Tag Archives: Andrei Kostitsyn

Mythbusting

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When you follow a team that generates as much discussion and speculation as the Habs, urban legends and outright myths are bound to spring up like dandelions. Two of the most popular myths that have endured for years are that the Canadiens cannot lure superstar free agents to Montreal for reasons relating to media pressure, taxes, political strife, and the fishbowl atmosphere. When former General Manager Bob Gainey signed big names like Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri to long-term contracts, much of the long-held myth died. Other lower tier free agents like Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek and Travis Moen also elected to ply their trade in la Belle Province. Tomas Plekanec elected to return to Montreal when he could have likely gone elsewhere for more money. Gainey proved that as long as the dollars are there, the signatures will follow. This doesn’t mean that it will be a cake walk to sign big names in the future, but it’s far cry from the “fat chance” that it was just a few years ago.

The other myth is one that has needed a debunking in the worst way, and that is the long-held belief that once the Canadiens give up on a young player, he goes on to stardom elsewhere in the league. I don’t know where the myth started, but maybe it traces back to the early 90′s when the Canadiens sent John LeClair to Philadelphia. LeClair went on to 50-goal fame with the Flyers, something no Habs fan saw coming, and something that hasn’t been easy to swallow nearly 20 years later. Perhaps some would refer to the deal that sent Chelios to Chicago for an over-the-hill Denis Savard? On the flip side, let’s also recall that youngster Gilbert Dionne, he of 60 career goals with the Canadiens over parts of 5 seasons was sent packing, only to accomplish less than nothing with the duration of his NHL career. If he had scored 2 goals per game in the 27 games he had left in front of him in his NHL career, he would not have matched his career output in Montreal. Eric Desjardins and Mathieu Schneider went on to have terrific careers after playing with the Canadiens (and being contributors to a 24th cup victory, I may add), but its not like the Canadiens “gave up” on those guys. Both played several years in Montreal and were part of deals that were intended to make the Canadiens better. Give to get, as it were.

Today it seems that the consensus among fans is that once the Canadiens trade Andrei Kostitsyn away, he will instantly fulfill his first round draft pick promise and score 30 goals without breaking a sweat. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. If he finds the right fit, he will. If he doesn’t get his head in the game, he won’t. If he does manage to consistently score, it will undoubtedly fuel the fire that says youngsters departing Montreal instantly get better by changing scenery, or escaping the clutches of vile gangster Jabba the Hut Head Coach Jacques Martin.

But let’s take a quick look at the ledger, shall we? Without breaking down every stat and every situation, the Canadiens have let the following “young” players go over the past few years:

  • Michael Ryder
  • Chris Higgins
  • Mike Komisarek
  • Mikhail Grabovski
  • Sergei Kostitsyn
  • Kyle Chipchura
  • Guillaume Latendresse
  • Max Lapierre
  • Matt D’Agostini
  • Ryan McDonagh
  • Jaroslav Halak

It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, and without breaking it down in to minutae, at a glance we can see that of those names, only Belarussians Mikhail Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn have Habs fans up in arms today. Micheal Ryder has remained a decent player, but isn’t blowing anyone away in Boston and while Latendresse had some success after his trade last year, he’s been hurt for the vast majority of this season. Matt D’Agostini has posted respectable numbers overall, but he isn’t exactly burning up the scoresheet, either. In fact his recent stats suggest he’s slipping back to the form that saw him wear out his welcome in Montreal. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh has been a solid addition to the Rangers blue line but has a long way to go. He will always be known as a guy that was traded away so that the Canadiens could get their man in Scott Gomez. No doubt that the sting of that trade will help fan the flames. The rest of the names: Higgins, Komisarek, Chipchura, and Lapierre have all gone on to circle the drain in their post-Canadiens tenures. Higgins continues to struggle to find the form that had Habs fans labeling him as the team’s future captain. He’s seen time in New York, Calgary, and now Florida, with few signs that he will return to being the player that had three consecutive 20-goal seasons in Montreal. Mike Komisarek has been a huge failure in Toronto after signing a big contract, and everyone except Brian Burke will admit that. Kyle Chipchura is a spare part in Anaheim as he was in Montreal, and Max Lapierre is utterly lost with the same Anaheim team. Perhaps most famously, Jaroslav Halak has been very average with the Blues this season after enchanting an entire city with his performance last year. After a fantastic start to the season, his play has eroded significantly.

Circumstances vary, and the jury is still out on many of these players, but it’s clear from just taking a quick look at the list that very few players actually leave Montreal and become poster boys for success, or are cautionary tales for giving up too early. The myth is just that: A myth. It’s no guarantee that a young player will become a star elsewhere. That said, in this age of the salary cap, it is imperative that teams get the best from their young players or suffer the consequences. The Canadiens have struggled in this aspect, but it’s pretty clear to me that they were not always dealing with blue-chip stocks. I’m not getting in to what the Canadiens got (or didn’t get) in return for these players when they were given their walking papers. That’s a separate issue for another time.

But for now, we can at least try to shelve the discussion that all youngsters dumped by the Canadiens become superstars elsewhere.

Can you think of any other Habs that were traded away, only to become stars elsewhere?

