Marc Bergevin Drops The Ball As Canadiens Lose Alexei Emelin

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the following article are those of the writer, and do not reflect the opinions of HabsAddict.com.

Despite a very important 2-1 win against their division rivals on Saturday at Bell Centre, the Canadiens lost a key element of their defensive brigade when bruising defensemen Alexei Emelin left the game midway through the first period. He sustained a left knee injury in a thunderous collision while taking a run at big Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic in the neutral zone.

Alexei Emelin will miss an extended period of time (Jerome Davis/Icon SMI)

The injury forced the team to play newcomer Davis Drewiske more than 23 minutes, something he was not accustomed to doing with the Los Angeles Kings. Drewiske finished the game with four blocked shots, two hits and a minus-1 rating. Following Emelin’s injury, Therrien had to deploy the remaining five defensemen in various combinations, and the rearguards rose splendidly to the challenge.

After the game, head coach Michel Therrien said that Emelin had a lower body injury, and unfortunately for the Habs, the news got worse Monday, as it was announced that Emelin would be sidelined for the rest of the season.

With that blow to the lineup, there are numerous factors that have to be examined.

Who will replace Emelin Boom?

As a result of the injury, the Canadiens called-up puck-moving blue liner Nathan Beaulieu from the AHL to fill the void left by Emelin’s untimely injury. Beaulieu played two games with the Habs earlier this season, notching his first NHL point, an assist, to go along with a +2 rating. The left-handed rearguard has 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points with 56 penalty minutes in 64 contests with the Hamilton Bulldogs this season.

While Raphael Diaz has resumed skating, he has yet to participate into a full practice with his teammates, so we still don’t know when he will be able to return to the line-up. As for Tomas Kaberle, the team does not want to play him as they don’t want him to suffer a major injury which would prevent the organization from buying him out this summer. The other option would be Swiss defenseman Yannick Weber who has only played two games this season, more often relegated to the healthy scratch sheet and sustaining a lower-body injury that sidelined him for a few weeks. 

The problem with the right-handed defenseman is that Michel Therrien doesn’t have any confidence in him or he would have used him more often after the injury sustained by Diaz. According to Renaud Lavoie reporting on RDS, the Blue Blanc Rouge, who were shopping Weber at the trade deadline, was asking a 2nd or 3rd round pick for Yannick Weber… no wonder they didn’t find any takers! This was the first mistake by GM Marc Bergevin as he should have let Weber go for a lower draft pick as he doesn’t seem to fit into the organization’s long-term plans.

Who will play with Andrei Markov? (photo by azarius@Flickr)

Bergevin’s mistake

Bergevin’s other mistake at the trade deadline was to be very passive and only acquire a journeyman defenseman who didn’t play a single game last Spring during the Los Angeles Kings’ magical playoff run. Drewiske was the team’s eight defenseman after the acquisition of veteran Robyn Regehr. While Drewiske can do the job in a short period of time, he is not a top-four defenseman by any means. With Andrei Markov, PK Subban and Josh Gorges all playing great hockey this season and Francis Bouillon being paired with the team’s sixth defenseman on the third pairing, whether it is Drewiske or a youngster called up from Hamilton, the Habs are left with a gaping hole in their top four slots.

Montreal could also decide to call up a more physical rearguard for the playoffs, namely Jarred Tinordi, but the way they will use that defenseman is still a mystery to most fans and journalists. The problem with Tinordi is that he was very soft during his first six-game stint with the Habs earlier this season, recording a paltry three hits despite his big 6’6”, 205-lb frame. Tinordi will have to be more physical if he gets the nod in order to replace Emelin’s physical presence on the Habs’ blue line.

Bergevin should have acquired more than a journeyman defenseman at the deadline, and his inertia will come to bite him in the behind as injuries to key players always happen during the season. With Rene Bourque close to return to action and a lot of depth at forward following the waiver-wire pick-up of Jeff Halpern, I understand that Bergevin didn’t want to pay a premium to acquire a rental forward before the deadline. The team’s general manager had already made his move, acquiring Michael Ryder and a third-round pick in exchange for disgruntled forward Erik Cole. Ryder has been terrific for the Habs, notching 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points in 18 games with the team. Ryder’s acquisition has improved the power play drastically, with him scoring half of his points (6 g and 3 a) on the man advantage.

What now?

The team better pray Drewiske is the next Josh Gorges and turns into an efficient shutdown defenseman able to log more than 20 minutes a game every game, playing alongside Andrei Markov. The Canadiens are only three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins with one game in hand for the Eastern Conference lead, so they have a great chance to go very deep in the playoffs this season as they could begin each series on home ice where the team has had great success in 2013.

The problem with Bergevin looking at the parade, is that the team might struggle mightily and suffer serious injuries next season, pushing the team outside the top eight teams in the East, making them miss the playoffs… The window of opportunity was open wide, but Bergevin decided to close the shutters instead of looking at the bigger picture and add more depth to his blue line!

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Habs Sweep Season Series Against Rangers, Pacioretty Review, Robyn Regher And More...

Good Morning Addicts!



Carey Price earned his third shut-out of the season last night
and his second against the New York Rangers.

 The Montreal Canadiens shut out the New York Rangers 3-0 last night for the second time this season, with Carey Price earning his third shutout od the season.

Michael Ryder opened the scoring for the Habs giving him 14 points in as many games since joining the team giving Marc Bergevin good reason to think about extending his contract. Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher also scored for the Canadiens as they swept the three game season series against the Blueshirts.

P.K. Subban earned assists on all three goals as he continues to make a strong case for himself to be a candidate for the Norris trophy at years end.

Nathan Beaulieu finished his NHL debut with one shot on goal and one block while playing 17:17 minutes of ice time including 1:04 minutes on the powerplay.

Habs And Hockey News

- Andrew Berkshire (@AndrewBerkshire) follows up Lars Eller's mid season review with that of Max Pacioretty.

- The Montreal Canadiens placed defenseman Tomas Kaberle on waivers yesterday and it's a safe bet the veteran blueliner will clear today.

- With Raphael Diaz not returning anytime soon and Andrei Markov feeling the effects of the longest season he's played in years, is Robyn Regher the answer to the Habs blueline problems?


(Photo By Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

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Habs/Penguins Explode For 13 Goals, Tokarski Blanks Monsters And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Canadiens captain Brian Gionta seems to have found his groove
scoring three goals in his last two games.

The Canadiens may have lost but last night's 7-6 overtime defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins was one hell of a game.

It's never easy to accept a loss when your team scores six goals but there is something comforting in knowing that this team does not give up. When Matt Cooke gave the Penguins a 4-2 lead with just under seven minutes left in the first period it was hard for any Habs fan to remain positive. Therrien's group however didn't stop pushing and with just under one second left in the frame P.K. Subban tied the game just two and a half minutes after captain Brian Gionta brought the Canadiens to within one.

