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Montreal Canadiens: Peter Budaj had requested trade out

By Catherine Silverman

May 17, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) (not pictured) scores a goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Peter Budaj (30) during the third period in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) (not pictured) scores a goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Peter Budaj (30) during the third period in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /
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As someone who grew up with a healthy loathing of the Montreal Canadiens, I can’t say I blame you, Peter.

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    • According to TSN.ca, Peter Budaj’s move to Winnipeg was of his own volition, as the backup netminder had specifically requested a trade out. His agent suggested that he wanted to “go to a team that wanted him”, which could have been spurred on by his snub during the playoffs.

    When Carey Price went down in the post-season series against the New York Rangers, Budaj most likely assumed that he would be receiving ample playing time to prove his worth. Instead, the team called up prospect Dustin Tokarski from the minors to start in the series- and despite Budaj’s .909 SV%, the team made it clear that he was serving as a filler for Tokarski until the younger netminder could ascend to play for the big team.

    In addition to having a .909 SV%, Budaj’s GAA during the regular season was an impressive 2.51. He’s got the opportunity, should he continue to shine in his role as backup netminder, to receive additional playing time in Winnipeg- last season, starter Ondrej Pavelec found himself with a mere .901 SV % for his entire 2013-2014 campaign. Duplicating those kinds of numbers will provide a strong opportunity to Peter Budaj with the struggling franchise.

    While we can assume that Budaj left Montreal with little love for the team’s front office, he made sure to thank all of the fans and his teammates for making his time with the Canadiens as great as it was.

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