What do the Montreal Canadiens Need to do to Become Contenders?

Another season has come and gone for the Montreal Canadiens, one that saw them do well in the standings but that has left many fans feeling that the organization still needs to make some changes to take their team to the next level.

With that in mind, I humbly offer the Habs a few suggestions for the coming months.

1- At last years trade deadline, I felt the Habs would do well to move Andrei Markov, David Desharnais and maybe even Tomas Plekanec if the offer was a real solid one. The reasoning behind that was:

a)  The team had some important pieces missing if they were to become a top-end team in the NHL , (A Top line Centre, a scoring-winger and a bonafide top two defenseman), pieces that could best be acquired by trading proven assets for youngsters who had not yet had the opportunity. Getting a older veteran was not my preferred solution.

b)  That their current youngsters (Galchenyuk, Beaulieu, Tinordi, Bournival) needed to get a good deal of ice-time in the roles they are meant to play going forward.

Habs didn’t do that last year so I feel they will have to do this now. If they can move the same assets mentioned earlier, I think they will be better off going forwards. Getting a real top line center, top six winger and top 3 defensemen can’t be done during one off-season.

Bergevin should give the youngsters he has now some real playing time while at the same time accumulating a few more assets and improve the quality of the team’s depth. Once this is done, the next step has to happen:

2- Bergevin and Therrien have to learn to place more trust in their youngsters.

I understand the importance of veterans on a team but there is something to be said about giving them too much respect.

Facts are that some did not produce enough during the season and a few were a non-factor during the playoffs while some youngsters had too little rope. The Tampa Bay line of Kucherov-Johnson and Palat were great for the Lightning during the playoffs and featured a 2nd round pick, a 7th round pick and an undrafted player.

Maybe Montreal has that kind of talent but management will never know if youngsters are not given real opportunities without the fear that one mistake will mean a trip to the press box or a demotion to the AHL.

3 - Beware of July 1st

Habs may be close to being a top team but they shouldn’t jump on the Free Agency market to fill their needs. Many times, the players available are aging players whose best years are behind them, and on top of that, you have to overpay to get them. Players are an asset but so is available cap space.

Bergevin should tread very carefully. Don’t go for the best available solution, chose the right solution.

4 -  Habs need to be patient.

Usually, it’s preferable to get players during the off-season so they can ease into a new team/city but cost may be lesser once the season begins. Team with high-expectations flounder and get desperate for help, some teams decide a rebuild is in order and start giving up assets or some teams need cap relief.

This may be a good opportunity for Bergevin and the pro scouting staff to make something happen. Rangers have mortgaged their future for a big playoff run. Maybe a Brassard or Stepan becomes available?

The Blues feel they should contend but had a difficult post-season, can they get desperate if things don’t go well next season? They have a lot of depth in their organisation.  Maybe a talented francophone player like Xavier Ouellet could be an helpful piece to the puzzle. Oh, and did Jimmy Develanno not say just a few weeks ago that he expected a lot more from Anthony Mantha?

Not saying any of these are possible but a creative, bold General-Manager can make things happen.

Habs have some good pieces but Bergevin needs to do a few things differently if they are to move forward. He needs to re-evaluate the coach, the players, the whole hockey staff ...and even the GM.

So what do YOU think the Canadiens need to do in order to get better?

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Rick has been a scout, and has been covering and writing about hockey for over a decade.  Follow him on Twitter at Rick1042

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Habs' Parenteau Must Seize The Opportunity

Acquired in the off-season from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for disgruntled F Daniel Briere, Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau is currently having a very difficult season with his new team. Having played only 41 of the 67 games of the Canadiens due to a concussion and several games spent in the press box as a healthy scratch, the 31-year-old right winger has recorded only 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points to go along with a -5 rating and 20 penalty minutes.

Currently 10th in the NHL with four shootout goals (in six attempts), Parenteau is blessed with skills and talent, but like Briere, he is not the kind of player that Michel Therrien prefers. As we all know, Therrien is fond of defensively responsible players, which is why Lars Eller and Dale Weise get so much playing time despite their limited offensive production. If you are too creative with the puck, you get a slap on the wrist.

Now, with the Canadiens struggling to put the puck in the back of the net, Parenteau's agent, the talkative Allan Walsh, went public yesterday to urge the Canadiens to put him back into the line-up in order to spark the Habs' sputtering attack.

Montreal is goal starved and PA Parenteau with 196 pts over the previous 4 NHL seasons is a healthy scratch.
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) March 11, 2015

"We saw the tweet from his agent and that made us think seriously about bringing him back to the lineup," a tongue-in-cheek Therrien said after confirming the winger would return for a game Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.

Well, it seems like Michel Therrien learned about Walsh's comments this morning as he decided to dress Parenteau tonight against Ottawa at Bell Centre. The skilled winger will finally be used as an offensive weapon on the team's second line alongside Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk. When he was acquired in the off-season by GM Marc Bergevin, that was certainly not to be used on the fourth line or to watch games from the press box.

A former offensive dynamo alongside John Tavares and Paul Stastny, Parenteau recorded 56 goals and 107 assists for 163 points in 209 games between 2010 and 2013, three seasons during which he was 100% healthy. That's 0.78 point per game during that stretch, which would give him 52 points this season if he had played all games with an elite playmaker and had avoided injuries. 

Well, instead of trusting the skillful winger with über-talented players such as Max Pacioretty or Alex Galchenyuk, Michel Therrien preferred to use him on the team's fourth line with grinders such as Manny Malhotra and Michael Bournival: a recipe for disaster. Still, the offensive-minded forward must display more passion, grit and determination on the ice to show that he's hungry and ready to contribute to the team's success.

The Canadiens are currently ranked 22nd in the NHL with only 171 goals scored (2.51 GPG), the lowest of all 16 playoff teams as of today. On the other hand, thanks to the brilliant play of netminder Carey Price, Montreal is ranked 1st in the league defensively with a mere 144 goals allowed (2.11 GPG).

The proverb says that defense wins championships, but it doesn't hurt to be able to score more than two goals a game on a consistent basis, especially in the gruelling NHL playoffs.

It's time to seize your opportunity Pierre-Alexandre, and prove your detractors wrong!


Do you think that the PAP is the solution to the Habs' offensive woes?

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Follow me on Twitter at @FredPoulin98

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The General Continues To Stand Tall

Greetings Habs Addicts!

The Habs swept the season series against the Boston Bruins the other day for the first time since the 2007-08 season with a 3-1 win in Boston on Sunday night. The Habs are 10-1 in their past 11 games against Boston, including six straight wins in Boston. Impressive!

