Tag Archives: Jacques Martin

Found: A Home for Two Wingers

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Prior to the start of the season, the Canadiens had several challenges in front of them. Among them:

  • Would Carey Price be able to handle the pressures of not only carrying a team on his shoulders, but force fans forget about playoff hero Jaroslav Halak?
  • Would the smallish Canadiens forwards be able to grind out another season and remain productive?
  • Would Andrei Markov be able to return to the lineup and give his team a badly needed shot of adrenaline?
  • How would an aging, eroding defense hold up?

Most of those questions have been answered by now, but there’s another question that everyone had on their mind: Would Andrei Kostitsyn and Benoit Pouliot be able to deliver the goods? With little cap flexibility and not many assets to wheel & deal, Pierre Gauthier knew, as did everyone else, that if the Canadiens scoring prayers were to be answered it would be because his two big, skilled wingers answered those prayers.

Through 65 games, their numbers aren’t all that impressive on the surface:

  • Andrei Kostitsyn – 16 goals, 20 assists in 64 games, with a +3 rating.
  • Benoit Pouliot – 13 goals, 13 assists in 62 games, with a +7 rating.

There’s a litany of excuses and exonerations for both, though both have earned their fair share of criticism. In the case of AK46, some of criticism snowballs to a big ball of hate while Pouliot’s criticism leans more towards resigned ambivalence. I’m not sure which is worse; at least the hate shows that people care and expect more.

As Jacques Martin shuffles lines, he seems to have stumbled on something that finally works. Kostitsyn is now riding shotgun with Lars Eller and Travis Moen, forming what is far and away the Canadiens biggest line. Kostitsyn and Eller seem to have chemistry together and have been feasting on favourable matchups as teams throw their top defenses out against the likes of Plekanec and Gomez (though why would anyone bother these days with Gomez?). Pouliot, for his part has been quietly effective with mini-mite David Desharnais. He’s still prone to moments of stupidity and still finds ways to disappear for prolonged periods, but he’s not the bambi-legged, fragile kid that he was when faced with superior opposition near the start of the season. Right now, Kostitsyn and to a lesser degree, Pouliot are finding their all-important comfort zones. Perhaps they won’t put up the numbers expected of players selected in the top-10 of an NHL draft; in fact, under a stifling Jacques Martin ‘defense-first’ system, it’s unlikely that their numbers will ever cause eyeballs to pop. But they do have the talent to totally overwhelm the bottom lines of opposing teams and provide the Canadiens the secondary scoring that they desperately need.

Taking a closer look, Kostitsyn had 10 points in 11 October games. Recently he’s posted 7 points in his past 5 games. Combining those 16 games, AK46 has 17 points. Pretty impressive I’d say. The other 48 games, sadly, aren’t as pretty, as he totaled just 7 goals and 12 assists. Interestingly, Habs scribe Arpon Basu revealed what I think is a telling stat. While Kostitsyn can be maddening from game to game, and week to week, as evidenced in the break down of this season, his overall numbers are astoundingly consistent from season to season: in each of the past 3 seasons, AK46 has posted remarkably similar numbers: 0.55, 0.56; 0.56 points per game.

Perhaps its time for us to recognize the pattern and see him for what he is and stop harping on him to become what we think he ought to be. Afterall, if we recall Einstein’s definition of insanity:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The temptation for Jacques Martin will be to put Kostitsyn back on the top line with Plekanec and Cammalleri, and that may eventually be the right move – especially come mid-April. But for now, Kostitsyn is back on the scoresheet with the consistency that Habs Nation has been longing for, and he deserves credit for riding out the very choppy waters to this point. He’s found solid footing with Eller and perhaps he’s found a good home on whichever line you consider it to be. The happy byproduct is that Lars Eller is thriving in an increased offensive role. It’s a huge win-win for the Habs. It would be a mistake in this blogger’s opinion to jerk Kostitsyn back to the “top” line now while he’s in the midst of his best hockey since October.

I would be remiss not to point out that something will eventually have to give, because Jeff Halpern, like Travis Moen, Mathieu Darche, Tom Pyatt and Ryan White before him- are not legit first line wingers. They can plug a hole, as Glen Metropolit did last season, but they aren’t permanent solutions. But while Kostitsyn is surging, don’t pull the rug out from under him. He’s proven to be a guy that doesn’t respond to the whip in a good way. He needs to gain confidence by putting the puck in the net, and its becoming clear that the best way for him to accomplish that is to lessen the pressures on him and let him beat up on weaker opposition.

