Guillaume Latendresse

In 2009, the Minnesota Wild were supposed to improve offensively, but things didn't improve much.  Looking ahead to the upcoming season, it appears they will once again toil in mediocrity.  However, Guillaume Latendresse might provide the kind of offensive spark they have been searching for.

The Montreal Canadiens have let go of so many players since last summer that it seems with every upcoming new opponent comes a former team member.

In a week from now, it will be Guillaume Latendresse’s turn with the Minnesota Wild.

Latendresse was vowed to become a power forward for the Habs. With his generous shape came the expectations of physical plays and on-ice imposition. Instead, he has been criticized as slow and lazy.

posted by Rocket
All Habs

There is no denying that Guillaume Latendresse has enjoyed an extraordinary amount of media attention well in excess of what a player with his skills and his numbers would normally deserve.

So, who is this player who received so much ink and broadcast time? Is he really one of the greats in Canadiens history? Are the rest of us just not seeing it?

Yes, "the softy" has been moved to Minnesota for "the chicken." That's as far as my high school French, no doubt erroneously, will take me.

Underachievers Benoit Pouliot and Guillaume Latendresse have been exchanged for each other. Bob Gainey suggested, "Often times a different environment, new teammates, and a new situation can be beneficial to a player."

posted by Rocket
All Habs

It was the fall of 2008, and the Montreal Canadiens' training camp was all abuzz about the pre-season performance of a young power forward. He seemed to have all the tools: a unique blend of size, power, speed, and intensity.

"He's been a nice surprise since the beginning of camp in the sense that he's adapted to every position and to every role we've assigned him," said coach Guy Carbonneau.

In case you haven't heard, Guillaume Latendresse has been traded to the Minnesota Wild.

It has been a rough season for Latendresse, who has scored two goals and added an assist. Also, he didn't seem to be meshing with linemate Maxim Lapierre like he did last year.

Also, the role of "Gui" on the team was very unclear. Was he supposed to be a scorer on the second line, or a grinder on the third line? 

These things were never apparent, and Latendresse's play too a hit because of that. Does this move come as a surprise?

Definitely.

Various media outlets are reporting that the Montreal Canadiens have traded Guillaume Latendresse to the Minnesota Wild for Benoit Pouliot .

The two players are both considered underachievers and have identical cap numbers.

We have previously wondered what were Bob Gainey's biggest moves since he came into office with the Montreal Canadiens.

Some have talked about Alexei Kovalev, some about Carey Price, but here is another one that might top some charts: Guillaume Latendresse is no longer a Canadiens.

The hype surrounding Latendresse has always been reportedly associated with his birth certificate.

The Montreal Canadiens will visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, in one of their 82 “true tests” of the season.

The Mellon Arena will host the matchup between the Pens plus Sidney Crosby, and the Habs plus ... Guillaume Latendresse.

If you are trying to find out what is wrong with that sentence, let’s go back in time to solve this nonsense.

After a 2008-2009 season during which his offensive production (20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points in 80 games) was mediocre at best, Tomas Plekanec has found a renewed passion and his old offensive flair this season.

After 11 games, he already has recorded two goals and eight assists for 10 points, despite playing with several different wingers: Andrei Kostitsyn, Matt D’Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre, etc.