Who Will Step Up In The Playoffs?

Photo Credit: Montreal Gazette.com

Greetings Habs Addicts!

What a season it has been so far!

The Canadiens cannot seem to score consistently - unless you count Max Pacioretty and his 37 goals. They are also riding one of the greatest statistical seasons by a goaltender in the modern era with what Carey Price is doing. And of course, P.K. Subban could be working his way back into the Norris Trophy conversation with the numbers he has this year (15 goals/57 points). But aside from those three, the supporting cast has been extremely underwhelming offensively this season. Underwhelming enough to wonder just how strong the Canadiens will be entering the playoffs.

The three superstars have had some help. Tomas Plekanec is having another consistent two-way season. The turtle-necked wonder is one of the steadiest performers the Canadiens have had in the last decade and one of the NHL's more under-rated defensive forwards. A nod for the Selke might be in store; however, the competition is always tough with names like Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Toews, Anze Kopitar and Pavel Datsyuk always carrying larger profiles year in, year out. But with 22 goals, 54 points and a +9 on the year, Plekanec is quietly doing his part.

Brendan Gallagher finally hit the 20-goal mark this year, sitting at 23 goals on the year. He has been a consistent spark plug in the line-up, always going to the dirty areas and getting the job done. Offensively, he has not quite reached his peak. However, expecting more than a 25 goal/60 point ceiling is wishful thinking. Defensively responsible at even-strength, Gallagher is a +20 on the year and only has three power-play goals to his name. In large part due to the ineffectiveness of the relentless "Set up Subban for the one-timer at the point" strategy that Michel Therrien refuses to waver from.

Alex Galchenyuk has taken another step forward in his development. Finally reaching the 20 goal mark, Chucky has 25 assists to go with those goals and spent a brief period of time playing centre on the top line with Pacioretty. Aside from scoring a hat-trick, his time there albeit brief, gave fans a glimpse of the future. Another step forward next year will lead to the big breakout fans are expecting from the former 3rd overall draft pick.

On the blue line, Andrei Markov continues to defy the ageing process. The General continues to provide steady veteran leadership on the blue line and has paired up very well with P.K. Subban. Markov has 9 goals and 46 points, with 23 as the quarterback on the power-play. Markov faded a bit down the stretch last year, however has continued to be a solid contributor as the Canadiens enter the final five games of the regular season.

While these four players have contributed what we expect from them, other veterans have disappointed. These are the players who will need to truly elevate their game come the playoffs if the Canadiens expect to make another run towards the Stanley Cup. There is no Thomas Vanek in the line-up this year to take away the number one pairings on the other teams. Teams will focus on shadowing Max Pacioretty and clogging the high slot to keep Subban from shooting come playoff time. Focus on shutting down those two players will be the game plan.

And then what do we do?

David Desharnais has been incredibly inconsistent this year. After struggling out of the gate again, Therrien removed the tether from Patches and Little Davey was sent to the wing on the third line. And he responded. Desharnais started shooting more, putting the puck in the net and found his game. So naturally, he was moved right back to Pacioretty's side and has since stagnated again offensively. While his 13-goals/46 points in 78 games is respectable, they are mediocre when your title is 'Top Line Centre'.

P.A. Parenteau was brought in from Colorado to provide some scoring punch. After a down year last year in Colorado, fans were expecting him to pair up nicely with Pacioretty and return to the numbers he put up during his time on Long Island playing with John Tavares. Heck, even the numbers he put up during his first year in Colorado would have been sufficient. Instead, Parenteau is suffering through his worst offensive season in the NHL. He battled an injury and missed significant time and has not found his rhythm in Montreal. 7-goals and 20 points in 52 games is not what the Canadiens had in mind when they dealt for PAP. To his credit, he has found some consistency lately and is primed to break out come playoffs. The luck has to change, as his shooting percentage is a paltry 7.9%.

Marc Bergevin made his moves at the trade deadline. He added roster depth from the Buffalo Sabres in Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn. He added puck moving defenseman Jeff Petry from the Edmonton Oilers and traded touted KHL signing Jiri Sekac to the Anaheim Ducks for the bowling ball on skates that is Devante Smith-Pelly. While fans were up in arms about trading Sekac, he did not fit the system in Montreal and Bergevin realized it early on. DSP has talent and should break out next season with a full off-season to get comfortable. And in shape. Sekac has talent, but lets not forget how some other highly touted undrafted players turned out. Fabian Brunnstrom anyone? Damien Brunner?

The usual suspects are doing their job. They will need some help. Last year we saw Lars Eller and Dale Weise step up in the playoffs. Can they do it again? Will P.A. Parenteau be that person this year?

The lengthy playoff run rests on the answer to those questions.

Carey Price cannot do it all himself.

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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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PK Subban: Norris Trophy Candidate

When Montreal Canadiens defenseman PK Subban agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $72 million in early August of 2014, most fans were relieved that General Manager Marc Bergevin had finally locked up his bona-fide blue liner for almost a decade.

The face of the storied franchise along with All-Star netminder Carey Price, Subban is now under contract through the 2021-22 NHL season. The winner of the prestigious Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman in 2013, Subban notched 10 goals and 43 assists for 53 points in 82 games last season, good for fifth in points among defenders after finishing tied for the NHL lead with 11 goals and 27 helpers for 38 points in 42 games a season earlier during the lockout-shortened season.

HOT FEBRUARY

After a rather slow start this season, scoring three goals and four assists for seven points in eleven October games, Subban has picked up his play as of late for the Eastern Conference leading Habs. With one game left in February, the 25-year-old Subban has already recorded one goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 13 games to go along with +7 differential.

The Toronto native played a season high 35:21 minutes on February 14th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is now ranked second in the NHL with 12 goals and 35 assists for 47 points with a +14 rating in 61 contests, trailing Flames defenseman Mark Giordano (who left last night's game with an injury) by a single point.

Among rearguards, Subban is second with four game-winning goals and third with six power play tallies and that despite shooting the puck far less often than last season (1.98 SPG as opposed to 2.49 SPG). As a result of injuries to veterans Alexei Emelin and Sergei Gonchar, his playing time has increased recently and on the season he is now playing 26:05 minutes on average (6th in the NHL), which is slightly more than his defensive partner Andrei Markov (25:04).

With Subban and Markov on the ice, the Canadiens are dominant and dictate the play on most nights as shown by last night's performance in Columbus when the duo combined for two goals and three assists with a +10 differential in a 5-2 win.

PUCK-POSSESSION MASTER

With a CF% of 53.9%  and a FF% of 52.9%, Subban ranks second on a team, which is not known for its puck-possession ability with players like Manny Malhotra having a putrid CF% of 35.5... Starting a little over 50% of the plays in the offensive zone, Subban is used in every situation this season. Playing on average 3.33 minutes on the power play and exactly 2.00 on the penalty kill every game, Pernell Karl has turned into one of the most complete rearguards in the NHL. He is now a game-changer like Shea Weber and Drew Doughty

The electrifying puck-moving defenseman showed everyone he can also perform during the playoffs, potting 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points in 17 games last Spring. He now has 30 points (10 g, 20 a) in 43 contests during his young career, so he doesn't only produce during the regular season.

The colourful Subban also gives back to the local community by spending time with children and by being a role model off the ice for everyone.

Whether you like him or not, there is no denying that Subban is loaded with talent and pride, even though he was not even selected for the NHL All-Star game this season in Columbus, the league selecting "marquee" names such as Justin Faulk over him to have a representative of each team at the festivities.

The flashy smooth-skating rearguard enjoys the limelight and thrives under pressure, which makes him the perfect leader for a hockey-starving market such as Montreal. Not afraid to speak French in public even though he is still not fluent, Subban is as serious as it gets training-wise, which is why he is so strong with the puck and battles along the board.

His booming slap shot, his amazing stick-handling and his thunderous hits are only some of the skills that make him the complete player he is now... and he will only get better as he matures and stops taking the occasional stupid penalty.

Whether you like him or not, Subban is now a strong candidate for the Norris Trophy again this season.

Do you think the Subbanator will win the prized hardware in 2014-15?

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Follow me on Twitter at @FredPoulin98

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Does the Future Look bright for the Habs... or Not?