Carey Price did not have his best showing. There's no doubt there were a few goals that he would've liked to have back but no one can expect any goalie in the league to go through a full season - or half in this case - without at least a few off nights.

Price, however, can take comfort in the fact  that his team did not give up on him. It's encouraging for any netminder to know that if they let in a softie or two, the guys in front of him will do all they can to get the W.

Brian Gionta scored twice giving him three goals in his last two games. Previous to his empty net insurance marker against the Leafs on Wednesday, the captain had gone seven games without a goal.

Max Pacioretty extended his point streak to three games with a goal and an assist. Patches has now notched 12 points in his last eight games.

Andrei Markov's assist on David Desharnais' fifth tally of the year marked the first time this season the defender earned a point while not on the powerplay.

Tomas Kaberle finished the night with two assists, two shots and a +3 rating. Let's hope some scouts were in town.

The Habs have now gone ten games in a row in which they've earned at least a point. In that span they have a 7-0-3 record and can regain the top spot in the Eastern conference tonight with a win against the visiting Bruins.

Habs and Hockey News

- Dustin Tokarski who was recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Cedrick Desjardins earned his fourth shutout of the year and his first as a Bulldog in Hamilton's 2-0 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters last night.

- With Tyler Seguin and the Bruins in town, here's Andrew Berkshire's comparison between the young Bruin star and the Habs own promising prospect, Alex Galchenyuk.

- Tim Wharnsby breaks down the Habs' recent hot streak.


(Photo by The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

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Habs' Scrimmage Fun For All, Final Cuts Made, More..

T.G.I.F. HabsAddicts!!!!

On Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens held an open scrimmage at the Bell Centre for fans to watch for free. The Habs also gave fans a complementary hot-dog, bag of chips and a soft drink.

Although many expected a capacity crowd and people to be turned away, the brisk January weather left 4000+ seats empty. Some say it's a way for the fans to show their displeasure because of the lockout, but that's just hogwash.

As the Canadiens got on the ice for a ten minute pre-game warmup, the fans stood and cheered their heroes. As the game began, there was renewed excitement in the air because NHL hockey was back, and this was the first, of what some assume to be many, promotions the Habs have in store for their faithful partisanship.

The game wasn't anything to write home about. After two 2- minute periods, the twine only bulged six times, as Max Pacioretty, Michael Bournival and Brendan Gallagher scored for Team White, while Rene Bourque scored on a beautiful backhand, and Tomas Kaberle wristed out on the power play for Team Red.

The 20-rounds shootout saw goals two goals aside but ended when Brandon Prust showed the fans how tired he was, by flipping the puck into goaltender Peter Budaj's mid-section and then pushing him into the net. Prust, a newcomer to the Habs, scored brownie points with the fans and his teammates with his antics.

Habs and Hockey News and Notes:

- Seven players were sent back to Hamilton this morning by the Canadiens, as they trim the fat to get to the league maximum 23-man roster for the beginning of the season. The players sent down were:
Louis Leblanc, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Commodore, Frederic St-Denis, Jarred Tinordi, Gabriel Dumont and Patrick Holland.

- Scott Gomez was officially bought out by the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Some believe there won't be much interest in the 2-time Stanley Cup champ, but ESPN jumped the gun when they added Gomez's name to the New Jersey Devils roster on their website. Wishful thinking or stupidity? You decide.

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Kaberle Back To Form, TSN Habs' Preview, More...

T.G.I.F. HabsAddicts!!!

Upon his acquisition from the Carolina Hurricanes for veteran defenseman Yaroslavl Spacek, every more that Tomas Kaberle made was under a microscope.

Former Habs' GM Pierre Gauthier didn't do the former longtime Leafs' rearguard any favours, inserting him into the lineup to bolster the power play on a defense-first team. It's well documented that Kaberle is a defensive liability. His offensive upside is the only thing that generates any interest in him, although his contributions have been few and far between in recent years.

Pat Hickey caught up with the Czech born blueliner, who showed up at the Canadiens' practice facility in Brossard, Quebec on Thursday in fantastic shape. 

Habs and Hockey News and Notes

- TSN'S Bob Mackenzie gives us a preview of what there is to expect from the 2013 edition of the Montreal Candiens in the first of his "Best of 7" series.

- Canadiens' netminder Carey Price found himself in a funny situation during the lockout. Sean Gordon explains how Price felt like his former mentor in Tri-City, Olaf Kolzig, working out with junior goaltenders while waiting for the work stoppage to end.

- While we in Canada await what gifts our NHL franchises may offer to easy the pain caused by the lockout, Allan Maki of the Globe and Mail goes through what some teams south of the 49th are doing to give back to the fans.

(Photo: La Presse)

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Mike Commodore Invited to Training Camp

Well friends, I’m back.  I would ask if you missed me but I think I already know the answer. 

Before I even begin to allow my thoughts to flow I find it necessary to apologize to you all. During the initial days of this lockout I told myself that I would have plenty of things to say and that my plan for a weekly blog would be met. 

Unfortunately this plan never came to fruition and after a couple of weeks, my heart was just not into it.  My hatred towards the process was all that I could muster and I found myself with general disinterest towards the league and players.

But all is well now. After spending 4 months longer than normal as a father and a husband I am about to re-embark, assuming that is even a word, on my faith to the NHL and my beloved Habs.

Here is hoping to at least a decade without bickering between the NHL and NHLPA and here is hoping to a prosperous league.

And so,

It has been a whirlwind 72 hours for me since the announcement that the NHL and the NHLPA has come to an agreement. 

Between my hundreds of Tweets on Twitter (@BryanWilley78),the re-activation of my RDS-HD, the organization of 3 Fantasy Pools, the clearing up of my PVR for game time and of course the dusting off of my Habs memorabilia which was painstakingly locked away; I have been a busy man. 

None the less, this process has been nothing but pleasant.  It is so refreshing to talk NHL hockey again but the pinnacle of my excitement was the announcement today that Mike Commodore will be invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp.

Ok take a moment; I will wait for the laughter to seize before I proceed.

Seriously though, if you have been following me since I was first invited to HabsAddict.com you’ll likely recognize the fact that when it comes to hockey, I like my players rough and gritty. 

I obviously cheer for the stars like Tomas Plekanec,Vincent Damphousse or Andrei Markov but my favorite players have always been the likes of players like Scott Thornton or Ryan White.   

When it comes to Mike Commodore specifically, I admit that I have a soft spot for the guy. Sure much of it has to do with the fact that he and I have had some conversations on Twitter or perhaps it has to do with the images of him talking to the media in his torn up bathrobe, his lion main like hair flowing in the wind while on his Stanley Cup run with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

In all seriousness though, we need a guy like Commodore.

