Tag Archives: Pierre Gauthier

A Bittersweet Gift?

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When I first started writing about the Habs (way back in the mid-90′s when I first started posting on the Canadiens newsgroup), I tried to avoid getting attached to players. I’ll always be a fan of the team, but the names on the back would be secondary so long as the right pieces were being shuffled in and out. I’ve had some success, but inevitably some players just become like extended members of the family (I doubt the players feel the same way!). So it was with Kirk Muller, and Saku Koivu, two of my all time favorite Habs. By and large, however, other players were not so much expendable as they were interchangeable stepping stones on the path to success. I liked some guys, didn’t like others, but when trades went down, or when players were released, I tried not to let some mancrush get the better of me. With this edition of the Habs, however, I’m not doing so well. With guys like Gionta, Subban, Gill, Pacioretty and the man of the hour in Gorges in the fold, I find myself more and more attached to these players the longer they stick around. It makes an “objective” evaluation hard to do.

This brings us back to Gauthier’s latest signing.

As one of favorite players on the team, I badly wanted to see Gorges back. His mix of determination, character, leadership, and defensive talents make him one of those guys who you can’t win without. Guys like him can “will” a team to victory through sheer guts. There is, however, a point where giving Gorges too much money ends up hurting the Canadiens more than it helps. For as many positive qualities as he brings, there’s a ceiling for players that put up less than 20 points per season. Debate has raged for weeks on how high that ceiling is. Eventually Gorges will test that ceiling and the flames of debate will reignite.

The 1 year, $2.5 million dollar deal itself has left many, if not all fans scratching their sweaty heads. Why just one year? Where’s the long-term deal that would have seen Gorges in the bleu-blanc-rouge for the foreseeable future? We can conjure up all kinds of reasons why this deal is only delaying the inevitable – the eventual departure of the reliable defenseman. The fact is none of us were a part of the negotiations.

And while none of us are in Gorges’ or Gauthier’s head, most assumed that Gorges was happy in Montreal, and that the Habs were ready to move forward with Gorges as a part of their core for years to come. Now with the risk of losing him to unrestricted free agency looming in just under a year from now, many see a simple one year deal as a slap in the face to one of the team’s leaders in the dressing room, and a sure sign that Gorges already has July 1, 2012 circled on his calendar, and is dreaming of calling some other area home. I’m not sure that’s necessarily the case.

If Gorges was that insulted with either the term or the money presented to him by the Canadiens, he could have taken his chances in arbitration and hoped to be awarded more moolah. But he didn’t, which tells me that he’s still a team guy, still wants to play for the Canadiens, and will relish the chance to have a great season as a pending UFA. From there he’s free to hold the Canadiens over a barrel. From Gauthier’s perspective, he’s perhaps trying to save himself as much cap space as possible for when Price and Subban’s deals expire. With only Kostitsyn, Spacek and Gill with significant salaries due to come off the books next season, Gauthier will certainly have little wiggle room with which to work. Perhaps even more notably, as the current CBA expires at the conclusion of next season maybe Gauthier wants to see what type of framework he has to work with before locking in players to longer term deals.

Fans of Josh Gorges can breathe at least half a sigh of relief; the man is back with the Habs for at least one more season. Coming off major knee surgery that saw him play less than half of the 2010-2011 season, this is the most important season of Josh Gorges’ career. It’s to the Habs benefit that they will likely get Gorges at his healthy, motivated best, as he primes himself for unrestricted free agency.

Benoît Pouliot: The Legacy of a Mistake

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Let’s go back to late summer 2006. A 19 year old local wonderkind had just lit up the NHL’s preseason by scoring nearly a goal per game. Finally! The hero that the home town crowd had been praying for had arrived to save the team from obscurity and be the franchise’s cornerstone for at least a decade. Even if an inflated preseason goal-per-game pace is reduced by half, or even a quarter over the course of a regular season, surely you’ve got a useful, if not marquee player, right?

Clearly rookie head coach Guy Carbonneau and General Manager Bob Gainey thought so, and awarded Guillaume Latendresse a 3-year contract worth $850,000 per season, which was the maximum allowable for a rookie. Immediately the skeptics voiced their concern that the Canadiens simply bowed to public and media pressure to keep the young francophone in Montreal. The cheerleader in this camp was Habs legend Patrick Roy, who stated that if Latendresse’s name was Smith, he would have been relegated to the minors.

The other popular refrain was that while Latendresse was the big body that the Canadiens badly needed on their top two lines, he should have served time in Hamilton under coach Don Lever…this camp was led by TSN analyst Pierre McGuire. After all, players don’t arrive in Montreal to learn; they arrive in Montreal to perform, where the pressure to win is the highest. The AHL and other “minor” leagues are where players go to learn to be well rounded. At least that’s the way it works in Montreal. While the skeptics were derided as being a bunch of scrooges, it wouldn’t take long for them to be proven right. While Latendresse scored 16, 16 and 14 goals in Montreal before his 22nd birthday, it was more than clear that he was an unpolished, unrefined hockey player that more often than not was lost on the ice. Those that demanded that he be given a permanent home in Montreal in the fall of 2006 blamed rotating linemates and a lack of ice time for his underwhelming presence on the ice. The truth is that Latendresse was a confused hockey player; yes part of the blame rests with Habs management for rushing him along, but much of it rests with Latendresse himself, who squandered each and every opportunity to better himself (i.e. skipping a preseason camp for young players in the summer of 2009).