Trevor Timmins, what has he done for our Habs since taking over as head of scouting in 2003?

As any one who follows hockey will tell you, getting the draft selections right can make you a Stanley Cup contender.

However, if you get them wrong too many times then you will be a perennial bottom-half dweller.
So getting back to Mr. Timmins, how has he done?

His first go around was in 2003, a stacked draft year. In my opinion he real messed it up at his first draft. At the 10th pick overall, he selected Andrei Kostitsyn. At the 40th and 61st picks he selected Cory Urquhart (who you ask) and Maxim Lapierre. Andrei was okay when he played with Kovy and Pleky a few years back, but then disappeared. Lapierre was never more than a fourth liner at best and Urquhart is a no show.

Who could have Timmins selected? Well, it is an impressive list I am about to share, and it makes you cry when you think we could have had even one of these guys instead of what we did get. How about Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Keslar, Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber, and David Backes. Anyone of those guys would be a huge help to our Habs today. How he could have missed this talent pool and picked what he did I will never understand.

However, I will give him a little bit of a break since it was his first time at the draft table. What about his second sit down at the draft table? In 2004 he selected Kyle Chipchura at the 18th selection. Who could he have selected instead and was still available instead of Chipchura? How would Travis Zajac look with the CH on his chest? What about Andrej Meszaros, Jeff Schultz, Mike Green, or David Krejci. So in my opinion year two was another big bust.

In 2005, we had the 5th pick overall and selected Carey Price. Nicely done Monsieur Timmins. Our next pick at the 45th spot was Guillaume Latendresse. Big G. never did pan out now did he? Who could be in a Habs uniform instead of Big G.? How about Kris Letang, Adam McQuaid, Keith Yandle, or Mason Raymond. Anyone of these guys could have been had instead of Latendresse.  But he did give us Carey Price, so we will forgive him for 2005 misses. Can you imagine Letang and Subban on the power play today, man that would be something special to watch. And throw in McQuaid's mean streak (which we dearly lack in our line-up today), boy would Price drool at having those two defend his crease today instead of what we currently have.

In 2006, Timmins' fourth time at the draft table. What did he do this time? So far the only good thing he has accomplished is Carey Price. Well in 2006 Mr. Timmins did not do well again. He had the 20th pick and he selected David Fischer. Another colossal failure. He followed that selection with Mathieu Carle (not Matt Carle) and Ben Maxwell. Neither of these two are doing anything significant today to warrant any excitement at their future contributions to the Habs. Now who could  have Monsieur Timmins giving us instead? How would Claude Giroux fit our needs today? Or how about Nick Foligno? And here is a real kicker; as much as I despise these two because they play for the Bruins I would have loved to have them join the NHL in a Habs uniform. Picture what a difference a Milan Lucic and a Brad Marchand could have done for us if they were selected instead of Maxwell and Carle. As much as I detest Lucic now, I would have loved him in a Habs uniform from day 1. So 2006 is another bust of a draft year for Mr. Timmins.

In 2007, his fifith draft I would say Mr. Timmins redeemed himself. He had the 12th pick and selected Ryan McDonagh. (Unfortunately Mr. Gainey in his infinite wisdom traded him away for a bag of hockey pucks (Gomez) to the Rangers.) He followed that up with Big Max Pacioretty and PK Subban. So 2007 was a win no matter how you look at it. He gave us two of our present day superstars who should be around for a long time.

For 2008, we did not have any first round picks because we traded those away. In the second round we received from Mr. Timmins, Danny Kristo and Steve Quailer. Neither of these two would make the Habs's current edition. Who could have been selected in this weak draft year? Well Zack Smith was available along with Adam Henrique and T.J. Brodie. I know, no big super stars but again much better than what we received. So 2008 we can say was a white wash since we never had a first round pick.

Mr. Timmins once again had a weak draft in 2009. We had the 18th selection and picked Louis Leblanc. Leblanc as his name may suggest was a huge blank. Never materialized into anything resembling a prospect. The very next pick was a guy named Chris Kreider. Remember him? He totally destroyed our cup dreams last year when he ran over Price and over our defense every time he entered our zone. After Leblanc we received Joonas Nattinen and Mac Bennett. Who could have been selected? How about Marcus Johansson or Ryan O'Reilly. So 2009 a lost draft year for the Habs.

In 2010, Timmins' 8th try was a good one. He gave us Gallagher and Tinordi. So it is safe to say that no matter who else was available we are definitely happy with Gallagher and the big potential of Tinordi.

As we get to the present years of 2011-2014 the jury is still out on the talent selected. Here are the highlights of those draft years. In 2011, we drafted Nathan Beaulieu in the first round and then did not have a pick until the third round. In 2012, that is when we had the third pick overall and selected our future #1 center in Alex Galchenyuk. That same draft we selected some high potential players in Tim Bozon and Charles Hudon. Both are doing very nicely in their present clubs (Kootenay and Hamiton) and should challenge for positions on the big club in the near future.

2013 saw the Habs get bigger with the 25th pick on Michael McCarron who says he wants to be compared to a Milan Lucic type of player). The next selection was Jacob De La Rose followed by Zachary Fucale and Sven Andrighetto with Martin Reway shortly after. Each one of these selections has high potential to make the big club and make an impact soon. Andrighetto already has several points in his short stint with the big club and showed he has NHL calibre speed and the hands to go with it. Reway had an excellent juniors tournament over the Christmas break as did De La Rose. The only knock I have against Reway and Andrighetto is they are both small players, neither stands over six feet. 2014 saw the addition of Nikita Scherbak, a big fast forward that the Habs need. So far he is excelling with the junior team (Everett Silvertips of the WHL) and looks to have huge potential in the next year or two, plus his 6' 2" frame will definitely be welcomed to the Habs line-up.

So the jury is still out on the last few draft years. We will wait and see how these selections mature and if they can contribute to the big club; and not as a fourth liner either. We have an abundance of fourth liners. Our best draft years were 2005 with Price; 2007 with Max Pac and Subban and 2012 with Galchenyuk. Other than that, the selections by Timmins have not really helped our club. Now I know there are some out there who say Timmins has one of the better records on his selections making the NHL. Yes but how many fourth liners does a club need. The draft is where you find your future stars. Other clubs have done a much better job at selecting players who can be a top-six forward or a top-four defenseman. Just review all the missed opportunities we have had with Timmins in charge. I say he needs to re-evaluate his scouting team because they are not up to were they need to be if the Habs are going to win another Stanley Cup.

What do you think? Are you happy as a Habs fan with what Timmins has brought to the table since 2003 or do we need to revamp the scouting department? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

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The Flaw in Picking the All-Star Teams

How does one decide who is worthy of playing in the NHL All-star game. Do you go by individual stats, popularity, or the strength of teams?

Popularity rules when it comes to picking the starting line-ups, as the starters are determined by fan votes. Largely, you see the same players year after year, such as Sidney Crosby or Patrick Kane. Occasionally, you will see a less popular player get voted in if they are having a stellar season

For the rest of the line-ups, GM's and other NHL executives pick the players. Of course, a big challenge is representing all 30 NHL teams. A lot of times, players that should make the team due to individual stats are left off the roster because of the need to pick players from other teams. For example, PK Subban was not picked for the 2015 all-star game. In my hometown of Vancouver, the Sedin Twins were left off the roster. Looking at this issue from a team performance standpoint, 1st place Montreal has only goalie Carey Price going to the all-star game. On the other hand, Columbus, currently in 12th place has three players playing in the all-star game. Yes, I recognize that Columbus is hosting the all-star game this year. However, that should not be reason enough to send three players to the all-star game. I think individual stats and position of team in the standings should carry more weight than merely hosting the game.

There is still a chance Subban could be added to the roster if a player (defenseman) pulls out of the game due to injury, personal reasons, or simply needing to recharge the batteries. Congratulations to Carey Price for making the all-star team. He is a great choice to represent the Habs based on another outstanding start to the season. Price has been the MVP of the team, allowing the Habs to win games they should have lost.

#GoHabsGo

A Habs Fan blogging from BC

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Dale Weise, P.K. Subban And The Habs Power-Play Struggles

Greetings Habs Addicts!