Andrei Markov had an empty-net goal to ice the victory, his seventh goal of the season. Last night he set up David Desharnais' overtime winner against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Habs 2-1 victory. He now has 31 points in 53 games played this season. The General is continuing to defy the aging process that inevitably hits all players and is averaging 24:48 of ice time per game this season at age 36. He may have lost a step in terms of speed, but in terms of skills and stats, he is hardly slowing down.

Photo Credit: RDS.CA

Andrei Markov has been a rock for the Canadiens since he broke into the NHL back in 2000-01. He suffered a series of knee injuries that required reconstruction and limited him to only seven games played in 2010-11 and 13 games the following year, but Markov has returned strong and appeared in all 48 games during the strike shortened season, missed only one game last year and thus far has appeared in all 53 games thus far this season. Media and fans were concerned about re-signing Markov after the knee injury and management faced a lot of criticism when they did re-sign him to a contract with such a high average-annual salary cap value; however, he has rewarded management's faith in him by returning to his high level of play. Calm and cool with the puck, you never see Markov panicking on the ice. The quarterback of the power play for years, he has proven to be a lethal combination with P.K. Subban on the back end. What more can you ask of a player who was only drafted in the 6th round, 162 overall in 1998?

Habs fans cringed last summer when Markov was approaching free-agency for the first time in his career. Coming into last season with a salary cap hit of $5.75 million, fans and media alike were concerned about Marc Bergevin extending the soon-to-be 36 year old at that current cap hit. Well, Bergevin rewarded his veteran leader with a three-year extension at the same salary cap hit and Markov has responded in year one thus far, on pace for 11 goals and 49 points.

Markov has started to show signs of age creeping up to him. As stated earlier, he has lost a step in the speed department after the knee injury, but he has not let that affect his play as he better positions himself and takes advantage of the vast hockey smarts he developed over his 13-year career. Last season, it was evident that fatigue was catching up to him as he entered the playoffs as he had only one goal and four assists in his final 13 regular season games and then was kept off the score sheet entirely during the four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Markov was beginning to feel the effects of his first full regular season in four years. Critics were calling for Michel Therrien to rest the veteran, and limit his minutes to keep him fresh, but Markov played over 25 minutes per game last year and is very close to that same amount of ice time this year. Will he fade a bit down the stretch? Even with his fade, Markov finished last years playoff run with 10 points in 17 playoff games. Solid production from a solid producer.

The trade deadline is approaching. Bergevin will address some needs and another puck-mover on the back end would surely help. Names like Cody Franson and Mike Green have been bandied about. Edmonton is trying to move Jeff Petry and he could be an option, as well. Bergevin has already acquired fellow Russian veteran Sergei Gonchar earlier this year and he has paired up tremendously well with young Nathan Beaulieu. On the flip side, Alexei Emelin continues to make baffling mistakes both mentally and with the puck on a game-to-game basis and his partner Tom Gilbert has provided only nine points in 49 games played this season after being expected to anchor the second power-play unit. Veteran Mike Weaver has been a healthy scratch for most of the season and has appeared in only two games since the middle of December.

Michel Therrien will be wise to limit the minutes for Markov down the stretch, especially late in games where the outcome is more or less decided. The only problem is the Canadiens have an inability to score goals this year which has seen them play in a lot of one-goal games. Hard to limit your stud leader when the game is on the line. It would be nice to see the scoring pace pick up and Markov finish the stretch run playing around 20 minutes per game and subsequently have a bit more in the tank for the playoffs, where fans expect another long spring of hockey in Montreal.

It will be interesting to see how they play Markov during the home stretch of the season and how The General responds this year. Even if he does slow down next year and the last year of his deal, he will still be a valuable power-play producer. Kimmo Timonen in Philadelphia is a prime example of what kind of player Markov can develop into as he advances into his age 37 and 38 seasons. Not too shabby.

When its all said and done and he wraps up his career, there might very well be a #79 banner hanging in the rafters of the Bell Centre.

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Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

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The Good, Average & Poor ... Habs First Half Analysis

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Photo Credit: latimes.com

The NHL All-Star game in Columbus was played yesterday, with Team Toews defeating the hometown team, Team Foligno, by a Lacrosse score of 17-12. That's right. There were 29 goals scored in the game, or basically a goal every two minutes of play. Whether or not they were playing with six attackers each and no goalies has yet to be confirmed. Carey Price was the lone all-star for the Canadiens this year, even though P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty had numbers deserving of an all-star berth. Price was solid, allowing four goals on 16 shots. Price was also wearing a mike and spent most of his time answering questions from Glenn Healy and providing commentary while making saves. It was a lot of fun to watch.

The All-Star game generally marks what is considered to be the half-way point of the NHL season. As for that, it is time to take a look at the the Montreal Canadiens performance to-date.

Overall Record (29-13-3, 3rd in Atlantic; 4th in the East; 8th overall in the NHL)

The Habs are having another season that places them in the upper echelon of the NHL. Michel Therrien continues to ice a team that does not quit when down in a game, in fact the Habs have had a tendency this year to show up for the second and third periods of games while snoozing through the first periods. The Canadiens are second only to the Buffalo Sabres for least amount of first period goals. But the Canadiens are also amongst the league leaders in third-period goals as a team, illustrating a team that does not quit and gets better as the game progresses. It seems if the Habs can come out of the first period tied or trailing by one, they likely leave with a victory. If they lead after the first, they are almost guaranteed a victory. They have also won seven games in overtime or shootout. Even when they fall behind, they do not quit. Stealing point in games they have no business being in has turned into a trend. Carey Price has been the saving grace to the team this year and should be a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy at the end of the year, if not the Hart Trophy as well. No player has meant more to their team than Price means to the Canadiens.

Statistically, the Canadiens have been good but not as good as their record illustrates. Offensively, the Canadiens average 2.6 goals per game, which is 21st in the NHL. On the power-play, they have been operating at a 17% clip which is also good for 21st in the NHL. They have been inept with the man advantage for most of the season, Of the 23 goals the team has scored with the man-advantage, seven of them have come in the last four games. This may be a sign that things are picking up, in which case the Canadiens can be a force in the second half of the season. They need the power play to step up as its hard to continue winning when one-third of your victories come in one-goal games (11 in 29 wins).

Defensively the Habs have been solid. Michel Therrien has iced a defensively responsible team and the bulk of the credit goes to Carey Price. The Canadiens rank 4th overall in the NHL allowing only 2.4 goals per game. They also kill penalties among the best in the league, operating at an 84.9% clip which is 5th best in the NHL. Solid defensive play has kept the Canadiens in games they had no business being in this year. They have allowed some high shot totals on Price, who thrives with the high workload. They need the offense to catch up because Chris Kreider illustrated to us what happens when Price cannot carry the workload. Dustin Tokarski has been a decent backup, but he cannot take the reigns and run with them.

