There was a hint of a smile Tuesday night when Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier was asked if he was ready for the National Hockey League trading deadline.

And it grew wider when he was told that people were expecting him to make a deal that would put his mark on the team.

In fact, Gauthier's mark has been on this team for a while. He served as Bob Gainey's right-hand man for six-and-a-half seasons and that's why the deadline came and went yesterday without the Habs making a significant move.

In one respect, Gauthier may have left his mark on the team by not seriously entertaining any serious offers for one of the Canadiens' two young goaltenders. Gainey was a strong Carey Price supporter, but when Gauthier and head coach Jacques Martin say the Canadiens need two goaltenders down the stretch, they're really saying they need Jaroslav Halak.

There was one deal late Tuesday night when the Canadiens sent Matt D'Agostini to the St. Louis Blues for minor-league forward Aaron Palushaj, whose main claim to fame is that he was Max Pacioretty's roommate at the University of Michigan.

In a conference call yesterday, Gauthier made this move seem like a humanitarian gesture, allowing D'Agostini the opportunity to jump-start his career elsewhere. The reality is that D'Agostini isn't the same player he was a year ago and the Canadiens had no room for him.

Gauthier said the Canadiens addressed their needs this year when they called up veteran Mathieu Darche from Hamilton and acquired Dominic Moore from Florida.

Both players played key roles Tuesday when the Canadiens rallied with four goals in the third period to beat the Boston Bruins.

"We wanted to make the deal for Moore when we did because we wanted him to play some games with us and then have those five days of practice at the end of the Olympic break," Gauthier said. He noted that there is the danger of tampering with team chemistry when rosters are changed at the deadline with only 20 games remaining in the season.

Chemistry has been an elusive quality this year because Gainey - and Gauthier - made major roster changes in the offseason, there was a new coach and, as Gauthier pointed out, the Canadiens have had their full roster for "two and two-thirds games."

All other things being equal, the Habs may have been more active if they weren't right up against the salary cap or if they had found a taker for defenceman Paul Mara. He was shopped around, but teams were reluctant to take a flyer on him because he has been injured on three different occasions this season.

The Canadiens could use another top-six forward, but they can't afford one and they're hoping to hold on to a playoff spot until the middle of the month when Michael Cammalleri is expected to return from a knee injury.

The Canadiens were in a different situation than they were last season when Gainey was faced with a long line of players who were eligible to become unrestricted free agents. He held on to most of them and Montreal received nothing in return when they left in July.

The only prominent player in that category this season is Tomas Plekanec and there was never a hint of moving him. He's the team's leading scorer and Gauthier has already begun preliminary discussions with agent Rick Curran about a new contract. Both sides have indicated a willingness to reach an agreement, but the question is whether there is a number that satisfies both parties and fits under the cap.

Note: The Canadiens flew here from Boston yesterday but Gauthier, Martin and director of player personnel Julien BriseBois remained in Beantown in case they were presented with an offer they couldn't refuse. A scheduled late-afternoon practice was cancelled, but there will be a full morning skate in preparation for tonight's game against the Sharks (10:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, CJAD Radio-800).

phickey@thegazette.canwest.com