Lang to Montreal - Gainey's Plan B

It seems that Gainey had finally finished waiting for Sundin to make up his mind on whether he was "mentally prepared" to play the 2008-09 season and made a move for additional depth with his remaining cap space. I'll have to say that, if anything, Sundin helped to keep my interest in hockey this past off season as I was checking the rumor blogs daily in hopes of learning that he had done the impossible and signed with the Habs.
Mats would certainly have put the up Canadiens over the top and would have solidified their position as a contender for the East as well as for the Cup. Not to take anything away from guys like Koivu and Plekanec, but in watching the Habs over the last few seasons it was very obvious that there was a real need for them to acquire a physically dominant, top line center.
What Montreal has is a fast team that rolls 4 lines pretty much equally and who have one of the most underrated defensive corps in the game. They are a group of guys who demonstrated several times last season that they refuse to give up (you Ranger fans can attest to that...) and towards the end of the season they started to play like a team with a lot of confidence.
So what does Robert Lang bring to the Canadiens? From what I know of him he's a big body and an experienced centerman. When I watched him play it always seemed to me that he was a slick passer who was extremely difficult to knock off the puck. Looking at his stats he seems to have put up decent numbers (8+ consecutive 50+ point seasons) and and has been a + player during that time. If I had to guess at what Carbonneau will do when it comes to the lineups I believe Lang will play on the 3rd line centering Higgins and Sergei Kostityn. Pending a positive rating in the faceoff circle, he should also be able to secure his role on the #1 PP unit.
At 37 this upcoming campaign may be Lang's last season in NHL. Regardless of how he performs I believe this will give Montreal some serious depth at the center position and will create some healthy competition amongst the younger guys like Lapierre and Chipchura, who are still trying to secure their full time spot on the team.
October 10th is the big day. Habs open vs. Buffalo. Seeing as it will be the Canadiens 100th season, I was finally able to convince the wife that we needed to acknowledge this momentous occasion by purchasing a widescreen plasma. Here's hoping that Lang will look good with the Habs in HD.
Go Habs Go!