Mission: Impossible

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So the Canadiens have now lost 6 of 7 games, with another one coming up against the league’s best team in Vancouver. Losing 7 of 8 is a distinct possibility. A distinct probability given the way they’re playing lately. The timing couldn’t be worse with the trade deadline about a week away. Now there’s a sizeable portion of Habs fans thinking that Pierre Gauthier absolutely must to do something to improve this team. I can’t put up much of an argument, because the Canadiens do need serious upgrades, but what can he be expected to do with the assets he has, and considering the state of the team on the ice? Not one, or two, or even three trades would fix all that ails the good ship Canadien. Besides – and this may be a well guarded secret that I’m about to expose – other General Managers around the league have cable TV (and satellite, too!), cell phones, and perhaps most shocking of all – internet access! Given all those top-secret tools, the rest of the league can effectively eavesdrop on the Habs and figure out just what the Habs troubles are. They also know what expectations are in Montreal, and can squeeze Gauthier even harder. Here’s another secret: there isn’t a General Manager out there who wants to help the Canadiens get better. They know the Canadiens are in dire straits, and they’re sitting back waiting for Gauthier to talk turkey with them. Within seconds they will have Gauthier over a barrel because they know he’s in dire straits. They probably wouldn’t know if they didn’t have all of those high tech gadgets like TV and internet. Damn them! This is precisely why Gauthier needs to disconnect and restrain himself. Any General Manager will be all too happy to pluck away the Canadiens best remaining assets to assist Gauthier in plugging just enough holes to make the playoffs.
If Gauthier is not planning on making a huge splash that helps shape the core of the team for the foreseeable future, then he may as well take a vacation. Just so that we’re clear, any moves that will affect the core of this team for the future will cost Gauthier assets that already represent the present and future: Pacioretty, Subban, and high-end draft picks. Are you ready to part with them? I thought not. And if you are, I’m glad you aren’t the General Manager. Andrei Kostitsyn, as the most moveable among the top-6 forwards will not fetch a productive power forward in return. And no, packaging Kostitsyn with a 3rd round draft pick isn’t a clever way to pry Rick Nash out of Columbus. “Sweetening the pot” with Yannick Weber or Lars Eller blows you like a stiff breeze in to “poor asset management” territory. Face it, the Canadiens are now living through the bumps in the road that come from poor drafting, injuries galore, and unproductive forwards with gigantic contracts. Father Time is the only one that can fix this, and only if he’s joined on the ride by better drafting, better player development, better coaching, and players that do what they’re paid to do.
The trade deadline is not the place where you transform yourself from bubble team to an intimidating, high-powered, well-oiled machine. That’s never been the intention of the trade deadline, nor will it ever be. The trade deadline is for teams that want to add the last pieces to what they believe is a Stanley Cup puzzle (see: Bruins, Boston). Many Habs fans are pulling their hair out because a hated rival continues to aggressively load up for their shot at glory. The Flyers are also looking primed for their swing at the fence. But guess what? Only one of those loaded teams will get the chance to play for the Cup, let alone win it. To do that, they still need to beat the Western Conference Champ, which is no guarantee either. I suppose some of you will say “but at least they’re trying while Gauthier does nothing”. If viewed in a vacuum, you’re right. But what you aren’t taking in to consideration is the fact that the Bruins and Flyers built slowly through the draft and have made shrewd signings over the years. They are in a position to make this final push for the Cup. The Canadiens aren’t there yet. Regardless, now you want the Canadiens to make a bunch of trades to keep up with the Flyers and Bruins at the top of the East? Sorry, I’m not buying it. There’s nothing Gauthier can do, or should do right now to try and keep up with the Joneses. With the system Jacques Martin has in place, any big-name acquisition is not likely to have the desired effect anyway. If you want real, lasting change for the Habs your best option is to wait for a regime change. Martin is still basking in the glow of last year’s run and probably has immunity for the foreseeable future, especially with his buddy calling the shots. A good place to start would be to have the guy who Bruce Boudreau called “one of the smartest coaches in the league” to alter his philosophy. Stop relying on power plays and goaltending. Implement a system that sees the forwards forecheck hard and keep the puck in the opponent’s end. Force them to chase the Canadiens speedy forwards.
Gauthier should not make moves at the deadline to puck up short-term fixes at the cost of the future. Instead, his best investment is a set of “jaws of life” to pry Martin’s philosophy out of the pre-lockout era.

Hand Cuffed

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we are all wondering, and predicting what Pierre Gauthier can and should do to help his team’s chances to not only qualify for the post-season, but to have another deep run.