Martin goofed at the start of November when he separated Kostitsyn from Plekanec in an attempt to spark the sea of despair that is Gomez’ wing. Coach Martin has received a huge amount of criticism for not adapting or learning from his mistakes. He’d be as insane as some fans if he repeated it again.

It’s fixed for now, Jacques, don’t break it.

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.

Getting to Know Alex Auld

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He’s big. He’s bald. He’s Alex…bored?

Four starts.

Five appearances.

In 41 games played.

Yeah, I’d be bored, too.

I’m sure he knew what he was in for when he signed on the dotted line, but I’m not sure he expected to see this little ice time. Can we blame Jacques Martin though? No disrespect to Alex Auld, but the Habs’ fortunes lie with the goalie with the thick head of hair. We all know the story to here. Price started October and November hot as Georgia asphalt, only to cool down in December and at the start of 2011. The first month of 2011 has seen him play a poor game against Atlanta, and finally rebounding with a strong game against the Penguins. At the rate at which he’s starting games, he’ll start about 74 times. I know he’s only 23, and that Bob Gainey called him a thoroughbred, but 74 starts in a single regular season is stupid. Things don’t look to change any time soon though; The Canadiens face the Bruins, Rangers, Penguins, Rangers, Flames, Sabres, Senators, Ducks and finish up the month with another tilt with the Flyers. Price figures to start the majority of those games as Martin ices his best team to regain points lost in December. If Price is to get any form of breather before this season wears him out, the Canadiens will have to have success throughout January, despite the mounting injuries. Why? Because February looks like the time when Alex Auld may be able to step in and relieve Price of some of the heavy load.

February, already a short month, will see the Habs play 13 games, or roughly once every second night. There are three sets of back-to-back games, one set of three games in four nights, and one stretch of four games in seven nights. If there’s a silver lining, it’s a faint one: while there are no longer easy nights in the NHL, the Canadiens’ opponents line up as such: Capitals, Panthers, Rangers, Devils, Bruins, Islanders, Leafs, Sabres, Oilers, Flames, Canucks (the latter three during the dreaded Western swing), before finishing up the month with home games against the Leafs and Hurricanes. With a number of “weaker” opponents on the slate, February could be the window of opportunity for Alex Auld to shoulder some of the load while Price hopefully gets a break or three leading in to the stretch run. March promises to be a  difficult month, as teams play desperation hockey, or assume the spoiler role. The Habs as a potential (probable?) bubble team don’t want to be caught in the position of having to play playoff hockey again just to qualify for the post-season.

Time will tell, but we know that Coach Martin isn’t one to innovate and improvise on the fly. If he does any planning in advance, he’d be smart to look at February as an opportunity to give his meal ticket a chance to catch his breath while not sacrificing his team’s slot in the standings. But first things first – get the Canadiens back on track in January!

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?

Jacques Martin is at it Again

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It certainly didn’t take Jacques Martin long to wake the grump in me up again. Despite posting a happy ‘puppy dogs and ice cream’ entry just the other day, I’m compelled to repeal that positivity and chime in on the Canadiens’ coach latest transgression.

Whether it’s letting the Tampa game slip away by insisting on his passive game, or head scratching line changes, he’s always there to tie one hand behind his team’s back and prevent the best of his charges from shining through.

What’s the problem this time? Besides the fact that he’s still behind the bench? I completely disagree with removing Pouliot from the 2nd line after 3 games.

Before I really get started, let me just preface this article by saying that I’m no fan of Benoit Pouliot. If you read my “If the Habs Were Superheroes” post, you’d know what I mean. I’m highlighting what a piss-poor manager of young talent the Habs head coach is.

So where was I? Right. Demoting a self-conscious, fragile young player after 3 games. What a ludicrous way of handling your team’s youth. Then again, Martin has never been recognized for his adeptness at fostering young talent, so what do I know?

