Emelin Out 6 Months, Habs At The 2013 Awards, Future Of The Canadiens And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Alexei Emelin tore a ligament in his left knee after bouncing off
of Bruins forwards Milan Lucic in April.

When Alexel Emelin tore a ligment in his left knee after a hit on Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic went wrong in April, it became evident just how important the hard hitting Habs defenseman was to the team. The absence of Emelin created a void on the blue line that no other defender on the Habs could fill.

Andrei Markov's play proved that his age and multiple injuries have caught up with him and his play showed that he was less confident on the ice without the protection of his younger, tougher counterpart. Francis Bouillon is well like in Montreal for his heart and willingness to play a much tougher game than his 5'8" 197 lbs frame should allow. Bouillon however doesn't have the bruising effect that Emelin brings to the ice and so the team's lack of size and toughness once again became a  glaring issue.

News came out earlier this week that Emelin's surgery on Friday will keep the Russian blueliner out for six months. This blow will make Marc Bergevin's summer a little more stessful as he will need to find a way to bolster the back end so the Habs can be competitive at the beginning of next season until Emelin returns.

There is no question that regardless of Emelin's injury the team needed to add some size and toughness. What this news means is that it is all the more important now to make changes in the offseason. Douglas Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins will be a UFA at season's end, if the Penguis fail to re-sign him perhaps Bergevin will take a shot at him.

Habs And Hockey News

- Last week I posted an article on Michel Therrien's Jack Adam's snub, here's a piece I wrote over at TheHockeyWriters.com focusing on the Canadiens who did recieve nominations and which ones have a chance at bringing home some hardware at the 2013 NHL awards.

- Robert Rice of HabsEyesOnThePrize.com writes up on six Habs who can shape the future of the club.

- Seeing as how it was the Ottawa Senators who eliminated the Habs from the post season, I figured I would post five reasons the Senators were eliminated from NHL.com. Also, how good did every Habs fan feel last night when Brendan Morrow of the Penguins blatantly kicked the puck in the net for the Pens first goal on their way to their 6-2 victory. I have to admit I would've been quite displeased if the referee's were to have disallowed the goal.


(Photo by Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

Posted in: alexei emelin,brendan gallagher,marc bergevin,michel therrien,montreael canadiens,ottawa senators,p.k. subban,pittsburgh penguins