Everyone and their dog has identified the lack of a bruising winger with scoring touch as a need to be addressed, and indeed it is a real need. It’s all well and good to look around the league and find guys who may fit the bill. It’s another thing entirely to fit him in to the current roster. As the roster stands, Plekanec is now centering Gionta and Pacioretty, and after 2 games, it’s been a godsend. On the second line, Gomez is centering Kostitsyn and Eller. After 2 games, they’ve been a whole of nothing at all. It should be evident by this point that any wingers paired with Gomez instantly struggles to remain productive. Gomez has played with virtually every winger on the roster and none have been a consistent threat to produce. Gomez looks great carrying the puck up the ice. He’s a smooth, speedy skater and is one of the best at gaining the offensive zone which is wonderful since you can’t score goals if you don’t enter enemy territory. The problem is what happens once he gets there. With Gomez, it’s a bit like saying that you can cook up a fantastic gourmet meal, but drop the plate on the floor before you get to eat it. Gomez, for all the speed vision, and agility that he brings, has not been the guy that he’s required to be. His faceoff win percentage is poor, he doesn’t shoot nearly often enough (his recent trend of firing more shots has led to 0 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 games), and he’s been making questionable plays with the puck once he gains the zone all season long. Couple these traits with his penchant to take silly untimely retaliatory penalties, and you start to get the idea. Or at least you should. With just 26 points, and a -10 +/- rating in 50 games, to say he’s been disappointing is an understatement. But this isn’t about Gomez. It’s clear he’s struggling to produce, but we can only hope that he elevates his game once the playoffs start, assuming his lacklustre regular season isn’t the torpedo that sinks the good ship Canadien.

The third line of Darche, Pouliot and Desharnais looks solid, and the fourth line of Moen, Pyatt and Halpern doesn’t need to do much else. If the fourth line is where you are focusing, you’re likely a well-oiled cup contender looking for the final piece to the puzzle; a faceoff specialist, a penalty killer, or some added character, leadership and grit.

Returning to the whole “let’s get a scoring winger” debate, where will this new acquisition play? Remember that Cammalleri is due to return sooner rather than later and will be slotted in among the top 6. Your top wingers would then be Gionta, Pacioretty, Kostitsyn and Cammalleri, centered of course by Plekanec and Gomez. Eller would be moved down to either the third or fourth line at the expense of Tom Pyatt. Before you go dreaming of acquiring a big scoring winger, you have to decide which of the top 4 wingers are going to be moved to another line (at the expense of somebody else) or to another team (bloody difficult given the contracts to some, and borderline unthinkable in the case of Pacioretty…though let’s recall that Bob Gainey pulled the trigger on the deal that sent a young Jarome Iginla to the Flames for an aging, but still useful Joe Niewendyk and it paid off). There’s no point in fantasizing about a big trade if you can’t make room for new acquisitions. It makes even less sense if you are not confident that the new acquisition will actually be as advertised. Sadly, not everybody gets to play with Tomas Plekanec. While Plekanec remains by far the Canadiens best forward, and the centerman by which everyone seems to thrive, not everyone can play with him. The way Gionta and Pacioretty are playing right now, they aren’t going to leave his side any time soon – except if Cammalleri bumps one of them once his shoulder is strong enough.

So you’re left with a decision to make if you want that winger. And it’s not as easy as you think. First you have to free up one of the top 4 winger slots. I expect that the common answer is to move Andrei Kostitsyn pronto. He’s a RFA at season’s end, and at times appears to not be one of Coach Martin’s favorites. Naturally, he’s the guy that should be sent packing. But should he really? Habs fans are notorious for over valuing what they have, and have long been known to want to trade row boats for battleships. Trading Kostitsyn now, while his value is low may not be the swiftest move. Moving the other wingers is more challenging given their contracts. Let’s just assume that there’s interest out there for Kostitsyn. Will moving Andrei Kostitsyn, while his value is low actually bring back what the Canadiens need in return, or if more pot sweetening needs to happen. In that case, is the trade worth it? And before you jump all over me, I’m not saying that Gauthier SHOULD move Kostitsyn, though I suspect he may.

My personal preference is that Gauthier address the forwards during the off season. The return of Mike Cammalleri, hopefully reinvigorated and looking to make up for an underwhelming first half could be the best deadline acquisition the Canadiens could hope for. The size issue will remain a red herring for this team and in my mind there isn’t much that can be done about it right now.

So go ahead, Habs fans, have at it! Yes, I intentionally left out talk about upgrading on the blue line. One thing at a time, kiddies.

Does Talent Buy Immunity?

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Following the Canadiens can be an exhilarating, yet sometimes exhausting experience. Over the past several seasons, the Canadiens have been up and down like a elevator. Players, coaches and management come and go on a yearly basis, yet the runaway roller coaster continues unabated. Throughout the change, we as fans always find things we like about the team, and players to latch on to.
 
Last spring, this group of players took fans on a dizzying run to the conference finals, deepening the bond between fan and player. When times get tough, however, the spotlight focuses on certain players with scorn. Usually the talented guys bear the brunt of criticism, and that’s the way it should be since they earn the majority of praise during the good times, and consume the majority of the salary cap at all times. But once the criticism is levied, some fans resort to defending their favorite players as if they were a part of their immediate family. Mama and Papa bear gnash their teeth.
 
No two players embody this phenomena more than Carey Price and Andrei Kostitsyn. Talented? Check. Important to the team’s success? Check. Contributors to the Habs early season success? Check. Nobody would argue that not only has Carey Price been the Canadiens best player, he’s been one of the best goalies in the league until recently. As the Canadiens player of the month for 3 consecutive months, it goes to show how terrific Price was during October and November, and how he was the best of the worst in December. For his part, Andrei Kostitsyn has had an up and down year, but I don’t know if we’ve ever seen him play as well as he did for the first 10 games of the year. 10 points in 11 games during the month of October, and he too had begun to quiet his naysayers.
 
