The 2010 Montreal Canadiens - Great Expectations

by Tyg

Where to begin? So long and thanks for all the pucks?

I suppose I could choose to be flippant about the season that the Montreal Canadiens are on the version of closing out, but that would be a disservice both to me and to the team that I love.

While the great expectations for the Habs' post season were indeed mine (and many others), they were clearly a direct result of their actions, which was to set the bar much higher than it ought to be for a team cobbled together on the fly in what Gainey admitted was a crap shoot.

For most of the year, a lot of the players went onto the injury roster at one point or another.  Still, post-olympics they managed to rally, and even though they had their full roster back near the end of the season, they still couldn't get it together to do much more than squeak into the playoffs, one slot behind Philly, for a precarious 8th place.

That meant facing Washington, so there was a small glimmer of hope. The Habs were one of the few teams that had held its own vs. Washington this season (2 Wins, 1 Loss, 1 Loss in O/T), and at the very least I thought they'd last past the 4 or 5 games most experts predicted.

After going down 3-1 in the series, I resigned myself to the loss, glad they had at least taken one of the games to avoid a sweep. Then, magically, the Habs pulled themselves together and started playing tight defensive hockey.

This is the system of hockey coach Jacques Martin prefers, and it's pretty much the entire reason why I dislike him as head coach for the Habs.  For a team of small, speedy forwards, this defensive system effectively hamstrings your own offensive output, because it's always going to be secondary by design.

It's basically rope-a-dope hockey, and against an outright offensively built team like the Washington Capitals, it can and does expose a defensive weakness.

There's no denying that the Capitals deserved their reputation as a scoring powerhouse. They completely steamrolled the rest of the East, and had their playoff berth locked up for quite a while, cooling their jets while they waited to see which lamb would be led before them to slaughter.

But although Mike Green is a Norris Trophy candidate, he is, quite simply, a poor defenseman, especially when on the ice vs. Hal Gill, Josh Gorges or Andrei Markov, who know how to stop a fast foward coming over the Habs blueline and box him out so the goalie can make the save.

Green tried so hard to help produce offensively against the Canadiens' superior goaltending (which says more about his role as a defenseman than I ever could), that he often took stupid penalties which more than once led directly to the Habs scoring a goal.

He wasn't alone in creating opportunities for the Habs, and while the Capitals are a formidable team and deserve their reputation and respect, in the playoffs it's not all about firepower. If that's all it ever took to win a war, no one would ever bother to fight.

You'd know beforehand you were beaten, so why bother?

There's a reason it's often said that playoffs are won via goaltending, and that's because to a large extent it's true. Habs starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak did, however, get yanked in game 2 of that series after being perforated by the Caps superior firepower, and although the Habs made an admirable run for it and only lost 6-5 in overtime, the fact is they blew a 4-1 advantage during that game.

It was a game the Habs had in hand, and they let get away from them.

By the time game 5 rolled around, they had figured out how to play the defensive shell system that Martin knew could expose the Caps weaker defense. It was a solid and sound strategy given the opponent, and however Martin managed to finally sell it to them after being unsuccessful with it during the regular season, during the playoffs the Habs bought it hook, line and sinker.

Halak took on the appearance of near-invincibility and got lauded—deservedly so—in the press, but in that stunning 3 game winning streak the Habs eeked out lay a recipe for disaster.


The Pens will expose them
I thought surely the more well-rounded team of the the Pittsburgh Penguins would expose Martin's fatally flawed strategy.

The Pens had pretty much dominated during the regular season. The Habs managed to get only a single win against them in the four games played.

Yes, the Habs had injuries during that time, but the Pens were the defending Stanley Cup champs with all the knowledge and experience that brings, and had a much tighter defensive team than the Capitals.

Even if the Habs managed to shut down Crosby and Malkin, the Pens were still a formidable opponent, with a strong goalie. Marc-Andre Fleury had proven himself a solid goaltender, and even if his stats weren't as impressive as Halak's were going into the series, he had both the experience and the offensive/defensive balance required in front of him.

Again, the Habs won in game 7, and this time didn't have to play as much catch up with the Pens as I predicted, but frankly, it was the Pens series to lose.

I had the Pens winning in 6, but the Habs with their never say die attitude and rope-a-dope system managed to shut down Crosby and Malkin.  The Habs caught a break in that Staal missed a couple of games, and since the Pens have so much money tied up in their three centers, the wingers are not high powered scorers.

The Pens offense - without Malkin and Crosby leading the charge - was not strong enough to counter the Habs defensive shell game.

The Habs, meanwhile, have a true sniper in Cammalleri—currently leading all playoff scorers with 13 goals—and he got two past MAF in a couple of games. Gionta was also formidable, and there was enough production from the Habs third line to lend a hand as well.

The Habs again played superior defensively, courtesy of Hal Gill who was now siding effectively against his former team, and when Crosby took a stupid retaliatory boarding penalty against Josh Gorges less than a minute into game 7, that was pretty much all she wrote for the Pens.

Their captain got flustered, they got flustered, and maybe too much hockey for too long—going into the Cup finals 2 years running plus the Olympics—had simply worn them out.

MAF proved inconsistent, leaked like a sieve, not helped by his defense at all, and Moen was practically greenlit by Gonchar into his own net for a short-handed goal.

The Pens weren't the same team that had fought so hard to win the Cup the year before, and it was not simply because Hal Gill was gone. Gonchar looked like he didn't want to play anymore, and so did a lot of his teammates, including Malkin at times.

The exception, as always, was Crosby.

