Firstly, from my last article Jiri Sekac was the last man
standing when the final cuts were done. The Habs held onto Jacob de la Rose
until the very last day, and told him that he will be reporting to Hamilton
when the team flies to Toronto to play their first game of the season. De
Larose really impressed at camp at the center position, so much that head coach
Michel Therrien praised his development “It’s surprising how well he understands his position,” said Therrien.
“He was very well developed in Sweden.” Also, Francis Bouillon, a true Hab
at heart, was told on Monday that he will not be offered a contract and that
the team will be releasing him from his PTO. The Habs will now be counting on
two of their prospects on defense, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu. Both
were first round pics in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
If we take a look at what unfolded at training camp, we can
say that Beaulieu has a step up on Tinordi where he looks very smooth with the
puck and is able to make quick decisions. Something that Tinordi struggled to
do in every pre-season game he played, albeit he did layout a very good hit on
Nate Schmidt from the Washington Capitals. The hit did get him ejected with a
match penalty, but after review, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety ruled
that it was indeed a legal hit, and that his match penalty will be removed from
his record. Tinordi and Beaulieu play different styles, but Tinordi’s style is
something the Habs have been sorely lacking for years. That brute physical
style that can clear the front of the net, along with delivering some crushing
hits, and that can drop the gloves when the time calls for it. Based on the
aftermath of that hit, he can surely handle himself with his knuckles as he
manhandled Chris Brown when Brown tried to defend his teammate, by going after
Tinordi.
Beaulieu, in my opinion, is the heir apparent to take over
when Andre Markov is set to retire. He is listed as the sixth defenseman on a
third pairing with Mike Weaver. From his performance at camp, it would not surprise
me that he ends up as a number four, and logging over twenty minutes a night.
Again, very smooth skater, and is able to make quick decisions with the puck.
He also makes a very good first pass in the defensive zone to counter an
attack, something that is crucial when facing the bigger and more physical
teams. He will also see some power play time, as he and Tom Gilbert are slotted
as the second pairing. The first obviously will be P.K. Subban and Andre
Markov. A look to the future and we do eventually see Beaulieu and Subban
passing the puck to each other at 100 mph, and finding each other for one timers.
What concerns me is the penalty kill, and the overall
defensive zone coverage. Josh Gorges is no longer here, and neither is Brian
Gionta. Both were very good penalty killers and very responsible in their own
zone. Gorges was notably a very good shot blocker. Gerard Gallant was
responsible for the PP and PK when he was an assistant coach under Therrien. He
is now head coach of the Florida Panthers and his old role has been filed by
Dan Lacroix. Prior to his lone season with the Rangers, Lacroix spent three
seasons on the Tampa Bay Lightning's coaching staff. Before coming to the
Lightning, he was an assistant coach with Montreal's American Hockey League
affiliate in Hamilton for one season in 2009-10. He was also an assistant coach
for three seasons with the New York Islanders. He will be responsible for
getting the PP going once again, along with trying to keep the PK as good as or
even better than last season. Last season, Montreal had an 85.1% efficiency
rate in penalty killing, which is good for fourth overall in the league. But with
the last two pre-season games against Ottawa, the Senators managed to score winning
goals while they were up a man. A sign of things to come, hopefully not, but
the penalty kill was notably weaker in pre-season so far.
And what about the PP, Montreal used to be feared when it
came to the man advantage, but now going back to last season and the playoffs,
it seems that the Habs have become a bit too predictable. Last season, Montreal
was nineteenth overall with 17.2% efficiency rate, which translates into 48
goals in 279 opportunities with the man advantage. Option number one would be a
bomb from the blue line from P.K (Primetime) Subban, but if that fails then
they would turn to Max Pacioretty and his patented wrist shot. The New York
Rangers knew that too, so well that they had pretty much shut down the Habs' power play in the conference final and ultimately led to the elimination of the Habs
in six games. They really need to have that third option, where a down low play
would keep other teams honest in their penalty killing coverage.
Even strength scoring was also a concern going back to last
season, as Montreal was nineteenth overall with only 155 goals. P.A. Parenteau,
who was traded for by GM Marc Bergevin just before free agency opened, has not
particularly looked comfortable on Pacioretty’s line this pre-season, hopefully
he can find some chemistry with David Deharnais. If not, he could end up in the
press box and Michael Bournival could be his replacement.
Alex Galchenyuk was arguably the best forward in camp, with
some highlight reel goals and some sweet moves to get away from defenders. The
question is can Thomas Plekanec be the center that Galchenyuk needs to get his
career to super-stardom, or will a move to Center on a full-time basis be the
answer for getting Alex Galchenyuk to the next level. Mind you, Galchenyuk did
look very comfortable at center in the pre-season, scoring a GWG against
Colorado.
Another topic of discussion is Lars Eller, will we see the
playoff Eller where he had 13pts in 17 games, or will regular season Eller show
up, where he lost all confidence in himself and was a healthy scratch a few
times during the year. And the same goes for Rene Bourque and his 8 goals and 3
assists in 17 playoff games, or will his 9 goals and 7 assists in 63 games rear
its ugly head. Jiri Sekac is set to complete the line of Eller and Bourque, he
is a work horse, and very intense. He has something to prove for being ignored
on draft day. I’m looking forward to great things from this line.
With the addition of Malhotra, the fourth line has never
looked this good. With Brandon Prust and Dale Weise on the wings, this line can
provide a boost of energy to complement the other lines. Along with winning key
face-offs, Malhotra adds physicality from his 6’2 frame, and is very
responsible in his own end. He will be looked upon to be a stable on the
penalty kill. And he speaks French, la vie est belle!
By the time you read this article, Montreal will be either
playing the Toronto Maple Leafs or have played them and we will be discussing
the outcome. For some reason the schedulers always like to set these two teams
up for an opening night tilt, kind of like a tasty hors-d'oeuvre before the
season gets into full effect. The Leafs, have somewhat change their philosophy
of being a “Truculent” hockey team to more finesse and skill as enforcers
Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren, have both been put on waivers and replaced them
with Carter Ashton, Josh Leivo and Brandon Kozun. They might finally want to
play Hockey when they play the Habs.
This year’s edition of the Canadiens are bigger, younger,
and faster. Will that ultimately lead to more scoring…well it could not hurt. Jiri
Sekac, Alex Galchenyuk are two that I would look to have a great impact this
year. Galchenyuk, seems very poised with the puck and every time he touches the
puck, you kind of creep up to the edge of your seat and say “What are you going
to do now kid”. And when all else fails, there’s always Carey. A special thank
you goes out to Peter Budaj, who was the constant professional in what was a
very difficult situation. Good luck in Winnipeg!
This team has a quiet confidence about them, they realize
that what they have accomplished so far is nothing to brag about. They know
what their ultimate goal is. And on a final note Pierre LeBrun, ESPN and TSN
Hockey analyst, has said that he sees the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup
Finals… boy what a spring that would be.
Now drop the puck already!
Now drop the puck already!
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