The Montreal Canadiens are 8-2-1 heading into this evening's game against the Calgary Flames. The record is certainly misleading on how they have played to this point. They have shown tremendous character by winning six of those games by one-goal margins, often after trailing to start the game. They have also scored three goals or less in eight of their eleven games (5-3 in those games) this season. The team is even in goals for/against at 29/29 and they are averaging only 2.4 goals per game while allowing 2.6 goals per game. While the penalty-killing is just as strong as last year (86.7%; 6th best in the NHL) the power-play has been power-less with only a 9.4% conversion rate (three goals in 32 attempts; two of the goals were scored in the same game). The Canadiens have been relying on all-world goaltender Carey Price to keep them in the games and he has thus far delivered. But is this a smoke and mirrors start or will the team turn things around offensively?

Dale Weise & P.K. Subban.
Photo Credit: montreal.ctvnews.ca

A couple of weeks back, HabsAddicts' own Fred Poulin analyzed the struggling power-play and offered up a hockey player's perspective on what is going wrong and how it can be corrected. Since that time, the Canadiens have not converted a power-play goal (five games; 12 power-play opportunities). Clearly the rest of the NHL has keyed in on P.K. Subban being the catalyst to the Habs' offense with the man advantage. Subban spends most of his time at the point awaiting an opportunity to unleash his booming slap-shot at the net. But Subban is rarely moved from the point this season and any hockey player will tell you that a stationary target is much easier to defend then a moving target.

Subban is an extremely talented offensive defenseman. His right-handed shot is one of the hardest point shots in hockey. He is very similar in that regard to Shea Weber, the right-handed shooting all-star from the Nashville Predators. Weber last year led all defensemen in scoring with 23 goals. A video montage of all of his 2013-14 goals can be found on YouTube. For those who do not wish to take the link to the video, the summary of this goals based on location on the ice are as follows:

The same page on YouTube also has a summary video of all of P.K. Subban's goals from last year's regular season and playoffs. Again, for those who do not wish to view the video the summary of those goals relative to position on the ice are as follows:

One noticeable difference, aside from Weber having more goals (23 regular season vs 15 for Subban in regular season/playoffs) is that Weber pinches more on rushes and power-plays and scored eight of his goals from within the face-off circles or the slot area whereas Subban is more content to stick to the blue line and fire lasers. As we have seen from some of his rushes, including his gorgeous breakaway goal against Colorado this season, Subban has the stick-handling ability to fight through traffic and score from in close. Having a player like Subban floating along the blue line waiting for one-timers is a waste of his immense talent. There is no reason why Subban cannot score 20+ goals in this league if utilized correctly.

Another difference in the videos is that in almost every single one of Weber's goals, there is traffic in front of the net. The Predators have never had top-level scoring talent on their roster. They are always a defence-first grinding team who scores by committee and yet they have a player leading the NHL in goals by a defenceman; one who's biggest weapon is a slap-shot, not necessarily creative stick-handling. They achieve this by having one or two bodies in front of the net, providing enough of a screen on the goalie that he cannot pick up the shot right away. If you cannot locate the shot coming at you from that velocity, you are not saving it. Ask a Major League Baseball hitter if he can hit a 100 MPH fastball if he does not pick it up right away out of the pitcher's hand. He will tell you there is no chance. And they are not being screened.

P.K. Subban has that kind of shot.

The Canadiens do not have a big body in front of the net on the power-play this year. Teams are keying on Subban and the goalie is getting a view of the shot as it comes in. Brendan Gallagher does what he can up front, but he does not have the size to truly screen the goalies, as most of them in the NHL are well over six-feet tall. Max Pacioretty is a sniper, not a net crasher. Little David Desharnais is not screening anyone and Alex Galchenyuk is not a power-forward.

Good power-plays have traffic in front of the net. In their primes, both Todd Bertuzzi and John LeClair were forces to deal with in front of the net. Boston uses Milan Lucic in that role. Pittsburgh has Chris Kunitz to bang home rebounds. Montreal does not have skilled players with size like this on the roster. But they do have one gritty player who is skilled enough to hold his own with the puck and big enough to stand in front of the net and bang in rebounds. One player who can use his tremendous speed to get to the corner and win battles for the loose puck off dump-ins. That player is Dale Weise.

Weise is not a sniper. He is not a pure goal-scorer, but he is a strong and sturdy presence who can get in front of the net and take the abuse from an opposing defender. He showed in the playoffs that he can score a big goal and win the battles. With skilled shooters such as Pacioretty and Subban on the ice along with puck-handlers such as Galchenyuk or Desharnais and the general at the point in Markov, having a player like Weise on the ice to take the onus off Gallagher in front of the net could be an effective way to occupy a defender up front and force two bodies to be blocking the view of the goaltender. If the Canadiens can find ways to move Subban into the slot or pinch from the blue-line more, there is no reason why the Habs cannot have a Shea Weber of their own. We do not need Weise to score 20 goals, just create a solid screen and occupy a defender and let the goal scorers do their work.

When trying to score goals the conventional way is not working, it may be time to think outside the box. Teams are keying on the point with Subban and the Canadiens are not generating any traffic in front of the goal. That is allowing the four defenders to box them out and keep the Canadiens on the perimeter. There is no reason to take a defender away from Subban. Forcing one of those four to fight Weise in the slot will open up more space for Subban to maneuver around. Allowing him to pinch into the circles or the slot to shoot will give a screened goalie even less time to locate and react to one of the NHL's hardest shots. Like a the ball player trying to hit the fastball, you will not hit what you cannot see.

Michel Therrien is making some changes to his line pairings tonight against Calgary. What he should be doing is changing his power-play strategy. It has been ineffective all year long.

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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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Interview With Habs Defenseman Alexei Emelin

In this interview, originally appearing on the popular Russian portal Sport-Express right before his return on ice, Alexei Emelin talked about playing with P.K. Subban, life in Montreal, and recovering after the Olympic Games debacle.

- Alexei, did you recover from all the old injuries?

- All is good now. The most important thing is that the season started in a good way.

- How did you like the move to the left side? You shoot left, maybe the left side is more natural for you.

- I don’t have any preference, I feel good on either side. I had to part ways with Andrei Markov, with whom I always played on the same pair, but it hasn’t been terrible. Changes happen every time and maybe this one will even go to my advantage.

- More so if we consider that you were moved to the first pair with P.K. Subban.

- You need to earn the coaches’ trust. We don’t have such a thing like a first pair. On a given game, the first pair is Subban and I, then the day after Andrei [Markov] and Gilbert. I don’t read the press and I don’t know what kind of meaning they all give to this.

- Is playing with Subban harder than playing with Markov?

- There are no cardinal differences. The coaches split us for a very simple reason: they wanted to have a right-handed and a left-handed defenseman in each defensive pair.

- Is your reputation of simply a hard-hitting defenseman just a stereotype?

- I think yes. Even more so if we consider that our coaches don’t limit defensemen and are happy if we join the rush.

- In the KHL you did it quite often…

- Yes, but here I’m just starting. The fact is that here [in the NHL] you won’t survive without battling for the puck. The game is much harder due to the small ice surface.

- How do you feel in Montreal?

- All is good, I’m at ease. Of course, in Canada people feel hockey in a different way [than in Russia].

- What do you exactly mean?

- It’s simply much more popular. Even if Kazan is one of the biggest hockey centers in Russia, in Canada there are much more fans. Especially in Montreal. At the start it was hard to get used to the fact that in the locker room we had more journalists, than players. I was also shocked by the fans. Then I got used to it. It was much easier for my family too, once they grasped the language a little bit more.

- Do you talk in French?

- No, for now in English only. But I think that soon my daughter will speak both languages. She attends an English language school, but French language is in the mandatory program.

- Is it easier to play in a non-Olympic season?

- Yes, of course. Last year I felt so much pressure. I was always thinking if I would get a sport on the Olympic roster, also because it was our home Olympics.

- Is that bitter after-taste still there?

- Yes. And it will stay there for my whole life. You don’t have many of those chances in your life. I can only blame myself and I think that everyone should search the reasons of that debacle in himself.

- How did you spend the summer?

- Nothing special, at home. I went to the seaside, I just rested. And I watched the FIFA World Cup.

- And how do you feel yourself?