Forwards

Good - Max Pacioretty leads the team with 21 goals and 38 points in 45 games played. Patches has been consistent this year and entered the break coming off a six-game goal scoring streak ... Tomas Plekanec has been consistent this year with 13 goals and 32 points in 45 games anchoring the second line. Plekanec has had a revolving door of line-mates, but has continued to be the teams best two-way player ... Alex Galchenyuk has been coming into his own and has 12 goals and 31 points in 45 games this year. Chucky has finally moved to the centre spot on the top line where he exploded for his first-career hat-trick in December before being moved back to left wing in recent games ... Dale Weise has carved his niche in Montreal as a feisty spark plug with some skills. Fan favorite Weise has seen power-play time, top line time and has six goals and 16 points in 42 games played and has exceeded expectations of him coming into the season.

Photo Credit: usatoday.com

Average - Brendan Gallagher has continued his pesky ways and is continually driving to the net and providing screens on the power play. Gallagher has 11 goals and 25 points in 45 games, on pace for another 20 goal, 45-50 point season. Typical Gallagher ... David Desharnais struggled early on this year and lost his spot on the top line. Since being separated from Pacioretty, Davey found his niche on the third line as a winger and started shooting more. For the season he has 7 goals and 24 points in 45 games ... Jiri Sekac represented the Canadiens at the All-Star game skills competition as a rookie, but spent a stretch of games as a healthy scratch and has seven goals and 15 points in 38 games. Sekac has tremendous skills and has been one of the best players on the ice a few times. Developing consistency will be the key to his development as the season goes forward ... Brandon Prust is Brandon Prust. Chippy, scrappy and fighting as always, Prust has three goals, 11 points and leads the team with 83 penalty minutes. No one is taking liberties on the Habs young players with Prust in the line-up. For a player who has an injury history due to his playing style, Prust has appeared in all 45 games this season.

Poor - P.A. Parenteau was an off-season acquisition that was expected to provide secondary scoring. While his Corsi stats are solid, he has not found the score sheet at all and has a measly six goals and 15 points in 40 games while dealing with concussion-like symptoms. Parenteau was expected to provide 50-60 points of offense and that has not happened. He is in position to improve in the second half ... Manny Malhotra was brought in to win faceoffs and kill penalties. That he does well. At even strength, he has one assist and is a -8 in 42 games played. That he does not do well ... Lars Eller continues to frustrate fans and coaches alike with his inconsistent play. With a second line skill-set and tons of potential, Eller is backing up his big contract with eight goals and 15 points in 40 games played ... Michael Bournival has had a season lost to injury, but has two goals and one assist in 15 games . He should improve over the second half ... Hamilton Bulldogs' call-ups Sven Andrighetto, Eric Tangradi, Drayson Bowman, and Christian Thomas have combined for two goals and three total points in a combined 25 games played with the big club this season, mostly in fourth-line roles. All three points belong to Andrighetto.

Defence

Good - P.K. Subban is playing at a high level as usual. He has really come on as of late with the recent rebirth of the power play. For the year, Subban has 11 goals and 31 points in 45 games, leading the team with 25:21 in average ice time and is a +7 as well. Subban has seen more time on the penalty kill this year and continues to electrify the crowds with his stick skills ... Andrei Markov continues to defy the clock and has been our most consistent defenseman on a game-to-game basis. Markov has lost a step, but makes up for it with sound positioning and continues to quarterback the power play. Markov has five goals and 26 points in 45 games, 14 of those points coming on the power-play. Markov should have his ice time monitored going forward, as he is averaging over 24 minutes per game, which has worn him down the past two seasons.

Photo Credit: thescore.com

Average - Sergei Gonchar was acquired in a deal for Travis Moen and has provided one goal and ten points in 29 games. Gonchar is the elder statesman on the blue-line at 40 years old and continues to QB the second unit, paired up as a mentor with youngster Nathan Beaulieu ... Beaulieu has finally cracked the line-up full time and has only four assists in 30 games, but has been solid defensively and should continue to improve as the season goes forward.

Bad - Alexei Emelin has one goal and 11 points in 43 games and is a +3. On paper, he looks solid. He continues to hit hard, but not the same bone-crushing hits we've seen in the past. He has been tentative since returning from his knee injury last year and is often out of position, turning the puck over or looking lost. Emelin has been paired up with another disappointment in Tom Gilbert, who has two goals and seven points in 42 games played. Brought in to be a puck-moving, right handed shot on the power-play, Gilbert has been mediocre at best at the two skills he was expected to possess ... Mike Weaver provides leadership and depth to the blue line, blocking shots and killing penalties when he finds his way into the line-up. Age and playing style has caught up to Weaver this season, but he still has four assists in 27 games played ... Jarred Tinordi has appeared in nine games this season, with two assists and a -5 to show for it. He has spent the bulk of his season in Hamilton where he just returned after missing games due to a concussion. This season may be lost for Tinordi at the NHL level.

Goaltending

Good - Carey Price has continued his all-world play this season, compiling a 24-10-2 record with a 2.15 goals-against and a .929 save percentage. He has two shutouts as well. Without Price, the Canadiens are not a playoff team. Period ... Dustin Tokarski took the reigns from Peter Budaj during the playoffs last year and is the backup to Price this season. In 10 games played, Tokarski has a 5-3-1 record with a 2.50 goals-against and a .917 save percentage. If Price were to be injured, Tokarski can handle the load better than Budaj, but is better served as a more than capable backup. Combined, this goaltending tandem is one of the NHL's best.

The Habs return to action on Tuesday, as the Dallas Stars head into Montreal. The Canadiens also face the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals this week and look to continue their winning ways as the latter half of the NHL season commences.

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Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

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Emelin No Boom

Formerly known as "Emelin Boom", Alexei Emelin is struggling mightily this season with the Montreal Canadiens. Currently playing on the team's third pairing with Tom Gilbert, Emelin, 28, is in the first year of a four-year contract that is paying him on $4.1 million annually, pact that also includes a no-movement clause.

The Russian native has been fairly inconsistent this season for the Habs, recording 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 39 games with a +5 rating. While Emelin has 117 hits for an average of three hits per contest (on par with his career average), he seems hesitant to distribute thunderous checks in the middle of the ice like he used to do prior to the knee injury he suffered in April 2013 against Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins.

Emelin seems confused on the ice the season, making bad decisions over bad decisions, going from bad positioning to bad penalties, he has lost his confidence and it shows in his overall game. Emelin admitted to Marc-Antoine Grondin of La Presse that the hit on Brian Gionta on November 29th, hit for which he was fined $11,000, crushed his confidence. As a result of this "missed hit", Emelin is lacking the confidence to hit opponents when they enter the defensive zone, somewhat of his trademark in recent years.