I know that Commodore is getting older.  I know that he has lost a step and as a result has bounced around with a few teams over the past few seasons. 

What differs in this situation is that in Montreal,Commodore would be nothing more than a depth d-man.  A player to call upon against physical teams or when the team is plagued with injuries.

A player who at 33 years of age can sit for six or seven games in a row without management having to worry about his development or playing time.

Furthermore, think about our roster for a second. 

Here are the eight defensemen penciled onto the roster for the balance of the 2013 season; Andrei Markov, P.K. Subban, Josh Gorges, Alexei Emelin, Raphael Diaz, Yannick Weber, Francis Boullion and Tomas Kaberle. 

Of these eight players, five of them are 6’0 or smaller and apart from Alexei Emelin and perhaps Gorges or Subban none of them have the size/strength to deny the opposition from the front of the net.

Our D-core is one dimensional.  They are small and offensive minded who struggle in the defensive zone and who lack the ability to contain the opposition one on one. 

Management took a big step which they decided that playing guys like Mathieu Darche or Tom Pyatt on the fourth line was not a productive game plan yet nothing has been done to alter the plan on defense.

It is time to get rid of our one-dimensional style of play and implement players of different abilities or skill sets and right now we need a veteran D-man with the ability to clear the net and drop the gloves.

This is one fan hoping that Mike Commodore is that guy.

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Decision Time For Bergevin

Habs GM Faced With Decisions Right Away

Well it looks like there was a light at the end of the tunnel after all. After 113 days of keeping hockey from the fans, the NHL and the NHLPA held a 16 hour bargaining session that lead to a tentative agreement on a new CBA.

As Gary Bettman mentioned in his press conference there are still some I's to be dotted and T's to be crossed but with an agreement in place I'm going to focus on the Habs.

Before this shortened season begins there are three important decisions to be made by the new Habs GM. Well, to be fair two need to be made as as soon as possible while one will be made in the off season. Let's start with the latter.

Compliance Buyouts

Quite possibly the most appealing part of this new deal to fans of every team is the fact that it comes with two compliance buyouts per team for the 2013-14 season. The buyouts will count against the players share of the HRR rather than against the team's cap. After missing out on half of a season find me one fan who cares whether it's the player's pockets or the owner's that this will effect.

The important thing here is each team will rid itself of dead weight. get a re-do on contracts that should not have been signed in the first place. When it comes to the Canadiens, the name Scott Gomez is a given. I've never been as hard on him as the rest of the city but given the chance to rid the team of the final year on his contract, worth $7,357,143 I would show no hesitation whatsoever.

The second contract to be rid of is where there could be some debate. Many have been just waiting for the chance to get rid of Tomas Kaberle. Now with that possibility presenting itself it seems that it could be Rene Bourque who's head is being called for.

The logic of choosing Bourque is simple. His contract has an extra two years on it. The 2013-14 season would be Kaberle's last under contract with the Habs at a $4,250,000 cap hit. Bourque would have two more at a hit of $3,333,333. There are a lot of people who would be willing to deal with one more year of the over the hill Czezh defender if it meant avoiding an extra two years with Bourque.

I however feel it's too early to write Bourque off. His eight points in 38 games with the Habs last season didn't impress me in the least but it didn't scare me off. Bourque has size and has proven he can score. This half season will be his chance to prove to Bergevin and the rest of Montreal that he can be a useful top six forward for this club.

If however he fails to deliver, I would not be surprised to see #22 patrolling the back end for the 2013-14 campaign.

P.K. Subban

The ever enthusiastic, charismatic and talented defenseman is no doubt Bergevin's top priority. I do not see the season starting without #76  on the ice. I would be surprised if Bergevin hasn't been planning for this day for quite some time now.

Ever since the end of the 2011-12 season, Subban's contract - or lack thereof - has been probably the hottest topic in Montreal outside of the lockout. All eyes are on Bergevin now as the city will be watching to see when, and for how long and of course for how much Subban will sign for.

I wouldn't be shocked to see him sign for the eight years that the new terms allow for. I think $4-$4.5 million would be fairm maybe less if he signs a 4-5 year contract. As for when... the longer we wait the more surprised I'll be. I think Bergevin planned from the beginning to wait for the end of this mess to sign the star defender and now that it's settled I would expect the signing any day now.

Alex Galchenyuk

At the beginning of the non season I was all for letting Galchenyuk play the season out in the OHL. Coming off an injury that limited him to only two regular season games and six playoff contests in the previous year it seemed essential to ease him back into the game.

Four months later, the young Russ.... American forward has 61 points in 33 games for the Sarnia Sting and earned two goals and six assists in seven games on route to a gold medal at the World Junior championships in UFA, Russia.

I can't say I'm so sure that the NHL is a bad idea. Montreal has made a habit of rushing prospects at the first hint of talent but this kid is special. After watching his highlight's all year I can't help but think his vision on the ice, his delicate stick handling, tape to tape passes and laser of a shot could help the Habs.

If Bergevin decides to let Gally finish the season with the Sting I will give him the benefit of the doubt. The man knows his hockey and there is nothing to lose by waiting just a little longer to see our first pick overall wearing the CH. Although if it were up to me, I would have a hard time making the decision to wait.

Bergevin's decisions are ultimately the ones that matter in the end but what would yours be? who gets bought out? What will Subban's Contract look like? And where will Gally play?

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Habs' 2012 Off-Season Recap

The 2012-2013 off-season has been seen by many as the most important in the history of the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.  The Habs were the worst team in the Eastern Conference last season, unacceptable result for the NHL’s most storied franchise. 

Pierre Gauthier was fired as General Manager on March 29^th. Much of the blame for the failures of 2011-12 were placed solely on his shoulders. For that matter, many of the questionable trades made by his predecessor Bob Gainey were blamed on Gauthier's inability to identify team needs froma professional scouting perspective.

Even the way he handled Michael Cammalleri, who was quoted as saying, “I can’t accept that we will display a losing attitude this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder we lose.” was seen by most as a knee-jerk reaction. Cammalleri was promptly traded in the middle of a game versus the Boston Bruins two days after those comments, to the Calgary Flames .

Marc Bergevin was hired as Gauthier’s replacement on May 2, 2012. After about of month of speculation, he hired Michel Therrien as the new head coach, replacing the much maligned Randy Cunneyworth. Cunneyworth worked in the most uncomfortable circumstances, but eventually was let go, along with his assistant Randy Ladouceur. Therrien filled those vacancies with Clement Jodoin, Gerard Gallant and JJ. Daigneualt. Larry Carriere returned to the front office, after his brief stint behind the bench, to resume his roles as an assistant GM and GM of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Bergavin then chose to hire Scott Mellanby, Patrice Brisebois, Martin Lapointe in the front office, along with Rick Dudley, to act as Bergavin's right hand man.