Last season Martin had been accused of hampering Price’s development and confidence by quickly pulling the rug out from under him and inserting Halak with his “win and you’re in” mentality. Anyone subscribing to that line of thought would have no choice but to apply the same logic to what’s happening with Pouliot. Granted, Pouliot has been ineffective since March of last year, but nobody forced Pierre Gauthier to give the kid a new contract, let alone a raise. He could have let him go, and nobody would have blamed him except for those still crying in their pillows over the loss of Latendresse. Armed with a new 1.35M deal for this season, Pouliot’s slate should have been wiped clean by the coaching staff. A 3-game audition on the 2nd line proves nothing and is not a fair chance for him to do much of anything, especially considering that his linemates aren’t exactly burning up the scoring sheet, either. I won’t say that Pouliot has been good (despite the 2 assists and the occasional hit thrown), but he’s not been abyssmal. Some have theorized that the move allows Pouliot to play with less pressure and find his game on the 3rd and 4th lines. What???? The expectation for Pouliot has always been to produce. How’s he going to do that playing scant minutes with guys who wouldn’t know a goal celebration if they watched highlight reels for the next 3 years.

Besides, what’s the point of replacing Pouliot on the 2nd line if you’re not going to replace him with somebody that possesses a similar skill set? Any team’s second line is considered a scoring line, and when nearly 13 million in cap space is tied up in two other players, you better believe that the top priority is to put points on the board!

So what does Martin do? He tries Travis Moen on the line for a couple nights. We all love Moen for his honest, hardworking game, but for goodness sake, he’s not a late-blooming John LeClair! Nor is Tom Pyatt, for all his determination, a legit threat to consistently get points on the board. And guess what happened as a result of the tinkering? Nothing happened, that’s what. The only result is that Pouliot’s confidence sinks lower still, haunted by the fact that if he isn’t lighting the lamp, he’s toast. That’s no way to coax the best out of an already fragile youngster.

So if the end result is no offense, why not leave Pouliot there for an extended time? The worst that can happen is that no offense is produced, same as if Moen or Pyatt occupies the left wing slot on the second line. By leaving Pouliot there, and telling him that he’s going to stay there for a good while, he gets time to find the same groove that saw him score at a torrid pace before being hurt last year, or proves once and for all that he cannot deliver. And if it turns out to be the latter, then you do what you have to do. But 3 games in? All this does is build in another excuse as to why Pouliot couldn’t cut it. Remove the escape routes. Put him in a position to succeed and leave him there. This early season line juggling is utterly laughable from Jacques Martin. I know that the line between playoffs and 9th place is literally as thin as it can get. A line that isn’t producing now may cost the team in April, so it’s critical to optimize production through 82 games. All that said, the line juggling wouldn’t be so bad if he would just make the logical move and replace Pouliot with Lars Eller, who has shown some offensive flair that Moen and Pyatt will never have.

But I guess I should stop expecting decisions that make sense from the Habs’ head coach. On the other hand, he does keep this blog going, so I guess I can’t complain too much.

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.

Random Habs Notes

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There’s too many loose thoughts in my head right now to put together a cohesive blog post, but as usual, I do have some opinions on what we’ve seen of our Habs in the past week.

Jacques Martin seems to have learned nothing about the new NHL in the offseason. The Habs took a 2-0 lead, and then prompty resumed the antiquated practice of sitting on the lead. Predictably, the Lightning, under innovative coach Guy Boucher attacked and attacked some more. Tired and already undisciplined, the Canadiens took one penalty too many and the game was tied. They tempted fate too often and were burned, utterly wasting a 40+ save effort from Carey Price.

Speaking of Jacques Martin, is he, or isn’t he in charge? During the playoffs we saw Kirk Muller take a much bigger role with the team. As it was in the spring, last night saw Muller talking to the refs, drawing up plays, and doing 95% of the talking behind the bench. You know, coaching. For Martin’s part, I’m sure he got a lot done and will implement many new strategies because of his copious note taking. Wonderful.

Carey Price. Love the way he’s playing this season. He’s directly and solely responsible for all 3 of the points the Habs thus far. Every one of them, and based on the overall lacklustre play of his mates, he’s going to have to continue with his early season magic.

The curious case of Benoit Pouliot. What a weird story this is. Half of fans think he’s dogging it just as much as he was last season after returning from injury. The other half think he’s been the only productive member of the second line. He’s become the whipping boy, and I suppose not all of it is undeserved. But let’s get real. It’s 3 games in. If you were expecting him to be Clarke McArthur, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Jokes aside, give him a REAL audition. Not 5 games. He deserves at least 10 games to show he’s ready to commit or fail. At the end of the day, he may not get that long though. With the line of playoffs and no playoffs so razor thin, everyone has to pull their weight. He’s clearly on a short leash, and Lars Eller may be poised to take his spot before long. For now, scoring dynamo Travis Moen has taken Pouliot’s roster spot in practice. That ought to fix everything.

