LEWISTON – If Alexandre Picard is going to be traded in the upcoming three-week trade window, both he and the Lewiston Maineiacs are saying absolutely nothing.

In fact, there is even talk to the contrary.

“I told Pic (Saturday) morning that he should go home and enjoy his Christmas break,” said Maineiacs coach and general manager Clem Jodoin. “I told him (Saturday) morning that I want him to finish his career here.”

With Picard likely playing in his final season in the QMJHL, he has been the subject of several trade rumors across the league. Even the players on the team are aware of the talk.

“We don’t know if he is going to be here after this week,” said forward Alex Bourret after the team’s 6-4 win over Rouyn-Noranda Friday night. “I like to play with him and I want to make the most of the time on the ice with him. We play well together.”

It is that last line that may have Jodoin thinking twice.

“If these players (referring to Picard and also Jonathan Paiement, who has also been mentioned in several rumors) are good for the other teams, then they are good for our team, right?” said Jodoin. “If there is something outstanding, we might take a look at it, but so many people talk about one or two years from now when we have a good product on the ice now. We have to think about this year, too, and entertaining the fans. It goes both ways.”

One of the biggest questions is whether or not Picard wants to stay in Lewiston, and whether or not the coaching staff can convince him, and the rest of the team, that they can in fact contend with the best teams in the league all season.

“I like it here,” said Picard on Friday night. “The fans here are nice, the people are all nice and I like to play here. Trading is part of hockey, and if it happens it happens, but I would not be upset to stay here.”

Scouting Gatineau

When Gatineau comes to town this afternoon, it will be the defending Memorial Cup entrants’ third visit to the Colisee in two years. The team itself is a shell of that which won two consecutive QMJHL titles in 2003 and 2004, but continues to be strong in the depleted Western Division, leading the Shawinigan Cataractes by four points.

“They are a big, physical team,” said Jodoin. “They finish their checks, they forecheck hard, and they have a certain experience after going to the Memorial Cup the last two years.”

Jodoin has been pleased recently with the manner in which his team has reacted to certain situations, specifically being able to hold onto a 5-4 lead in the third period on Friday. Gatineau’s leading players include Guillaume Labrecque (43 points) and Peter Pohl (37 points, while rookie David Krejci (36 points) also continues to impress. In net, the Olympiques are set with David Tremblay (2.92 GAA, .899 save percentage). Backups Olivier Laliberte and Riley Whitlock, two rookies, have much higher numbers.

Twenty-twenty

With his hat trick on Friday night, Alex Bourret joined Alexandre Picard as members of the Maineiacs to reach the 20-goal plateau this season. The Maineiacs are one of three teams in the league with two 20-goal scorers – Rimouski has three and Moncton also has two. In points, Bourret is fifth overall in the league while Picard sits in eighth, and in goals, Picard is third overall with 23, while Bourret is in a tie for ninth with 20.

Injury update

Two players may be on their way back from injuries sooner rather than later, according to the Maineiacs’ coaching staff.

Mathieu Aubin is still expected to miss most of January after surgery on his shoulder two weeks back, and Nick Cowan’s recovery is progressing more slowly than expected, but Brandon Roach and Marc-Andre Cliche have both skated in practice recently and may both be back soon.