Recent Rumours - Souray gone, Briere in?

Rumour #1
Apparently Habs GM Bob Gainey is "stuck" with the underachieving Alex Kovalev for at least another season because Kovalev has two more years at $4.5 million (per season) remaining on his contract and no other team will touch him.
My Take: Personally I think that's crap. Kovalev had a bad year, there's no doubt there. But I think this guy puts more pressure on himself than anybody. So if he wants to play, watch out. Now it's up to management to get him to want to play. We're not stuck with him, we want him. We just need to light a fire under his ass. My opinion of the oft-patient Gainey is that he will give Kovalev at least this season to prove himself.

Rumour #2
Sheldon Souray could be on the list of UFA defencemen the Philadelphia Flyers could target this summer.
My Take: Duh! Souray, if he gets UFA status, will be targetted by a lot of teams. This is a pretty stupid rumour. The Habs will try to sign him; of this there is no doubt. It all comes down to money. And it will take at least $5M for him to stay.

Rumour #3
Janne Niinimaa's NHL career may be over as it's believed he's going to Europe to play next season.
My Take: I personally don't care what happens to this guy. But if his career in the NHL is over, it just means that teams have finally realized that this guy is more of a hinderance than anything.

Rumour #4
It's believed that the Canadiens will make a "serious offer" to either Daniel Briere or Chris Drury depending on which of the two become UFA. Briere is preferred.
My Take: While this would give the Habs some much needed "star power", it won't make them that much better. A good move to get either one, no doubt, but not addressing the real needs. The Canadiens need size and skill down the middle, not another small forward. I'd still applaud the move though.

Rumour #5
Recently (as seen on TSN.ca) there have been rumours that the Canadiens are for sale. While normally this doesn't bother the average Habs fan, it does come at a crucial point in the Canadiens' development. For example, if it turns out that the new owner is a cheapskate, then forget about signing anybody and making any sort of run at the Cup for a long time. On the other hand, if they guy is out to win (like Ottawa's ownership), then maybe he'll put something into the team that might help us. Really, it's 50/50. But, that being said, the Montreal Gazette is now reporting that the Canadiens are not for sale. Good... One less distraction.