Where, O where is Andrei Markov? The defense is an absolute mess without him. Josh Gorges has been steady, but when he’s your best defenseman, even after 3 games, you’re in trouble. Hamrlik look ok in his return, which is a good sign, but Spacek…my goodness…what’s happened to him? I was never enamored with his signing but he did play some good hockey in Markov’s absence last year. But for the love of jellybeans, can he please hit the net? Just once? He makes Mike Komisarek look like Ray Bourque in the accuracy department. The biggest reason why the Habs desperately need Markov back? Special teams. If they continue to play hang-on-for-dear-life hockey, as Martin has them doing, they will need to win the special team battle every night. Pretty tough to do when you take too many penalties, and score on exactly zero percent of your powerplays.

Subban gets a paragraph to himself. Watching him skate and carry the puck should excite Habs fans. He’s swift and confident with his skills, but he has not yet learned when is the right time to employ his assets. He’s been wildly erratic, and pretty ornery too. He’s carried his preseason bad habit of taking too many penalties to the regular season. He needs to simplify his game without ignoring what he does best. That’s going to be tough to do, but PK’s going to be a special player and he deserves special attention. Sadly, I don’t know if the Habs have enough good coaches to develop him. There isn’t enough of Kirk Muller (who wasn’t even a defenseman) to go around.

3 games in, and the Habs have 3 points. Not a disaster, but not great either. I expected them to be 2-1 by this point, but didn’t think they’d be outplayed the way they have. Shame on me for thinking a leopard can change his spots!

Prove It

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It’s been one whole year since our now-familiar Habs took to the ice for the first time in a regular season that resembled a roller coaster more than anything.

One year in which we’ve been elated, stressed, overjoyed, horrified, relieved, frustrated – sometimes all on the same day.

With an entirely new roster, new coach, new owner, new system, the excuses, and the jokes wrote themselves. Whether it was a lack of chemistry, the wrong system, the wrong personnel, injuries woes, meddling by a confounding coach, mid-season GM changes, birthday celebrations, incompetent officiating,  overbearing media, and some even suggesting an anti-Habs conspiracy, Canadiens fans had no shortage of excuses to resort to as to why the they were as inconsistent a team as you could find during the 09-10 campaign. Some of the excuses had some validity: injuries and poor strategy. Others are folly: officiating, media, conspiracy, and chemistry (for about 20 games, chemistry was an issue).

One of the things I’m looking forward to is a 2010-2011 season without those excuses, or, at least most of them. Officials will always get some blame, but as CBC’s Elliotte Friedman so perfectly put it last year – blaming the officials is a loser’s lament. That may be the best line I heard last all of last season simply because Canadiens fans made it such a habit to blame the zebras for any troubles.

If the Canadiens are forced to play the same passive, defense-first system this season, Jacques Martin will be roasted some more, and justifiably so. However, as it always has been, it comes down to the guys in the room. They know what to expect and they are the guys who are paid as much as the league allows – to win games.

The reality is that there are no more excuses for this Canadiens group, and I’m sure to a man they would concur. From the owner right through to the healthy scratches, the expectations are benchmarked and the culture is engrained.

The Canadiens pride themselves on how tight-knit this is.

Management is familiar with the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

The refs will often suck. For both teams.

Injuries will happen.

The media will be ever-present, and ever-voracious. We react to them more than the players do.

The coach, for better or worse, is a known quantity. Just hearing two of his press conferences will have you wondering if you’re having a deja-vu. Everyone knows what to expect.

The general manager has put a partial stamp on the team by keeping Price and remodeling the bottom-six forwards with youth, grit and hustle. He’s got very few places to hide if this season goes up in smoke.

Collectively, the players are now set with their locker room leaders. Gionta, Gill and Markov will bear the letters on their jersey, but for each one of them, there’s at least one more without a letter that is just as worthy as them to sport one. A rudderless room was no issue last season (unless you put a ton of stock in the Price – Markov rift). That excuse – if it ever was an issue – is dead and buried.