While I don't personally like the Kid, I do admire his passion for the game, and his ability to play it.


Bring on the Philadelphia Flyers.
Actually, no.

They were better off with the Caps and the Pens. The Caps had defensive weaknesses and shaky goaltending, and the Pens were tired and also had superstars that could be shut down. They were exploitable under Jacques Martin's defensive shell system.

The Flyers simply are not.

Prior to the start of the season, while everyone was writing off the Habs, Philly was getting some good looks, with some experts believing they could actually contend for the Cup this year.

Don't laugh.  I'm not a fan of the Broad Street Bullies, and for me having the Flyers win the Cup is an affront to the very sport itself. 

Carcillo on the Cup?  I'd sooner see it melted down and sold for scrap metal.

And yet, here were are, with the Habs down 3-1 in the series. I doubt it will be a repeat of the Washington series where Les Boys clawed their way back via a 3 game winning streak.  Even if the Habs manage to eeke out another win, the fact is they are highly unlikely to beat Philadelpha. It's Jacques Martin's system—so good in the first two series—that is going to be the team's undoing in the ECF.

Against Washington, the Habs shut down Ovechkin and Backstrom.  Against the Pens it was Crosby and Malkin.

To take down the Flyers, the Habs have to shut down the entire team, which is impossible, even for a team with great defense like the Habs possess. 

The Flyers are all proven goal scorers and there's no real superstar among them.  Carcillo and Richards get the press, but when you've got Gagne, Leino, Briere, Laperriere and Carter, you have serious depth that was lacking defensively for the Caps and offensively for the Pens.

Whereas before the Habs were getting jabbed with a knife or two and could thrust and parry, now they're having to dodge pitchforks. Add into that the Flyers solid defensive core led by Pronger, and suddenly the Habs are the exploitable team.

It's a very different opponent and different type of war that the Habs are not built for, and their strategy is now a handicap.

The clear problem is the Habs' lack the offensive firepower—hampered by Martin's system that they have bought into—that is needed to counter the Flyers strong defensive shell.

Defensively, both teams are about equal. Offensively, the Flyers are superior.

The Habs have more speed, but with the exception of Gionta and Cammy, they lack the scoring depth.

Yes, Pyatt, Moore and Lapierre's line caused a lot of damage to game 3 vs. the Flyers, but it's a 3rd line, and when only 2 members of your top 6 forwards are producing in a series, it's awfully hard to win playoff games.

Unless Plekanec, A. Kostisyn, Pouliot and Gomez suddenly get hot, this series is over. The Habs might win Monday night—Halak is still a strong goaltender and the Habs defense has proven just as good as the Flyers—but I very much doubt they'd win another after that.

In game 3, the Habs used their speed to exploit Leighton and the Flyers defense, which suddenly seemed to be tired and vulnerable, both physically and mentally.

The Habs swarmed like angry bees, and while Leighton had really no chance on the first two goals, the Moore goal was soft, and Gionta's should have never gotten through.

Since his defenders for the 5th Habs goal were putrid, I'm not even going to bother with MAB's PP goal—the only one for the Habs so far this series. 

Leighton's defensive core let him down, just like Halak's did in game 2 vs. Washington.  The Flyers' defense came back in game 4 and the Habs stopped skating after the first period.

They only took a single shot on net in the 2nd period, and only a single shot during the 2 power plays they eventually got.

The Habs PP has gone ice cold because 4 of its top 6 forwards have gone cold, and there's not much left to pick up the slack.

Also, without Markov the PP lacks a defenseman to quarterback its attack, and while Subban has size and skill, he is still a rookie, as evidenced by his many mistakes in game 4. 

It's too much to expect him to fill Markov's skates so soon, and the other Habs defenders simply cannot do it either.  The loss of Markov has always meant problems for the Habs, and even though they've spent much of the season without him and can cover for him defensively, the stats don't lie.  They need his offensive output.  

Here's an excellent summary of the importance of Andrei Markov to the Habs.  I'm not sure he would have made the difference, but I feel pretty confident in saying he would have made a difference in their series vs. the Flyers.

http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2010/5/4/1456792/is-a-cup-dream-over-without-markov


What about Leighton?
Leighton—the career NHLer that has just been handed his 3rd shutout vs. the Habs—is not all that and a bag of chips, despite what the experts say.

Having watched the Habs ice Vezina and Conn Smythe trophy winning goaltenders for years, I can confidently say he isn't anywhere near them in the required mobility, quickness, and skill.

Halak has better instinct and reflexes, is a solid butterfly goalie, and will only continue to improve. Leighton hasn't singlehandedly stolen a game for his team—like Halak arguably did in game 6 vs. the Caps.

What Leighton has is a very solid defensive core surrounding him.

In game 3 he was lit up like the type of goalie he is—a backup. There's a reason he's 29 and no one's ever made him their number one goaltender before now. If he was that good, he'd have landed on the top of the heap long before this series, and we'd have never had the great Halak/Price wars of 2009-2010.

Leighton's a bit above average at best. Backing a team with a lesser defense, he'd have been exposed by now. Unlike Halak, Leighton has not had to make impressive save after impressive save. You'll never see him get peppered with 40 or 50 shots a night, and come out of it having let in only one or two—something Halak has done consistently even against the high powered offenses of Washington and Pittsburgh.

Sure Leighton gets a couple for the highlight reels every now and again, but that's the law of averages, and they're very few and far between.


Whatever happens, I've enjoyed the run
I've had a lot of fun with the Habs this post season, more than I expected really and I'm grateful for it, because it's the first time since 1993 that I've had that kind of time in the playoffs with my favorite team.