Emelin is sometimes way out of position and appears lost on the ice just like on the Martin St. Louis goal in overtime last playoffs. You can see that Emelin is covering nobody and that he is on the wrong side of the ice surface...

When paired with Tom Gilbert, the two rearguards combine for a mediocre Corsi of 36.9%. 36.9%! A Corsi that low is in the George Parros/John Scott area, And when they are not together, but players have a Corsi above 47%, so it would be wise for Michel Therrien to split them. (A good Corsi rating is around 50%.)

Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Alexei Emelin has a 44.5 CF%, which ranks him 110th out of 119 NHL defensemen with a least 1,500 minutes played (according to War on ice), all that while facing a low quality of competition compared to the team's first pairing of Andrei Markov and PK Subban.

Because Michel Therrien used to play him more than 20 minutes per game when he was paired with PK Subban earlier this season, Emelin is currently on pace to play the most minutes per game on average (20:59) whereas he should only play about 15 minutes per contest with the way he has been playing recently.

With the emergence of youngster Nathan Beaulieu and the depth of the organization on the blue line, general manager Marc Bergevin could envision trading him (providing he lifts his NMC) prior to the trade deadline to get offensive help. With veteran Bryan Allen and his $3M cap hit already in the minors and his NMC, Emelin will not be demoted to the AHL for those wishing that to happen.

What would you do with Emelin? Scratch him a few games? Trade him? Or simply continue to play him, but with a different partner?

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Follow me on Twitter @FredPoulin98

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The Canadiens' Lack Of Depth At Forward Is Bound To Hurt Them

The Montreal Canadiens have been playing fairly well in recent games going 8-2 in their last ten games and currently sitting second in the Atlantic Division, only two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and with two games in hand.

Currently in the midst of a span of only two games in ten days, the team will be well rested to host the powerful Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. I don't know if it's the water they drink, but the Canadiens are currently 30th in the NHL with only 34 games lost to injury this season after 40 games.

Compared to other teams such as the Columbus Blue Jackets (249 games lost) and the Anaheim Ducks (241 games lost), we can obviously say that Montreal has been fairly lucky to avoid the infirmary so far in 2014-15.

On defense, the Habs have been able to keep their core healthy with Alexei Emelin being the only regular rearguard to miss games (2) as Tom Gilbert missed two games but that was as a healthy scratch. Only veteran Mike Weaver missed more time due to an injury, but his impact has been minimal on the team this season being a regular healthy scratch in recent games.

With Weaver as the #7 defenseman in Montreal, the Canadiens decided earlier this week to demote veteran defensman Bryan Allen to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. Jarred Tinordi and him make nice insurance policies in case injuries happen to the team's defensive corps.

The problem for Marc Bergevin and the organization is by acquiring Allen and Sergei Gonchar for two forwards (Rene Bourque and Travis Moen, respectively), is that the team's depth at forward has basically vanished. Now with the injury to Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, the team's lack of depth is even more obvious.

Michel Therrien is forced to mix his assets and Tomas Plekanec is now playing with a natural center at left wing in David Desharnais and a grinder at right wing in Dale Weise; that will not be a very effective offensive line in the long term. Should PAP miss an extended period of time, the Canadiens will dearly miss his contribution on the ice and especially in the shootout.

The team lacks a true talented prospect ready to contribute when called upon as the group composed of Drayson Bowman, Eric Tangradi and Sven Andrighetto has combined for 2 goals and 1 assist in 20 games this season. Moreover, the team announced it has called up another small forward, Christian Thomas, from the Bulldogs last night. While Thomas was very efficient and surprising during the training camp, he has been less than stellar this season. Thomas has only 9 goals and 5 assists for 14 points in 29 contests in the AHL this year, nothing to write home.

The team's best prospect in camp, Jacob De La Rose, just finished playing for Sweden at the World Junior Championships in Toronto and Montreal, but his tournament, along with his season in the AHL, have been disappointing to say the least. In 27 AHL contests, De La Rose has only 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points.

The only team prospect that is doing fairly well in Hamilton right now is winger-turned-center Charles Hudon, who is also scoring at a point-per-game pace with 33 points (10g, 23 a) in 35 games. The caveat with Hudon is that the organization just asked his to adapt to a new position and unless more than one injury occurs to the team's centermen (Galchenyuk, Eller, Plekanec, Malhotra and Desharnais), there is no point to call him up and ask him to move back to the wing... Hudon will be best served by playing a full season in the AHL for his development.

With the lack of size and talent on the wings, which impending UFA winger would you like the Habs to acquire before the NHL trade deadline on March 2nd, 2015?

Jaromir Jagr? Chris Stewart? Jordan Nolan? Erik Cole? Jiri Tlusty? Drew Stafford? Kyle Brodziak? Curtis Glencross?

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Follow me on Twitter @FredPoulin98

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Lucky or What ?

How long can the Habs luck holdout?

Hello my fellow HabAddicts. As much as I love the Habs, I am really worried that the wheels are going to fall off real soon.
We have been very fortunate with the injuries so far, and those late game rallies in the first 15 games put us into a false sense of 1st place holders.

Our defense is very weak. Watch any game and our defense is running around in our end trying to get the puck back from the opposition. Then you watch the opposition's defense and they waltz out of their end unopposed. Very frustrating to watch.

Our power play used to be feared and very deadly. Now the opposition takes liberties with our smaller players because they know the power play will not result in a goal. And so they continue to punish our smaller players. I don't know how much more Gallagher can take.

Our puck control is non-existent. It drives me crazy watching our team always chasing the puck and never controlling it. You need puck possession to win. What I do not understand is how our coaching staff can not adapt to playing conditions. No matter what is happening in a game Therrian and staff can not change strategy to beat the opposition's game plans. Look at our power play, everyone knows the key is Subban's power blast from the point, but no one has been able to come up with a strategy to overcome that and still utilize your best weapon. And why do we keep putting little guys like Gallagher, Plekanec and Desharnais in front of the net. Guys like Weise and Eller should be allowed to crash the net on the PP.

The only real bright spot this season has been our goaltending. It has been the key to our success so far, but how long can we allow 35-45 shots on our goalie every night. Why is Tinordi still in the AHL? He needs to be playing now in the NHL, the AHL cannot teach him anything new. And speaking of teaching, I liked JJ.D as a player but as a coach he has no idea what needs to be done on the ice or adapt to playing conditions. Our defensive game plan needs an update also. (Why did we ever let Mr. Robinson get away?)