Bergevin began making on ice changes at the 2012 NHL Draft. As a result of their awful 2011-12 season, the Canadiens had the third overall pick. Bergevin and his staff used that pick to draft American/Russian center Alex Galchenyuk. Galchenyuk, is both a talented and big  center, a definite need from an organization perspective. Galchenyuk has played this season with the OHL's Sarnia Sting, and leads the team in scoring. He was also part of Team USA, in their conquest of this year's World Junior Hockey Championship. Along with Galchenyuk, the Canadiens drafted RW Sebastien Collberg and D Dalton Thrower in the second round, LW Tim Bozon in the third, C Brady Vail in the fourth and LW Charles Hudon in the fifth. Their sixth round and final pick was LW Erik Nystrom.

Bergevin further put his stamp on the club through free agency, by acquiring wingers Colby Armstrong, and Brandon Prust, as well as goaltender Cedrick Desjardins, and bringng back defenceman  Francis Bouillon. 

Bergevin must now address what to do with high priced, and failing veterans, Scott Gomez and Tomas Kaberle. The two amnesty buy-outs proposed in the new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement should see the departure of both of them. 

There is defintely more work to be done. There is still the P.K. Subban contract that needs to be addressed, but overall, the Habs line up is tougher and have a ton more character than they did just a season ago. Along with his players acquisitions, Marc Bergavin has restructured the entire organization, giving it a totally new identity. 

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Habs Overseas, Labor Conflicts In Sports, Fehr Dedicated To Players And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

It is only a matter of time before these morning updates become strictly lockout related. As the stoppage in hockey continues it gets tougher to find stories that don't include the labor negotiations.

It is for this reason that I will focus the main part of this mornings news on the Habs overseas and their prospects. Andrew berkshire of Habs Eyes On The Prize has been following the play of Canadiens players overseas as well as their rising talents and has been keeping track of their progress.

With no Habs hockey to watch so far this season and their players and prospects spread out around the world and it's many leagues it's tough to keep an eye on them.

Berkshire has made that quite easy with his weekly updates by documenting their week's stats and keeping track of their season totals. While the piece makes it easy to keep up with what's going on in Habs world, it would be much simpler if they were playing together on the Habs roster.

Habs And Hockey News

- Deepak Malhotra teaches negotiation at Harvard Business School and writes an interesting piece on the labor negotiations. In his article he explains why there are so many conflicts in pro sports.

- Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period seems optimistic that we will see NHL hockey sooner rather than later.

- The New York Post's Larry Brooks is less optimistic as he claims all Bettman is interested in is shutting down the NHL.

- Here is an interesting and informative look at they type of man Donald Fehr is, and why he is the right man to be backing the players.

- Ben Eager of the Edmonton Oilers seems to be taking is frustration out on bouncers, way to go Ben. Please note the sarcasm in my typing.

(Photo by Source: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images North America)

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Max Pacioretty Heading Home, Tomas Plekanec,US Hall of Fame, More

Good AM!

After a brief three week stint in Switzerland, it appears that Max Pacioretty has decided to pack up and head home. Apparently, the American power forward has been unable to play due to a flu and inflammation in his elbow.

Pacioretty had only one goal in five games with Ambri-Piotta.

Currently, the Montreal Canadiens have five other players abroad. Yannick Weber and Raphael Diaz are in the Swiss league, Andrei Markov is in Russia and the two Tomas' — Kaberle and Plekanec — are in the Czech Republic.

Of the group, Tomas Plekanec is performing best with 16 points in ten games.

Habs and Hockey News

- Speaking of Habs players, Peter Budaj remains without work and is working out in Denver.

- Mike Modano, Ed Olcyzk and Lou Lamoriello enter the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame. Over at ESPN, Scott Burnside has a piece on the recently honored Olcyzk.

- It is official: NHL players have now missed their first pay-day of 2012-13. But, as Stu Hackel points out, the owners are also bleeding some green.

(Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images North America)

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Developing for the Future - A Look Back at the 'Trade'

With Max Pacioretty’s six-year contract extension in the books, Marc Bergevin has continued to lock-up his young core that promises to make the Montréal Canadiens a formidable opponent in the coming years. Add to that a much-deserved extension for Trevor Timmins— Director of player procurement and development for the past 11 seasons — and the future looks bright for Bergevin’s club.

Such a holdover from the previous regime hints at a specific focus on player development, and after a draft that saw prime, young talent added to Montréal’s already improved prospect pool, Timmins’s new title as ‘Director of amateur scouting’ suggests a move towards a Pollockian era that would see old, veteran bodies shipped out for high draft picks.

It would be nice to see aging and offensively inept veterans swapped for prospects and high draft picks. Just imagine waking up tomorrow to learn of deals involving Rene Bourque, Tomas Kaberle and Scott Gomez. In Montréal, the reaction would be of utter, euphoric joy. Across the hockey world, such deals would ignite laughter and confusion, similar to the sentiments shared during the initial transactions.

Yet unfortunately for Habs fans, the modern NHL — the salary cap world — deters financially stable teams from shipping off prized draft picks for temporary band-aids. Though these types of deals spontaneously occur — Bob Gainey, Scott Gomez, Ryan McDonagh — to really appreciate a good ol’ fashioned fleecing, look no further than the legendary Sam Pollock.

It’s no secret to any knowledgeable Canadiens fan, that when forced to choose the best GM in Montréal’s storied history, Pollock’s name immediately comes to mind.

And with a second NHL lockout in the past ten years looming, sometimes it’s best to look back to a dynasty instead of forwards to an inevitable lockout.

The year, 1970, the primary focus, the 1971 NHL Entry Draft. In a 12-team league, it was relatively easy to separate the bottom feeders from the cream, and during the 1970-71 regular season, Pollock looked towards Oakland and planned for the future.

Why? In the late 60s and early 70s, a teenager from Thurso, Québec was making noise for the Québec Remparts. Amassing 170 points in his final season in Québec, Guy Lafleur was a young prospect that seemed destined to dominate the NHL for a decade, and with it all but inevitable for the woeful Los Angeles Kings to finish in the cellar, Pollock schemed and manoeuvred his way into the first-overall selection in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft.

The draft, and more so the events that led up to it, helped paint Pollock as one of the greatest and most creative General Managers in NHL history. Here’s the short-form of how the Canadiens wound up with Hall-of-Famer and NHL legend, Guy Lafleur.