I wouldn't be a fan if I didn't want more, and after their performances vs. the Caps and Pens, I began to expect more, even though logic dictated that I shouldn't.

There are Habs fans in both camps right now—some saying we should be able to make it all the way and we still can—others like me happy for what we got.

I can see the appeal for those frustrated Habs fans who think there's no reason we can't go all the way this year. No one wants the party to stop or to give up, and I certainly don't expect the Habs to go down without a fight, but the fact remains that this team is as flawed now as it was in the beginning of the season, when the experts predicted it wouldn't even make the playoffs.

It's certainly better than anyone expected it to be, more than many fans—including myself—hoped it would be, but to be brutally honest here, they're not yet a Cup contender.

I take solace in the fact that the foundation is there, and that is pretty much what has allowed the Habs to get this far in the post-season.

I'm excited at the potential that finally exists, because prior to this post-season I didn't really see much progress being made within the Montreal organization to seriously ice a true Cup contender anymore.

Gainey, and I've never been a fan of his, achieved that much at least, with his drastic overhaul this past summer.

There's no superstars, just a core of hard workers, some experienced, some new, full of heart, grit and determination, who have made history once again, which is hard to do on a team as storied as this one.

They are the only 8th seed to ever topple a 1st seed after a 3-1 game deficit. They are the only 8th seed to ever oust the President' s Cup Trophy winner and the defending Stanley Cup champions in back-to-back series. So there's no shame here, just pride at what they have accomplished.

There are still holes that need plugging, and it's up to Gautier and Martin to do it if they want to make a serious run at the Cup in the season to come.

I'll write about the holes some other time, though.

If you need even more solace, as I suspect many Habs fans will, then consider the following: While the Flyers do have a strong playoff team, the Chicago Blackhawks are better.

I've watched them both play, and Chicago has an attack led by the red hot Toews who is deserving of the reputation he's getting. They have better depth offensively and defensively, and are a much faster team than the Flyers. They are constantly dictating the play of their games, and for them it is all about speed, precision and execution.

Then there's their goaltender, Antti Niemi, who also has a strong defensive shield in front of him.

As stated above, playoffs are also largely won via goaltending, and Leighton's 'Magical Mystery Tour' is about to come to an end.

The Flyers have a big hole of their own to fill before Carcillo ever defiles the Stanley Cup with his name. And the Hawks are an Original Six, even more overdue for a Cup win than the Habs.

I can get behind that.

---
Tyg used to frequent the old Forum during her early childhood when her father was a corporate season ticket holder, where she fell in love with Larry Robinson, so her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.

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Anatomy of a breakup: Georges Laraque

If you haven't heard by now - and I'm sure you have - the Montreal Canadiens publically announced that they are parting ways with tough guy Georges Laraque, yesterday. While I can't say that this is a completely shocking move by the Canadiens, it did come as a surprise none the less and no one was taken aback more than Laraque himself. When initially - and very quickly I might add - contacted by TSN's Darren Dreger, Laraque was fuming and started taking shots at the Canadiens organization, saying the move was "classless", given all he was going through with Haiti. The Habs, however, were quick to muzzle Laraque and clearly told him what he could and couldn't say while still under contract with the Habs.

To back up a step here, the Canadiens haven't bought out Laraque's contract yet; they simply told him that his services are no longer needed. They will keep Laraque on their roster for the rest of the year and will pay him his full salary, which he will sit at home collecting. At season's end, according to Gainey, they will decide what to do with Laraque going forward but I think it is pretty certain that they will buyout the remaining year of his contract.

For those of you not familiar with how a buyout works, here's the skinny: when buying out a player’s contract, the team - in this case the Habs - get to pay the player 2/3 of their salary versus the full 100% while extricating themselves from the player’s contract. In the Laraque situation, this means that he Habs would pay him $1 Million instead of the $1.5 Million remaining on his contract, next year. In addition, they would get to split that $1 Million over two years of the salary cap. By that I mean that instead of having Laraque at a $1.5 Million cap hit next year, they would instead have him at $500K next year and $500K the following year. So in addition to getting rid of a player that they deem ineffective, there is also a saving against the salary cap.

Ok, so back to the current situation. Given that the Habs are still paying his salary until the end of the season, the Habs feel that they still have the right to be respected in the media by Laraque. This was evidenced by Laraque's press conference at 4pm yesterday in which he was much gentler towards the Habs organization and had nothing disparaging to say. His press conference was, of course, a few hours after Bob Gainey’s press conference. If you haven't seen Gainey’s press conference you need to check it out. Unfortunately, I do not have a direct link to the press conference but you can access it here.

Go to that link, click on "CANADIEN" in the left hand column, then click on the video entitled "Reaction de Gainey au depart de Laraque (1re partie)".

In the clip, you will see that Bob didn't have anything good to say about Laraque but, in typical Gainey style, you have to read between the lines to get a lot of the golden nuggets! Gainey’s two main points were that Laraque was not productive in the role he was playing and was a destructive force to the team. A distraction. Additionally, Gainey explained that he sees what others around the league do, in Laraque's role, and suggested that Laraque was lacking. He also sarcastically mentioned that he doesn't know what Laraque's code is and that he doesn't have a copy of it, but to him the code is to help your teammates and "...it is not your code it is our code...” Strong words but I can't say I can blame him as Laraque has largely been a bust since joining the Habs in the summer of 2008.

As Randy Tieman said this morning on the Team 990, if a player has three minutes of ice time during a game but is the biggest talker in the room after it, that is a distraction. The Team 990 also pointed out that while none of his teammates said anything bad about Georges, none of them struck down the notion of him being a distraction either. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire.

