NHL duo may sway Montoya back to ‘M’

The bad news is that Al Montoya may be willing to leave Michigan
after two years for the New York Rangers’ system.

The good news is that the New York Rangers may not give him the
contract he is demanding and, in the process, may push him back to
Ann Arbor.

With an NHL lockout all but a certainty, there will likely be a
more restrictive salary system for draft picks than the one that
currently exists. According to the Post, Montoya wants a deal
similar to what the New York gave Dan Blackburn, a goaltender it
selected 10th overall in 2001, while the Rangers are offering less
money.

It remains unclear how badly New York wants to sign Montoya.
Last week they hired Benoit Allaire, considered to be one of the
top goaltending coaches. If the NHL isn’t operating, it would
be an excellent opportunity to have him work closely with Montoya
in Hartford.

Though the wait for a decision has been torturous, Michigan
associate coach Mel Pearson thinks that the longer it takes, the
more likely Montoya will return to Michigan.

“He’s really taking his time, and I think the more
time he takes, the better it is for us,” Pearson said.
“He’ll probably hear from people who think he should go
back for at least one more year and then look at the
situation.”

Two of those people are current NHL goaltenders who were
four-year starters at Michigan, Steve Shields and Marty Turco.
Though they were both picked in the fifth round (Montoya was
drafted sixth overall), they can tell him why spending four years
in Ann Arbor was the right decision for them and may be for
Montoya.

Hearing this from Turco may be especially convincing. Turco won
two national championships, set the NCAA record for career
victories and then quickly advanced through the minors and into the
NHL. In his first season as a starter for the Dallas Stars, Turco
set the single season goals-against average record.

“We feel that there are things he can work on here,”
Pearson said. “Marty Turco could have left after his
sophomore year. I don’t care what round he was drafted in. He
was as ready as any goalie I’ve seen. But he still came back
and continued to mature and he accomplished so much. Al could do
the same thing. There’s a lot of unfinished business for him
here at Michigan.”

While seven Wolverines have left early in the last five years,
they all left thinking they would immediately play in the NHL.
Montoya would be playing in Hartford next year, lockout or not.

“We’ve always said, ‘Why give up a chance at a
national championship at Michigan to go play in the minors?’
” Pearson said. “Once you turn pro — lets face it
— it’s a business. You’re either doing the job or
they’re bringing in someone else to do it. There’s not
a lot of love. Here there’s a really stable environment and
he has a chance to really leave a mark before he moves
on.”

Michigan and the Rangers also seem to agree that Montoya can
make as much progress in Ann Arbor as in Hartford.

“We’ve had some correspondence with the Rangers just
asking them if they have any problems with Al staying in school,
and they don’t,” Pearson said.

“They’ve told Al that Michigan is one of the best
places for a young hockey player to be. They’re not putting a
ton of pressure on him to leave.