Souray wants to stay 'Do I like it here? Absolutely,' blue-line veteran says of city 

Hockey season must be near: the rumour mill recycled the idea last week that Canadiens defenceman Sheldon Souray wants to be traded.

"These 'confirmed' reports about me asking for a trade?" Souray said yesterday. "I've never seen (Canadiens general manager) Bob Gainey confirm them, and I've not been called, nor has my agent, to confirm them.

"So I guess they're being confirmed by the people at the water cooler, and that's unfortunate. You have a lot of people who are influenced by what they read in the papers, which is a downside of playing in Montreal.

"Over the years, I think I've proven I can play here. It's not an easy place to play. Look at some of the free agents who have turned down the opportunity this summer to play here, for some of the reasons that everybody knows - the media hiding behind bushes, starting rumours. You're going to wear yourself very thin if you try to defend every single thing being said about you, so it comes with the territory.

"But do I like it here? Absolutely. I like the guys, and in hockey years, I've been here a long time, going into my seventh season (counting the 2004-05 lockout). The organization has had faith in me and believed in me, through my injuries and other issues (the distraction of a highly publicized separation).

"I'm under contract this year, and whatever the Canadiens' plan is for this year and beyond, I guess only Bob and his management team are privy to that."

"I'm just a player. My job is to take care of what's on the ice," said Souray, who is entering the final year of a three-year contract with the Canadiens that will pay him $2.432 million U.S. in 2006-07.

He'll be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and it's no secret that his 3-year-old daughter, Valentina, living with his estranged wife in Los Angeles, is the centre of his life.

But yesterday at noon, sweating through a charity ball-hockey game outside the Rivieres des Prairies pizzeria he co-owns with New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur and restaurateur Andrea Dell'Orefice, Souray said he has one goal in mind:

"What's important is that I get off to a good start. For some reason, some people maybe have lost some faith in me, with all these rumours I want to be traded. I feel like I have something to prove again this year, the same way I did when I came back from my injury," when he lost the entire 2002-03 season with a career-threatening wrist injury.

"The last thing on my mind is my contract. My focus is having a great start and making sure we have a little more success than we had last year."

Souray struggled out of the gate last season, slowly finding his game in the new rules of the post-lockout NHL, his life complicated by domestic problems in late October. But he would score 12 goals and add a personal-best 27 assists in a career-high 75 regular-season games, then added three goals and two assists in six first-round playoff games against the Stanley Cup-bound Carolina Hurricanes.

He'll begin skating next week after a summer in the gym and expects to pick up the pace in August, power-skating with Canadiens strength and conditioning co-ordinator Scott Livingston, with whom he's been working this offseason.

"When camp opens, I want to be prepared for the season," he said. "We've had one year with the new NHL. It's been an adjustment, and hopefully you step in and you're ready to take your game to a different level."

Souray says he doesn't care if his agent, Paul Theofanous, talks contract with Gainey before September's training camp or during the season.

"That's why you have an agent," he said. "One way or another, the good Lord willing, I don't think I'll be without an NHL job next season. I feel great mentally and physically, and I have a lot of things in my mind that I want to achieve. When you take care of that, the contract takes care of itself.

"It's simply not a worry. Bob, the Gillett family and all the management have been good to me. If I'm in their plans for the future, that's great."

The Canadiens will arrive at camp with at least two new faces and a veteran missing: incoming are free-agent forward Sergei Samsonov, most recently in Edmonton, and winger Mike Johnson, acquired in a draft-pick trade with Phoenix; gone to Washington, for a draft pick, is forward Richard Zednik.

"When hockey's a religion, people are impatient," Souray said of fans clamoring for Gainey to make a move, which he did late. "I've had conversations with teammates this summer, and no one's worried about the direction of the team.

"In Bob we trust. He's grabbed a guy like Samsonov, who's creative and shifty, ideal for this league. (Johnson) has been around a long time and gives us more experience. We'll count on these two guys."

Note - The Canadiens have signed sophomore forward Alexander Perezhogin, 23, a restricted free agent, to a one-year contract worth $627,000 U.S. The native of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, who earned $710,600 last season, scored nine goals and added 10 assists in 67 games in his rookie campaign with the Canadiens.

The club hopes to agree to terms with its final unsigned player, 30-goal forward Michael Ryder, before he goes to salary arbitration.

I agree with you Barry.  Souray is definetely needed on this team as his role both on the ice (top 4 d, looking out for teammates) and his role off the ice (leadership) are irreplaceable via the trade route at the money he is getting.

However the UFA part and his daughter in LA scare me a little bit.  I fear he may be going out west no questions asked next summer.  I don't want to lose him for nothing.

With the premium being put on Defencemen, look at the deals guys like Gil, Kubina, Jay McKee, Chara, etc.... got around the league, there is no way we can lock up Souray for less than 3.5 and Markov for less than 5 next year.

What really scares me about Markov is that looking at the 2007 UFA Dmen he is definetely the best of the bunch.  Thats a scary proposition.

JohnM wrote:

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barry33 wrote: Johnny- Souray and his agent would need to be brain dead to sign for 4 years at 2.5 mill..for Cripes sake Gainey gave Ribs 1.9!!!! If he signed for that it would answer the question as to why he was prone to getting beat one on one last year..he obviously is dizzy from too many hits. I can name at least 1o teams in the league who would gladly pay Souray, faults and all, for 3.5 Barry, we know Souray has heart but he was brutal defensively most of last year. he was 31st in defenceman for points, nowhere on the map in +/- at (-11), 54th in icetime so on most teams he would be a 3rd defenceman. He should be paid according to all of these things and that's why I put him in the 2.5 million dollar range. We as Habs fans over rate our players. Look what Zed got us in a trade, a big fat 3rd round pick, look how many teams were looking to sign Bulis -> 0.00. You get the point.

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