But over the past month, Price has had weak goals slip past him, bringing on shades of last season when he was at times unfocused, and couldn’t catch a break. Is it fair to feel a bit of concern that his play has not been as sharp as we’ve been accustomed to? Questionable wraparounds and shots through the legs are not what the doctor ordered. Similarly, Kostitsyn has had his share of struggles. A modest 8 points in 13 games in November was largely swept under the rug, because he was bounced around from line to line. December saw his slumber worsen, with only 1 goal and 4 assists in 14 games, with his lone goal coming after he had been made a healthy scratch. He also only had 27 shots on goal in those 14 games, for an average of about 2 per night. For a sniper with a lethal shot, that’s not good enough. Excuses? Don’t want to hear them.
 
Newsflash: Instead of trying to blame somebody else for a blown assignment or inability to handle somebody bigger & stronger than them EVERY SINGLE TIME, if Price gives up a soft goal, it’s OK to say so. If he plays a poor game, it’s FINE to say so. If he has a bad month, quit trying to pin it on the team and coach if you were one of the people that tossed laurels at his feet when he singlehandedly won games! If he gets the glory when he’s the hero, he deserves criticism when he’s less than what the Canadiens need. Similarly, if Kostitsyn is soft on the puck, or laisser-faire, it doesn’t make you less of a fan to say so, and it won’t help you to become pals with the player to try and defend them at each and every turn. Unless the criticism is mean spirited, cruel or bigoted (which unfortunately still exists), thicker skin is needed and lording over these guys as if they were our children needs to stop. They’re adults with a job to do. While young, talented players are crucial to any organization, talent alone doesn’t score goals and make saves. Work ethic and execution do. Anyone who follows me know how critical I am of the coach and his tactics and strategies. He’s not blameless in this, but he’s not entirely to blame, either. At the end of the day, every player is solely responsible for the quality and consistency of his own performance.
 
Look, I cheer for anyone who wears the bleu, blanc, rouge, even if they’re not my favorite player (hello there, Benoit!). I want them to produce, and I want them to share in the accolades. What I can’t stand is when we constantly drum up excuses to cover up mistakes, exonerate poor decisions and pretend that there aren’t any issues with consistency. It’s a lot easier to completely blame the coach’s decisions and his strategy rather than the players…which would make sense if the player hadn’t had any previous success. On the eve of the season, I posted a blog entitled “Prove It“. In this second year of the major overhaul, there are no more excuses for this team or the players. Everybody has a role and everybody has experience save for Eller and Subban. Max Lapierre paid the price for his poor play and his inconsistency. His ice time was reduced, and he was eventually sent packing to Anaheim. Players are to be held responsible for their performances, and cheered for their achievements. Kostitsyn and Price got off to sizzling starts and got the hero worship that goes along with those kinds of performances. Price sustained his great start for a couple months, while Kostitsyn tapered off. Fair criticism is deserved, and both have earned their fair share lately. There’s nothing wrong with that.
 
I suppose some of you will see where I’m coming from, but I suspect that there are others who will insist that I’m just another hater and not a real fan for questioning results. The sad truth is that what was accomplished months ago means very little if the results don’t continue coming. The real question at the heart of this blog is ‘how long do you make excuses for questionable play before the crosshairs zero in on the player himself?’ It has somehow become taboo to voice concern over the play of Price and Kostitsyn. Some fans are shell-shocked because there’s been a lot of unfair criticism, but this doesn’t mean that fair criticism is suddenly unwarranted. Many will read this blog as a bashing, and interpret it as me being a hater. If you’re one of those people, congratulations, you’ve missed the point entirely, and helped prove my point.
For everyone else, what’s your take?

Habs Aren’t an Elite Team. Yet

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Is it possible for the Canadiens to go nearly wire-to-wire in first place in their division? They finished October in first. They finished November in first. We’re less than a week before Christmas and they’re still in first. Does winning your division really make you an elite team? I’ll bet many rabid Habs fans are ready to jump up  and say “YES!”, of course it does. The answer, in fact, is no, winning your division does automatically make you an elite team. One need only look at the NFL and MLB to see that teams that struggle to win more than they lose make the playoffs every year. Within the Canadiens relatively weak division, the Bruins are the only team that can overtake the Canadiens at this point, being only two points back with two games in hand. The Senators, Leafs and Sabres are all in various states of disrepair and pose little risk to the Northeast Division crown.

The Canadiens, at worst, are a good team. On some nights they’re a very good team. But we’d be getting ahead of ourselves to call them an elite team today. Yes, they may be in that conversation when it comes to points earned, but realistically the Canadiens can’t be held in the same regard as the Detroits, and Philadelphias of the league. Not just yet, anyway. Despite their relatively similar records, teams like the Wings and Flyers have competence, experience and moxy that the Canadiens do not.

The Habs have yet to come from behind this season when trailing after the first or second period. That was ok, since they hadn’t lost when scoring first, either, until recently when they’ve lost a handful a games wherein they did score that all-important first goal.