We need a new game plan to control the puck. We are not built for the dump and chase game; we need to control the puck because once we lose it we don't get it back.

Bottom line the coaching staff have let us down on not adapting to the changes in the game, we are not utilizing the strengths of our players and too quickly punishing mistakes by high potential players (ie. Sekac).

Tonight begins a new year for our team, Hopefully the staff have NEW ideas to keep us near the top, otherwise get ready for a long painful descend out of the playoffs.

What do you think, are we in need of new ideas or should we just continue to ride on Lady Luck's coattails?

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Therrien Changes The Lines But For How Long?

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Well, it took another lacklustre effort, this time against the Dallas Stars on Saturday before Michel Therrien finally did the unthinkable: He surgically removed David Desharnais from Max Pacioretty's hip and replaced him with Alex Galchenyuk.

Now Habs fans have been clamouring for a Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Brendan Gallagher combination for a while now and they finally had a chance to see it in action - albeit briefly - in the third period of what had been a non-competitive game up until that point. The Stars went on to win the game 4-1, but the Canadiens showed signs of life in the period. The second change Therrien made was moving Tomas Plekanec onto a line with  Jiri Sekac and Sven Andrighetto, who scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.

Photo Credit: allhabs.net

The big question going into Tuesday's home game against the Vancouver Canucks is whether or not we will see a full game of these line combinations or if Therrien the juggler will switch things up again. Building chemistry takes some time and Therrien never likes to take time and see how things develop. Instant results or see you later seems to be his mantra. Unless you're Desharnais, in which case you remain with Pacioretty regardless of the circumstances.

Until Saturday night.

Alex Galchenyuk is a natural centerman who has not had the opportunity to play the position on a consistent basis. Arguably, if Lars Eller had not gotten injured, he would probably still be toiling on the wing. Galchenyuk has the best stick skills on the team. Pacioretty may be a natural goal scorer, but Galchenyuk has the skills and vision to create scoring chances and put the puck in the net. With space in the middle and an opportunity to produce, he should be able to feed the sniper with some creative passes and give the diminutive Brendan Gallagher a chance to clean up the rebounds in front of the net. There is no reason why this trio cannot all score 20+ goals before the season is over. Provided they stay together. And how long they stay together is the million dollar question.

Michel Therrien's coaching decisions have been less than stellar this season. He has been a far cry from the coach who came in during the lockout and changed the losing culture in Montreal. Last year showed some regression across the board in many categories aside from their overall record, at least until the playoffs came along. He abandoned the puck possession approach that worked during the lockout-shortened season in favor for a dump-and-chase approach and it did not work. Then he went back to puck possession during the playoffs and they had the magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals. This year he reverted back to his favored dump-and-chase approach and the team is floundering from a lack of scoring, a lack of discipline and this time there is no Thomas Vanek lingering on the trading block to come in and save the season again. Off-season acquisition P.A. Parenteau has been disappointing so far, with only 6 goals and 11 points in 29 games and David Desharnais needs to have his play called out by mayor Denis Coderre again as his two goals and 15 points in 29 games is terrible for a player who averages over 17 minutes per game on the top line and top power-play unit. Therrien finally separated him from Pacioretty on Saturday, which may be a blessing in disguise for the Habs offense.

Jiri Sekac spent a chunk of time in the press-box until Marc Bergevin dealt away Travis Moen and Rene Bourque to essentially force Therrien's hand to play the touted rookie. Aligned with Lars Eller and Brandon Prust, Sekac responded by putting up 8 points in 16 games of third line minutes after his press box vacation. With Eller going down with an injury, Sekac finished the game with fellow countryman Plekanec and Hamilton Bulldogs prospect Sven Andrighetto. There is a lot of talent and speed on this line. Plekanec is also defensively responsible, which should recover some of the rookie mistakes his line-mates may make as the season progresses. A smart Therrien should allow this line an opportunity to be creative with the puck. All three have tremendous stick skills and following a dump-and-chase mantra would be a waste of their skills and play away from their strengths. But alas, it is Therrien logic that ultimately decides how things play out.

Therrien appeared to see the light in Dallas. He saw the need to take some chances and make the changes that he was unwilling to make to this point. He created two line combinations that have the talent and ability to dominate a puck-possession game and put the puck in the net. If he can find a way to adapt his strategies to exploit the strengths of these two line combinations and give them the patience and time to develop some chemistry, he may have solved the scoring woes and save the season. The 17-10-2 record is misleading, as the Habs have failed to generate any offense in the first period of games and often have to rally late to win the games. This resilience is a testament to a never-quit attitude but not the recipe for success at the NHL level. If he decides to revert back to his previous ideas and force these talent trios to dump the puck and chase after it, we can expect to go 3-6-1 in the next ten games too.

The choice on how your season plays out is all yours, Michel. Choose wisely.

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Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

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Top 10 Reasons Michel Therrien Is Failing The Grade... Again

Similar to last season, but after 29 games and a 17-10-2 this time, the Montreal Canadiens have seen their first place overall in the NHL evaporate due to poor play in recent weeks, going 3-6-1 in their last ten games and failing to win consistently, especially on the road.

First in the NHL not a long time ago, the Canadiens are now ranked 11th in the league with only a seven-point lead of the ninth place Florida Panthers who have four games in hand on the Habs...

Let’s see 10 reasons why Michel Therrien needs to change his way of coaching or to be fired if GM Marc Bergevin and owner Geoff Molson have any hopes to see their team make the playoffs this season.

1. The slow starts almost every game: the Canadiens have scored only NINE GOALS in the first period, good for last place in the NHL. At the same time, the team is 6th in the league with 26 goals allowed in the first frame for a goal differential of -18 in the first period. -18! You cannot give up the lead every game and expect to win every time. Therrien just can't seem to prepare his team correctly. The Canadiens are the only playoff team with a negative goal differential this season (-2).

2. His ingrained man-crush on David Desharnais. While I like David as a person, Therrien needs to stop giving him every chance to succeed and remove him from Max Pacioretty's line. The diminutive pivot has only one even-strength goal this season and two in 29 games. He only has 15 points overall and is currently on pace for a mere 42 points over a full season. Despite his lack of offensive production, the head coach keeps giving him first power play duties as well as plenty of ice time. In Dallas, Desharnais played a season-low 14:43 minutes... that's not what I call "benching".

3. His consistent use of veterans such as Bryan Allen, Mike Weaver or Tom Gilbert over youngsters Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi. The two young defensemen are currently playing in the AHL while the above veterans keep making mistake after mistake. The same happened up front with Rene Bourque and Travis Moen who had to be traded by Marc Bergevin so that rookie Jiri Sekac could draw into the line-up every night. 