Finally, on November 23, 2009, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Benoît Pouliot, another chronic underachiever. This trade was a classic ‘my problem for your problem’ scenario. Almost immediately, Latendresse showed a scorer’s touch, scoring 10 goals in his first 20 games with Minnesota, and going on to score 25 goals in 55 games over the remainder of 2009-10 season. Surely, those pumping Latendresse’s tires during his stay in Montreal felt vindicated in their belief in the young player, even as they continued to wipe the tears from their eyes over the trade. Meanwhile, Benoît Pouliot was busy mending a bum wrist, awaiting his debut with the tricolore. For his part, once he did return from a wrist injury Pouliot went on to score 15 goals in 39 games; 6 more than he had scored in 65 career games with the Wild. On the surface, it looked like a win-win trade. Except that the majority of Pouliot’s goals were scored during one hot streak which then quickly subsided. What we all know now is that when Pouliot isn’t scoring, he isn’t doing anything. At all. Except taking dumb penalties.

So, after scoring 24 points in 39 in his first half-season with Montreal (a statistic that flattered Pouliot’s overall quality of play), Pouliot showed his true colours by posting a flaccid 2 assists in 18 playoff games. Talk about being a passenger!

Here’s where rushing a player to the big show, then trading that player in an attempt to wash your hands of the problem that he had become morphs in to an even bigger problem. Not only did the Canadiens decide to keep Benoît Pouliot for the 2010-2011 season, they inexplicably gave him a $500,000 raise to $1.35M. There’s an argument to be made that the Habs had faith in his untapped abilities, and that he’d represent good value for the money. You could also say that you simply don’t give up on a kid who was drafted 4th overall (one place ahead of Carey Price). Fine, but the more plausible explanation is that the Canadiens were practicing “asset management”. Letting Pouliot walk after the 2009-2010 season would have meant trading Guillaume Latendresse for half a season (plus playoffs) of Benoît Pouliot. That would have caused a tremendous uproar and been a perceived stain on Gauthier’s resume. Quite simply, the Habs had to save face after trading away the media’s golden boy.

What this all boils down to is a single mistake made in 2006 – bowing to fan and media pressure in keeping an unprepared youngster in the highest pressure market in hockey. Because of that mistake, the Habs were forced to trade Latendresse away for another underachiever and then compounded the error by keeping Pouliot around for another year. By the time the 2011 draft had rolled around, Pouliot’s stock had fallen so far that General Manager Gauthier could not even secure a low-level draft choice for Pouliot’s negotiating rights. With Pouliot’s tenure with the Habs on life support, Gauthier let the clock expire. He did not tender Pouliot a qualifying offer, meaning that he will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The lesson learned here should be player development. Unless you’re dealing with a known quantity, a sure-fire superstar like Sidney Crosby, like Steven Stamkos, like Matt Duchene, like Taylor Hall, all players should be mandated to spend at least one full season in the AHL or an equivalent training ground.

Guillaume Latendresse sprang from the ether to have a tremendous preseason. That’s all it took for the external pressure to build to the point where the Habs made a catastrophic decision with Latendresse. Who knows what may have become of Latendresse if he had been made to learn the professional game in Hamilton. He could have arrived in Montreal a smarter, better, stronger, more rounded player, playing his rookie season at 20 or 21 years old. Instead, he was a teenager who was granted the keys to the city for scoring a handful of meaningless goals.

There’s no doubt that a single mistake can have far reaching effects many years later and that it is not always simple or easy to recover from those mistakes. While the Habs saved faced and hoped for Pouliot to fulfill his potential, a roster spot was taken away from somebody else who could have had a more meaningful contribution to the Canadiens.

Habs Roster Update – June 22

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With the draft just a couple days away, and with free agency just over a week away, I thought now would be a good time to take a good look at the Habs roster and see where there may be space left for General Manager Gauthier to tinker a little more.

I’ll include each player’s cap hit, and make a couple assumptions, namely that Markov will sign for a 5.75M cap hit, that Gorges will also be back, at an undetermined cap hit, and that Mathieu Darche will occupy a full-time 4th line role, as opposed to being a part-timer.

From there, we’ll have a solid idea of where Gauthier will be able to spend – assuming there’s place left on the roster.

