Montreal (CP) -- The Montreal Canadiens held a conference call with members of the media today, in reaction to a report in yesterday’s New York Post that suggested team General Manager Dave Pagnotta may be leaving the team.
“We were first told of the report yesterday evening,” said Canadiens’ Assistant GM Bob Gainey. “To be honest, we had a pretty good laugh over it.”
The Post claimed that Pagnotta was planning an exit and was not currently living in the city.
“Parts of that is true,” Gainey said, “but if you look at a few key clues in that report, you’ll realize how bogus it really is.”
Gainey was referring to the parties involved in the report.
“I can’t lie,” Pagnotta said. “I’m no longer based in the city.
“In order to complete both this job successfully, and other personal matters, my home is in Toronto. However, with the power of various communication methods, and an airplane, I’m more than able to put the require attention on the overall success of the franchise.”
Once that bit of information was understood, Pagnotta geared his attention towards the organization.
With the trade deadline closing in, the Canadiens are fielding numerous offers for various defensemen who are believed to be available.
“I can confirm that we are talking to a few teams about a few options, but I will not go into detail,” Pagnotta said.
Another report suggests the team is entertaining offers for defensemen Janne Niinimaa, Barret Jackman, Keith Carney and all-star Sheldon Souray, in addition to forwards Mike Ribeiro, Tim Taylor and Pavol Demitra.