A trip back to the minors was not the holiday gift Montreal rookie Maxim Lapierre or his growing fan following wanted or expected. Lapierre had one point per game, three goals and an assist, and was plus-5 in the four games since he was called up from the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs on Dec. 11. But in the new NHL, the salary cap can trump the heart or the mind of a general manager, and so Lapierre found himself back with the Bulldogs just before the holiday roster freeze set in Tuesday at midnight.