- I still have to fully recover. This season has been very upsetting.

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

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As The New Season Dawns ... Who Came? Who Left?

Greetings Habs Addicts!

One of my favorite days of the calendar year was yesterday: HABS TICKET DAY!

Select veterans, including Max Pacioretty
take an option skate as training camp approaches.
Photo Credit: NHL.com

So far I only managed to get one pair of tickets - vs Buffalo for the return of Josh Gorges and Brian Gionta at the end of November - but I intend to get down to Montreal for another game or two later on in the season. But ticket day also means the season is fast approaching!

There has not been much to report this summer after the draft and free agency hit. Obviously the acquisition of P.A. Parenteau for Danny Briere, the trading of Josh Gorges to the Buffalo Sabres for a draft pick, the drafting of Nikita Scherbak and the extension signed by P.K. Subban were the biggest news making events of the summer. There have been a few changes made to the coaching staff this summer, most notably the departure of Gerard Gallant to take of the role of head coach for the Florida Panthers and the addition of Dan Lacroix from the New York Rangers. Rob Ramage was also added to the front officer in a player personnel role. Marc Bergevin had a busy start to the off-season and came out of it very well.

There were some other notable moves this summer:

Who left?

• Thomas Vanek - as expected, he left to sign with the Minnesota Wild.
• Brian Gionta could not come to terms and signed with the Buffalo Sabres.
• Ryan White was non-tendered and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.
• Louis Leblanc was discarded to the Anaheim Ducks for a draft pick.
• Danny Briere was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche for P.A. Parenteau.
• Josh Gorges was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for a second-round draft pick.
• Francis Bouillon was not re-signed.
• Douglas Murray was not re-signed.
• George Parros was not re-signed.

The first one and the latter three were expected, although the rumour mill is always churning lately that Bouillon might return (in fact, he will attend camp on a PTO, more on that later). We all knew Thomas Vanek would not return. Everyone around the league knew he was going home to Minnesota. His terrible playoff performance just made it easier for the Wild to afford him and his coasting ways easily cost himself millions of dollars. Minnesota might be a very dangerous team in the Western Conference next season. Vanek makes his return to Montreal in mid-November, expect the boo-birds to be out in full force. Murray and Parros will not be playing in the NHL at all next season. Ryan White was essentially forced out after Dale Weise was acquired and took over his role. Between newcomer Manny Malhotra, Travis Moen, Michael Bournival, Brandon Prust and Weise, there was already a log-jam on the fourth line. White was expendable. His style will fit the Flyers. He also makes his return trip to Montreal early on this season. Lastly, Louis Leblanc was finally labelled a bust and was dumped to the Anaheim Ducks. Sound familiar? It should. The Habs did the same trade a few years ago with another first round failure, Kyle Chipchura. While still bouncing around the league, dumping Chipchura never came back to haunt the Canadiens. Highly doubtful Leblanc does, either. 

Who is joining us?

• Manny Malhotra signed on to be a big-bodied fourth line face-off specialist and penalty killer.
• Tom Gilbert replaces Josh Gorges and brings a right-handed shot and power-play presence.
• Jiri Sekac is a highly touted Czech prospect who could make the club out of training camp.
• P.A. Parenteau was acquired for Danny Briere.
• Andrei Markov re-signed to a three year contract.
• Lars Eller re-signed to a four year contract.
• Mike Weaver returns on a one-year deal to provide depth.

Bringing back Andrei Markov was expected and at the same salary was also expected. A three-year deal is risky for the veteran rearguard at his age; however, his 'chronic knee problems' are well in the past. He can continue to be a top pairing this season and if they manage his minutes he can be extremely productive. If by year three of the deal he is simply a power-play specialist, no harm there. He's very intelligent and is a calming presence on the blue line. An apt comparison for Markov is Kimmo Timonen. If he ages as well as Timonen has, the contract will be a bargain. Lars Eller is back for four years and is due to break out at any time. His style of game reminds me a lot of Pheonix Coyote forward Martin Hanzal: Decent size, solid defensively and plays a physical game. If he can start to break out the way Hanzal did last year, he could very well become the second-line centerman we expect him to be. Tom Gilbert is a journeyman, but he plays a solid possession game, is a right-handed shot and has a power-play presence for the second pairing. To lose Gorges and replace him with Gilbert for less money is a solid deal. What is lost in shot blocking and rah-rah leadership is replaced with offensive numbers and better Corsi numbers. Retaining Mike Weaver is perfect when Nathan Beaulieu cracks the line-up as a regular this season. That's right, I said when. They were a solid pairing in the playoffs and the veteran leader should be a steadying presence on the back end of the rotation. P.A. Parenteau is a bigger physical presence with more upside than Briere at the same salary. Suitable as a second-line winger and more of a set-up man, he reminds me of another former Avalanche forward who had a solid, albeit injury riddled season as a Canadien a few years back: Alex Tanguay. Jiri Sekac has tremendous upside and an opportunity to break camp as a third-line winger. He will be battling with Sven Andrighetti in camp, barring a late addition to the roster.

The Canadiens rookie camp started this weekend and training camp is around the corner. Francis Bouillon is confirmed to be attending the camp as a non-roster invitee. In my opinion, it should be as an on-ice player/coach because I do not believe the ageing veteran should be able to supplant any players currently on the roster. Other veterans should be inked to try-outs as the camp approaches. Stay tuned to HabsAddict over the new few weeks for more camp news as it happens.

The new season has dawned, are you excited yet!?!

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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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Montreal Canadiens Player Profile: Tom Gilbert

On July 1st, 2014, the Montreal Canadiens and their general manager, Marc Bergevin, signed right-handed defenseman, Tom Gilbert to a two-year pact worth $5.6 million, or $2.8 million annually. The 31-year-old Gilbert was brought in to replace fan favourite and veteran rearguard Josh Gorges after the latter was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2nd round draft pick. Gilbert scored 3 goals and added 25 assists for 28 points in 73 games with the Florida Panthers before a sports hernia ended his season prematurely. The 6'3″, 205-lb blue liner will slide nicely alongside his new defensive partner Alexei Emelin, who will finally be able to play on his natural side.

The native of Bloomington, Minnesota, played his college hockey at the University of Wisconsin from 2002 to 2006 after the Colorado Avalanche drafted him 129th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. But he never played for the Avs as In March of 2004, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Then, after a single season in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Gilbert graduated to the NHL with the Oilers, playing 12 games in 2006-07, notching 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points. Did you know that Gilbert was a forward in high school before he made the switch to defense?

The lanky defenseman then spent the next five seasons with the Oilers, averaging 80 games with 7 goals and 26 assists for 33 points. Gilbert had his best season in 2008-09 when he recorded 5 goals and 40 helpers for 45 points in 82 games to go along with a +6 +/- rating. Gilbert was then traded to the Minnesota Wild where he played for 1 1/2 season before signing with the Panthers prior to last season.

In 2013-14, Gilbert played on average 21:20 per game, good for third among Panthers players, trailing only Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov. Not a power play specialist by any means, Gilbert can still man the point on the second unit, which he will definitely asked to do, probably along with Nathan Beaulieu when PK Subban and Andrei Markov decide to come off the ice, as the righty got on average 2:13 of PP time each game with Florida.

On the defensive side of the puck, Gilbert is not as quite effective as he was scarcely used on the penalty killing, logging a mere 0:52 of ice time per game with a man down. With the departure of Francis Bouillon, Douglas Murray and Josh Gorges, the Habs expect Mike Weaver and PK Subban to pick up the slack on the PK along with Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov.

Despite his imposing frame, Gilbert is not a very physical defenseman as shown by his 59 hits in 73 contests last season. His 95 blocked shots ranked him second among Panthers players last season, but that number would have ranked him seventh among Canadiens players last year. The Canadiens seem to emphasize much more on shot blocking that the Panthers, which explains the big gap between the two teams in that category.

The puck-moving Gilbert will help with the Habs' transition game on the second pairing and allow Andrei Markov to move up alongside PK Subban on the team's first pairing, which should log around 25 minutes of ice time per game all season long (barring any serious injury). The arrival of Gilbert, combined with the revelation that was Mike Weaver (also a former Panther), allowed Marc Bergevin to trade Josh Gorges and his bloated salary ($3.9M/year). The move will also allow the organization to groom youngsters Jarred
Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu on the team's third pairing alongside the defensively-reliable Weaver.