Forwards

1st line: Tomas Plekanec (5M cap hit), Mike Cammalleri (6M cap hit), winger to be named later. 1st line cap hit today: 11M

2nd line: Scott Gomez (7.357 cap hit), Brian Gionta (5M cap hit), Max Pacioretty (1.625 cap hit). 2nd line cap hit today: 13.982M

3rd line: Lars Eller (1.27M cap hit), Travis Moen (1.5M cap hit), Andrei Kostitsyn (3.25M cap hit). 3rd line cap hit today: 6.021M

4th line: David Desharnais (.75M cap hit), Mathieu Darche (.7M cap hit), winger to be named later (likely Ryan White- cap hit TBD). 4th line cap hit today: 1.45M

Total for 10 forwards: 32.453M

Defensemen

1st pair: Andrei Markov (5.75 cap hit), Josh Gorges (cap hit TBD). 1st pair cap hit today: 5.75M

2nd pair: Hal Gill (2.25M cap hit), P.K. Subban (.875 cap hit). 2nd pair cap hit today: 3.125M

3rd pair: Alexei Emelin (.984M cap hit), Jaroslav Spacek (3.83M cap hit). 3rd pair cap hit today: 4.814M

Total for 5 defensemen: 13.689M

Goaltending:

Carey Price (2.75M cap hit) Backup TBD.

Total for 1 goaltender: 2.75M.

Buyouts: .5M (Laraque)

Final Tally:

The Canadiens have currently spent, to the best of my knowledge $49.392 million on 10 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 1 goaltender. This leaves 14.608M for a top line winger, a 4th line winger (White), and 2 press box attendees. On defense, they have to account for Gorges, and Weber (or another 7th defenseman). Finally, a backup goalie would be required to fill out the 23 man roster.

While 14 million sounds like a lot, consider that Gorges will take at least 3.5 million of that. White will eat up .75M. 7th defensemen and press box forwards also come cheap; let’s account 3 million for those 3 guys on the generous end. That’s another 7.25 eaten up, leaving 7.36M for a top line winger, as well as some buffer space for injury call ups and perhaps an addition or two at the trade deadline.

We’ll see how things play out, but it’s clear that Gauthier has a bit of cash to play with, provided the Habs are going to be a cap team again this year.

What are your thoughts on the current roster and the remaining cap space?

No to Jagr, version 2.0

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Ok kids, the rumour won’t die, so I’m forced to write about this again. If you want to read my first take, click here.

1- Habs need size up front

Yes, Jagr is big, but so was Peter Popovic. When folks say that a team needs size, it’s also implied that the size comes with grit and nastiness. Jagr brings neither. The Habs need a guy who can throw a few punches, score goals and lay the body. Is Jagr that guy? Was he ever? Nope. Yes, he can protect the puck and stick handle and shoot. Big deal, so could Alex Kovalev.

2- Mercenaries needs not apply

Jagr apparently wants to play with 5 teams (Montreal, Detroit, New York, Pittsburgh, Washington). Note how they’re all deep-pocketed teams with the exception of Pittsburgh, who instead just happen to have (hopefully) a recovered Crosby, Malkin and Staal. Want a guaranteed all-star center? Sell your services to the Pens. Otherwise, he’s knocking on the door of teams he’s played for, or that have lots of cash. You want a guy with all world skill, size and previous chemistry with Plekanec? Then go get *gasp* Alex Kovalev (there’s that name again). At least we know he WANTS to be here. And he’d be cheaper. Crazy eh? We’ve been down this road once, and I’m dumbfounded that Habs fans want to venture down it again. Stay away from both players in fact. Besides, do we really have interest in a guy who’s trying to leverage teams and leagues against one another? It’s obvious that he’s trying to squeeze top dollar out of somebody, somewhere. Don’t take the bait.

3- Chemistry

The Habs are a tight room. Jagr’s mere presence throws that in to chaos with all the attention he’ll bring to himself. He can say all he wants that he’ll be a good soldier, and do his best to help the team. But we know that when things don’t go his way, he sulks, he pouts, and most importantly, he sucks. And he’ll drag his mates down with him. He doesn’t fit with this team in any way. If the NHL allowed for a “special teams player”, then maybe. If he had 6-8 minutes per night on the power play ONLY, then perhaps it could work. On a regular shift, he’s wasting everyone’s time.

4- “The System”

Has Jagr ever met his own goaltenders? Can he name one goalie for any team that he ever played for? How will this guy fare in a demanding Jacques Martin system that requires responsible play without the puck? That demands that he actually presents himself in the defensive zone? Jagr can’t spell backcheck if you spotted him the b-a-c-k-c-h-e-c. Backczech? No, thank you.

5- Endurance

He looked good in the Olympics and in the World Championships. Wonderful. He’s also been playing in the KHL for the past several years (for 10 million dollars per year I may add). The KHL is not nearly as rugged or grueling as the NHL is, especially today. There’s less travel and way less games. The KHL’s regular season weighs in at about 50 games. An NHL regular season consists of 82, an increase of more than 60%. Then there’s the playoffs where the tough really get going. The Bruins just played 25 games en route to a Cup win. Added to the 82 game regular season, they played 107 games. Roughly double that of the KHL schedule. How on earth does anyone have confidence that Jagr can simply step back in to NHL action – at 39 years of age, play in a defense-first system, and help the team in areas that he no longer excels in?

6- Habs need even-strength help

Jagr can certainly help a powerplay, I’ll admit that much. But the Habs don’t need help on the power play. They need to learn how to succeed at even strength. The Canadiens were among the very worst teams in the league at even strength scoring. In case you hadn’t noticed, the majority of a hockey game is played at even strength…you’d be well served, and the Bruins just amply proved, to be a team that does well 5-on-5. To do that, they need players who will drive the opposing net, and force other teams to think twice when they retrieve the puck in their corners. Does Jagr fit that bill? Only if you make him do that on your PS3.