4. His constant line juggling and questionable decisions regarding his offensive lines and defensive duos. For example, Therrien keeps pairing two righties together in Gilbert and Weaver, while he sticks two lefties together in Gonchar and Emelin. His constant use of grinder Dale Weise on a line with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty is comical at best. 

5. His affinity for a dump-and-chase style of play with a passive forecheck is not working. Because of the small size of the club’s forwards, the Habs would be better suited to adopt a west-east approach instead of a north-south strategy that is simply not working. The team needs to penetrate the offensive zone with the puck instead of dumping it and failing to retrieve it. The Habs need to forecheck with two forwards and use their speed to create turnovers in the offensive zone instead of letting the opposing teams come out of their zone too easily and enter the neutral zone without any pressure.

6. The utilization of natural center Alex Galchenyuk on the wing, even though players like Lars Eller and David Desharnais have struggled mightily at times. We finally saw Chucky at center last game due to the injury to Eller, but we can bet he will be back on the left wing for the contest against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

7. Poor defensive positioning had led to numerous scoring chances from the opposing teams and if it were not for Carey Price’s and Dustin Tokarski's stellar play, the Canadiens would have a far worse record. The defensemen have a hard time making a good first pass, often icing the puck because of an inaccurate pass or clearing the puck by the boards with the wingers having no real opportunity to catch the pass and make a clear exit of the defensive zone. The team is so discombobulated in the defensive zone that the opponents have been able to take advantage of this flaw.

8. The indiscipline of the team: while the Canadiens are 28th in the league with only 76 power play opportunities, and converting them at a dismal 14.5% rate, the team is 29th in the NHL with 105 penalty kill situations so far. Luckily for Therrien, his PK unit is doing the job, killing 83.8% of the penalties good for 11th overall. The team's penalty ratio is a pedestrian -31 differential on the season, a big reason why the club is in a downward spiral at the moment.

Therrien is clueless most of the time.

9. The inability to adjust the power play units after the early season failure. The solution is quite simple as the team needs to use movement and quick passes to free up Subban and his lethal one-timer to have any kind of success. I analysed the situation a few weeks ago here.

10. His inability to adapt during games and to match up his lines, especially at home where he is supposed to have the advantage with the last change. We have often seen the Canadiens get caught with their fourth line on the ice while the opponent’s first line jumps on the ice; situations that often led to a goal.

Below you will find the Habs’ expected lines for Tuesday’s match-up against the Canucks:
Max Pacioretty – Alex Galchenyuk – Brendan Gallagher
Sven Andrighetto – Tomas Plekanec – Jiri Sekac
Michael Bournival – Deavid Desharnais – P-A Parenteau
Brandon Prust – Manny Malhotra – Dale Weise
Extra: Eric Tangradi

Once again I am puzzled at the hockey decisions made by Michel Therrien and his coaching staff.

As for the defensive pairings, nobody has a clue what the duos will be and who is going to play or be scratched since both Bryan Allen and Mike Weaver seem to be injured and the team has yet to call up another defenseman from Hamilton…

It sounds like Therrien is quickly losing his dressing room as a result of poor decisions this season… 
Is it time to panic in Montreal, or it's simply a bump in the road?

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Interview With New Habs Acquisition Sergei Gonchar

In this translated interview from Russian, originally appearing on the popular Russian portal Sport Express, Sergei Gonchar shared his views on the trade that brought him to Montreal and confirmed that he’s very happy about playing for the Habs.

- In Russia, one of the most chatted-about NHL topics is your inclusion in the club of players who scored 1,000 points. You are only eight points away from being the first Russian defenseman to get into the “Club 1000”. It looks like you have more chances to get into the club with Montreal, rather than with the Stars.

- You can always hope for the best, but as in any interview regarding the “Club 1000”, I’ll tell you that I’m not running ahead of time. Once I’ll score my thousandth point, then we can gather and discuss this achievement. But for now, I don’t want to think about it.

- Did you manage to say your former teammate Valeri Nichushkin goodbye a last time?

- Yes, of course. He had a major injury, had to undergo surgery… Of course, now it will be hard for him. He’ll be the only Russian in the team. But this is life and hockey players have to deal with this all the time.

- Are you satisfied about the trade?

- Yes, everything went very well. The results of the team are very good, the environment is great and I know the coach as I worked with him in Pittsburgh; therefore, I more or less know what he wants. This really helped in adapting to the new team. Generally speaking, I’m very happy about the trade. Everything went very well. Even if, of course, it wasn’t easy to leave my teammates and, even more important, my family.

- Since you moved to one of the contending teams in the Eastern Conference, probably now you constantly hear talking about the Stanley Cup.

- Well, they always talk about it in Montreal. Here you have such an impression that they’re always talking about it. But well, yes, the team has a chance because all is going well, not only looking at the results, but also looking at the way the team plays. The team is very balanced and the results are a consequence of it.

- Will your family join you in Montreal?

- Yes, they will be here next week, during the Thanksgiving Day holidays. But then they will be back. Since the children go to school, it’s hard to make them move. Of course, they’re sad because they don’t spend a lot of time with me. But in hockey you never know if you have to move. Like they say here, “it’s part of the business”.

- How many journalists wanted to interview you after the first game for the Habs?

- Oh, they were a lot! I never seen anything similar. Radio, televisions, both English and French speaking channels. I didn’t expect such an attention on me.

- Is Montreal happy about you?

- Hard to say. I try not to give attention to the public’s reaction, I try to focus more on my game.

- The Habs have two great defensemen in Markov and Subban. Will it be hard to get space and playing time?

- The guys accepted me very well. The coach had some tasks for me since I arrived here. Maybe I’m still not fully complying with them, but the process is going on very well.

- Can you remember when three Russian defensemen played in Montreal at the same time?

- Igor Ulanov and Vladimir Malakhov played for the Habs. Did they have a third [Russian defenseman]? Honestly, I don’t remember.

- Was the trade a surprise to you?

- Yes, of course. Everything happened fast, there weren’t many discussions. It was more like my agent calls me and says “You’re gonna be traded to Montreal, are you ready?” The fact is that, according to my contract, each trade should have my consent. I quickly signed all the papers, then I went to get my passport, got on the plane and that was it.

- Did you think a lot about approving the trade?

- No, I didn’t even think about not approving it. The team is good, I know the coach; therefore, I didn’t worry and I gave my consent right after.

- Did Therrien explain what he’s expecting from you?

- Well, I won’t unveil any secret. We talked a bit, and he showed me in the team’s schemes. We didn’t have any time for long conversations. I got to Montreal in the game day itself.

- According to that game’s outcome, it looks like your role in the team is pretty important.

