Hello my fellow HabAddicts. As much as I love the Habs, I am really worried that the wheels are going to fall off real soon.
We have been very fortunate with the injuries so far, and those late game rallies in the first 15 games put us into a false sense of 1st place holders.
Our defense is very weak. Watch any game and our defense is running around in our end trying to get the puck back from the opposition. Then you watch the opposition's defense and they waltz out of their end unopposed. Very frustrating to watch.
Our power play used to be feared and very deadly. Now the opposition takes liberties with our smaller players because they know the power play will not result in a goal. And so they continue to punish our smaller players. I don't know how much more Gallagher can take.
Our puck control is non-existent. It drives me crazy watching our team always chasing the puck and never controlling it. You need puck possession to win. What I do not understand is how our coaching staff can not adapt to playing conditions. No matter what is happening in a game Therrian and staff can not change strategy to beat the opposition's game plans. Look at our power play, everyone knows the key is Subban's power blast from the point, but no one has been able to come up with a strategy to overcome that and still utilize your best weapon. And why do we keep putting little guys like Gallagher, Plekanec and Desharnais in front of the net. Guys like Weise and Eller should be allowed to crash the net on the PP.
The only real bright spot this season has been our goaltending. It has been the key to our success so far, but how long can we allow 35-45 shots on our goalie every night. Why is Tinordi still in the AHL? He needs to be playing now in the NHL, the AHL cannot teach him anything new. And speaking of teaching, I liked JJ.D as a player but as a coach he has no idea what needs to be done on the ice or adapt to playing conditions. Our defensive game plan needs an update also. (Why did we ever let Mr. Robinson get away?)
We need a new game plan to control the puck. We are not built for the dump and chase game; we need to control the puck because once we lose it we don't get it back.
Bottom line the coaching staff have let us down on not adapting to the changes in the game, we are not utilizing the strengths of our players and too quickly punishing mistakes by high potential players (ie. Sekac).
Tonight begins a new year for our team, Hopefully the staff have NEW ideas to keep us near the top, otherwise get ready for a long painful descend out of the playoffs.
What do you think, are we in need of new ideas or should we just continue to ride on Lady Luck's coattails?
14 comments:
Habs need a player with some grit that can score as well, like Tuomo Ruutu or Andrew Ladd player, we are simply too soft for the playoffs.
I would target between Jagr, Ruutu, Ladd or another player possibly aval is Jordan Staal. Imaging him instead of Desharnais, we would be great down the middle, but still would need another Right Winger. Hope MB is on the phones as we speak. The team as is doesnt score enough and is very soft for a playoff push.
We definitely need to review our drafting.
I don't think we have any real solid talent coming up.
Coaching and a game plan are important but you need the talent to succeed.
Trevor Timmins is totally overrated as a scouting director, thats why you still dont see the talent coming up, It isnt There!!
They are nothing without Price. I don't know why people always crap on him
Montreal has the most delusional fanbase in hockey, How really good is your team? Well, of the current Top 50 Point scorers in the NHL, there is just One Canadiens player, Max Pacioretty ranked #36..For decades now, this team is weak on offense with no stars..Same as it ever was hab Nots.
Lucky to be in the weak EASTERN CONFERENCE..
I truly believe the Habs have the players to contend but I do not have faith in our coaches. Having a good coach and support staff makes all the difference. Look at the Jets and Paul Maurice. With all the injuries they have suffered Maurice is still getting 110% out of his average players. Maurice has a game plan that works and the Jet players( mediocre they may be) are executing at a high level in a real tough division. I would love to see Therrien and co. develop a winning strategy for our Habs
Definitely agree with your point of view Mike. What I would add to the team is definitely some gritt like some others have been saying. I like the suggestion of Andrew Ladd, but I don't imagine he will want out of Winnipeg anytime soon as the future is looking really promising.
Honestly, it comes down to size. I get tired of saying it though. When will management learn that if you want to be a playoff team that goes deep and want to compete with the Western teams you need to have some size...we will need a lot of luck if we want to go far in playoffs.
I hope lady luck, as you say, is on our side.
Good point on the Jets, Mike. I do say that the Jets do have what the Canadiens do not and that is the mentality. I don`t think the Habs will develop the kind of mentality it takes to make that tight defensive system work. You have to play with edge, have to fight for every puck, backcheck/forecheck hard, and impose their will. Do the Canadiens have that? I don't know if they do. So a system like the Jets have works for them, I don't know if our Canadiens would be successful in that hard hitting defensive system.
Maybe I am wrong. Just an opinion.
BERGEVIN must take a serious look at this team.small, overrated
and badly coached.rangers, islanders, pittsburg ,boston, washington and esp, tampa all have a better teams. wake up marc, trade your slackers, now,or your team will miss the playoffs.
When the playoffs begin, the players that will disappear will be Desharnais, Plekanec (as usual) and Parenteau. Two of those need to be replaced.
Speaking from a purely statistics point of view, the Habs look like a strong contender to move forward into the latter half of the season. Although someone mentioned the Jets having a strong and stingy defense at 2.37 GA/game, the Habs still hold a better GA/game record at 2.30. The Hab's compete level needs to continue into the second half as you have more teams strive for the ever elusive playoff spot.
The Habs should come out the gate in the second half of the season, keep playing well 5 on 5 and the PP will eventually step up to the plate again. The ball is in the player's court, not so much the coach. It didn't come out of left field that the coach is usually the first to go whenever a team is playing bad. However, the team is boasting a winning record in almost every category, they just need to keep on the inside track and hit a home run. The Habs are on the homestretch keep the opposition in the ballpark and have them not jump off the deep end.
Keep one's eye on the ball and keep the ball rolling.
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