As for Laraque himself, I personally am with Gainey on this move. While I was happy to have Laraque come on board two seasons ago, there is no question that he has just not worked out in Montreal. From his chronic back problems to his refusal to take an instigator penalty. From his prolific interviews telling the world that he doesn't like fighting to his insistence on sticking to "the code" that few, if any, other tough guys stick to. Laraque was just ineffective in his role on this team. When the Habs signed him two summers ago, it was to fill the role of fighter and protector of his teammates. Unfortunately for Laraque, he didn't do enough of that.

Laraque's strategy for fighting is to ask players to fight instead of just jumping on them. Now, I am not an advocate of violence in life, but the best way to serve notice is to pound a Chris Neil, for example, and in the process take that instigator penalty. People around the league would notice that. However, if your strategy is to ask Neil to fight, which he wisely declines, and then move on, you are not intimidating anyone. As such, Laraque's "intimidation" was mostly limited to talking. Sorry, but we already have a do-nothing talker on the team. His name is Maxim Lapierre. But I digress...

While Laraque is clearly a great human being and does a lot of humanitarian and volunteer work, this decision by the Habs has nothing to do with his character as a human being. This is about hockey and Laraque's ability to fill the limited role that he is capable of playing. I'm sorry Georges, but if you think you can be anything more than a goon in this league you are sadly mistaken!

While Laraque has size, he is too slow a skater and doesn't have the hands necessary to score. As such, he really doesn't add any value to a team unless he is fighting and intimidating people. I think that Laraque believes/hopes that he will be back in the league playing for another team however I don't think that is a realistic notion. All 30 GM's around the league saw Laraque's body of work, or lack thereof, over the last season and a half, and as such, I believe that he no longer has a place in hockey. I might be wrong, but I doubt it. Laraque is in the latter part of his career anyway and, like many tough guys near the twilight of their career, they don't feel like fighting as much. Over the last few years, Laraque has become a kinder gentler soul and a fighter who no longer wants to fight. So in essence, you have a one dimensional player who no longer wants to play that one dimension. Sorry buddy, but that equals the end of the line.

Now, to address Laraque's comments about the Habs being "classless" with "all he has going on". Ok, George, here's the deal. There is a big difference between business and personal, and this was a business decision. For anyone out there in the workplace, you know that sometimes it is hard to separate business from personal, but at the end of the day it MUST be done for the good of the company. Hockey is no different and while you can't discount the personal side, as an NHL GM, you have to make good business or hockey decisions otherwise your business won't last long. That being said, according to Gainey he DID take the personal side into account.

During his press conference, Gainey explained that his decision was made a week ago but he postponed things after the earthquake in Haiti, out of sensitivity to Laraque. That sounds personal to me. That sounds classy to me. Gainey even offered Laraque a leave of absence to take care of personal business and work on his fundraiser - raising money for Haitian relief - which Laraque turned down because he said he was ok. Hmmm, so why all the talk of "...with all I have going on..."? If you had so much going on, why not take the leave of absence? You can't have it both ways.

Either way, I think Gainey made the right move and did his best to make the timing more palatable. I, for one, don't fault him or think his timing was bad. His timing was what his timing was. Just like in business, I believe that is it important to hire slowly and fire fast. Once you have identified that someone or something is negatively affecting things, you have to cut that cancer out before it spreads. Clearly, Gainey felt that way and took the decision he felt was in the best interest of the team.

Now, Gainey is not in the clear on this whole Laraque affair, because it was him that hired Laraque two seasons ago. It was Gainey's pro scouting staff, run by Pierre Gauthier, who told Gainey that Laraque would be an excellent addition to the team. This despite the fact that half the league knew he didn't want to fight anymore and that he had a chronically bad back. Pierre Gauthier is the same guy who told Gainey that Gill and Mara and Spacek would be excellent additions to the team. The same guy who told him Streit was a 1-year wonder and that Tanguay was worth a first round pick.

Yes, you guessed it, the Habs have terrible pro scouting but that is the topic for another blog. Suffice it to say that Gainey is the one who assembled his executive team and he must ultimately be held accountable for their shortcomings. If this team continues to slide and misses the playoffs, Gainey will have to pay the piper at season's end. Of that much, I am sure.

K.

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Post Game Quick Hits: Habs 3 - Blues 4 (OT)

Game Summary:
I can't do it....no wait...maybe I can...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, ummmm, ya....errr....nope, I can't. That is probably the best way to describe the Habs 3-4 overtime loss to the Blues last night. There were bad, they were good, they were up, they were down, they were losing, they came back but ultimately lost it all on a weak goal in OT. What an emotional roller coaster it was for Habs fans as they went from 1st period cheers as Price tried to fight Janssen, to 2nd period boos as the Habs failed to mount any competition for the Blues, to 3rd period elation as the Habs tied the game with 32 seconds left in the game. Ultimately, however, it was the Habs bad start and lack of effort that again did them in. The Habs are the 30th team in the league for 5 on 5 scoring so if their goaltending is not outstanding - which it wasn't last night - and if they don't score a bunch of PP goals - which they didn't last night - they tend to lose games. Exhibit A: 3 - 4 OTL to the Blues.

