliot Swap Uniforms

The Montreal Canadiens traded forward Guillaume Latendresse to the Minnesota Wild today for forward Benoit Pouliot. This brings an end to Latenresse's much scrutinized time with the Habs. In 232 games over 3 plus seasons with the Canadiens Lats scored 48 goals and added 37 assists along with 137 PIM's. He was a 2nd round selection of the Habs in 2005 and made the jump to the NHL in 2006. His spot of the Habs was constantly debated as many felt he was rushed in because he was French. Lats has never played a game in the AHL. He came to camp in 2006 and won over fans and coaches with his punishing hits and ability to finish around the net. It looked like the Habs finally had a true power forward. But his development slowed in his second year and many wondered if time in the AHL would be a worthwhile option. During his 3rd season he teamed with Maxime Lapierre on the 3rd line to be 2 of the clubs better players for most of the year. His play this season had disappointed many, scoring twice and adding an assist in 23 games.

In Pouliot the Canadiens get a player that was drafted 1 spot before Carey Price in the 2005 draft at 4th overall, but has struggled to earn a regular spot at the NHL level. He has played just 65 career NHL games and has scored 9 goals along with assisting on 9 others. He also has 30 career PIM's. Pouliot is currently injured with a wrist problem. A classic underachiever that I hope will find new life in Montreal. The Canadiens also announced that forward Sergei Kostitsyn aka "sir quits a lot" has been recalled from Hamilton.

So what do I think about this trade...hmmmm. I'm not going to lie, I was very critical of Lats when he first came up with the Habs. I think he was rushed, but had a great camp and the snowball started rolling. I think there were several times in his second year he could and should have been sent to Hamilton, but what's done is done. In year 3 I really started to like his game. Other than the fact he was a 3rd liner after most projected he would be a first line power forward, he was pretty impressive. Very tough to knock off the puck, threw some big hits and had a decent touch around the net. But this year he seemed to be in Martin's doghouse from the start and never got out. He just never really got on track. I would love to say I think Pouliot will reach the massive potential he once had, but that seems unlikely. If he couldn't crack the offensive starved Minnesota Wild lineup on a regular basis can he make an impact with the Habs? I guess time will tell, but at this point I think I am going to miss Lats. Here's hoping the gifted Pouliot can finally live up to his hype.