Ummm, ya.
Four game into the 2011-2012 NHL season, the Montreal Canadiens have already drawn the ire of their fans.
Now this is Montreal so, of course, people will jump to conclusions way to quickly, passing judgement on a season that has 78 games to go.
But alas, that is the business of hockey in the birth place of ice hockey.
So while many are lamenting the Habs 1-2-1 start to the season, there are many bright spots that are perhaps being overlooked.
Don't get me wrong, because the Canadiens have been absolutely horrible for large stretch of games. In addition, the injury bug has reared it's head early for the Habs, making life that much more difficult.
So let's dive in a take a look at the plus and minus of the Habs so far.
Plus
David Desharnais - The little-Hab-that-could, openly admitted that he didn't have a great training camp. Add to that a minor injury that had him sidelined for a few days, and he just didn't get this season started on the right foot.
Desharnais went so far as to say that he maybe took things a little for granted, since, armed with a bonafide NHL contract, for the first time in his career he didn't have to "prove" himself.
Well what a difference a few games makes, because Desharnais has gotten back to what made him successful and the Habs are reaping the benefits of his strong play.
Last game, a 6-5 shootout loss to the surging Colorado Avalanche, Desharnais got 23:17 of icetime. That's more than any player on the team not named P.K. Subban—he played 25:41.
More than Scott Gomez (16:45), more than Tomas Plekanec (21:37), more than Brian Gionta (17:49) and more than Erik Cole (15:06).
Flanked by Max Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn, the Desharnais line was a threat every time they stepped on the ice.
They finished the night with five points (2G, 3A) and a collective plus-three rating. They also took 11 of the Habs 43 shots on the night.
Not a bad night's work!
Max Pacioretty - Speaking of Patches, Mr. Pacioretty has quickly put to bed any doubts about lingering effects of his devastating injury last season.
MaxPac is currently tied with Plekanec for the Habs scoring lead, with four points (2G, 2A) while averaging 18:16 of icetime to Pleky's 22:08.
In addition, he leads all Canadiens with 18 shots on goal and has a plus-one rating.
I picked Patches as my Habs breakout player of the year this season and I think he's got the goods to hit the 30-goal mark.
Lars Eller - Eller is a player that is coming off of major shoulder surgery. So much so that he didn't see a minute of icetime during the preseason and was entirely absent from training camp.
It would seem logical, then, that Eller would have some cobwebs to shake off, being inserted into the lineup for Game Two of the season.
But not so.
In the two games he has played so far this season, Eller has looked big and fast and has been one of the better players on whatever line he played on.
While I still maintain that he is better at center than on the wing, last game he played on the wing with Plekanec and Erik Cole, and was a force to be reckoned with.
He doesn't yet have any points to show for his effort, but watching him move out there you can see that he will be a major factor for Montreal this season.
Could Eller end up taking Gomez's spot at center if the former doesn't shape up?
Less icetime for Brian Gionta and Gomez - The Captain is averaging 18:16 of icetime to Gomez's 17:29.
They are playing less and the Habs are better for it.
Minus
Scott Gomez - For all the talk from Gomez at the end of last season, this is a guy who has yet to be a factor in any game.
We all know about his horrendous contract and his career low point totals from last season. But now, with three years left on a deal where the actual dollars paid to Gomez will decrease in each subsequent season, Gomez is on very thin ice.
Pun fully intended.
I still don't see the Habs moving Gomez this year but, if he continues to drag the team down there is a much higher chance of moving him next offseason.
Next summer his cap hit stays at $7.35 million but his actual pay falls to $5.5 million. That will make him more attractive to a team needing those artificial dollars to hit the cap floor.
But I digress.
Gomez, so far, looks more engaged than last season but is still not getting results.
Jacques Martin gave Gomez carte blanche last season. How long will his rope be this season?
Brian Gionta - Gionta has three points, through four games, with a goal, two assists and a plus-one rating. But something doesn't seem the same about him.
TSN 990's Tony Marinaro astutely pointed out that the captain isn't smiling as much as he used to.
Is he unhappy with his decreased icetime? Is he fed up of playing with Gomez? Does he not like the line juggling that Coach Martin is employing on a regular basis?
Who knows, but the Habs need him and his 30-goal-scoring abilities this season.
Also, what's up with all the defensive lapses? For shame...
The power play - The Habs are 19th overall with a 12.5% power play and 22nd overall with a 78.9% penalty kill.
Yes, it's early in the season, but neither of those numbers are good enough.
Like last season, the smaller Habs margin of error will be slight this year. As such, they once again need a top-10 PK and PP in order to be a playoff team.
The Habs made some progress on the PP last game, moving Plekanec to the half board, putting Yannick Weber back on the point and having a much more dangerous man-advantage as a result.
They went 1-for-3 against the Avs but looked much better out there. Hopefully, for Montreal, the new combination will continue to bear fruit.
Defensive zone coverage - The PK, on the other hand, has always been a place of strength for Montreal. Moreover, in a Jacques Martin coached system, the penalty kill always tends to be a strength.
But so far in this young season, the PK has looked disorganized at best.
Defensive zone coverage, in general, has not been a bright spot and the PK is no exception.
That being said, the Habs have too many defensive stalwarts for things to stay awry for too long. But, right now, it looks like the injuries on the back end are affecting the once hermetic defensive zone.
