Montreal Canadiens: Pursuing Slava Voynov contradicts everything said by management

Slava Voynov is trying to return to the NHL, and if the Montreal Canadiens are one of the teams interested, management has some explaining to do.

At the end of the 2017-18 season, the Montreal Canadiens new change was coming. Fans were eagerly waiting for the end of year press conference from Marc Bergevin and Geoff Molson to see what the plan for the future was. Bergevin held himself accountable and members of the team, but one thing was at the core of his argument: attitude.

Apparently, from day one, the team didn’t have the right attitude to win. They didn’t have the right attitude to perform. They didn’t have the right attitude to break out of the tough moments of the year and trend upwards. Whether you believe that to be true is your prerogative. Seeing as no one knows the dynamic of the locker room besides the players, we can’ speculate on Bergevin’s thoughts.

The goal was to change that attitude and improve it for the better. That came from moving on from some players on the team. Alex Galchenyuk was one of the recent casualties. He was replaced by Max Domi, a workhouse who has a good head on his shoulders and can do what it takes to win.

Related Story: The Elements of the Max Domi Trade

That mindset was a theme of the team’s decisions on the draft floor as well. Skill and skating were prioritized, but Trevor Timmins made sure to mention the character and work ethic of some of the Montreal Canadiens new prospects.

Again, it’s all about the attitude.

So my question is this: if that was the team’s main issue, and the goal is to change it, why are the Habs even mentioned in the same sentence as Slava Voynov?

The situation with the former Los Angeles Kings defenceman is common knowledge among NHL fans. He served 90 days in jail for a misdemeanour charge for corporal injury to a spouse after pleading no contest to the charge. Voynov was also suspended from the NHL and saw his contract with the Los Angeles Kings terminated.

The 28-year-old has expressed a desire to return to the NHL, and it’s still up in the air whether the league will allow it.

Where the Montreal Canadiens fill in is apparent interest. For the second time, a party has mentioned the Habs as a possible link to Voynov. The first came in an article for Sports-Express that mentioned Montreal as a destination that he would be interested in.

The second came from a tweet today by L.A. Lariviere of TVA Sports.

Personally, I’m hoping this turns out to not be true. If it is, I don’t think there is anything that Bergevin can say to justify it. Galchenyuk and P.K. Subban‘s character issues were parts of their departure from the Montreal Canadiens. To do that and circle around on an individual in that situation is inexcusable and will contradict everything he and management have said on the matter.

This is different than locker room dynamics and is way bigger than performance on the ice. It’s about doing the right thing. If attitude is the focus, Voynov shouldn’t be touched with a 1000 foot pole. We’ll have to wait and see after that July 2nd court date how the rest of this plays out.

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If the Montreal Canadiens pursue Voynov, it’ll confirm what fans have been speculating for weeks. The ‘attitude problem’ was just an excuse and all that matters is what a player does on the ice. I want to believe that isn’t the case, but it’ll be impossible to defend if the team continues to get linked to him.