I know what many of you are going to say. The Canadiens have beaten Philly once already this year – shut them out even, as well as beaten the Penguins, Sharks, Bruins (twice) and shut out the Canucks. Verifiable facts, all of them. But I also submit that they’ve lost games to the Leafs (twice), Devils (by shutout), Nashville (at home, also by shutout), and Blue Jackets (surprise – by shutout!). Elite teams don’t make such blunders as often as the Canadiens do. I’m not suggesting that those teams are all doormats, but you can’t tell me that dropping decisions in the manner that the Canadiens did is normal for an elite team. The Canadiens have also lost games in which they looked utterly unprepared and disinterested: a 3-0 loss in Atlanta tops that list, followed closely by a lacklustre 3-1 loss at home to Florida. Sure, every team goofs now and then during an 82-game schedule, but our Habs seem to relish in making lives harder than they need to.

To be sure, the Canadiens ought to be thankful that they play in the softest division in the league. Taking a quick look around the NHL, we see that the Habs home – the Northeast division has 3 teams that are currently below .500, even with the charity point for failure in effect. The Atlantic division has 2 dismal teams, and the Southeast has one team below the .500, and even they (the Panthers) were able to march in to the Bell Center and walk out with a 3-1 win. In stark contrast, the entire Western conference has just two teams below .500, and both reside in Alberta (and, perhaps not shockingly, the Oilers also waltzed out of Montreal with an overtime victory).

But the news is positive: the Canadiens are still playing better hockey this season than they were at any point last season. Scoring has been balanced, even strength play is better, the power play is improving, even without Markov, the penalty kill remains strong and most of all, Carey Price is keeping himself in the conversation of the league’s best goalies to date. The components to being among the elite teams in the league are nearly in place. With the addition of Max “the Patch” Pacioretty to the second line, the Canadiens finally appear to have two dangerous scoring lines, albeit a long term injury to any of the forwards, especially Plekanec would be crippling, not only because of all the great things Plekanec does, but because losing him means losing Andrei Kostitsyn as well. (Sidebar: If you’ve spent any time at all on twitter during a Habs game, you’ve no doubt seen the dozens of tweets demanding that Andrei Kostitsyn NEVER be separated from Plekanec. If that’s the case, then no doubt the loss of Plekanec essentially destroys the Habs’ top scoring line because we’ve all but admitted that Kostitsyn becomes useless when not paired with Plekanec.)

There is depth among the bottom-six forwards along with a dash of talent. Jeff Halpern, Mathieu Darche, Benoit Pouliot, Tom Pyatt, Travis Moen, Max Lapierre and Lars Eller have brought some grit and offense to the lineup. Should one or two of them fall, there are replacements in Hamilton that can step in; Ryan White, Dustin Boyd, and Ben Maxwell come to mind and are all available for spot duty in Montreal if needed.

On the blue line is where the trouble lies, especially under Jacques Martin’s defensive system. With no hope of seeing Markov back any time soon, his workload has been dished out among those who can no longer offer those services for prolonged periods (Hamrlik & Spacek), those who never could offer it (Gill, Gorges & Picard) and those who are simply unprepared to shoulder the load, and overwhelmed by the spotlight (Subban). We should admire the work this group has done thus far, for we all know the Canadiens record sans Markov. That the team hasn’t bottomed out already should be seen as a small victory!

But this is where Pierre Gauthier needs to act. He now has cap room a plenty thanks to Markov’s injury, and it’s becoming more and more obvious where his team’s needs are. He needs another defenseman that can eat 20+ minutes per game and bring physicality to the rink. A stabilizing presence for Subban should also be among the criteria for a new defenseman.

Whatever acquisition Gauthier has his eyes on, it will cost him and he will need to be prudent not to give up too much. The better his team does, the better position they place him in to negotiate a trade because rival GMs will not view Gauthier as a desperate man in need of aid. He’s in the tenuous position of having to decide whether he thinks his team is one piece away from true Cup contention, or if he’s a couple of ingredients shy of the mark. This being Montreal, and expectations being what they always are, Gauthier will probably do something.

Though the Canadiens are close to being among the league’s best teams, they aren’t there yet. As Subban hopefully improves and plays more reliably over the next 50 games (note to Jacques Martin: please separate Picard and Subban!), and if Pacioretty can really be the missing ingredient that produces two stable scoring lines, then the guesswork is all but finished. The roadmap to success becomes clear for the team’s brass, and that’s surely a sign of an elite team.

What’s your take?

If the Habs Were Cars

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I figured it was time for another fun blog post. I’ve been waaaaaay off my game lately and wanted to throw something together based on nothing but total pointlessness. Oddly enough, it’s these types of posts that generate the most amount of discussion because it gives everyone the chance to also let down their hair and throw things at the wall. I decided to use a bit of discipline and restraint with this, because as Habs fans, we are notorious for over-valuing the players we have. So I’ve intentionally avoided exotic cars like Porsche, and Ferrari and supercars, like the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo. It would be too tempting, and ultimately too boring to assign everyone on the team we love such a distinguished ride.
So here goes nothing….your Habs, if they were your cars:
 
Tomas Plekanec – 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T I know what you’re thinking, “You’re starting this thing off with a Hyunday? Eff this, I’m out!” Hang on, it gets better! The new Sonata rates up there with BMW 5-series and looks like a Mercedes, but it flies under the radar of recognition because it’s a Hyundai. That’s wrong, but for Habs fans, it’s so SO right!
 