As for the players individually, Tomas Plekanec is embarking on a six-year odyssey that will pay him 30-million dollars to be the Canadiens best overall forward. After a career season last year, he’ll have to prove that he isn’t one of those guys who will take the money and run.

For Benoit Pouliot, he’ll have to prove that he cares about a career past the age of 25. He somehow managed to squeeze a raise out of GM Gauthier, and for that, he’s under the gun. A soft training camp hasn’t inspired confidence, but I know 1.35 million reasons why he should find some confidence – lickety-split!

For Andrei Kostitsyn, consistency and results are required if he wants to see another contract like the nearly 10 million dollar deal he signed just a few seasons ago.  It took him 20 games last year to realize the season had started, but by the time he did, he was dominant. Then he got hurt and was not the same again. Barring injuries, he’s needed right off the bat. Bring the lunch pail, the wand and the sledgehammer, Andrei. No matter what line or role Jacques Martin puts him with, nothing can, or should stop AK46 from bulldozing opponents with his strength. His lil’ bro is gone, too, which removes that excuse from the minds of fans who thought Sergei was a rotten influence.

For Andrei Markov, a strong showing will be given. This we know. What remains to be seen is whether or not he’s the same guy who, when healthy and on his game, is a threat to contend for the Norris. His contract is expiring this season, and everyone – fans, teammates and management desperately want him to prove that he’s worth another long term deal to serve as the Habs anchor on the blue line.

For Carey Price, the spectre of Halak is gone, replaced by lingering voices of thousands of fans ready to pounce. As stupid and senseless as booing Price is, the job was given to him, and accepted by him to be the top dog in goal. It’s now his ball to run with. He’ll need to win games on his own, and he’ll need to not be the reason why the Canadiens lose games, something certain segments are all too quick to pin on him. Don’t worry, I’ll call it down the middle.

For Lars Eller, he’ll need to prove he was worth the tears and heartache. He may never make some people happy no matter what he does, but he can’t leave anyone with the impression that he won’t be a factor in the future. We don’t need 30 goals, but a dimension of physicality is. Bring it.

For Maxim Lapierre, coming off a majorly disappointing season, it will be vital for him to prove that it was his injured foot’s fault. If preseason prep is any indication, he’s raring to go and will be the guy who was on the verge of being a key component of this team. Oh, and apparently the fists are in the tool box now, too.

For Ryan White, should he make the team, he’ll need to continue playing like his hair is on fire. He’s shown aggressiveness and tenacity that we don’t normally see in the bleu-blanc-rouge. He badly wants to be on the team, and based on preseason play should be. But can he go full-bore for 82 games? Isn’t it false advertising if he doesn’t?

For Jaroslav Spacek, he’s got to put it all together. Last year he was defensively sound, but couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with his shot. This preseason, he’s been accurate with his shot, but ghastly defensively. Get it together, Jaro.

For PK Subban, push away from the kool-aid. He’s good, and will continue to get better. But he’s not Larry Robinson. Reign in the expectations, and whoa horsey!!

For Roman Hamrlik, if missing the preseason was a Favre-esque ploy, in order to save all energy for the season, then so be it. He’s seen enough preseason to last a lifetime. With one season to go on his deal, he’ll want to give all he’s got to prove he’s not finished. One way or another, he’s going to get a massive paycut next year, but he can mitigate that by mentoring and helping Subban adjust to a full season in the NHL, just as he helped Dion Phaneuf in his rookie year.

For Ryan O’Byrne, just keep it simple. Grind people to dust with the size. Be alert, be responsible. That’s it. Simple.

For the others that I haven’t mentioned, they also have something to prove, but we know what to expect from guys like Gomez, Gorges, Gionta, Gill, and Darche. They’ll bring everything they have to rink, and then some.

Finally, for the fans, it’s time to give our heads a collective shake. The year of excuses is over. Finished. The Habs are in a position to succeed individually, and as a group. If they fail, it’s on them individually, and as a group. If I hear or read one fan mention how if the Canadiens opening night loss to the Leafs (if that happens) is because Cammalleri was unjustifiably suspended, I’m giving up.

The ingredients to success – and failure are located within the confines of the Canadiens dressing room, and nowhere else. There will be hurdles, there will be highs and lows. Can we fans as a group, ride them out and keep the focus where it belongs – on the group that has accepted the task of raising the bar for hockey in Montreal?

Prove it.