Prior to Lafleur’s draft year, Pollock managed to convince the California Golden Seals to swap their first-round pick and Francois Lacombe for Montréal’s and Ernie Hicke. With the Seals finishing fourth in their division and ahead of the Kings a season earlier, the trade bettered Pollock’s chances in drafting Lafleur. But Pollock didn’t stop there.

With the 1970-71 season in full swing, much to the chagrin of Pollock, the Kings were beating out the Seals for the basement title, a battle that would force Montréal’s GM to craft another trade that would help Los Angeles ascend the standings and leave the Canadiens with the No. 1 overall selection, and more importantly, the chance to draft Lafleur.

As a result, on January 26, 1971, Pollock sent scoring centre Ralph Backstrom to the Kings for Gord Labossiere and Ray Fortin for the sole purpose of improving the Kings roster and thus helping them overtake the Seals in the standings and ensure the number one overall pick for Pollock’s Canadiens.

Pollock ended up with the first selection and despite an initial sense of hesitancy — Marcel Dionne was also eligible to be taken in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft — he chose Lafleur with the Seals’ pick.

In the modern-day NHL, such a trade, especially for a high-end draft pick with franchise potential, is nearly impossible to come by. In comparison to Pollock’s Lafleur deal, imagine hearing of a lowly team like Columbus, with — hypothetically speaking — the first overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft and the opportunity to select either Nathan Mackinnon or Seth Jones, trades it away for a fringe NHL forward and a middle-of-the-pack first round draft pick.

Such a transaction would cripple a franchise’s fan base.

In terms of economics, and in the salary cap era, small-market and even big-market teams depend on cheap, high-end production. There isn’t any better opportunity to acquire that type of player than through the draft. And when it comes to drafting players, as Canadiens fans have become well aware of recently, the ability to properly develop them becomes a monumental task for any management team.

Fortunately, when Bergevin put his finishing touches on the Habs’ front office, adding names like Martin Lapointe — director of player development — and a familiar face in Patrice Briseboi s—player development coach — he placed a special focus on progress and growth in Montréal’s budding prospect pool that will hopefully speed up the development process and help them better understand the physical and mental demands of the NHL.


---
Derek is a Queen’s University student, contributing writer for OTwinner, HabsAddict.com, and freelance journalist for print magazine SportsXpress. His passion for the Canadiens was solidified on April 9, 2002, when Saku Koivu returned from Burkitt’s lymphoma and became an emblem of perseverance and strength.

Follow Derek on Twitter

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

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Issues for the Canadiens, Stevens, Grigorenko and More

Happy lunch hour, Hab fans.

For today's news roundup, I will try something a little different in terms of style and presentation.

Hopefully, this will make the piece a bit more readable and generate further discussion.

Of course, we welcome your comments, so tell us what you think of the new format.


Habs and Hockey News 

- I discuss some unresolved issues for the Montreal Canadiens. Namely, P.K Subban's lack of a deal, the trio of Rene Bourque, Scott Gomez and Tomas Kaberle as well as the defensive logjam are sources of concern. 

- Sean Lloyd continues his excellent offseason profiles, this time looking at Francis Bouillon. 

 
- HabsWorld continues its look at the composition of recent Stanley Cup champions, this time focusing on the dreaded Boston Bruins.

- Scott Stevens joins the New Jersey Devils coaching staff. He, along with Matt Shaw, will help compensate for Adam Oates' departure. As you will recall, Oates accepted the head coaching position with the Washington Capitals. 

 
- Mikhail Grigorenko signs his first deal with the Buffalo Sabres. It's still hard to fathom how a projected top-five pick slipped as far as 12th. 

 
- After much turmoil behind the Chicago Blackhawks' bench, Joel Quenneville names Jamie Kompon as his new assistant. 

 
- Stu Haeckel, over at Sports Illustrated, muses over the difficulties of being a hockey fan. The now infamous Canadiens condo project is front and center in this piece. 

 
- The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy portrays the upcoming CBA negotiations as a battle between owners.


(Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images North America)

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Unresolved Issues Remain for the Montreal Canadiens

While we enter the dog days of summer, hockey news becomes a slow trickle.

The Montreal Canadiens made a few moves on July 1st and have signed the majority of their restricted free agents.

With most roster spots apparently occupied, the team seems to have a well defined outline.

Nonetheless, there are some issues that Marc Bergevin and his team will need to sort out in order to  begin the season with confidence.

P.K Subban's Contract

As stated above, all of the squad's restricted free agents have been signed — save for P.K Subban.

Considering his team-leading ice time, that is one heck of a player to still have unsigned.

With equally young blueliners such as Erik Karlson and Tyler Myers receiving long-term, richly paid contracts, one can easily assume Subban's agent is using that as leverage to obtain the same for his client.

Conversely, the Canadiens may not be too keen on extending such a long deal to the defenseman, especially if the new CBA's rules prove more favorable. Having said that, they cannot be too excited about any contract that would allow Subban to become unrestricted at its end.

The question then becomes, do you lock up Subban long-term or give him a shorter deal that will keep him within the realm of restricted free agency?

The Trifecta

Think what you will about Tomas Kaberle, Rene Bourque and Scott Gomez, the fact remains that Marc Bergevin will have to make a decision, one way or another, about what to do with these players and their rather hefty cap-hits.

Scott Gomez has done next to nothing to redeem his subpar performance and his contract makes him very difficult to move.

Rene Bourque and Tomas Kaberle can prove useful, but their deals also eat up significant money.

Ultimately, with so many dubious deals on the books, it will be very difficult for Bergevin to add to his team down the road.

With a much deeper pool of free agents ahead next summer and the omnipresent potential for trades, it would be wise to clear at least some of the above mentioned salaries.

Logjam on the Back End

You can never have too many NHL-ready defensemen. At least, so goes the old adage. And, for the most part, it is quite true.

However, when it comes to the Habs' blueline depth, it has an element of sameness that is concerning.

Think of Yannick Weber, Raphael Diaz, Tomas Kaberle, Brendon Nash and Frederic St-Denis.

What comes to mind?

Typically, terms like "offensive minded" or "puck moving" are quick to pop up.

While that type of defender can be most useful, your NHL-ready depth cannot consist almost solely of that kind of player.

At one point, some pieces will have to be moved and toughness will need to be added to back end.

---
Louis is an Associate Editor and Senior Writer at HabsAddict.com. Born near Chicago, Louis grew up in Quebec City where he earned Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Université Laval. He is also an occasional guest on CKCU's Red Zone program.
Find him on Twitter @LouisMoustakas

(Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images North America)

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Montreal Canadiens Moving Forward - Part 4 - Defense and Goaltending

Greetings Habs Nation!

After discussing the importance of finding a GM and coach for the Habs — half of which has been resolved  looking at a few of the options at the upcoming draft and taking a look at what can be done to bolster the offense, it's time to finish off the Moving Forward series by weighing the Habs options when it comes to their defensive line up for the 2012-13 season.