Andrei Kostitsyn – Jeep Rubicon. Tough like a tank and elegant in its simple, boxy design, the Jeep Rubicon is unstoppable with a motivated driver behind the wheel. In other words, when AK46 is on, nothing can stop him.
 
Mike Cammalleri – Nissan 370Z. This car cooks! A top of the line roadster that’s speedy, sharp looking and everyone wants one.
 
Scott Gomez – Chrysler 300M. It’s a nice looking car, is really comfortable and cruises very nicely. But ultimately, this thing is overpriced.
 
Brian Gionta – Mini Clubman. It’s essentially a miniature BMW. What else do you want?
 
Lars Eller – Chevy Volt. This electric/hybrid’s best days are still ahead of it. Its role is not quite defined, just as Eller is victim to Martin’s confounding ways. It’s the future, Jacques – get used to it!
 
Benoit Pouliot – Base model Chevy Camaro. I’m speaking from experience on this one. Lots of blind spots, takes a ton of energy to get it up to speed, but it looks and feels great once it’s moving. Pouliot should have been an SS model by now, but it appears as though we’ll never see that upgrade. Still, this is a vast step up from the Jimmy Olsen ranking he got in my “If Habs Were Superheroes” post from May.
 
Mathieu Darche – Toyota Camry. Useful but unremarkable car. Those that have one love it, but always longing for another Cammalleri.
 
Jeff Halpern – Honda Ridgeline. Surprisingly versatile and underappreciated.
 
Maxim Lapierre – Honda Civic SI. One that’s been modified by a 20 year old that wears Ed Hardy clothes and wears his hat sideways.
 
Travis Moen – Ford F150 King Ranch Edition – solid, solid, solid.
 
Tom Pyatt – The newly relaunched Ford Fiesta. Terrific reviews, spunky, quick and peppy…but ultimately not the car you want when you need performance.
 
Andrei Markov - Cadillac CTS Coupe. This is a sweet, sweet ride that does everything well. Made by one of the classic automakers, it fits Markov’s prestigious role within the Habs organization well.
 
Josh Gorges – Jeep Grand Cherokee. A classy, yet tough as nails ride that suits this Habs iron man to a tee. He never misses a game and was probably on the short list for the captaincy. The only place left for him to go is to the SRT8 model. That’ll be tough though.
 
Hal Gill – 18 wheeler. Plods along in a straight line, takes an hour to make a turn and can block entire lanes of traffic. Ask the Capitals. Or the Penguins.
 
PK Subban – Chevy Corvette. Unbridled speed and power. This car just begs to be turned loose, but if you’re not careful, the rear wheel drive will throw you out of control. It’s a thrill to watch when it’s under control. Otherwise you’re just waiting for the inevitable crash. And nobody likes seeing a smashed up Corvette. Or a shackled one either.
 
Roman Hamrlik – A Buick Regal. But an old one, not a new one…because the new ones are actually pretty awesome. Everyone knows that a Buick is a poor man’s Cadillac, and we all remember the admirable job that Hamrlik did filling in for Markov…last year. Once upon a time this car was a luxurious ride with a beefy engine, but that was a long time ago. Age erodes everything.
 
Jaroslav Spacek – Milk truck - delivers the goods once a week for a brief minute or two. That’s it.
Ryan O’Byrne and Alex Picard – Dodge Journey. Strictly utilitarian vehicles despite the attempts to give them style. They’re probably not long for this world. It’s a vehicle that just won’t stand the test of time, likely due to lack of development and poor product positioning.
 
Carey Price – 2011 Ford Taurus SHO. The old Taurus model was tired, boring, underwhelming and had lost its way by the time it was “reinvented” using the same Ford Five Hundred that got nowhere. Reborn and reinvigorated, the new Taurus the is probably the coolest looking sedan on the road and has the guts to back up its new look.
Ok, that’s it. Fun’s over. Now it’s your turn. What car would you have assigned to the Habs players?

Dare We Dream?

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The first month of this young season is already in the books, and look! The Habs are tops in the Northeast Division (although the Bruins have 3 games in hand). Raise your hand if you had them there, because I sure didn’t. The Canadiens have been a very pleasant surprise, as they have looked solid from the goaltending, out through the 4th line…with some problem areas in between that have yet to cause too much pain.

It’s tough not to get excited over the performance the Canadiens put forth in October 2010. They’re playing a more sustainable, solid game than the mirage that had Habs fans reaching dizzying heights this past spring, led by refocused Carey Price, reloaded Tomas Plekanec and reborn Andrei Kostitsyn. In past years, the Canadiens depended on power play success in order to win games, but now it seems that even strength play has become their forté. I for one, will take a team that plays well at even strength and struggles on special teams, than the opposite. But now is the time to start to put it all together. When you look back, it’s actually pretty amazing that the Canadiens did as well as they did in October: the clear-cut #1 defenseman has only played one game, the power play has been putrid, the second line has been virtually non-existant.