- I don’t know, but I hope that it will be like that. Everything works so far.

***************************

Translation by HabsAddict's Russian Correspondent Alessandro Seren Rosso @AlexSerenRosso.

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Almost Bourque Traded to Ducks for Bryan Allen

When we thought Marc Bergevin could not make a better deal than the Moen vs Gonchar trade, we learned today that the Montreal Canadiens had traded disappointing forward Rene Bourque to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for rugged defenseman Bryan Allen.

The 34-year-old Allen comes to Montreal only played six games this season after sustaining an injury that cost him the first 14 games of the year. A physical defender, Allen has only one point this season, playing 18:12 on average per night. The 6'5'', 225-lb, native of Kingston, Ontario will provide leadership, size and grit to the Habs' blue line, qualities that were missing this season, especially against bigger teams.

The former Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers, among other teams, is also in the last year of a three-year, $10.5 million deal that pays him $3.5 million annually. The move will allow the Canadiens to clear more cap space for next season as Rene Bourque was slated to receive $2.5 million for a cap hit of $3.33 million.

After a poor start on the season,. #AlmostBourque had been demoted to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. In 13 games with the Canadiens, Bourque had no goal and only two assists with a -9 rating before being put on waivers and demoted after clearing. There was no money retained in the deal on either side.

At first glance, this trade gives the Canadiens a lot of depth on the blue line, pushing young defenseman Nathan Beaulieu on the outside looking in and probably on a bus to Hamilton after a disappointing start to the season.

You have to hand it to Bergevin has he was able to clear out $5.183 million in cap space for this upcoming summer by swapping Travis Moen for Sergei Gonchar and Rene Bourque for Bryan Allen. This will allow him plenty of room to re-sign impending RFAs Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Michael Bournival, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu.

The bad news is that Bryan Allen is on the decline and that is not a good puck moving defenseman who struggles against faster teams. Allen's Corsi is at 48.4% which is not too bad considering he is not an offensive juggernaut and he has been hampered by nagging injuries the last three seasons.

Also, we know that Michel Therrien loves his veterans, so this basically spells the end for Beaulieu and Tinordi this season and we can expect Allen to rotate with Tom Gilbert and Mike Weaver on the team's third pairing. 

The other possibility is that Bergevin will trade a defenseman for some offensive help, especially on the wings where the Habs could use a big power forward to play with the team's smaller pivots. 

Finally, I think Bergevin made the last two deals to clear cap space after the current season to land a big fish via trade from a team which is sitting tight against the cap such as the Blackhawks, the Bruins, the Capitals or the Flyers, Remember when the Booins traded Johnnny Boychuk for some picks before the season due to cap space problems... Well Boychuk now has 2 goals and 10 helpers for 12 points in 17 games with a +5 rating!

Do you like this trade? If not, why?

No Foolin' Fred Poulin

Follow me on Twitter at @FredPoulin98

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Eller Needs To Go So Galchenyuk Can…

By Eitan Calmy (@habsaddict)

Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America

ELLER NEEDS TO GO SO “GALCHENYUK CAN PLAY CENTRE”

Lars Eller is a third line centre. He will never be anything more than that. If the organization and Lars himself don’t make that clear to each other, Eller will be another one of those players that everyone will always wonder about. What if this? What if that?

Some will say that I’m being hard, but I’m not. He has had his chances. He’s going to be a very good shut down guy with some offensive upside. As long as Eller does not accept that role he will always be playing musical chairs, on the wrong line and with the wrong teammates. He has consistency issues. When expected to produce, it's as if he cracks under pressure. He fits the third-line centre role perfectly. When on his game, extremely reliable defensively and can surprise you with speed and strength which will create some offense. 

David Desharnais and Tomas Plekanec aren’t going anywhere as long as they have contracts. Desharnais has no trade value due in part to what I write below. Plekanec is one of the best two-way players in the game. He is a good second-line centre and in a perfect world probably the best third-line centre in the game. I would hesitate to move him.

Desharnais is untouchable. For some strange reason Montreal Canadiens management and coaching refuse to entertain the possibility of playing Max Pacioretty with anybody else. It is undeniable that they have chemistry. Desharnais is a very good playmaker. But if he’s that good, then why not try different line combinations? Why not test Plekanec with Pacioretty or Galchenyuk with Pacioretty?

To be very clear, if I thought that there was any chance the organization would even consider trading Desharnais, the title of this article would be: “Desharnais needs to go so... “

Why fix or toy with something that’s not broken? Because your number one centre is undersized, because your number one centre can’t play shorthanded. Because your number one centre can’t play in crucial defensive missions; whether it’s to preserve a lead or play against other teams top

lines. David Desharnais is and always will be a one-dimensional player. In my opinion, and please know that as a fan that bleeds Blue/White/Red, it hurts to say this, but “the Montreal Canadiens will not win a Stanley Cup as long as David Desharnais is the number one centre.”

It’s becoming more and more evident that Alex Galchenyuk is a special player. He has more natural skills than anybody on the current line-up. His passes are divine and his puck control is comparable to the elite players in the league. Michel Therrien has to let him express himself. The coach needs to, has to free Galchenyuk from Plekanec. He needs to let him spread his wings and fly. Galchenyuk is ready. Game after game he shows his creativity, his passion and skill. Other than Max Pacioretty’s scoring ability, Alex Galchenyuk is the next best thing, maybe better. With all due respect to Plekanec and Gallagher, they are simply not skilled enough to play with the future star. I’d even say that there’s probably no forward on this team that’s talented enough to play at Galchenyuk’s level or simply follow his lead. One of the only players that has been able to finish what he has started was PK Subban.  

If the Montreal Canadiens won’t move Desharnais from that top line, then they have to find a way to make a trade and add a "Power Forward" to the team that can play at the level that Galchenyuk is capable of. That being said I am not saying it’s easy because every single team in the league wants those big forwards that can’t score.

Montreal will have to make the right offer, they will probably have to overpay. I am not a GM but it’s obvious that it will at the very least cost one or two established guys from your line-up + either Jarred Tinordi or Nathan Beaulieu and probably a first-round draft pick. In order to get you have to give. Those of you that think it’s too much, well it’s never going to happen.  

I have complete confidence in Marc Bergevin and I strongly believe that we are in good hands for many years to come. The Montreal Canadiens have a 14-5-1 record. The team has had a great stretch as of late; however, just as Bergevin has done so far, you can always improve and I strongly believe that the big step forward will occur when Galchenyuk becomes that #1 centre.

1.       Who do you think should be moved in order for Galchenyuk to play centre?

2.       Does Michel Therrien have what it takes to bring Subban, Galchenyuk and others to the next level or just like in Pittsburgh, the Canadiens will have to bring somebody else to finish the job?