It Makes No Sense

Even at a reasonable cap hit on a 1-year deal, I strongly believe that a gamble on Jagr is a wasted one. He addresses none of the Canadiens needs, while at the same time creating new problems and potential controversies. I believe Pierre Gauthier would be wise to give the “thanks but no thanks” reply to Jagr’s agent Petr Svoboda. I think too many Habs fans are under the spell that he can come back in to the NHL and be a 40 goal, 100 point guy again. He can’t. Not in Montreal, not under Jacques Martin, not at 40 years old. He’s not Teemu Selanne. The Habs don’t have Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, or Corey Perry, so don’t cite The Finnish Flash as a guy who can still bring it. This isn’t to say that Jagr can’t fit in with the Pens, or Caps or elsewhere on his wish list. It just can’t work in Montreal. He’s too much of a me-first mercenary that completely flies in the face of the Habs style.

So here’s your turn. Tell me how Jaromir Jagr can help the Habs.

Jagr to Habs? Just say NO.

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There’s never a dull moment in Montreal when it comes to the Habs, even when the 2010-2011 edition is firmly entrenched in a summer dirt nap. We have a constant stream of stories to dissect and flog to death, and this off-season is no exception.

Pierre Gauthier has presented with an opportunity that would make John Ferguson, Jr. drool with envy: the chance to sign an over-the-hill mercenary. Given the credentials of this particular mercenary, I’d consider it if he wanted to come for REAL cheap, for one year, and as a third liner/power play specialist but I don’t think this mercenary is down with any of that. In any scenario, Jaromir Jagr probably wants a multi-year deal, and clearly would only sign after being promised significant ice time with a given team’s top offensive talent.

We can concoct any number of reasons as to why it would or wouldn’t work in Montreal, but one fact that I personally can’t ignore is the sincerity of a guy who’s doing his negotiating and leveraging through the media. Giving a potential short list of NHL teams he’d be willing to play for (NYR, PIT, MTL) just smacks of putting a bunch of male betta fish together in the same bowl and seeing who comes out on top. And by on top, I of course mean reaching deeper in to his pockets. Jagr is trying to play teams against one another, if not leagues against one another. Frankly I don’t think he wants to play in the NHL at all where he will surely get less money and less playing time than he would get in the KHL. The idea of a one last romp for the future hall of famer is cute and will have many fans dreaming of the flowing mullets of days gone by. Leave it in the past where it belongs; we can always look fondly back on pictures like this and romanticize about the phenomenal skills that Jagr brought to the rink.

As far as the player himself, circa 2011, I don’t think he has the legs, stamina or desire to compete as a 2-way forward in a Jacques Martin system. For the same reasons I don’t think Kovalev and Martin would have worked, I don’t think Jagr would work, either. It’s just that cut & dry for me.

But I’m willing to look at the other side with an open mind and see how and where Jagr would fit. Assuming for a second that Habs GM Pierre Gauthier pulled the trigger on the former NHL superstar, how would this affect the roster? Well for starters, it would likely mean that given their chemistry, Jagr would be paired with Plekanec at center, and Cammalleri on the opposite wing. This bounces Max Pacioretty or Andrei Kostitsyn down to the line featuring Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. Would YOU want either of those guys playing on the black hole that is Scott Gomez’ wing? Would you even want to take the chance that Gomez just had a bad year and will bounce back? Think long and hard about that one. The other option is to put Jagr with Gomez…but there isn’t enough bleach in the world to dissolve that horrifying vision from my head. The only scenario in which this could work is to pair Jagr with Lars Eller on the 3rd line. But then we come full circle to the argument that Jagr likely wouldn’t want third line ice time & duty. If Gomez struggles again in the first half of the season, Eller could very well supplant him as the team’s full time second line center, but then we arrive back in the situation where Jagr is back where he can no longer play – among the top 6 forwards.

You may have also noticed a missing name from that list: Andrei Kostitsyn. Now, I’m fairly certain that the majority of Habs fans would cut Kostitsyn loose at the drop of a hat. They would not lose a wink of sleep if he ended up elsewhere next season as many have had enough of his see-saw performances. But I believe that as a cost-controlled RFA, he’s in the Habs plans for 2011-12, and he will once again figure in to the top-6. His final 20 regular season games salvaged an otherwise subpar season, and his physical presence cannot be dismissed. In other words: something would have to give if Jagr were brought in…but what? Jacques Martin is not the most creative coach in the world, and I can’t see him meshing with a wild card like Jagr.

I believe that the Habs are closer to Cup contention than most people think. It’s not that outlandish a thought when you get right down to it. They have the goaltending. With Markov and Gorges back in the picture, they have the main ingredients on the blue line. Up front, they’ve got to add some grit and size with skill, but beyond that, this is a fairly complete team with as good a shot as anyone. With some health next year, a key trade deadline acquisition or two may be the final pieces…maybe at that point Jagr would work to shore up the power play, but then again, he’s such a big name you’ve got to wonder what his presence does to a locker room at that point of the season?