Game Notes:
1 - Carey Price has not yet established himself. He started the game off very shaky, got run by Janssen, tried to fight him, settled down and started making some great saves in the 2nd to keep that Habs in the game, but ultimately let in a suspect goal in overtime for the loss. For some reason, game after game, the team in front of Price continuously throws up stinkers. While Price was far from stellar last night, he can definitely not be blamed for the loss. I am at a loss to explain it, but the team tends to put up a much better effort with Halak in nets. When Price is in tending goal, they seem to hang him out to dry. The Habs, for the most part, were outclassed last night. For most of the game, they were running around in their own end and looked disorganized, tired and just plain bad.

Price's shakiness was never more evident than on the play that lead to the Blues second goal of the night. On the play, Price looked non-chalant (I unfortunately cannot find video on this goal) as Kariya skated behind the net and banked the puck off of his back/pad into the net. Price was flopping around, out of position and unable to recover. Flashes of the Roland Melanson era. The horror...the horror.

Also, while the overtime winner by Andy McDonald - top shelf, blocker side - was a bullet of a shot, it is one that Price should have had. For all of his effort, Price is still struggling to find that consistency that Halak seems to have found and you can tell that it is bothering him. But let's not forget that he is only 22 years old and has many years to find his game. The only unfortunate part is that the Habs desperately need points in the standings NOW, as Ottawa and NY Rangers are starting to pull away.

2 - Speaking of Price, the highlight of the night has got to be when the Blues Cam Janssen ran Carey Price, and Price then wanted to fight him. Here see it, and the subsequent Habs pp goal, for yourself:



Nice to see some emotion from Carey but sad to see that no one else fought Janssen. Ok, Hamrlik grabbed and roughed up the guy a bit but what kind of weak message are the Habs sending? Since when is it acceptable for an opposing playing to run your goalie and escape unscathed? Aren't the goalie's teammates supposed to automatically beat anyone to a pulp, who decides to run their goalie? Now, some have suggested that Laraque would have settled the score. Really? This is the Laraque who is telling anyone who will listen that he doesn't like fighting or want to fight. This is the Laraque who spends most of his time studying 'the code' the no other enforcer has been apprised of. This is the Laraque who asks people if they want to fight, and if not simply skates away. No, Laraque would not have made a difference because he doesn't 'attack' people, won't take an instigator penalty and does little more than talk to opposing players. Back in the day, if anyone even glanced Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson would beat them to a pulp. Now, however, the Habs are simply a bunch of pushovers and the word is spreading.

UPDATE: The Habs just bought out George Laraque's contract. He will not play for the rest of the year, but will be paid. His contract will be bought out for next season at 2/3 the cost ($1 Million instead of $1.5 Million) spread over two years. This means the Habs will have a $500K cap hit for the following two years instead of a $1.5 Million cap hit. Nice, and good move!

http://www.habsinsideout.com/main/27984

3 - Pouliot continues to impress. It is rare that both sides of a trade are so joyously happy with the outcome. Usually, one of the two sides is left less than happy. With the Latendresse for Pouliot trade, however, both teams are elated with the results as it becomes more and more clear that both players needed a change of scenery. While Latendresse is ripping it up in Minnesota, Pouliot is also returning the favour in Montreal. After scoring his 7th and 8th goals in a Habs uniform last night, Pouliot now has 8 goals and 9 points in his 12 games with the Habs. Nice. Very nice. Along with Gionta and Cammalleri, he is showing that he playing like a 30 goal scorer. When was the last time the Habs had three 30+ goal scorers? Ya, I don't know either, but I imagine it has been a LOOOOONG time. Keep in mind that Pouliot was a 4th overall selection in the draft and might end up being a steal for the Habs.

4 - Hamrlik and Spacek, what has become of you? Both players were anchors for the Habs and put in yeoman's service while Markov was on the sidelines, but since his return they look every bit the 35 years of age that they are. Watching last night's game was a continuation of a month of mediocre to bad play by both players. I think that at 35, these two guys played too many minutes too early in the season and now look like tired, slow, old guys. This is a big problem, because except for Markov, the Habs defense is pretty damn weak without them. Gorges is all heart but is small. Gill and Mara are both turning out to be busts (except for Gill on the pk)and O'Byrne is playing as a forward - what is Martin thinking? On top of it, the Habs have 4 defensemen in the top 8 WORST defensemen for giveaways. Shocking stat, yes. But the facts are irrefutable:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20102ALLDADAll&sort=giveaways&viewName=rtssPlayerStats

Spacek, Hamrlik, Gill and Gorges are in the top 8 WORST defensemen for giveaways. Kinda explains why the Habs are running around in their own zone so often. So much for a puck possession game.

5 - AK46 is conspicuous by his absence. While the 2nd line of Gomez, Gionta and Pouliot seem to be clicking, the absence of AK46 from the top line is proving to be huge. Plekanec and Cammalleri don't seem to have that same umpf without Andrei and there is no short term help in sight. The only possible replacement will be when SK74 is healthy and ready to go - likely next week. Until then, Martin has little choice but to insert the likes of Mathieu Darche - who was colossally bad last night - or Travis Moen into the vacant role. Sadly, they are poor replacements for Andrei K. Makes you wonder why the Habs didn't grab Peter Sykora off of the waiver wire yesterday to fill that spot. I guess I'll never understand some of Gainey's decisions.

Standings:
With the overtime loss last night, the Canadiens have now lost 3 games in a row, have 51 points in 51 games and sit tied for 11th overall in the East. The Habs are tied with Atlanta (two games in hand) and Philly (three games in hand) while Florida (one game in hand) is 1 point back of the Habs with 50 points.

Next Game:
Things don't get easier for the Habs who now have back-to-back games at New Jersey on Friday and vs. the Rangers in Montreal on Saturday. It is stating the obvious to say that both games are paramount, as the Habs have to play playoff hockey for the rest of the season if they are to make the post-season dance.

