They have solid prospects coming up through the system in
all different positions. In goal, they have two main prospects in Dustin Tokarski
and Zachary Fucale. Tokarski was able to show case his talents last season after
Carey Price was injured, and really stood up to the challenge. Having a young
talent in Tokarski can take some of the pressure off of Price and allow the
elite goaltender some well deserved rest on occasion. Fucale was the highest
touted prospect in the 2013 draft and has proven to have the ability to step up to any challenge. Montreal managed to draft him in the second
round, and knew that they had a great goalie with serious NHL potential.
Defensively, Montreal has some very high-end talent ready to
start their NHL careers. Between Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi and Greg
Pateryn, they have talent coming out their ears. Beaulieu is known for his
offensive prowess, while Tinordi for his size, and ability to play a 200-foot
game. Pateryn is very solid in his own zone and has the ability to use his size
to his advantage. All three will have success in the NHL and are just waiting
for that chance to make the team.
Montreal was notorious for their small size at forward and
were criticised heavily for it. However Montreal is changing that dynamic and
over the last few seasons they have drafted bigger, stronger players with NHL
level talent. Drafting players like Jacob De La Rose, Connor Crisp, Nikita
Scherbak and Joonas Nattinen is starting to change the teams overall look.
The Canadiens have a
solid core of young veterans gaining excellent NHL experience and crafting
their game. Lars Eller, Brendan Gallager, Alex Galchenyuk and PK Subban are all
proving themselves as important pieces to the Canadiens core. Last season was
showcased a deep playoff run that all four took part in which is a huge asset
to have moving forward as an elite team. These players are big pieces to the
team, and are still developing and getting better. If they can continue their
developments, these are the keys to a truly dominant Montreal team.
This offseason Marc Bergevin made some moves to eliminate
some of the older players on this Canadiens roster. Moving Daniel Briere and releasing Brian Gionta opened up two slots in the Canadiens’ top six for
younger, bigger, more talented players. Moving Josh Gorges allows a spot for a
young defenceman to slide into the lineup and inject a new life into the top
six on defence.
Although these more veteran players were released, Montreal
still has some great leadership and experienced players. Andrei Markov and
Tomas Plekanec are both players who have experienced the NHL and the pressures
of playing in Montreal. These two are both big parts of Montreal’s core group
of players and helping the development of the prospects.
On top of all of this, Montreal has one of the leagues best
goaltenders. Carey Price has truly solidified himself as one of the elite in
the net. He has the ability to win games by himself, and make saves when it
counts. A huge necessity for a team to have in order to win a Stanley Cup is
having an elite goalie to lead the team.
A dynasty in the NHL would be a team that is able to consistently
dominate for several years in a row. Montreal has seen significant improvements
over the last three years, and they are well on their way to being spoken as an
elite team. They will be spoken of with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los
Angeles Kings.
It may be a bold prediction on my part, however, am I really
that far off?
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment, or reach
out to me on twitter @darrinharmy