But to me the Habs biggest and most glaring problem is even strength scoring, and I really, really can’t see Jagr as the answer to that problem. The Habs were ranked 15th out of 16 among playoff teams this year. They ranked near the bottom of the 30-team NHL in terms of even-strength scoring. Jaromir Jagr still has hands and he still has some ability to produce offense. But in a defense-first Jacques Martin system, how would a guy who has never adhered to a “system” fit in?

In the end, bringing in Jagr is too much of a gamble. He’s another ill-fitting piece to a puzzle that doesn’t need what Jagr has. Jaromir Jagr is like a denver boot to the Habs lineup. Just say no.

A Tangled Weber

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I’ll admit up front that the larger point of this blog entry was to see if I remembered my login details for my own website (mission accomplished!).

Now that I’m safely logged in, I just want to get something out of the way, and hopefully won’t take up too much of your time.

Every year around this time, we Habs fans sit around the campfire and look for the shiniest object with which we can adorn our team with. This year, many Habs fans have set their sights on Norris Trophy finalist Shea Weber. Now don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a guy like Weber in the lineup, even at the hefty price tag he’s sure to command. But (there’s always a but, isn’t there?) there’s a heavy cost to snatching a guy of Weber’s caliber away from the Predators over and above his nasty cap hit.

Most Habs fans simply assume that tossing an RFA offer sheet at Weber, and forcing Nashville – a team with its own internal budget that is surely far lower than the Canadiens – to match the Habs rich offer or surrender his services. Let’s all do the happy dance, right?

You see, there’s a reason why pilfering RFAs from other teams is a rarely used method of player acquisition. On one hand, it’s the NHL equivalent of M.A.D – mutually assured destruction. You want my RFA? I’m taking yours. And the spiraling costs will simply lead to another work stoppage. Just ask Kevin Lowe if he wants a mulligan on the Dustin Penner acquisition, or ask Buffalo how they feel about having to match Lowe’s ludicrous offer to Thomas Vanek. On the other hand, I believe that what goes around, comes around. If the Habs want to swipe Shea Weber, somebody will be all too eager to take a stab at acquiring PK Subban, Carey Price, Lars Eller, or Max Pacioretty in the very near future. Given the heavy contracts the Canadiens are already saddled with, you can safely bet that at least one of those players would be plying their trade elsewhere. Also, in the ultimate safeguard against making RFA pitches for all-star talent, there’s the little issue of compensation to the other team after they fail to match the courting team’s offer.

If you want to sign an RFA, then depending on the annual cap hit they bring them, you have to give up the following assets to the other team:

Salary Amount Compensation
$994,433 or less None
Over $994,433 to $1,506,716 3rd round pick
Over $1,506,716 to $3,013,434 2nd round pick
Over $3,013,434 to $4,520,150 1st and 3rd round pick
Over $4,520,150 to $6,026,867 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick
Over $6,026,867 to $7,533,584 Two 1st’s, one 2nd, one 3rd round pick
Over $7,533,584 Four 1st round picks

Now we can safely assume that Shea Weber will fall somewhere between the last two brackets. The Canadiens already fairly thin on the farm, with little prime talent on the horizon. Dropping more high-end picks would be nothing more than a short-term payoff with a suicidal ending. Moreover, when you factor in that Montreal typically has to overpay free agents to compensate for the fishbowl, taxes, politics, (take your pick), it’s also reasonable to believe that Shea Weber would fetch over 7.533 million per season, thus forcing the Habs to kick back four first round picks to Nashville.

Read that again.

Four.

First.

Round.

Picks.

Gone.

Sure, Gauthier could always try to recoup those lost picks in other ways, but you’ve got to ask yourself if the high cap hit and lost assets would be worth acquiring one defenseman. And as a final killshot to this fantasy, let’s remember that the collective bargaining agreement is up at the end of next season, and is sure to have ramifications on how teams dole out contracts over the next year or so. It would be similarly stupid for Gauthier to saddle himself with another fat contract while ridding himself of prime assets.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

In the meantime, I’m going to write down my username and password for safe keeping.

2010-2011 Habs: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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It’s always a difficult task to try and segment a 7-month long season in to 3 distinct buckets, as the memories all tend to fade and fall victim to what romanticism and to what feels most comfortable. The Habs have been a veritable roller coaster for two full seasons now…and what a roller coaster it is. Dizzying heights and stomach-churning drops galore. As strange as it is, would the highs feel as good as they do if not for the abyssmal depths that this team sunk to at times? Probably not.

Let’s start from the bottom of the barrel and finish on a high, shall we?

The Ugly

The Pacioretty/Chara incident. This will certainly be one of the infamous moments in Habs history, for all the wrong reasons. Everyone has their own personal opinion on whether or not Chara intended to severely injure Pacioretty, but the fact will always be that Pacioretty came within fractions of an inch from losing his career, his ability to walk, or perhaps even worse. That he luckily escaped severe handicap is a blessing, but it also fuels the knuckle-draggers who think the whole thing was overblown. Pacioretty was out cold on the ice – that by definition is a severe concussion. That he seemed to avoid post-concussion symptoms is what has Dr. Recchi, Boston media, and Bruins fans in such a confused tizzy. Any way you slice it, this was a horrific incident that touched off a frenzy in Montreal unseen in decades. Predictably, the rest of the hockey world points and laughs. Thankfully Pacioretty will be back next year and looking to pick up where he left off.