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Is there something rotten in the state of Habland?

Sorry about that weak Shakespeare referrence, but it was my attempt at cleverness. Guess it didn't work out too well, eh? Much like Kyle Chipchura's career with Montreal didn't work out too well.

Nice segue! Heh. But I digress...

Kyle Chipchura - selected 18th overall in the 1st round of the 2004 NHL draft - was picked by Montreal as much for his tangible as his intangible skills. While there is no question that Kyle was never supposed to be a 30 goal scorer, his leadership skills were seemingly his biggest asset. This guy had been a captain at almost every level he had played, most recently at the helm of the Prince Albert Raiders. When the 2006 World Junior Championships came around - those are the ones where Carey Price made a name for himself and won tournament MVP - Chipchura was again named captain of the team, further illustrating why the Habs chose him. The kid had leader and future captain written all over him.

The problem started for Chipchura when in 2005 his achilles tendon was cut, in practice, by an errant skate blade. This sent his season, and by extension his career, into disarray. Skating was never Kyle's strongest skill and while he would make a full recovery from the sliced tendon injury, it would take a notch off of his already weak stride. This, I believe, was ultimatley his undoing - at least in a Habs uniform.

Since joining the Canadiens AHL affiliate - the Hamilton Bulldogs - in 2005, Chipchura has failed to solidify a spot on the big club. Having taken part in three Habs training camps and not being able to hold down a spot each time, you had the sense that this year would be his last kick at the can. This year, due to his tenure and contract, Montreal no longer had the option of sending Chipchura back to the minors without him having to clear waivers. A situation which would surely have seen him claimed by another team. As such, when he was hurt during training camp, he stayed with the team and started the year in Montreal.

Well, needless to say, his time in Montreal this season was horrible. So far, this year, Chips has played in 19 games and has 0 goals and 0 assists and is a -10. As you can see, these are horrible numbers. This culminated in last nights 3-0 shutout at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Chips had less than two minutes of ice time and ended the night a -2. Brutal.

Now, Chipchura is gone and the sad part of it is that this is yet another 1st round draft pick that Montreal has seemingly squandered. From Chris Higgins, to Mike Komisarek and Kyle Chipchura, Montreal is either picking the wrong player or letting the good ones get away once they have them. This is not the way to build a contender. Chipchura's downfall was ultimately his ankle injury which left him permanently affected. Recently, on the Team 990, hockey analyst Pierre McGuire explained how Chips could have been a very useful Brian Skrudland-type player if it hadn't been for the injury. Unfortunate, but seemingly true.

Looking at this trade at face value, Montreal traded a non-achieving 1st round pick for a 4th rounder. That is just brutal. However, there could be more to this than meets the eye. This trade relieves the Habs of 500K of cap space. That, by itself, is not that great but if Gainey is preparing to make soem kind of major move, then cap space is a necessary commodity. Again, this is no guarantee that a trade is immenent, however given Montreal's lack of scoring ability, I wouldn't be surprised if Gainey was looking to make a change. Only time will tell.

The final piece of this Chipchura story has to do with the dismantling of the team that Gainey undertook, starting at the draft this past summer. He evaluated the team that HE had put together and thought that it was filled with bad apples. This is evidenced by the departure Kovalev, Koivu, Higgins, Komisarek, Tanguay, etc. Now, starting this year, I believe that there were a few players who were on the bubble, namely Latendresse and Chipchura, both of whom are no longer with the team. So are there any other bubble boys on the team now?

I think so...

If there is one thing we have seen with Martin it is that he wants people to work hard and play smart. The other thing we have seen is that when you do not play as Martin wants you to play, your ice time quickly gets reduced and you end up on the 4th line. The next step after that is being shown the door. This was the fate the befell Latendresse and now Chipchura. The only other player on the team that is going through a similar fate is Lapierre, and he might be the next bubble boy.

Now that his wingman - Latendresse - is gone, Lapierre has been removed from his comfort zone. He showed last year that he can be an excellent 3rd line center, but this year he is lacking the jam. If he can't get his game back in order he might be the next one out the door. With Gainey at the helm of this organization, you never know what to expect. So I say that you should just expect the unexpected. That is the only safe bet here!

K.

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Lack of proper player development is killing the Habs

Having been a Habs fan for my entire life and watched the supposed renaissance of the team, under Gainey, it is apparent that something is amiss. Well, many things are amiss, actually, but the thing that stands out the most to me is our seeming lack of proper player development. I don't know if it is because of the media pressure in this city or the nightlife that makes young players lose their mind, but it is evident that Montreal just isn't able to turn raw, talented players, into stars. With the exception of Saku Koivu - who skirted the line between being a star and a non-star for his entire career in Montreal - and Andrei Markov, who has Montreal drafted, molded and turned into a star over the last 10 years? If you answer that question honestly, the response you come up with has to be 'no one'.

When Gainey started his five-year rebuilding plan six years ago, one of the main things he spoke about was rebuilding through the draft and it was about time! If one were to look at the Canadiens farm system, when Gainey took over, one would see a system that was devoid of any top-tier - and largely second-tier - talent. The cupboards were empty as a decade of bad management and managers traded away picks and prospects in an effort to bandaid a winning team together. When Gainey started drafting players like Higgins and Komisarek and Carey Price, it was evident that by holding onto his first rounders, Gainey was in the process of putting together a decent crop of youngsters.

Sadly, one by one, each of the prospects that Gainey has brought on board has either quickly hit a low hanging ceiling, regressed or been traded away for scraps, only to prosper in another city. Umm, Mike Ribiero anyone? He was traded for Janne Ninnema by the way, just in case you were wondering.