Goaltending is the last line of defense and, in this department, Marc Bergevin's priority is quite simple, sign Carey Price.

Price is a top-ten goalie in the NHL with top-five potential. With Price signed, Bergevin will have more time to focus on the rest of the roster without worrying about having security between the pipes. That being said, the sooner he's signed the better.

As for backup, Peter Budaj is signed for another year, but his first year with the CH hasn't turned many heads. However, Price is capable of playing 65-70 games per season, so if the rest of the line up can be improved than the position of back up goalie is hardly worth losing any sleep over.

Not many people are against Price being a top priority — if not THE top priority — for Marc Bergevin. At the same time, you would be hard pressed to find a handful of fans who wouldn't agree that P.K. Subban is next on the list.

Subban is set to become a restricted free agent, and will no doubt be signing for much more than the $875,000 he made last year.

After taking a lot of heat for most of the year for not putting up more points, Subban finished the year strong under interim head coach Randy Cunneyworth and concluded the season with 36 points, just two less than his career high the previous year.

What seemed to escape most critics was that his +9 rating was an incredible improvement from his -8 in 2011.

Alexei Emelin is another RFA who should be high on Bergevin's to do list. In his first year playing in the NHL, the hard hitting Russian defender doled out 236 hits, good for 15th in the league and fourth among defensemen.

Emelin's 30 penalty minutes show that while he regularly delivers crushing checks, he's doing so legally and rarely gets sent to the box.

Emelin's presence is essential on a team that all too often gets knocked around. For once, it's the players in the visiting jersey who neeed to worry about their well being when entering the offensive zone.

Andrei Markov is signed for the next two seasons and, if his knee can stay healthy, he can bring a lot to the team with his puck moving ability and powerplay skills.

Josh Gorges is signed until the end of the 2017 season and there is no telling how much rubber he will get in front of between now and then. This past season, Gorges was the only player in the NHL to block more than 200 shots, taking 250 pucks to various parts of his body. Nobody can question that Gorges is the heart of this team and having him on the backend along with Markov and Subban gives the Canadiens a very impressive top three.

Tomas Kaberle is signed on for another two years and this is where it gets tricky. Kaberle has got to go and it will be hard for Bergevin to find a taker. The fact that Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford managed to trade him still baffles everyone, Rutherford included.

Kaberle brings with him a $4.25 million cap. That's four million dollars being spent on a defensemen who can't defend and who is all too predictable in the offensive zone. The man can pass, there is no question about it, but there is also no question as to whether or not he will pass.

Having the ability to dish the puck is hardly worth anything when everybody knows what you're going to do, he has become all too easy to defend when he's quarterbacking a powerplay an that makes it all the more frustrating knowing he's taking up so much room on the payroll.

Yannick Weber is also contractually linked to the Habs for the upcoming season but don't be surprised if he's included in a deal to acquire a draft pick, prospect or bag of pucks. Weber has not yet managed to secure a spot on the team over the past four years and with Raphael Diaz and Frederic St-Denis developping nicely as well as Nathan Beaulieu and Jared Tinordi just another year or two away from the NHL, it seems that Weber's time is up in Montreal.

Assumimg that Bergevin can't rid the roster of Kaberle the Habs will likely go into next season with Subban, Markov, Gorges, Kaberle and Weber.

Raphael Diaz and Frederic St-Denis will likely be re-signed - they are both RFA's - and battle for the sixth spot.

However, if Kaberle gets bought out or demoted to the minors and the Canadiens find themselves with some room to manouver, who wouldn't like to seem them make a pitch for Ryan Suter?

As a UFA in Nashville, Suter will be one of the most sought out players along with New Jersey's Zach Parise and Colombus's Rick Nash — although Nash will be the center of a trading war since he is still under contract with the Blue Jackets.

Suter would bring size — 6'1" 198 lbs — to the Habs blue line while also chipping in with some offense as he has accumulated 238 points in 542 NHL games.

A lot of what transpires will depend on Nicklas Lidstrom's future with the Red Wings. If Lidstrom should decide to hang up his skates after 20 NHL season's and four Stanley Cup's then you can be sure that Hockeytown USA will do their best to acquire the NHL's top defenseman in the free agency pool.

One other player I wouldn't mind seeing the Habs have a go at is Dennis Wideman. Wideman finished his season in Washington in 2012 with 46 points - tenth among defensemen - with four of his 11 goals coming on the powerplay. The previous year, he finished with nine powerplay goals sharing the league lead with none other than P.K. Subban.

Just imagine the Habs blue line looking like this:   

Markov-Gorges                                                                        
Subban-Suter
Emelin-Wideman
with Diaz/St-Denis as the seventh d-man.

Wishful thinking I know, but even if just Wideman signed in Montreal there would be an improvement.

Markov-Emelin
Gorges-Subban
Wideman-Diaz
St-Denis

Not too shabby.

What direction would you like to see the Canadiens go in on the back end?

---
Sean is a freelance writer currently contributing to HabsAddict.com. He is also a regular blogger and frequent panelist on the Habs post game show at MontrealHockeyTalk.com You can follow Sean on Twitter.


(Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

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NHL Trade Deadline: In the Canadiens' GM Chair, Part 1

The 2012 NHL Trade Deadline is approximately two weeks away.

If any of you are like me, excitement is building within.

To be honest, I am really not sure why I get all giddy at this time of year.

Generally speaking, the Montreal Canadiens make little or no moves at the deadline. Minor trades, little tweaking and roof repair have been the norm in recent years.

However, this year I truly sense something different.

For the first time in many years the Montreal Canadiens find themselves on the outside looking in. 

This team isn’t looking through the window, they aren’t even at the end of the driveway. They find themselves down the street, around the corner and seven blocks over.

In short, the Montreal Canadiens will not be making the playoffs.

This is something that I came to terms with many weeks ago. It’s time the rest of you do as well.

To quote the great Dick Vitale upon watching then NBA superstar Vince Carter in the Slam Dunk contest of 2000 (wow has it really been 12 years): “It’s over ladies and gentleman, it’s over.”

Now that the proverbial nail is in the coffin there is really only one thing left to do: Sell, Sell, Sell !

The Foundation

The Habs were always a bubble team to begin with, but I truly believe that they are better than their record indicates.

It is hard for the squad to perform to its full potential when Andrei Markov ($5.75 million), Brian Gionta ($5.0 million) and Scott Gomez ($7.387 million) collectively do little or nothing. 

Could Detroit or Boston or San Jose or Vancouver thrive, or even survive. with $18.15 million out of the line-up? No way.