Injuries to Markov and Gorges. Why, oh why can’t the Habs stay in one piece for one year? If you spend any time reading here, you know me as somebody that doesn’t buy the injuries as an excuse for underachieving, or failure. Everyone suffers from injuries, and the Habs were somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of man-games lost to injury. Yeah, yeah, the whole quality vs quantity argument. Given the importance of Markov and Gorges to the team, it seems grossly unfair that both would be shelved for many months. Will either be back next season? Time will tell, but I would like to see them both return, for the right price of course.

Scott Gomez. No breakdown of the Habs season would be complete without looking at Gomez’ horrific season. After his putrid start, his supporters said that he’s a second half player. When he didn’t get going after the all star break, his supporters entrenched themselves deeper and said he was a playoff performer and we should be patient. When all is said and done, he never really got going at all. 38 points, -15. Underwhelming playoff performance aside from a strong first game. His last goal would come in early February, while all other facets of his game tumbled to appaling levels. The Canadiens can’t afford another season like that from a guy who eats such a large chunk of cap space. It will be tough to move him in any scenario, but its safe to say that his nightmarish season could have single-handedly cost the Habs a playoff spot if not for Carey Price’s brilliance.

Booing Carey Price. What’s the matter with the people who booed Carey Price – in the preseason no less? The real work hadn’t yet begun and those who sleep in Halak jammies were already out with their pitchforks. Needless to say, within weeks they no longer had any credibility, as Price forcibly duct taped every single one of the haters mouths shut. Booing the home team is never smart. Singling out a young player who needed support more than scorn was borderline criminal. In the end, all Price needed was confidence and he’d take care of the rest. On many nights, he was left on his own and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. It’s what the greats do, and Carey Price is already great. When it’s all said and done, his name will not look out of place with the likes of Plante, Vezina, Roy, and Dryden.

The rivalry with Boston. For the better part of a century, the Habs and Bruins built one of the greatest rivalries in sports. In 2011, however, it went from an on-ice rivalry, to outright vitriolic hate in all directions. The players don’t like one another, but the fans and media have helped propel this rivalry to very nasty, unfriendly places. There’s no need to rehash it all, as it all cuts so close to the bone but it’s safe to say that this rivalry, which had cooled slightly in recent years, even with several playoff matchups has been renewed. We hope that it stays on the ice and produces exciting hockey, but I somehow doubt that. Winning with grace has eluded certain fanbases and the teams they follow.

The Bad

Opening round loss to the Bruins. After the tumultuous season that the Habs suffered at the hands of the Bruins (despite winning 4 of 6 games), roaring out to a 2-0 series lead had everyone thinking about the 2010 playoffs and another Cinderella run. Surely, with a 0-26 record when falling behind by two games, the Bruins were toast, right? Sadly for Habs fans, the Bruins fought back, broke through the barrier that was so successful last year for Montreal and eventually won the series. In seven games. In overtime. It doesn’t get worse than that for Habs fans who were around when the Canadiens hadn’t lost to the Bruins in the playoffs for 40 years. Yes, 40 years.

Inability to score at even strength – ‘The System’. Listening to the season ending post-mortem press conference, Jacques Martin would have you believe that his puck possession system in fully in place, and that the Habs do not struggle to score goals. Those paying attention know that he is simply deflecting, avoiding and outright lying about the type of hockey he has his team playing. It was tough to argue with him as the Habs hobbled through the season and still hung on to 6th place in the East. But again, when looking at all of the stats and evidence, the real system is Carey Price. Without 70+ games of terrific hockey from the Habs netminder, it would have been lights out after the regular season. It’s dangerous to rely solely on special teams and goaltending, and hopefully everyone now realizes that.

Underachieving forwards. All 6 of the top forwards had sub-par years. Starting with the aforementioned Gomez, but filtering down to each and every one of Plekanec, Gionta, Kostitsyn, Cammalleri and whoever the 6th forward was on any given day. None had what I’d call a strong year. Aside from Gomez’ putrid performance, the others all had decent, but underwhelming performances. We’ll never know how Pacioretty would have affected things if not for his head-first dive in to a stanchion, but it’s clear – the system prevents the Habs best offensive talents from reaching their potential. We’ve long forgotten what it’s like to have a forward finish among the league leaders in terms of production, and as long as the defense-first system lives, the Habs will struggle to score – regardless of the PR spin the coach and management decides to sell us, and regardless of what talent may be lured to town.

Moving Ryan O’Byrne, then trading to acquire more defense. This is a sticky one. The coach didn’t trust O’Byrne, which is his prerogative. I have to admit that I didn’t have much faith in O’Byrne, either, but I did want him in the lineup on a more consistent basis so that he could develop the confidence that fans would then absorb by osmosis. The organization didn’t see it that way, and shipped him to Colorado – where he played quite well – for another small prospect forward in Michael Bournival. We can only ponder how management reacted once O’Byrne was no longer available once their defensemen started to drop like flies. Would O’Byrne have drawn back in to the lineup, or would coach Martin continue to select others like Alexandre Picard over him? We’ll never know, but what is certain is that there was no rush to move him as quickly as they did.