How'd that trade work out for us?

If you look at last year's team - before the season started - there were a ton of young, talented prospects on the team and in the minors. Higgins, Plekanec, Komisarek, Price, McDonough and Max Pac, to name a few. However all of them took a step back last year while young guns on other teams seemed to be excelling.

How did Milan Lucic do last year?

Exactly.

It seems that looking around the league, teams are seemingly draft players who get better and better. But not in Montreal. Lapierre was ascending last year. This year he is invisible. Kostitsyn looked like he was a great 10th overall pick, two seasons ago, and this year his is lost out there. Chris Higgins was hitting his stride two years ago, but fell, mightly last season. Carey Price had his sophomore jinx, Komisarek looked like a defensive liability, D'Agostini couldn't put the puck in the net, Latendresse forgot how to hit people and McDonough was traded for Gomez.

Why? Why are other teams able to draft the same calibre players and have them turn into stars? Johan Franzen anyone? What about Thomas Holstrom. What about us? Where are our stars? Where are our Crosby, Stalls and Nash?

I don't know what the answer is, but everything points to some kind of organizational malaise that is deeply imbeded within the Canadiens system and it is causing us to burn our prospects and/or not being able to help them reach their true potential.

Look, I am not saying that this is a team of underperforming stars, but it would take a blindman not to be able to see that Latendresse has an infinitely higher ceiling than where he is currently playing. Whatever the problem is, the blame has to lie squarely at Gainey's feet. This is his system, his ideology and his process in place. The team is running as he has set it up and the results, whether positive or negative are his to bear. He is the guy steering the ship and it is ultimatley his responsibility to fix, and so far, apart from getting rid of everyone, he has yet to show that he has the ability to do so.

The more the hole in this team becomes apparent, the more the spotlight is flashed in Gainey's direction and if he, or any other GM for that matter doesn't see that 'through the draft' is the only sure-fire way to rebuild, then they are missing a large component of the salary cap era. Gainey excelled as a pre-lockout GM, when you could throw as much money at a roster as possible. With the salary cap, GM's have to constantly be producing good, cheap talent through their draft and their farm system in order to keep a good balance on their team of highly paid veterans and lowly paid rookies. It is the only way to put together a winner in this age and if Gainey doesn't realize that by now, then his days with this team are truly numbered.

K.

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5 Keys to Habs' Season - Part 5 - Carey Price

This is part 5 of 5 in this series, and I just want to thank everyone for the feedback and emails! The support and feedback, whether negative or positive, is always appreciated!

So without further ado....

Carey Price
When Carey Price was drafted, 5th overall, in the 2005 NHL entry draft, a lot of people were unsure as to why the Habs grabbed this kid. As good as he was supposed to be, Montreal had Hart and Vezina trophy winning Jose Theodore in nets, and there didn't seem to be any good or convincing reason to draft a goalie. That year, however, Jose showed everyone his true colours, and that was those of a one hit wonder. In that light, the Price pick started to look better and better.

Theodore or not, Price started to show that he was a thorough bred, almost immediately. While cut from the Canadian World Junior team in 2006 - with whispers of him having a bad work ethic - he adjusted his play and attitude and came back to steal the show in 2007 by being named tournament MVP and backstopping Canada to their third straight gold medal. From that point on, Price's rise was meteoric.

From the World Junior Championships, Carey returned to his junior team, the Tri-City Americans. After their season was over, Price immediately joined Montreal's AHL affiliate - the Hamiltion Bulldogs - where he led them to a Calder Cup victory, in the playoffs, and earned himself another MVP award.

There was no question, that Carey Price, the prospect, had arrived.

During the Habs 2007-2008 training camp, Price seemed like a bit of an outside shot at making the team. He seemed good during camp and, more importantly, Gainey seemed intent on seeing him in NHL action. As such, he stayed with the big club as Cristobal Huet's backup. However, by the mid-point of the season, it was clear that he was in the process of pushing Huet out of his job.

When Huet was traded at the deadline, none were too sure if it was the right time or if they should have waited until the summer, before crowning Carey as the starter, in Montreal. But, sure or not, he got the job. After an up and down 1st round series, against Boston, Price, and the Habs, ultimately fell to the Flyers and sailed into the off-season with high hopes for the 2008-2009 season.

Well, without rehashing it all, we all know how disasterous the 2008-2009 NHL season turned out to be for Montreal and for Carey Price. After a great first half of the season, Carey managed only 7 wins through the back nine. His, and the teams collapse, can be summed up when the crowd mocking Price's routine save with applause - during their 1st round sweep by the Bruins - where Price responded with a Patrick Royesque salute to the crowd. Ouch. What a bad, sad, depressing ending to a season that crashed and burned more dramatically than the Hindenburg!

Fast forward to now, September 2009, and the 2009-2010 NHL training camp. Price is saying all the right things and seems to have a much better more grounded attitude. He knows that last year was a disaster, but he also knows that, at 22, he has likely learned some very hard lessons very early. This experience should only help him that much more in the future.

Why he should succeed
Price has shown, to this point in his career, a tremendous ability to bounce back from adversity. When he was cut from the 2006 World Junior Team, people were saying that he had the skills but lacked the work ethic. Well, he came back, in 2007, with an adjusted attitude and work ethic, and stole the show.

During the 2008-2009 NHL season, I believe that Price fell victim to the same mistakes, from his past. Not only was he enjoying life off of the ice a little too much, but he wasn't putting in the time and effort he needed, on it. That, in my opinion, is a recipe for disaster.