Moreover, last season, the Campbell/Gilbert pairing has been one of the NHL’s very best, with the Panthers posting a Corsi% north of 55% when the two of them were on the ice, which is considered elite by advanced stats expert Tyler Dellow. Despite this excellent statistic during his whole career even with the Oilers, when Gilbert became a free agent after being bought out by the Wild, he boasted a pretty lengthy track record of outperforming his team’s Corsi% while playing top four (and most of the time top two) minutes for his team.

Last year was a rebound season for Gilbert after he struggled mightily with the Wild in 2012-13 because of a pneumonia he suffered before the season that hampered his play all season, leading him to be frequently scratched by Minnesota and appearing in only 43 games.Still, there is every indication that Gilbert will prove to be a valuable player for the Habs as he is a right-handed shot on a team without much right-handed defensive depth. Did you know that Gilbert was 42nd in the NHL in points at the time of his season-ending injury? Subban finished 5th with 53 points while Markov finished 17th with 43 points.

Ranked 45th in the NHL among rearguards with a CF% of 51.7 (Corsi For% = Corsi For / (Corsi For + Corsi Against)), Gilbert would have been the best possession defenseman in Montreal, PK Subban posting a CF% of 49.9 last year.

Finally, do you like Tom Gilbert's signing or would you rather have kept Josh Gorges around until the end of his long contract? 

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Now That The Contract Is Signed, What's Next For P.K.?

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Well the ink has dried on the enormous 8-year/$72-million dollar contract signed by P.K. Subban this past week. With an average annual value (AAV) of $9-million dollars, P.K officially has the highest cap-hit for a defenseman in the entire league. While he does have a Norris Trophy and Olympic gold medal under his belt, he does lack the Stanley Cups that past Norris Trophy winners Duncan Keith and Zdeno Chara can boast about. And the Stanley Cups that fellow Gold medallist Drew Doughty can boast about.

Is Subban worth $9-million per season? Has he done enough to deserve it? These are some of the questions being tossed around the league right now.

Subban's $9-million cap hit is the highest in terms of average, but this season alone there are several defensemen who are actually making the same if not more money than P.K on the basis of them signing front-loaded contracts prior to the new CBA being signed. They are:

Photo Credit: Sportsnet.ca

1. Shea Weber, Nsh - ($14,000,000)
2. Ryan Suter, Min - ($11,000,000)
3. Dion Phaneuf, Tor - ($8,000,000)
4. Duncan Keith, Chi -($7,600,000)
5. Kris Letang, Pit - ($7,250,000)
6. Brian Campbell, Fla - ($7,142,875)
7. Zdeno Chara, Bos - ($7,000,000)
8. Drew Doughty ($7,000,000)
9. P.K. Subban ($7,000,000)
10. Brooks Orpik ($6,500,000)

In terms of actual dollars being paid this upcoming NHL season, Subban ranks ninth.

Subban is coming off of a season where he put up 10 goals and 53 points, won an Olympic Gold medal and paced the Canadiens with 14 points in 17 playoff games, including an upset of the Boston Bruins and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals. Yes, he was mostly a spectator at the Olympics, but the way he carried himself showed tremendous growth and maturity as well as an ability to stay humble and put the team's best interests first. When you look at some of the names on this list there is no reason to believe that Subban does not belong with the likes of Brian Campbell, Kris Letang or Dion Phaneuf. Subban is not in the same defensive class as Weber, Suter, Keith or Doughty, but at 25-years old, he has plenty of time to develop that part of his game.

With the NHL having agreed to a massive $5.2 billion dollar cable deal with Rogers Communications, the league is going to be raising the salary cap each year for the foreseeable future. This massive infusion of income has put every team in good position to spend and when players such as Keith, Doughty, Brent Seabrook and Erik Karlsson have their contracts expire, expect them to sign for as much if not more than Subban did. It is hard to compare contracts on a year to year basis. Arguably, if Carey Price was a free-agent this summer, he would be making far more than the $6.5 million average he agreed to a couple of years ago. Each summer is a different market with a different salary cap. This happened to be the year that Subban became a free agent. It is what it is.

Obviously the Habs expect Subban will continue to improve in all aspects of his game. He has a tremendous work ethic which will not change. It's ingrained in his blood. It is part of who he is. Subban handled the Olympic situation and his lack of playing time with tremendous grace and professionalism. If he was upset about it, it did not show. If it was a blow to his ego, he played it off well. Anyone who saw his medal-winning video saw an energetic player who was enjoying the experience in whatever capacity. It was a maturity level that he finished the year with and brought into the playoffs. He stepped up big in the playoffs again, pacing the club and playing big minutes. While he still does not kill penalties, that should change next season as more responsibility is added to his plate. 

There is a leadership void in the locker room, either real or perceived. Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges are both playing for the Buffalo Sabres now. That means there is a vacant captain and assistant captain role that needs to be filled. Andrei Markov is the other assistant and the Russian warrior has turned down the C in the past. Subban is now the team's highest paid player; its star. Carey Price is the other but Roberto Luongo has shown that a goalie cannot be a captain in this modern NHL era. Subban is confident, skilled and vocal. He will address the media and he will step up and lead. Gone is the cocky, arrogant and undisciplined player he was when he broke into the league. If he is not named the captain this year, he will be sporting an A on his chest this season. He's earned it and he deserves it. Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos and Gabriel Landeskog have earned letters at a young age. It's time for P.K. Subban to get his. 

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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 Bipolar Habs Fan: PK Subban vs Marc Bergevin

by Eitan Calmy

Source: Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America

This first edition of the Bipolar Habs Fan will be about how I feel about how Marc Bergevin got himself into a little bit of a pickle with PK Subban’s new contract negotiations.

On May 5^th, 2012 Marc Bergevin replaces Pierre Gauthier as the new General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens. His first order of business is to hire his staff. His first real order of business relating to player personnel will be to re-sign PK Subban. This is where things get a little tricky.

Without getting into too many details, let’s be extremely clear about one thing. When Bergevin signed Subban to that bridge contract he should have known that PK would hit the jackpot with his next one.

Bergevin came in and had to play hard. It was after all his first major negotiation as a general manager. PK Subban’s talent was undeniable, but the organization had question marks about his attitude, they wanted to make sure he can be part of this team, they wanted to make sure that he was a good teammate. Bottom line is they wanted to tame him, on and off the ice. Absolutely ridiculous!

Guess what? That’s a load of dog feces! PK Subban was and is a game-changer, he always will be. He can win you games all by himself. So he makes mistakes. Every single superstar in the league is a high-risk player. The key is to surround these stars properly.

Some fans were outraged when Subban was holding out before he signed his bridge deal. “He’s so arrogant.” “He hasn’t proved anything.” “He has to respect the process like all the other players.”

Oh please, spare me with that old school dinosaur mentality. Signing him to a bridge deal was a huge mistake. It was actually more than a huge mistake, it was foolish and the Montreal Canadiens are going to pay for it now.

Mr. Bergevin, how exactly can you argue with Don Meehan? What can you say to Subban or his agent that will be in the organization’s favor?  

This is some of what Don Meehan has to say;

Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images N.A.

2012-2013 - 42 GP 11 G 27 A = 38 PTS

-Lead all NHL defensemen in the regular season.
-Won the Norris trophy for being the “BEST DEFENSEMAN IN THE NHL”

2013-2014 - 81 GP 10 G 43 A – 53 PTS (5^th in the NHL)
PK Subban gets picked to be on the Canadian Olympic team that won gold in Sochi. Although Subban wasn’t a big factor on the ice, several of his Canadian teammates have said that he was an incredible team-first type of guy. (If anybody had any doubts that all he cares about is winning, you’re all out of your mind.)

Marc Bergevin, you have nothing to counter with.

Sign Subban and sign him now!

Sign him for the maximum term and make the man happy. If the market says he’s worth $9.5 million, you don’t have a choice. Give Subban his money.

Oh yeah and give him the C. You, me and the entire Montreal Canadiens fan base knows he deserves the captaincy. He’s your best player (other than Carey Price of course), and he has as much heart as anybody in the league. He proved that he can handle the media and that he thrives under pressure.