Scattered, disorganized, immobile defense. Valiant warriors one and all: Hal Gill, Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek, Brent Sopel, Paul Mara. All are guys with guts, and all performed as well as they could. In the end, it was clear that they were asked to do more than they were capable of – whether through lack of skill, or the slow erosion of age, these guys simply couldn’t do the things necessary to win for long enough. Opponents know that if they press on their older, slower bodies, they’ll end up with the puck in the Canadiens zone, and they’ll force these older players to take penalties. And take penalties they did; the Habs were near the summit of the league in terms of minor penalties taken; another blight on ’the system’. It’s tough to score goals when the puck is always in your own end. Individually they all seem like terrific teammates, but in order to get better, some changes will need to be made, and hard decisions taken. It’s hard to do, but teams don’t get better by “being nice”.

Picking on PK. I would have put this in the “ugly” section if PK showed any signs of caring what other think of him outside of his locker room. Instead, Pernell Karl turned the corner at midseason and, given the ice time he received because of injuries to Markov and Gorges, he opened eyes across the league. However, not all eyes are as tolerant as we would like them to be in 2011. Racial slurs became common, and the league feigned horror at the “disrespect” the Habs young rearguard displayed on the ice. What a load of trash. Brad Marchand and Cam Fowler pulled similar stunts to what Subban did this year, and yet received no criticism. Racial undertones aside, PK gets a lot of flack simply because he’s GREAT and still a long way from his full potential. This scares other teams and their fans. Almost all non-Habs fans would admit to wanting him on their team, and this is a testament to PK’s resolve, evolving maturity, and lastly, to Trevor Timmins, who has hit a grand slam by drafting this kid in the second round. For once, it’s awfully nice having a player that everyone else says “how did we miss this guy” about.

The Failure of Pouliot. Benny, Benny, Benny. Last year I referred to you as Jimmy Olsen on a team of superheroes. You did nothing to change that this year, even though I thought you may be turning a corner at a few points. Have a nice career in some other jersey. I can’t devote any more space to you and your underachieving ways.

The Heritage Classic. Everyone loves an outdoor game, right? The mystique, the roots of the game, the fresh air. Yeah, sure they do. On this cold February evening, the Habs, decided that being in front of a gigantic, captive North-American audience was the right time to play one of the worst games of the season, being blanked 4-0 to the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium. It was a flaccid performance, coming off the heels of an equally putrid loss to the bottom-feeding Oilers.

Departures we hate to see. It hasn’t happened yet, but it certainly appears that Kirk Muller is on his way out of Montreal. What a shame that the Canadiens organization should lose two young coaching talents in Guy Boucher and Kirk Muller in consecutive years. If there’s one argument for Habs brass in keeping Jacques Martin around it’s that if they cut him loose any time soon after losing Boucher and Muller, they’ll be roasted. Other players potentially on their way out include Andrei Markov, Hal Gill, Roman Hamrlik and a few others. Some are near and dear to Habs fans, and we’d hate to see them go. In some cases, it’s necessary, but in the case of Kirk Muller you’d hope the Canadiens would do whatever it takes to keep a guy that the players reportedly adore. The fans seem to like him, too.

The Good

A new captain for a new era. After going through an entire season with no captain, the Canadiens decided it was time to name a new one to replace Saku Koivu. Raise your hand if you don’t like Brian Gionta as Captain. Nobody? I thought so. Stoic, heart of a lion, non-stop motor…what’s not to like about Brian Gionta? Nothing, that’s what.

Price’s rebirth. Carey Price had been, until this season started, a very controversial figure. How refreshing it is then, that under more pressure than ANY player in the league, Price responds with the type of season he had. There’s a case to be made that he should have been nominated for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. Certainly there is no post-season in Montreal without his consistently solid play. Each and every single Habs fan should be in awe of how he played and conducted himself this year. And General Manager Gauthier should lock him up for a very, very long time as soon as possible. Don’t wait until Price increases his value even higher.

Subban’s emergence. He’s already been mentioned, but how amazing was PK Subban this season? He’s clearly the best rookie defenseman the Habs have had since the mid-80′s, and there are whispers that he’s gone and made Andrei Markov expendable. I don’t necessarily believe that, as the sophomore jinx has bitten the best of them, including Tyler Myers and Drew Doughty. Subban could easily have a setback next year, but what is clear is that at 21 years old, Subban is going to be the Canadiens top defenseman in a couple years from now, and will be for a long, long time. As with Price, Gauthier should lock up Subban immediately, before his price tag is elevated with Norris credentials.

Weber shines. Below the radar, and in Subban’s immense shadow lies the solid, versatile Yannick Weber. He may never be a top pairing defenseman, but he can be an effective power play specialist, while not embarassing himself on defense. He also proved that he could play a fourth line role, bringing back images of another Swiss-born, under-the-radar, jack-of-all-trades former Hab in Mark Streit. I believe he’s been underrated all season long and has earned a permanent spot on the blueline.

