LEWISTON – The big names are all there – forwards Alex Bourret, Marc-Andre Cliche, Mathieu Aubin, defenseman Chad Denny and goaltender Jonathan Bernier to name a few – and a few surprises made it as well as the Lewiston Maineiacs submitted their list of 16 players protected from selection in the 2005 QMJHL Expansion Draft to the league on Thursday.
One of the more puzzling names may be Jonathan Paiement, who will be 20-years-old by league rules in the 2005-06 season, and has been drafted by the New York Rangers. As the season ended, Maineiacs’ head coach and general manager Clem Jodoin said that he would weigh the options for the list based in part on whether or not the Rangers had plans to sign the four-year veteran.
“Nothing has been done with (Paiement),” Jodoin said Thursday. “The Rangers have not signed him and his value is still up. We did not want him to go for free like that.”
Jodoin left open the possibility that Paiement could also return to the team next season as an overage player.
Meanwhile, another decision that will likely turn heads is that to keep goaltender Travis Fullerton. Fullerton played in just two games last season and started once.
“It really came down to Fullerton and (defenseman Jonathan) Cameron,” said Jodoin. “Last year, when we started the season, we had 11 goalies in the system, and now, we are down to five, maybe four. On the depth chart, we needed to keep him. We had no choice but to protect him.”
The breakdown of the list included two goaltenders, Bernier and Fullerton, five defensemen and nine forwards.
Names not on the list that played at least one game for Lewiston in 2004-05 include forwards Colby Gilbert, Derek Bailey, Ryan Murphy and Guy Belisle, defensemen Marc-Andre Crete and Cameron, and goaltender Marc-Andre Perron.
Of those names, Murphy is probably the most shocking.
“We know he has value,” said Jodoin, “he still has a lot of potential in this league, but we had to leave somebody out.”
Jodoin went on to add that he feels that the new franchise in Saint John, New Brunswick will likely select Murphy in the June 1 expansion draft.
Three days after the expansion draft, the league will hold its annual entry draft in Chicoutimi, and then in the month following, the Canadian Hockey League will have its annual European players’ draft.
As to potential trades, Jodoin would not divulge specific information, but did say that they “might happen.”
“We’d like to have a second-round pick,” said Jodoin. “We’d like to have another first-round pick, but picks are always projected. You never know. Will we be active? Yes, we will be active. I don’t want a team that we have to rebuild. I want us to be competitive year after year.”
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