Laraque in. Ryder, Grabovski and Streit out.

The times they are a changin'. That's right Habs fans, Bob Gainey has been stirring the pot a little bit and the result will certainly be a different team on the ice next season. Will it be a better team? That remains to be seen, but here's what has happened so far.

Habs sign Georges Laraque. Finally, the Habs ink a legitimate enforcer. Laraque signed a three year deal with the team, worth an estimated $4.5 million. This is a win win situation as the Habs added some serious toughness along with a little bit of hometown flavour. As one of the strongest players in the league, Laraque will provide some much needed protection for our top players. Good signing.

Streit signs with the Islanders. Mark Streit was a real bargain for the Habs last season earning just $600,000 while putting up a career high 62 points. The Habs had to decide whether they were willing to pay around 4 million for a guy who was only useful on the power play, because we know he was lousy as an even strength forward and didn't bring much to the table as a defenceman either. Gainey made the right move in choosing not to re-sign him. As a result, Streit has signed a five year deal with the Islanders worth an estimated $20.5 million.

Ryder signs with the Bruins. It's about %*(@* time! Michael Ryder is gone and I couldn't be happier. He signed a 4 year deal with the Bruins worth an estimated $4 million per season. Ryder is coming off a horrendous season with the Habs where he was bounced around the lineup regularly, and clearly lost the trust of his GM and coach. The only thing that worries me about this move is the possibility of Ryder having a 35 goal season for the B's next season. I've doubted and hated on Ryder for the past two seasons, though I always believed that when we did get rid of him that he might go to another team and light it up. Let's hope he doesn't.

Grabovski to the Leafs. Well, that was easy. What do you do when you have an unproven, underachieving forward who doesn't fit into your plans? That's right, dump him to the Leafs. It's believed that this was part of the deal for the rights to talk to Sundin, though that still remains slightly unclear. Either way, we have enough speedy euro-danglers on our team already and there was simply no place for Grabovski to fit in. Can't wait to see Komi hip check that maple leaf right off his sweater next season.