The signs are very encouraging for a successful season, but it’s still about 10 games too soon to proclaim this team is “for real”. November will prove to be a much tougher month for the bleu-blanc-rouge with matchups against the Bruins, Flyers (twice), Kings and Canucks. Not to mention teams that they always have trouble with: Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Hurricanes. If the Canadiens can emerge from November still on top of the Northeastern Division, the cold winter months will be a lot more palatable, as a winning Habs bunch makes just about everything better in Montreal.

But if that’s going to happen, some rough spots have to be ironed out, and fast. The power play will need to be much better. Stumbling and bumbling along with a single-digit success percentage is not a recipe for long term success, even if the penalty killing unit is top-notch. Cammalleri, while leading the league in +/- has got to get on something resembling a tear, especially on the power play. Markov’s re-entry to the lineup will only help him find that timing once again. A team like the Canadiens, as we saw in last spring’s playoffs agains the Flyers, can be worn down by bigger, tougher, more intimidating opponents. The Canadiens have made their opponents pay in past years by killing them on the power play. This helped preserve the Canadiens smaller players from physical punishment that adds up over the course of 82 games. If the Canadiens aren’t going to be lethal on the power play, eventually opponents will take liberties with the smaller forwards and wear them out the good ship Habs come April.

It’s clear that the Canadiens got through the first month of the year on the backs of Plekanec, Kostitsyn and the aforementioned Cammalleri. Gionta and Gomez, who combine for nearly 13 million big ones against salary cap have only combined for 2 goals and 4 assists, aka, the same amount of points that Benoit Pouliot has been able to post for nearly 1/10th the cap hit, and 7 minutes less of ice time per game. Hey, I’m just saying. It seems that Habs fans can’t ever be totally happy, and thus somebody has to be designated as the whipping boy. So far, that person has been Pouliot. While he admittedly has not shown much in terms of sustained desire and intensity, he is on a pace for about 50 points this season, which would represent terrific value for his relatively paltry salary. Whether or not he keeps this up is a matter up for discussion. The real issue among the forwards lies with high-priced Gomez and Gionta. Call it snakebitten, or call it lost in a fog, what we can all agree on is that a combined 6 points in 22 games is unacceptable. They need to start putting the puck in the net – immediately. They’ll get it together because history says they will, but the clock is ticking.

On the back end, the defense needs to not only chip in more offensively – both goals from defensemen came on the same night – but they need to get better at hitting the net with their shots from the point. The only two shooters – Subban and Spacek either telegraph their every move, or fire 3 feet wide. The defensive pairings also need to clean up their act in their own zone. While the shots against have come down dramatically from last season, we still see shades of the team that looked more like the keystone cops than a legitimate group of defenders. With 3 defensemen over the age of 35, the headless chicken dance is quite easily invoked once the opposition establishes itself in the Canadiens zone. Carey Price has been forced to make many, many big saves while bailing out his mates. Certainly Price’s .913 save percentage isn’t opening a ton of eyeballs, but rest assured that his modest stat belies how much better he’s been this season. His focus and determination are back to where they need to be, and that’s a huge relief for the Canadiens, and Canadiens fans who thought that the loss of Halak meant the end was nigh.

It would also be nice to see Lars Eller get some prime ice. He’s only been able to muster 1 assist in 11 games, and that’s no good. Don’t get me wrong, he hasn’t played poorly; he’s been strong on the puck, in the corners, and on the body, but he needs to show a little more of a scorer’s touch. Perhaps Coach Martin can help this along by playing Eller with some linemates with hands, and giving him more ice time than Tom “teacher’s pet” Pyatt. Nobody will ever say a bad thing about Tom Pyatt’s honest, hard-working game, but he’s a role player, and always will be. Eller, projected to be a core member of the team’s forwards in the years to come needs more ice time if he’s going to find his game at the NHL level. Let’s just hope that Jacques Martin doesn’t mishandle him like he mishandles virtually every player under the age of 25.

So while things are pretty rosy in Habsland, despite the gag-inducing loss to the Panthers on Saturday night, there are still lots of things to be worked on. A 7-3-1 record is probably better than 95% of fans would have expected after one month, but we can’t overlook the blemishes that still hang around the team’s neck. These issues need to be addressed very quickly because a one-line team cannot continue to win consistently for very long.

What’s your take on the Habs first month of the season?

Enjoy It!

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The Canadiens are off to a strong 3-1-1 start, and all is well in Habsland, right?
Of course!
 
Going in to the season, the biggest question marks surrounded whipping boys Carey Price and Andrei Kostitsyn. So much for easy targets. Both have been outstanding thus far, and ought to be quickly converting the many haters that seem to delight in trashing them on a nightly basis. But this being Montreal, there has to be a whipping boy somewhere. It just wouldn’t be right otherwise – afterall, we find things to complain about even after a hot start. Enter Benoit Pouliot. For the most part he has been underwhelming at a time when he needs to show that the belongs, and more importantly – wants to be here.
Any way you slice it, the start to the season has been a positive one, despite the sputtering powerplay, without Andrei Markov, and the relatively easy schedule.
 
Enjoy the moment, Habs fans! With the struggling Devils and Senators on deck, it’s entirely possible that your Habs can shoot out to a 5-1-1 start. That’s in stark contrast to the roller coaster that were the 2009-2010 iteration of the Canadiens.
 