Subban for president! Until he pisses me off and I write how we should trade him. #notgonnahappen.

You can follow me on twitter @habsaddict

*************** 

I'm a die hard Montréal Canadiens fan, but I can be objective and like all other HABS fans I'm bipolar when it comes to my team, so watch what you say!

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Montreal Canadiens Among The Teams Trying To Sign F Radim Vrbata

Now that the July 1st free agent frenzy is over, most of the top unrestricted free agents have already found a new one. Montreal Canadiens' general manager, Marc Bergevin, was fairly active on the market, signing veteran center Manny Malhotra along with right-handed defenseman Tom Gilbert. The team also re-signed fan favorite Mike Weaver, but traded warrior Josh Gorges to the Buffalo Sabres for a draft pick.

Our team of writers here at Habsaddict.com will revisit the above signings and transaction later tonight. Right now, the last piece of the puzzle for the Habs might very well be sniper Radim Vrbata, who is the most coveted free agent forward still unsigned. Depiste RFAs Lars Eller and P.K. Subban looking for new deals, the Canadiens have the cap space to sign Vrbata to a reasonable contract. The organization currently has a little more than $15 million available under the salary cap with only two players to sign.

It is expected that Eller will probably earn a little over than $2 million on his next deal and that Subban will certainly command around $8 million per year for the next several years. That would leave the Canadiens with about $4 million of cap space to sign the right winger Vrbata, unless the team moves a player like Travis Moen, who is owned $1.85 million/year over the next two years.

The 33-year-old forward native of Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, would join his friend and national team companion Tomas Plekanec, should he decide to sign with the Canadiens. Last season, Vrbata potted 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points in 80 games for the offensively-challenged Phoenix Coyotes. The 6'1'', 190-lb forward has six seasons with at least 18 goals during his 11-season NHL career. Drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 7th round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Vrbata played his junior hockey with the Hull Olympiques and Shawinigan Cataractes, recording 107 goals and 147 assists for 254 points in only 167 games.

At the moment, several teams remain interested in Vrbata's services, including the New Jersey Devils, the Arizona Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks. As of now, his agent Rich Evans has not commented yet on the situation surrounding his client.

Stay tuned for more updates.

No Foolin' Fred Poulin
Follow me on Twitter -> @FredPoulin98

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Montreal Canadiens Rumors Round-Up: Draft Edition

Now that the Canadiens have re-signed impending UFA Andrei Markov to a three-year deal worth $17.25 million, the dominoes should start falling down pretty soon, especially with the 2014 NHL Entry Draft only 72 hours away. What is new this year is that impending free agents now have a one-week window to negotiate with teams and get a better feel of the market ahead of July 1st, which marks the beginning of free agency.

For those Habs fans who missed it, GM Marc Bergevin also re-signed RFA Dale Weise last week to a two-year deal worth $2.05 million (or $1.025 million annually). The 25-year-old winger was acquired mid-season in exchange for rearguard Raphael Diaz from the Vancouver Canucks.

With the draft looming, the rumors are swirling that the Canadiens and the scouting staff, headed by Trevor Timmins, would like to move up in the top 10 of the draft if possible, or at least in the top 16, if not. The team is willing to sacrifice a young defenseman (not named Jarred Tinordi) to make it happen. Currently slated to draft 26th overall, the Bleu Blanc Rouge is really eager to move up in this year's draft since it's a very shallow draft and a late-round draft pick is unlikely to pan out. The Canadiens are looking to add a power forward blessed with a combination of size and talent, and Alex Tuch, which is ranked 17th on TSN Draft Rankings would be the perfect draft pick. Tuch is a 6'4'', 215-lb right winger who plays a physical and rugged style of play while contributing offensively as shown by his 32 points (13g, 19 a) in 26 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. However, these kinds of deals happen most of the time during the draft right on the floor when teams realize the player they want is gone or is still available at a specific moment. 

In other news, Stephen Bartlett, who is the agent of team captain Brian Gionta, sounded cautiously optimistic that Gio would be back with the team next season as the organization is very interested in retaining his services. A favorite of head coach Michel Therrien, Gionta tallied 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points in 81 games this season with the Habs, reaching the 40-point plateau for the third time during his five-year contract with the team. Since Gionta is longer able to play in the top-six and is more suited to play a shut-down role on the third line, Bergevin will make him a substantially lower contract offer. I'm hearing that a two-year pact worth between $2.5 to $3.0 million annually is the offer on the table. The 35-year-old winger is still hesitant on accepting the deal and will most likely see what the other 29 NHL teams want to offer him before making a decision, but he likes the city and the organization.

As for shot-blocking specialist, Mike Weaver, negotiations seem to have hit a snag between the organization and Weaver as per Renaud Lavoie and Jimmy Murphy. It seems like the right-handed defenseman, who proved to be the steal of the trade deadline, is not a priority right now for Marc Bergevin. Weaver was a force to reckon with on the penalty kill and a shot-blocking machine throughout the series. He would make for a cheap veteran presence on the third pairing and he could mentor youngsters Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi. Weaver earned $1.1 million last season and will be looking to sign a two-year deal in the same salary range.

Finally, the Canadiens have yet to start negotiating with all-star defenseman P.K. Subban, who is expected to break the bank after signing a two-year bridge contract worth $5.75 million before the 2012-13 season. According to his agent Don Meehan, the two parties will meet at the draft in order to set a meeting schedule to get the negotiations going to finally reach a long-term deal. Subban, who recorded 10 goals and 43 assists for 53 points in 82 games, will more than likely earn at least $8 million annually over eight years (the maximum number of years allowed under the last CBA).

Don't be surprised if Marc Bergevin is named the GM of the Year tonight at the 2014 NHL Awards live from Las Vegas, Nevada. Our own P.K. Subban will be among the award presenters during the ceremony.

What do you expect from the Canadiens and their GM Marc Bergevin?

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Montreal Canadiens Rumors Round-up

Now that the Stanley Cup final is over and that the Los Angeles Kings have been crowned, it is time to turn our attention to the 2014 NHL Entry Draft that is now only ten days away and to Julys 1st, which marks the beginning of free agency.

For those Habs fans who missed it, Montreal traded their former 1st round pick Louis Leblanc to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick on Saturday. Leblanc, who was an impending UFA, struggled again in the AHL this season, potting only 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 70 contests under the "tutelage" of Sylvain Lefebvre. The organization should have allowed Leblanc to finish his degree at Harvard instead of asking him to play in QMJHL for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. As NBC analyst Pierre McGuire said on TSN 690: "Pulling Louis Leblanc out of Harvard after one year was ridiculous."

Douglas Murray's agent, Anton Thun, confirmed to Richard Labbé of La Presse what we all knew: Crankshaft will not be back with the organization next season after playing only 53 games this season. He recorded two points and posted a mediocre -12 plus/minus differential. Murray participated in only three games during the playoffs. The 34-year-old defenseman was only efficient on the penalty kill this season, being a liability at even strength. It might be the end of Murray's career...

According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports and JT Utah of 25Stanley.com, the Canadiens are close to announce a contract extension with RFA Dale Weise, a pact that would pay him $2M over the next two years ($1 million AAV). Weise was acquired mid-season from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Raphael Diaz, who ended up playing in the Stanley Cup final with the New York Rangers. After scoring six goals and ten assists for 16 points in 61 regular season games, the 25-year-old Weise scored three goals and added four assists for seven points in 16 games on the Habs' run to the Eastern Conference final. Weise brought speed, size and energy to the Canadiens' fourth line and is already a fan favorite. (UPDATE: the deal is now official.)

According to TSN Bob McKenzie, Andrei Markov's agent, Sergei Berezin, is seeking a three-year contract worth $18 million for his client.

Last I heard, and it is a fluid situation subject to change, Andrei Markov was asking MTL for a 3-year deal worth $6M per year. #TSN
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 16, 2014

Coming off a solid season during which he recorded 7 goals and 36 assists for 43 points in 81 games, the 35-year-old veteran who played his entire career in Montreal is looking for his last big pay-day in the NHL. While the Russian General mentioned that he wants to end his career with the Bleu Blanc Rouge, his demands might prove to be too much for Marc Bergevin and he might elect to let him walk on July 1st. Markov earned $5.75 million a year after signing a three-year pact worth $17.25 million prior to the 2011-12 season.