Subban - Settle down young man! It's too early to call it a sophomore slump, but P.K. hasn't looked very good so far this season.
Often out of position, trying too hard to make a play or a hit, Subban has been compromising the team, defensively, and hurting them in the process.
With Andrei Markov out—he is rumoured to be coming back by around Game 10—the Habs need Subban to be better. And, like last season when he struggled early, he just needs to simplify his game.
So what did you like and dislike about the first four games?
New Sunday Shinny Podcast on TSN 990
In this episode of the Sunday Shinny, Nick Murdocco, Gary Whittaker and myself welcome Danielle Fernandes - Founder/President of Dangle Media to the studio.
Topics include:
-Is wanting to take head shots out of hockey the same as wanting to get fighting out?
-Or are some jumping on the bandwagon
-Is there a solution?
-Will it ever be taken out?
-Is Don Cherry jumping the shark?
-Why single out players like Nilan and Grimson?
-Should he make an exception and recant (watch coaches corner tonight and adjust)
-Aaron Asham gesture after his fight…. Overreacting? Him or the fans?
Click play below to listen in (listing time 52:42):
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Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com and Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny 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)
11 comments:
My feeling is that all the players are fed up with JM. Wasn't Kirk running the special teams last year
Hi anonymous and thanks for your comment!
It could very well be. I know that the fans are certainly fed with with JM! Here's the thing, Martin has, so far, always had injuries to blame for poor performances.
And even then, he has achieved pretty good results. The problem, for me, is that I really don't believe that the Canadiens will ever win under JM's tutelage. They need to move in another direction before that happens and that certainly doesn't seem imminent!
Jacques Martin may not be the most enthusiastic looking coach, but it seems premature to say that players are fed up with him. Certianly, Gionta does not seem as cheery, Cole made some ambiguous comments about the coach, Subban and Price are struggling early. At the end of the day, if the team starts winning, all of these early challenges will be water under the bridge and happy faces will return.
After ten games we should have a more accurate read on this edition of the Canadiens. However, that is not to say that these early contests are devoid of importance. Quite the contrary. Every point counts.
@Kamal
I may be in the tiniest of minorities here, but I am of the belief that the Canadiens can win with Martin. His demeanor may not be the most enticing, but his structure and calmness should be viewed as positives. We don't pay the coach to entertain us, we pay him to coach. With a Conference Final berth two seasons ago and the constant juggling due to injuries, JM has done a commendable job thus far.
With Price, Subban, Pacioretty and other youngsters, JM could have the tools to guide this team to a championship in the next 2-3 years.
JM is not using Cole effectively. No powerplay time? WTF?
@Louis I agree that JM has done a great job given his constantly depleted lineup.
But let's be honest here, the conference finals a few years ago was done on smoke and mirrors...that and Montreal played against SERIOUSLY inferior goaltending.
Plus Halak was, well, Halak.
There is no way, imo, that that run is a reflection of good coaching. That was a miracle run which ran out of steam when Montreal faced opposition that had more than one line to roll at them (the Flyers).
JM could bring a championship to this city, but I doubt it. And to me, it has nothing to do with his flat personality. It's because, imo, his "system" in antiquated. Moreover, a more aggressive coach could/would play to the Habs strength, which is their speed. That would make the Habs a much more formidable opponent!
@The Mad Ape: No question! That is a head scratcher to me. Cole was the "prize" offseason acquistion and now JM plays him only about 13-15 mins per game...with less PP time than Darche?
Cole has certainly not been a bright spot so far, but if there is one thing he can do it is go to, and stay at, the net. That is what is needed on the PP.
MaxPac does a great job of doing it...how about Cole on the second wave.
Sigh...
What makes anyone think JM is doing a good job. Overachieved in the playoffs in year 1 all because of Halak.
In year 2 there were injuries but those guys were replaced with proven veterans. Result was a 1st round exit. How is this showing success?
What else can define success? The performance of the Team?
Let's talk about the team. If not for specialty teams the team is horrific 5 on 5. Well I'm sorry isn't that Martin's responsibility? Pearn and Muller took care of the PP and PK and without that we are nothing more than 10th or 11th seed.
The entire NHL knOw what Montreal needs and Gauthier acquired some of those needs yet Martin would rather go with a useless Engqvist or a defenseman on the 4th line instead o fillin those spots with players who can fill q need.
I am just completely fed up of the guy. I love what Gauthier has done
But absolutely despise Martin.
@Bryan: Can't argue with you there. I'm not fan of Martin....never have been.
..and when I see Cole getting less PP time than Darche, it reinforces my belief that the Habs will never win under Martin.
I'd love to eat crow on that one, but I someone how it...
Molson will absolutely not dump Martin and im pretty confident that with Gauthier there Martin likely gets a renewal if contract next season and it's a shame. Or should I say sham.
I want to see a coach in there who builds a system designed to the skillset Of the team. I want to see an up tempo system based on puck possession. I wanna see a system which allows gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri, Subban, Weber to thrive and not be held back because of the defensive responsibility.
We need a coach who never places Moen on the top 2 lines, who calls up players to fill roles instead of just roster spots, who assigns roles to certain players.
I just want to see Martin gone.
Well said Bryan!
I think that is my biggest complaint with Martin...that he has one way of doing things and requires his players to adapt. As opposed to seeing the strengths of his team and building a system that best suits them.
I mean, Cammalleri on the penalty kill? Really? Really Jacques Martin?
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