Some other reasons to be happy about the quick start: 
  • 5-on-5 play is greatly improved (the downside is that the powerplay has suffered greatly, but both should get better with #79′s return),
  • Goals are coming from unexpected places: Jeff Halpern, Alex Picard, Dustin Boyd, Josh Gorges and Max Lapierre have all found the scoresheet to supplement team scoring,
  • Mike Cammalleri has not been his lethal self. He scored twice vs the Penguins, and fired 8 shots at Ottawa netminders, but he’s been out of sync. Once he gets rolling, look out!,
  • When was the last time Montreal and Toronto battled for first place? Even at this early juncture?
  • Tomas Plekanec looks like he’s ready to prove he was worth the long term deal and the big money,
  • Max Lapierre doesn’t look like he’s going to be the liability that he was all year last season,
  • With Ryan White, Max Pacioretty and Aaron Palushaj waiting in the wings, there seems to be real depth for once,
Are there reasons for concern? Absolutely, there are several. But I’m not going to touch on those in this post. One of the oddest things about being a Habs fan is that when they struggle and stink, we as fans rant and rave and call for heads. When things are going well, we nitpick and look for something to be wrong. We can’t leave things be.
For the time being we ought to just enjoy what we’re looking at: a team that is finding ways to win games.

Gauthier Rejects Simon Gagne

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The braying fools are in a tizzy again.

Habs General Manager Pierre Gauthier has made a blunder for the ages! He told Simon Gagné that he wasn’t going to do the equivalent of grabbing his ankles while bending over backwards to have him for 1 year.

Good for Gauthier, says I.

Yes, I know. Gagné is a proven scorer and has been for a decade. He’s also injury prone, but lets not let the facts get in the way of a good piece of fiction.

Gagné and his 5+ million dollar contract was made expendable once the Flyers brought in Nikolai Zherdev. As the story goes, Gagné’s agent phoned Canadiens GM Gauthier before anyone else and asked if there was interest, and if a deal could be made.

“Thanks, but no thanks…no cap room” was the response from the Habs.

Apparently that’s not a good enough answer for many who see the salary cap as nothing but a minor detail. For some, it would have been better to pull the trigger on the deal for the all-star forward and worry about the cap situation later. But is that the smartest thing to do? Gagné was on record as saying that he would have been willing to try Montreal for a year, and see where it goes. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the Canadiens would not have the means next year to sign Gagné to a long-term deal next season. Yes, Markov, and Hamrlik come off the books. Right there is 11 million in cap room saved. There’s also a bunch of RFAs that will come around again, and potential captain Josh Gorges will be seeking a raise. Oh, and don’t the Canadiens do a lot better with Markov in the lineup? That’s right, they do.

In order to make the deal happen now, the Canadiens would have had to send a prospect or a a player that makes next to nothing to Philadelphia for Gagné. The Flyers were not in a position to take on any additional heavy salary. But taking on Gagné also puts the Canadiens well over the cap, and Carey Price (and 2 more depth players) have yet to sign. Wait, it gets stickier. In order to make room for a top-6 forward, Gauthier would then have to move a top-6 forward. We know Gomez, Plekanec, Gionta and Cammalleri aren’t going anywhere. This leaves Benoit Pouliot and Andrei Kostitsyn as potential moveable pieces. Moving Pouliot and his 1.35 million dollar deal isn’t enough to get the Habs back under the cap. So that leaves no other option except moving Andrei Kostitsyn and his 3.25 million dollar deal. “No biggie”, many fans would say. “Good riddance”, many others would say. Not only would Kostitsyn have to go, but probably another lowly paid player in order to bring back the buffer zone under the cap would have to be dealt.

Does moving Kostitsyn make sense in this case? He will be a restricted free agent at the end of next season, and at the age of 26, will be entering his prime. He’s not worth moving now solely to make space for a more expensive player that would not deliver all that much more than Kostitsyn can, if he’s engaged, used properly and healthy. Yes, Gagné is a much more proven scorer than Kostitsyn. Yes, Kostitsyn had only 15 goals last year. That was an off year, an abberation, and everyone should know it. He’s far more likely to net 25 than 15 again, and we all know he could easily hit 30 if things go right for him. Under Jacques Martin’s system, Gagné would be lucky to hit 30 goals – if he stayed healthy. We’ve not even spoken about if Gagné is a fit with the Canadiens. With Gionta and Cammalleri established as snipers on the team, and on the powerplay, is there enough ice for a 3rd highly paid sniper? In a defensive, passive system where the Canadiens play shorthanded more than they do with the man advantage? Probably not.

At next season’s end, we’ll see just how much Gagné wants to play in Montreal. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and if he wants to be here so badly, he’ll listen closely to Pierre Gauthier, if Gauthier so chooses to make a pitch for his services.

I don’t truly believe that Simon Gagné wanted to be here, at least not for the long-term. What we’ve been witness to is “public relations” and “saving face”. I believe that Gauthier was prudent in not trying to move mountains to bring in a highly paid, injury prone (yet terrific) player. We’ve been down the road of giving up a lot for the services of a talented Quebec-born player for a single season before, and we saw how that went.

Remember Alex Tanguay?