On the flip side, how many teams in this league would not kill for the chance to have a foundation featuring Carey Price in goal, P.K Subban on the blueline and power forward Max Pacioretty on the wing? 

With Alexei Emelin, Josh Gorges, Lars Eller and David Desharnais in the mix, the Habs have a group of key players all 26 years or younger.

With that in mind, I dare to say that this team is still good enough to compete in the Eastern Conference. However, management needs to part ways with some assets, acquire some building blocks and re-tool for a promising 2012-13 season.

What’s that you say? You want to know what I would do if I was named GM of the Montreal Canadiens?

Well thank you for asking. Now sit back, relax and take hold of greatness as I single handedly re-tool the Montreal Canadiens in just two short weeks.

There are many crazy ideas circulating in my veins right now. As such, I will break this exercise down into two articles. Today, we will focus on the defense and look at the moves I would make on the backend.

Here goes nothing.

Who is available?

Before wheeling and dealing, it is worth mentioning who I feel should stay. P.K Subban, Josh Gorges, Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz are four players who should remain with the organization. 

Naturally, if a “knock your socks off” type of offer presents itself then absolutely anyone on this team can be moved.

As for Hal Gill, Chris Campoli and Yannick Weber, they should find themselves playing in a different area code by the end of the month. 

Realistically though, of the names above, only Hal Gill has any significant value.  

Players like Campoli and Weber have found themselves out of the line-up frequently and, as a result, their value is not as strong was what it could have been.

Then there is Tomas Kaberle. 

I have not been shy in hiding my displeasure towards him and would be ecstatic to move the rearguard. However, he has a nearly unmovable contract that will see him play out two more years at 4.5 million dollar per season. He is virtually untradeable, unless we do something unthinkable. 

Chris Campoli

He is a puck moving veteran who can add inexpensive depth to a playoff bound group. Teams like Boston, Chicago, San Jose, and Detroit appear to be showing some interest.

What I would do: Chicago has the most familiarity with Campoli, but I can see him going to Boston for a third or fourth round pick. Boston has only six NHL D-men on their roster and look to again be a contender. Campoli would be an ideal fit to play limited minutes on a third pairing.

Yannick Weber

Weber is a little bit of a conundrum. He is young, has an NHL-caliber shot and still has room to grow. He could attract a few teams, but his limited experience and defensive woes will push others away.
Nonetheless, he certainly possesses some upside and could fetch a decent return. Because of his powerplay abilities, teams like the Kings, Rangers and Blues may bid for his services.

What I would do: The Devils have had success with young, small puck moving defensemen like Brian Rafalski and Andy Green. That, along with their struggles on the man advantage, make them the best fit. In return, I can see Montreal acquiring J.S. Berube from Matane, Quebec and a fourth round pick.

Hal Gill

Gill's value is high.

Two weeks ago he was likely the fourth or fifth best d-man available this deadline. Now, with Francois Beauchemin, Andy Sutton, Tim Gleason all signing contract extensions, he may be the best name available.

Gill lacks foot speed, but is a Stanley Cup champion, a leader and one of the elite penalty killers in the game.

He could pay tremendous dividends for teams struggling on the penalty kill. Namely, Chicago, San Jose, Florida and Detroit all find themselves amongst the league’s worst when down a man.

The Canadiens could easily flip him to any of the above mentioned teams and find themselves with a second round pick - along with perhaps another late pick thrown in as well. I would be tremednously happy with this however I would like to take it a step further.

It has been rumored for a few weeks that Chris Stewart is being shopped by the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are thin on the backend and are 21st overall on the penalty kill. They also own some depth at the forward position and are a cap conscious team. The stars seem to aligned to somehow work a deal sending Gill to St. Louis in exchange for Stewart.

I am not suggesting a one-for-one move. That would be what I like to refer to as "Milbury-ish". Yet, if the Habs could create a package with the right assets, then acquiring Stewart may not be so crazy.

What I would do: I would like to think that Hal Gill, a 2012 second round pick and Danny Kristo would be enough to pry Stewart from St. Louis. If this is not enough then, I am talking with St. Louis to see what sort of tweaking is needed to make this deal happen.

I am not prepared to sell the farm to land the forward, but given the team's limited size down the middle, Stewart could provide necessary physical insulation for Tomas Plekanec.

Tomas Kaberle

I know that he is practically untradeable at this point. I've heard the arguments that he is producing points but let's be honest here: he makes $4.5 million and is a bloody useless player on this team. Moving him will be next to impossible, but...

What I would do: Pick up the phone and call Brian Burke. We need a defensive D-man and the Leafs, given their style of play, could perhaps use another puck mover familiar to the city. Let's see if we can swap two equivalent contracts by shipping Kaberle for Komisarek. To be honest I would even be willing to add a pick or second tier prospect to get this done.

Their deals are nearly indentical and Kaberle has absolutely no role on this team. Meanwhile, Komisarek could help fill Gill's eventual departure.

So there you have it folks.

Go ahead, tell me what you think of my moves? I am more Ken Holland or Mike Milbury?

On a personal note

For those who follow me on Twitter, I have been continuing to tweet quite a bit about the progress that my wife is making with her involvement with Team In Training Marathon and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.

Melody continues to put in the hours needed to complete the Marathon but needs your help when she is not on track.

In just three weeks Mel has raised 20% of her donation goal, but she is still a long ways away. If you can find a little bit of extra change, please consider helping her out for this great cause.

Thank you all for any and all support that you can provide.

---
Bryan is a Marketer by day, writer for HabsAddict.com by night and full time fan of the game. Follow me on twitter @BryanWilley78 but don't bother looking for me on Facebook, I'm just too old for that now!


(Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images North America)

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Habs Roundup: Pacioretty, Subban Trade, Price Contract, PP woes and more

So the Montreal Canadiens lost yet another game last night. This time to the struggling Washington Capitals who were missing top defenseman Mike Green, among others, and who was playing backup goalie Michael Neuvirth.

Still, Montreal was unable to score, getting shutout 3-0 and going a brutal 0-for-7 on the powerplay.

Yikes!

The swooning powerplay continues to be one the top problems for Montreal this season. And that's no small feat!

But aside from the struggling powerplay, there are a bunch of other interesting storylines surrounding the Montreal Canadiens of late.

This week's roundup takes a look at just a few.

Big guys

Erik Cole's addition to the Canadiens roster has been the UFA pickup of the season. He is enjoying a sensational year, having already potted 17 goals through 46 games—he's on pace for a 30-goal season.

Cole also leads all Habs point-getters with 33.

Cole's frequent linemate, Max Pacioretty, has had a bit of a different season. He started strong then, after getting suspended for a hit to the head of Kris Letang, looked tentative since his return.

In fact, he looked so tentative that he went 10 games between goals, finally getting back on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win over the Lightning.