As for shot-blocking specialist, Mike Weaver, it has been reported that their is a mutual interest in brining back the right-handed defenseman who proved to be the steal of the trade deadline, acquired for a 5th round pick from the Florida Panthers. Weaver was a force to reckon with on the penalty kill and a shot-blocking machine throughout the series. He would make for a cheap veteran presence on the third pairing and he could mentor youngsters Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi. Weaver earned $1.1 million last season and will be looking to sign a two-year deal in the same salary range.

Finally, the Canadiens have yet to start negotiating with all-star defenseman P.K. Subban, which is expected to break the bank after signing a two-year bridge contract worth $5.75 million before the 2012-13 season. Subban, who recorded 10 goals and 43 assists for 53 points in 82 games, will more than likely earn at least $8 million annually over eight years (the maximum number of years allowed under the last CBA).

Which players should the Habs re-sign or let go?

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Season Review: The Good & The Bad

Greetings Habs Addicts,

Well the NHL season is almost over. The Los Angeles Kings are one win away from taking home their second Stanley Cup in the past three years. Very impressive considering they were one loss away from being swept in the first round by the San Jose Sharks. The New York Rangers have battled, but they are in no way on the same level as the Kings. As great as our Canadiens played this year - especially in the playoffs - it's hard to say we would have given the Kings more of a battle. They are just so strong.

The Habs had a tremendous playoff run and showed a lot of growth as a team as they went along. After miserable regular seasons, Lars Eller and Rene Bourque came on strong in the post-season. Eller was the top point-getter up front with 5 goals and 13 points in 17 playoff games. Bourque led the club with 8 goals after scoring just 9 in the regular season. P.K. Subban elevated his play back to his Norris Trophy winning form in the playoffs, leading the team with 14 points in 17 games, including 5 goals. He was a terror against the Boston Bruins, with 4 goals and 7 points in that series alone. Carey Price stood on his head and continued his tremendous season until it was abruptly cut short in the Eastern Finals after a collision with the Rangers' Chris Kreider injured his knee. Unheralded Dustin Tokarski stepped in for Price and held his own with Henrik Lundqvist, but ultimately the Habs fell to the Rangers in six games.

Photo Credit: AWinningHabit.com

But now the off-season approaches. The NHL draft is just over two weeks away on June 27-28 in Philadelphia. Free Agency begins July 1st - three weeks away. The Canadiens have a glut of free agents, including both key contributors and some spare parts. Captain Brian Gionta is unrestricted, as is defensive stalwart Andrei Markov. Trade-deadline acquisition Thomas Vanek is the biggest name available and has made his intentions known all season long that he is looking to test the waters. After a very disappointing post-season, where he failed to make an impact on offense and was playing on the fourth line by the end, it's hard to determine exactly what Vanek's value will be. Vanek claimed he was healthy but could not find chemistry with Tomas Plekanec after being removed from the Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais pairing. Most pundits have him heading home to Minnesota. Depth defenders Mike Weaver, Francis Bouillon and Douglas Murray are all unrestricted. Only one of those is expected back and for the teams' sake it better be Mike Weaver. Weaver was a tremendous pick-up at the deadline, bringing veteran leadership and a shot-blocking prowess to the line-up as well as a right-handed shot. Paired with a youngster like Nathan Beaulieu, they could make a very effective 3rd pairing next season. The biggest contract of the off-season will undoubtedly be going to P.K. Subban, whose two-year bridge contract expires. Subban will be a restricted free agent, but Marc Bergevin should be quick to sign arguably the team's best player before another NHL team submits an offer sheet to the 24-year old all-star.

It will be an interesting summer to say the least. But before all that excitement begins, lets take a look at the good and the bad that happened during the 2013/14 season.

Forwards

Good: Max Pacioretty was without a doubt the best forward for the Canadiens this season. Scoring a career high 39 goals, he finished one goal shy of being the first Habs player to reach 40 goals since the 1993/94 season (Vincent Damphousse had 40). Pacioretty finished with a team-leading 60 points in 73 games... After starting the season in a horrible funk where he had just one assist in the first 21 games and even had the mayor of Montreal calling for his demotion to Hamilton, David Desharnais responded after he was reunited with Pacioretty and finished the year with 16 goals and 52 points in 79 game... Tomas Plekanec scored 20 goals and 43 points in 81 games and finished +11 in a shutdown role for the Canadiens. Plekanec made an strong argument for a Selke nomination as one of the best defensive forwards in hockey. Paired up with Brian Gionta, they were a formidable penalty-killing duo. Captain Gionta finished the year with 18 goals and 40 points in 81 games... Brendan Gallagher saw his scoring pace slow down from his rookie year, but brought tremendous energy and drive to the net all season long. He was a presence on the powerplay with 8 of his 19 goals coming on the man-advantage. For the season, Gallagher contributed 19 goals and 41 points while appearing in 81 games... Trade-deadline acquisition Thomas Vanek found chemistry with Desharnais and Pacioretty and the trio paced the Canadiens down the stretch and into the playoffs. Vanek had 6 goals and 15 points in 18 regular season games as a Canadien... Michael Bournival made the team out of training camp and the youngster got his feet wet at the NHL level. Spending most of the season on the checking line, Bournival provided 7 goals and 14 points in 60 games, but missed time after suffering a concussion. Bournival has tremendous speed and upside and should take another step forward as a sophomore next season.

Bad: Lars Eller started the season strong as he was paired up with Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk. The "EGG line" was the team's top offensive trio for the first 18 games but Eller fell off tremendously after that line was broken up and after putting up 12 points through the first 18 games, Eller only added 14 more over the next 49. Eller was also a team-worst -15 on the year... Alex Galchenyuk started the year strong but while he showed flashes of brilliance and potential, he did not improve on his rookie season. Injuries limited the sophomore to only 65 games, and he contributed 13 goals and 31 points but was a -12 on the year. A revolving door of linemates did not aid his development either... Brandon Prust missed time due to injuries again and did not provide a similar offensive contribution as last year. He was an effective penalty killer and dropped the gloves frequently. Shoulder injuries limited his effectiveness and he was prone to taking dumb penalties at crucial times in the game. Prust finished with 6 goals and 13 points along with 121 penalty minutes in 52 games... Daniel Briere was signed by Marc Bergevin to provide scoring and did so in limited minutes. However, his minutes were limited because he never managed to earn the trust of Michel Therrien and the coaching staff nor could they seem to find a fit for him on the roster. He came up with some big goals but after signing a two-year/$8 million dollar deal, Briere provided the club with only 13 goals and 25 points in 69 games played... George Parros was a non-factor. Brought in to provide toughness, Parros suffered a horrible concussion during the season opener in a fight with the Toronto Maple Leafs' Colton Orr. This was the first of two concussions suffered on the year. Overall, Parros looked tentative and slow and was a -6 with one assist in 22 games played. He racked up 81 penalty minutes while averaging only 4:33 of ice time per game. A waste of a roster spot, essentially... Travis Moen played in 65 games and finished with 2 goals and 12 points. He played a more inspired game physically compared to last season but still contributed very little overall. A revolving door of Moen, Prust, Bournival, Parros along with Ryan White and Dale Weise comprised the fourth line all season long. They provided various degrees of toughness and the odd point here and there but were relatively interchangeable when healthy. Having six fourth liners on a 23 man roster is not a good thing in today's NHL... Lastly, Rene Bourque was acquired in a trade for Mike Cammalleri. Since that deal, he as provided nothing to the lineup except for a $3.3-million cap hit. Beyond disappointing sums up Bourque's uninspired effort this regular season. No physical presence and often a healthy scratch. Bourque went from 27 goals in Calgary to 9 this year, finishing with 16 points in 63 games. If not for his playoff performance, this year would have been a complete wash for Bourque.

