With the puck set to drop on the 2010-2011 NHL season tomorrow night, teams, players, fans, and owners are taking in a deep breath of positivity.
And why not?
I mean, until the games start and the points start to rack up, every team, in theory, has a chance to have a great season.
The Montreal Canadiens are no exception to this rule, as the collective excitement of their fans can be felt reverberating in the far reaches of the globe.
Just jump on to Twitter for an hour and you'll see, first hand, how everyone is looking forward to a great season. Coming off of a great and unexpected playoff run last year, it seems logical for fans to be upbeat too, despite certain holes and weaknesses in the current team.
But, like Mike Boone from the Gazette, I am not here to talk about the negatives, but to turn the spotlight onto the areas of hope and ask the questions that we are all wondering.
Game 1: Montreal @ Toronto
The Canadiens kick off their season in Toronto tomorrow night against the Maple Leafs.
It is always a highly emotional affair when these two teams clash, but being the season opener for both teams—and the home opener for the Leafs—means that the insanity will be at a fever pitch.
The Canadiens will start the season without their prized sniper, Michael Cammalleri, as he serves his one-game suspension for his preseason slash on the Islanders Nino Neiderreiter.
Taking his spot in the lineup will be rookie Lars Eller—the key player acquired in the Jaroslav Halak trade.
While Eller is a natural center, he didn't look out of place playing on the wing with Tomas Plekanec during training camp. This new assignment will only last until Cammalleri is back on Saturday night, but it is an opportunity for the youngster to make his mark and show what he can do in the top-six.
In other news, the Habs put both Alex Henry and Curtis Sanford on waivers yesterday.
The Alex Henry move means that Roman Hamrlik will be ready to suit up versus Toronto tomorrow night. I have to say that given the opponent tomorrow, Henry might have been a good addition to the lineup.
His combination of strength, toughness, and nastiness would be the perfect antidote to what is sure to be a rough and tumble Toronto squad.
As for Sanford, it is unlikely that he will be claimed, and should play another season in Hamilton while providing a little security for the big club in Montreal.
Jacques Martin must announce his final roster for tomorrow's game by 3 pm today which means that Ryan White still has a chance of being in the lineup.
Like Alex Henry, White is a player who will not hesitate to drop the gloves. More importantly, however, White is a real hockey player and is very similar to Maxim Lapierre minus the reticence about fighting.
Moreover, White was a standout at camp and looked fast, gritty, and was exactly what the Habs lineup needed. The fact that there is a question as to whether he will be playing in game one suggests that Coach Martin had decided on his line combinations a long time ago.
It would be unfortunate if White is not in the opening lineup but even if he isn't, he will get a chance at some point and I think that once he does he will be in the lineup to stay.
So that's it, folks. The prep is done, the lineups are being finalized, and the puck is ready to drop. So enjoy the games tomorrow, this weekend, and enjoy the entire season. But more importantly, hold on to that feeling of optimism because 82-game grind has a tendency to dash hopes and crush optimism.
For now, however, all teams are equal and anything can happen.
Have a good season!
UPDATE: October 6, 2010 - 12:19 pm
Carey Price is doubtful for tomorrow's opener as he is currently sidelined with the flu. This means that Alex Auld could be the starter with no word yet on who his backup might be.
Also, Hamrlik, originally thought to be a go for tomorrow's season opener, will not play. With Henry sent down to the minors, it looks like Ryan O'Byrne might get a shot tomorrow night.
4 comments:
I'm cautiously optimistic about the season, but realistically I think we're in for version 2.0 of last year's roller coaster.
As for the opener, the news keeps getting worse.
Cammalleri is already out. Price is a question mark. Markov is a no-go, and now, according to some members of the media, Hamrlik won't play, either: http://twitter.com/#!/habsinsideout1/status/26560395443
It seems the Canadiens may have sent Alex Henry packing one day too soon.
Hey Kyle and thanks for the comment!
I agree wholeheartedly with you too! I think that this team is not much better than last year's team and, in fact, has the potential to do much worse—depending on how Price fares.
If that is true re: Hamrlik, then that is a big mistake by the management team.
That being said, it is pretty easy to recall Henry I think, as I don't believe he'll be picked up coming back up.
I would love to see him in the lineup tomorrow and think the Habs need his toughness against what should be an ornery Leafs' team!
While I just finished a post about how the Canadiens are masters of their own destiny, and how there are no more excuses for them to fall back on if they fail, the reality is that they aren't that much improved over last year. At least on paper.
Other teams may have improved much more. Look at Boston. They were riddled with injuries last year and still finished ahead of Montreal. They won't be nearly as hobbled with injuries this year (I won't cry if they are), and they've added Nathan Horton, Tyler Seguin, and have a franchise goalie in Rask.
Tampa is much improved. Carolina will be better. Atlanta will be better. And not too many teams will be worse, which means these teams will quietly erode at the Canadiens spot in the standings.
I think that's the problem they'll have more than anything. Still, if they play the way they're supposed to and expected to, they should be able to make the playoffs.
Well said, Kyle.
The reality is that aside from more depth in the bottom-6, this team still has a ton of holes and essentially are not much improved from last season.
The thing that worries me is that a lot people are caught up with the success the Habs had in the playoffs. To me, that success was an aberation.
Halak played out of his mind, and the style they played—getting outshot 2 to 1 but being lucky/opportunistic—is not a winning formula.
That dog won't hunt over 82 games.
And yes, everyone around the Habs seems to have gotten better. I think that Tampa and Atlanta might present the greatest challenge to the Habs making the playoffs as both are likely to push for a spot and one might even make it.
Let see what happens, but having Price, Markov, and Hamrlik out for game 1 tomorrow is not a good start.
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