Since that goal, Pacioretty looks like a player renewed. He is once again driving to the net with authority and using his speed to make things difficult for the opposition. As a result, he has six points (4G, 2A) and is plus three over the last six games.

Coupled with David Desharnais, who is quietly tied with Tomas Plekanec (31 points) for third overall in team scoring, that line is the Habs most consistent threat night after night.

P.K. Subban trade rumours

If the rumours of Carey Price signing a 7-10 year, $7 million per deal, imminently, and the trade of Michael Cammalleri wasn't exciting enough, there is now talk that Subban could be moved.

I know, I know, there are a lot of rumours floating out there right now. But when TSN 990's Tony Marinaro says Subban is being shopped, you have to believe there is more than just smoke to this rumour.

My HabsAddict.com colleague, Louis Moustakas, went into a lot of the reasons not to trade P.K., and I tend to agree with him.

The caveat, for me, is that if Subban is being shopped it can only be for an elite player. And I mean elite. I'm not talking Tomas Plekanec, I'm talking Ryan Getzlaf. I'm not talking Josh Gorges, I'm talking Shea Weber.

Elite. That is the only way you trade a player as young as Subban who has as much upside. Otherwise, this whole thing is going to hell in a hand-basket real fast.

This is a throw-down!

So it turns out the Habs newest addition, Rene Bourque, can fight.

Bourque played his first game against the Caps since his suspension—Bourque was suspended for five games for elbowing Nicklas Backstrom in the head. Prior to the match, Bourque said that he expected them to come after him and thought he'd have to answer the bell.

Well he was right on both counts and answer the bell he did.

Challenged by Caps tough guy, Matt Hendricks, the two threw down 1:15 into the first period.

Here's the vid:


Ohh man, did that ever not turn out well for Hendricks. When was the last time you saw a Canadiens player drop the gloves and put such a convincing beating on an opponent?

Ya, I can't remember either. It's nice to see some true toughness in the Habs lineup for the first time in years.

Struggling PP

So if you haven't heard by now, the Habs have the worst powerplay in the league. I guess that Tomas Kaberle pickup didn't work so well afterall.

I wonder what happened to all the people who flamed me for saying it was a brutal move at the time. Crawled back under their bridges I suspect.

Yes, Kaberle is a better player than Jaroslav Spacek, but he doesn't have a recent track record for helping teams' powerplays.

For more on that see Bruins, Boston.

Kaberle aside, I am left wondering why Coach Cunneyworth isn't mixing it up more on the PP. Rene Bourque, a guy who is big and can crash the net, continues to sit on the outside looking in.

Lars Eller is also a player who isn't getting PP time.

I'd change both of those things up, ASAP. The other thing I'd do is to try Gorges on the point, as suggested by some in the HabsAddict.com commentariat.

He may not have the hardest shot in the league, but it's hard enough. More importantly, however, it's almost always on net. If you watch the times when Gorges shoots it's always a low, hard shot, perfect for generating rebounds and deflections..

Gorges' slappers don't have Subban-like velocity but, as I've said before, accuracy is what is missing from Subban's game.

I don't know, the coach has got to try something so why not give it a shot? What's it going to do, make them lose more games? Somehow, I think that would be a difficult task.

---
Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and featured columnist on PowerScoutHockey.com. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny segment of The Franchise weekend morning show, on TSN Radio 990 (AM 990), every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/

Follow Kamal on Facebook and Twitter

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

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Habs/Blues Post-Game, Missed Shots, Halak and More

Morning hockey fans.

Jaroslav Halak's return to Montreal could not have gone much better for him. He shutout his former teammates and his Blues left the Belle Province with a 3-0 win.

But, really, the whole contest was rather anticlimactic, wasn't it?

The Canadiens failed to even score a goal and managed only a feeble 19 shots on net, their lowest total of the season. On top of that, they missed a ridiculous amount of shots.

In total, 12 Habs shots were blocked while another 12 missed the mark entirely.

P.K Subban led the charge in that department, failing on a total of seven attempts.

It's easy to pin the grossly paid Tomas Kaberle for the man-advantage woes, but his blueline partner needs to hit the net with far more regularity if any success is to be had.

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Montreal Canadiens Plus/Minus: Danish Hockey, Cammy and Protests

Canadiens - Blues: Jaroslav Halak Shuts Out Habs in Bell Centre Return

HabsWorld.net - HW 3 Stars: Halak Shutout

Faceoff.com - Halak returns to torment Habs

Hockey Inside / Out - Singin' the Blues

La Presse - Trop forts pour le CH


Hockey News

Faceoff.com - Not Marchand's first victim

Fox Sports - Kings seek, get results with Sutter

Louis' Note: I was amongst those who thought hiring Darryl Sutter would backfire, but so far the Kings have proven me wrong, going 6-1-3 in their last ten games.

The Hockey News - Boylen: Valtteri Filppula steps up on offense for Red Wings

Sports Illustrated - Blue Jackets adrift in NHL’s backwater

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

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Canadiens/Islanders Post Game, All Star Voting, Head Shots and More

Good morning Habs fans.

After almost squandering another lead at home - the Habs led 3-1 before the Islanders tied it - Montreal rallied back to beat the Islanders 5-3 last night. Petteri Nokelainen emerged as an unlikely hero, scoring the winning goal for the Canadiens.

It was the first time in over a month that the Canadiens won back-to-back games. The victory also extends the team's point streak to six games.

Erik Cole was once again excellent, finishing a gorgeous passing play for his 11th goal of the year and leading the squad with six shots.  In fact, the entire Cole-Desharnais-Pacioretty line was a threat. David Desharnais picked up two assists and Max Pacioretty also got one helper.

Tomas Kaberle also had an assist in the contest, giving him points in his first two games as a Canadien. Just saying.

With the win, Montreal is tied for eighth in the East but remains outside of a playoff position due to a higher number of games played.

Next up, the conference leading Philadelphia Flyers pay a visit to Bell Centre on Thursday.

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Canadiens - Islanders: Petteri Nokelainen Scores Winner, Habs Down Isles

HabsWorld.net - HW 3 Stars: Habs Hang On Against Islanders

Eyes on the Prize - Game 31 Recap: Habs Hold Off Islanders 5-3

Hockey Inside / Out - About last night...

RDS - Une frousse, deux points

TSN - Nokelainen scores winner as Canadiens edge Islanders

Hockey News

PowerScoutHockey.com - Who are the best passing defenseman in the NHL?

ESPN - All-Star voting: Why is Reimer leading?

The Hockey News - Boylen: Head shot embellishments must end in wake of concussion debate

RDS - Commotions : des effets méconnus

Sports Illustrated - Snub of Jimmy Howard is baffling

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

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