Defense

Good: P.K. Subban followed up his Norris Trophy winning season by contributing a career high 53 points while playing a full 82-game season. His shooting percentage was down this season and he only managed to score ten goals with four of them coming with the man advantage. Subban was a member of the Canadian Olympic team as an alternate and won a gold medal in Sochi. While his lack of playing time may have irked him, he was the ultimate professional in how he handled the situation and certainly learned from the experience which served him well in the playoffs this year. Subban is one of the most electrifying players in the NHL and easily one of the most dynamic skaters of any blueliner... Andrei Markov had another solid yet unspectacular season. The veteran workhorse logged an average of 25:14 minutes per game, playing both power-play and penalty kill and contributed 7 goals and 43 points in 81 games. Markov has certainly lost a step in terms of speed at his age, but proper positioning has allowed him to continue to play at a high level, as evidenced by his +12 rating on the year... Josh Gorges provided leadership and shot-blocking while providing next to nothing offensively. Another typical Gorges season... Mike Weaver was a solid addition at the trade deadline, blocking shots and adding a valuable right-handed shot on the 3rd pairing.

Bad: P.K Subban clearly regressed defensively compared to last season. This is one of the reasons why Team Canada coach Mike Babcock did not trust him with regular minutes at the Olympics. Habs coach Michel Therrien benched him on various occasions throughout the year due to poor play hurting the team. Subban did not see very much time killing penalties and this hurt him in the Norris voting this season as his offensive numbers ranked right up there with the league leaders... Alexei Emelin returned from a serious knee injury suffered last season and was a shell of his former self. He was a liability on the right side when paired with Markov and turned the puck over far to often. He was still a ferocious hitter but jeopardized positioning on order to do so... Douglas Murray proved to be one of the worst defensemen in the NHL this past season. After not being re-signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 'Crankshaft' signed a one-year deal late in training camp with the Canadiens. Corsi and Fenwick ratings proved his ineptness but were not needed as the naked eye could see that Murray cannot skate and was a tremendous liability at even strength. While he remained a skilled penalty killer and at-times ferocious hitter (just like Steven Segal, if you came right at Murray he would hit you hard but cannot hit a moving target) he provided 2 assists offensively and was a -12 in 52 regular season games. Highly unlikely he returns to Montreal or any other NHL team next season... Francis Bouillon played big minutes on big pairings for Michel Therrien, much to the chagrin of pundits everywhere. Bouillon, 38, should have been nothing more than a reserve defenseman this season but in turn saw the ice in 52 games while providing the club with 2 goals and 8 points while finishing at a -5 rating. His high water mark was the overtime winner in the huge late-season comeback win against the Ottawa Senators that sparked the Habs torrid pace entering the playoffs... Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu each enjoyed a cup of coffee at the NHL level while excelling for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. Tinordi and Beaulieu each contributed 2 assists in 22 and 17 games, respectively. The Canadiens would have been better served having these two rookies play bigger minutes and gain valuable expereince over the time given to ageing veterans Murray and Bouillon but that was Therrien's decision... Raphael Diaz had 11 assists in 46 games with Montreal but was most often a healthy scratch before he was finally traded to the Vancouver Canucks during the season for forward Dale Weise. Diaz was a Corsi standout, often ranking as the Habs best defender according to the metric. To show that advanced stats do not always tell the story, Diaz was subsequently dealt to the New York Rangers for a 5th round pick at the deadline by Vancouver and has been a healthy scratch for most of the playoffs. His lack of physical game and turnover prowess earned him a spot in coach Michel Therrien's doghouse right from the beginning.

Goaltending

Good: Carey Price. Olympic gold medalist. All-World goaltender. Price appeared in 59 games this season, and did miss some time directly after Sochi to heal an injury suffered at the Olympics. Price had a record of 34-20-5 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. Price also notched 6 shutouts and kept the Canadiens in many games they had no business participating in. Price took the necessary steps this season to cement his status amongst the elite at the position. His calmness and leadership took over. This was the player the Canadiens drafted 5th overall... Peter Budaj had another solid year in a backup role. Great in the locker room and a good mentor for Price. Statistically, Budaj was average with a 10-8-3 record and a 2.59 goals-against and a mediocre .909 save percentage. Budaj had one shutout... Dustin Tokarski appeared in three games for the Canadiens before his breakout playoff performance. Tokarski had an impressive start against the Anaheim Ducks, which he stood tall and made 39 saves in a 4-3 overtime win. Tokarski also had a surprise start against the Buffalo Sabres, where he notched a shutout in a 2-0 win. Overall, Tokarski had a 1.84 goals-against and a .946 save percentage while going 2-0 on the year. Tokarski should battle Peter Budaj for the job of backup to Carey Price, provided the club does not trade Budaj this off-season.

Bad: Peter Budaj showed in the post-Sochi stretch that he cannot handle the bulk of the work load if Price is injured and is better suited as an occasional starter. The goal-tending was consistently solid all year long and without the goal-tending being what it was, this club would not have had the season it did.

Front Office/Coaching Staff

Good: Marc Bergevin is in the running for General Manager of the year and for all the right reasons. His off-season moves did not pan out as expected. George Parros' days as an NHLer are over. Douglas Murray no longer has the speed to play at the NHL level without being extremely sheltered by the coaching staff in terms of usage. Daniel Briere produced when given the opportunity but did not mesh with his line-mates nor did he seem to gain the trust of the coaching staff. Briere did as much as he could with his limited minutes and limited line-mates, but when the team is investing $4-million per season in you, your coaches better get maximum value out of that deal and Michel Therrien certainly did not. While his off-season acquisitions did not pan out well, his in-season moves did. Trading future free-agent Rafael Diaz, who had fallen out of favour with the coaching staff for speedy grinder Dale Weise was brilliant. Weise was a force in the playoffs and turned into a fan favorite for his tenacity. He reminds a lot of fans of Steve Begin. Landing Thomas Vanek for Sebastian Collberg was fantastic work at the trade deadline and to top things off, he also brought in Mike Weaver for future considerations. Bergevin also signed future backup goaltender Dustin Tokarsi to a contract extension before his playoff experience could have upped the cost of signing him... Stephane Waite was brought in as the goaltending coach and his work showed immediate dividends as Carey Price had a breakout season and both Peter Budaj and Dustin Tokarski were solid. A change was needed and bringing in the guy who mentored Antti Niemi and Corey Crawford to Stanley Cup wins wasted no time getting the best out of Carey Price... Michel Therrien took some risks in the playoffs, inserting Nathan Beaulieu into the lineup for Game 6 and 7 against the Boston Bruins and the rookie responded with an assist in both games. He also made the decision to start Dustin Tokarski over Peter Budaj after Carey Price went down and the rookie did all he could as the Habs fell in the playoffs.

Bad: Michel Therrien was a tale of two coaches this year. His dump and chase preference proceeded to hamper the offensive output of his team, as the squad was built around speed puck possession and not large grinders who can win corner battles. He was often outmatched by opposing coaches in terms of line match-ups and his preference to play ageing vets Francis Bouillon and Douglas Murray over the youth of Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu was mind-boggling at times. Young forwards Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk did not show many signs of development and P.K Subban seemed to regress after his Norris Trophy season. For a coach who was brought in because of his ability to work with young players having coached Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, his reliance on ageing veterans was frustrating. At times it seemed the Canadiens were winning despite Therrien and not because of Therrien. He stepped up his game in the playoffs and had the team firing on all cylinders against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins however could not seem to adjust his style of play against the New York Rangers. His insistence of using a point-shot strategy against the NHL's best shot-blocking team was like hammering a square peg into a round hole. Or P.K Subban hammering a puck into the shin guards of Ryan McDonagh. His inability to adapt against the Rangers cost his team in the series. Overall, Michel Therrien has the trust of his players and never lost his locker room. The comeback win against Ottawa proved that and this team came back to win a bunch of games in the third period this year. Michel Therrien had this team playing hard for him, which is a credit to him despite all the questionable decisions he makes.

Overall, this was a very satisfying season for Habs fans. The bitterness of the playoff loss to Ottawa subsided as the team came out and developed into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference despite many media types predicting a non-playoff season for the squad. This will be a pivotal off-season for Marc Bergevin but should be an exciting one as well. There is lot of promise on this roster and the 2014-15 season should show our young players take more strides towards greatness.

Have a great off-season, Habs Addicts!

Thanks for reading and following the team all year long!

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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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