While there are a ton of things that have to go right, this year, for Monteal to have successful season, Carey Price is right at the center of it all. He is the key cog in the Habs wheel and as such, this team will only go as far as, or do as well as Carey Price does.

In order for Montreal to have a successful season, Carey has to put up at least 30 wins and play a minimum of 60 games, this season. With Jacques Martin at the helm of a defense first team, and a bulked up, more stable blue line corp in front of him, I believe that Price should have no problem hitting those numbers. The ancillary effect of Prices success will be the redundancy of Jaroslav Halak, who, I believe, will not finish the year in Montreal.

If, however, Price cannot get into a groove this year, and he continues to skid all season long, I believe that will spend the end of the Bob Gainey era in Montreal.

Let's hope that Price thrives and Gainey lives to fight another day. If they do, this is gonna be a fun year to be a Habs fan!

Oh, one last note, on Carey. He has a tell, in the poker sense if the word. The more you see him playing the puck, the better it is for the Habs because he tends to do so when he is on his game and feeling confident. When he is off his game, he tends to retreat to the saftey of his net.

Enjoy the season all!

K.

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5 Keys to Habs' Season - Part 1 - Scott Gomez

With training camp only a few days away and the Habs rookie camp already underway, there is no doubt that hockey is in the air....and I'm lovin' it! Given that the 2010 season is almost upon us, it got me thinking about the new-look Habs and what their chances of success are, this season. While I'm not brave enough to make a prediction, I think that I can say that I am cautiously optimistic. I mean, even the biggest Habs hater should be able to see that Montreal's D got better and bigger than last year, and their forwards went sideways in the improvement category, at worst. Plus, the additions of Moen and Mara mean that Montreal will be a tougher team. I think people are focusing too much on the smaller 1st line - which is absolutely small, no question there. But looking past that line, this team is actually bigger and tougher than last year.

Being bigger and tougher does not guarantee success by any stretch of the imagination, but I think there are a few keys to Montreal having a successful season, this year namely: Gomez, Plekanec, Cammalleri, Andrei Kostitsyn and Carey Price. While you could certainly include Gionta, Spacek, Mara, Lapierre, Latendresse and others, in this list, I think that for the purposes of my analysis, I will focus on those five guys. Hey if you think I missed anyone, let me know and maybe I'll post any analysis of them too. Enjoy!

Scott Gomez
There are few players in the league who have as much to prove, this season, as Scott Gomez and this is largely because of the discrepancy between the size of his contract and his seeming talent level. While no one will dispute that Scott Gomez is a talented player, it also seems to be quite clear that he is not a $7 Mil+ player. Looking at NHL salaries (http://www.nhlnumbers.com/sort.php) there are only 17 players in the entire league who make seven million dollars per season, or more. The list of those players reads as follows:

Ovechkin, Crosby, Stall E., Richards, Lecavalier, Heatley, Chara, Gaborik, Lidstrom, Gomez, Thornton, Vanek, Campbell B., Drury, Spezza and Iginla.

Well, apart from Gomez and Drury - both of whom were given their ridiculous contracts by Glen Sather - those are some of, if not the best, players in the league. And to me, Gomez's name just stands out, in that list, as being totally misplaced. That being said, it is not Gomez's fault that he is overpaid. Hey, if my boss decided to pay me 25 - 40% more than I should be earning, who am I to turn him down? No? So who can blame him? No one, that's who. However, that does not take away from the huge expectations that are placed on his shoulders, and no one is more aware of this fact than Gomez himself.

Scott knows that he had two sub-par seasons, playing in New York, and that moving to Montreal is only going to ratchet up expectations. Especially when Bob Gainey had the Habs faithful thinking that we would be getting a 'big, scoring center" and possibly even Vincent Lecavalier. When Gainey traded for Gomez - who is talented but will never be mistaken for a "big" center - Habs fans felt burnt. Not only is Gomez on the smallish side, but he is also no Vinny Lecavalier.

All of this means that Gomez comes to town, looking for a fresh starting and to rekindle some old magic with Gionta, with the weight of Habs fans' expectations on his shoulders. Expectations that he put up big numbers, based on his $7 Mil+ salary. Expectations that he carry this team, as Lecavalier would have. He is being thrust into the #1 center position, which has been problematic for the last 10 years.

This is not a slight against, Koivu, by the way, as he was a great player. But, being realistic, he always should have been a #2 center. You can win with Koivu in the #2 hole, but not in the #1 hole. Which is why I think Anaheim will be a contender this year. Getzlaf and Koivu? Wow! But I digress...

Ok, back to business. In order for Montreal to have a successful season - and I define success as finishing anywhere from 4th to 8th overall in the East - Gomez will have to shine this year. Gomez will have to be a leader on and off the ice and he will have to put points up on the board, on a regular basis. In my estimation, he will have to return to the 70+ point level and be a solid plus player, for Montreal to go anywhere. He is already saying all the right things and showing the right attitude - learning French! - now all he has to do is put it all together on the ice. If he doesn't, this year could end up being more painful that last year!

Why he should succeed
Gomez thrived playing in New Jersey's defense-first system. He won a Stanley Cup and had a career year playing alongside Brian Gionta - who he gets to play with again this year. Playing under Jacques Martin - a proven defense-first coach - should allow Gomez to get back to his winning ways. Plus, being reunited with Gionta should help both of their careers get back on track. I see Gomez hitting the 70 point mark this season with Gionta checking in for 25+ goals this year.

Here's hoping I end up being right!

K.

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