3.        Do you think Bergevin will pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade?

4.       Will the #Habs maintain their position for the rest of the season or is this just an illusion?

Eitan Calmy ( @habsaddict  )

I’m a fan just like all you other wackos out there. These are my opinions and if you do or don’t like them tweet me or comment on the post. I often comment on referees as I was an official for over 15 years. Hockey is more than just a sport, it’s a way of life!

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Great Night For A Breakout

Greetings Habs Addicts,

What a great night in Montreal last night. The Canadiens retired Hall of Famer Guy Lapointe's #5 in an emotional pre-game ceremony then went on to beat the Minnesota Wild pretty convincingly in a 4-1 victory. For those wondering the significance of retiring Lapointe's number prior to a game against Minnesota, it should be known that Lapointe is currently the coordinator of amateur scouting for the Wild, a post he has held since the teams inception. Thomas Vanek had an assist on the lone Wild goal in his return to Montreal, but was otherwise in fine playoff form as he was rather invisible as he floated around the ice. No word on whether he lost money on the game, either. Carey Price stood on his head in the first period and kept the Canadiens in the game before they took over and dominated from the second period onward.

Photo Credit: NationalPost.com

First off, Guy Lapointe's jersey retirement was long overdue. A brief history lesson about the man affectionately known as "Pointu" for those who never saw him play begins with the fact he was a six-time Stanley Cup winner with the powerhouse Canadiens squads of the 1970s. As a member of the 'Big-Three' with fellow Hall of Fame defencemen Larry Robinson and Serge Savard, Lapointe holds the Canadiens record for goals in a season by a defenceman (28) and by a rookie defenceman (15). Savard and Lapointe were key members of the 1972 Summit Series against Russia. Lapointe put up big points, laid thunderous body checks and kept the locker room loose with his notorious pranks. Among those pranks is the story of Lapointe coating his own hand in Vasoline prior to shaking the hand of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, then Prime Minister of Canada during a visit to the Canadiens locker room. For his career, Lapointe scored 171 goals and 622 points in 894 career NHL games. He shares his #5 in the rafters with the great Bernie 'Boom-Boom' Geoffrion. This honour is a long time coming. Credit to his daughter, Stephanie Lapointe (Twitter: @RavenMontreal) who spent many long hours working and rallying for this honour. Stephanie made appearances on MontrealHockeyTalk.com last year to gain support for a petition she started and the hard work paid off. Congrats to Guy Lapointe and family. Well deserved honour and we hope you enjoyed the moment!

This high profile game was also used by Jiri Sekac for his breakout performance as a Canadien. Sekac was a highly-touted off-season signing by Marc Bergevin after a solid performance in the Russian KHL last season. Sekac played in the first six games of the season before spending seven straight in the press box as a healthy scratch. Fans were clamouring for Sekac to return to the lineup, especially with veterans such as Rene Bourque and Travis Moen seeing undeserved ice time. Sekac returned to the lineup against Buffalo this past week and last night had a dominating performance on a line with Lars Eller and Brandon Prust, scoring a goal and adding an assist while being named First Star of the game. It was a great time for the Czech forward to step up into the spotlight. Hopefully this is the breakout game needed to get himself and the under-performing Lars Eller going. Eller is notoriously streaky and on a line with a gritty forward like Brandon Prust could spark the beginning of good things for the trio. One cannot forget how youngsters Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher started their careers strong on a line with Prust during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.

Sekac has a ton of talent and has a great opportunity in Montreal. Spending time in the press box while Rene Bourque and his $3.3-million dollar cap hit went game after game contributing nothing to the offense was a waste of his talent and frustrated many fans. Here at HabsAddict, my own article 'Should #AlmostBourque be #AlmostBenched?' sparked some controversy with the listeners and fans at our affiliate MontrealHockeyTalk.com early on, however the analysis proved to be true as the next ten games played out and Bourque's on-ice effort continued to deteriorate. HabsAddict editor Fred Poulin's 'Jiri Sekac in Michel Terrien's Doghouse' echoed what was a growing sentiment among fans and media that Sekac was somehow being punished by Michel Therrien for his lack of offense through the first six games. Well, his replacements contributed nothing at all and Sekac finally returned to the lineup this week and hopefully will use this Saturday performance to get on a roll with Eller and Prust. There is just too much talent and potential there for him to spend the season watching the games from the rafters. The rafters that now hold another deserving legend's retired number.

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Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

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Jiri Sekac In Michel Therrien's Doghouse

When he signed with the Montreal Canadiens this summer, Jiri Sekac had no idea that things would not go as planned. Making the jump from the KHL, the coveted free agent decided to sign a two-year deal worth $1,350,000 annually with the Habs.

Fast forward one month into the 2014-15 season and the honeymoon is definitely over between the 22-year-old winger from Kladno and his new organization. In six games with the Canadiens this season, Sekac has recorded 1 goal and 0 assist to go with a -4 differential playing alongside two offensive blackholes named Lars Eller and Rene Bourque.

After playing the first six games of the season and scoring his first NHL goal in front of his father at Bell Centre against the Boston Bruins, Sekac was made a healthy scratch against the Detroit Red Wings on October 21st, 2014. What most fans thought was a learning experience that would only last one or two games, turned into a very awkward situation for the fans and journalists alike.

The Canadiens, who have only scored 14 goals in the last seven contests, have elected to play unproductive veterans such as Travis Moen, Rene Bourque, Brandon Prust and Manny Malhotra over youngsters like Michael Bournival and Jiri Sekac.

However, according to a source close to the team, the team management (namely Marc Bergevin) is not happy with the decisions head coach Michael Therrien is making regarding Jiri Sekac, among other things. The management is frustrated with Therrien that he won't give Sekac a chance to show his worth on the ice. The source even said the Therrien doesn't even speak to Sekac to tell him why he keeps making him a healthy scratch...

It appears that Bergevin and Therrien don't see eye to eye right now, but because of the Habs' good start (8-3-1), Bergevin doesn't have much leverage to tell Therrien what to do and we all know that the latter favours veterans over rookies as they are easy to scratch because they don't complain openly in the dressing room.

It looks like unless a trade or an injury happens, Sekac will have to ride the pine and keep eating popcorn in the press box along with Nathan Beaulieu or Jarred Tinordi depending on who wins the coin flip on game day.

Do you agree with the way Therrien is treating Sekac?

And oh, earlier this morning, AK Bars Kazan, the richest team in the KHL has acquired the rights to Jiri Sekac just in case things get worse between the young Czech and the Canadiens...

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No Foolin' Fred Poulin
Follow me on Twitter @FredPoulin98

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