Pacioretty’s promise. Where’s our power forward? How many times had you heard that over the past decade? Safe to say that if you had a dime for every time you heard that from a fan, or member of the media, you’d be living the sweet life out in California’s beatiful San Fernando Valley (hat tip to Dr. Venkman for that beauty). Before being savagely injured, Pacioretty was just entering his own. He was the Habs best forward at the time of his injury, and seemed to be the answer to the gaping hole among the top 6 forwards. When Pacioretty revealed that he would have been ready to face the Capitals should the Habs have beaten Boston, fans sighed in disappointment. So close. On the other hand, he gets a full off-season to stregthen his neck and be absolutely certain that he wasn’t rushing back. Then again, it took a wicked slap shot to the ribs and a trip to the hospital before Pacioretty really heated up in the first place, so who knows, maybe he would have been even better after recovering from his neck problems.

Discovery of Desharnais. Talk about found money! Everyone knew about his skill, and his pal Pacioretty said he was the best center he had ever played with. It didn’t take long for Habs fans to see what he was talking about. Though he’s another small forward on a team of small forwards, I think Claude Julien got it right on when he said that Desharnais looks like he could be another Martin St-Louis. Let’s hope the Canadiens are able to find a permanent and fitting role for this pint-sized dynamo. It will be tough, as the Habs have Gomez, Plekanec and Eller at center already. Eller is ill-suited to play wing, and it would be a shame for Desharnais to toil on the fourth line with all that skill being devoted to a checking role. The answer, as hard as it may be to accomplish, is to somehow move Gomez. As much as I’d like to give him the chance to redeem himself (and this likely will be the path we go down), I’d spit nails if young talent was sacrificed for overpaid underachievers. Young homegrown talent is raring to go, and shouldn’t be stifled or discarded. If Habs management is intent on letting fresh coaching talent walk away, as well as prime prospects in low salary brackets in favour of bloated, stale contracts in Jacques Martin and Scott Gomez, then they should be immediately fired.

BAMF Ryan White. Finally, a player with wheels, and a willingness to get his nose dirty. Every team needs players like Ryan White. When members of the team come out and publicly state that White should have been on the team since the start of the season, that’s a criticism on the coaches and management, who were either asleep at the switch, or ignorant of their team’s needs. Either way, it’s a huge compliment to Ryan White, who, despite not being a heavy weight, finally brings accountability for other teams who feel like they can take liberties on the Habs without having to answer for it.

Koivu 2.0: Enter Lars Eller. Somebody said it on Twitter, and I think it’s totally appropriate (if you know who said it, please let me know). Eller is Koivu in a bigger body. What a dream come true for Habs fans! For a decade we wished that Saku could have been a little bigger and a little more durable. As big as his heart was and still is, he always wore down as the seasons took their inevitable toll. Lars Eller may not have had the numbers to prove it, but he has playmaking skills, skating ability, defensive awareness and size down the middle – one of the Habs missing key ingredients. We would love to see him develop his finish around the net in coming years, but it’s clear to me that the Habs have won the Halak trade hands-down. With Eller in the fold, and a reborn Carey Price, it’s in fact a steal and Gauthier deserves credit, despite what Pierre McGuire’s bitterness will tell you.

Mike Cammalleri - playoff wizard. Two seasons. 26 playoff games. 16 goals. 13 assists. 29 points. Any questions? Many thought that they could throw Cammalleri under the same bus that Gomez found himself under all season. While Gomez apologists tried to tell us that he would produce in the playoffs, and that Cammalleri hadn’t proven anything, we now know better. Cammalleri is a gamer, and brings his best to the post season. While he’s merely average defensively, he’s the Habs go-to guy on offense in the playoffs. He simply gets it done unlike any Hab player in recent years in the post season.

Small package, huge heart. The small forwards may get beaten up, but they simply don’t go away. Time and time again they fought back this season, led by guys who punch much higher than their weight. Captain Gionta certainly leads the way with his fearlessness, and never say die work ethic, but others like Plekanec, Cammalleri and Desharnais showed no fear when it comes to facing adversity. Young players like Eller, Desharnais, Subban, Weber, Pacioretty are soaking in some extremely vital lessons. They see smaller guys working their tails off, and the attitude is infectious. This bodes very well for chemistry and identity of the Habs’ future.

Departures we like to see. Pierre Boivin. Thanks for making the Habs more relevant than they’ve ever been, during their longest Stanley Cup drought in history. Your business acumen and marketing prowess (along with Ray Lalonde) is to be commended. You guys made the Habs a glossy, flashy, only-show-in-town behemoth. Your work has enlivened the Habs for a new generation and has somehow made the Canadiens even more of a religion than they already were. However, your sociological policies have held the Canadiens back where it counts most – on the ice. You honoured the past glory of the franchise to the point of distracting fans to the mediocrity of recent teams. We’re all grateful for what you did in honouring greats like Geoffrion, Robinson, Cournoyer, Savard, Gainey, Roy and others, and we thank you for that. Really, we do. The ceremonies were touching, classy and the gold standard by which all sports teams should aspire to. Good luck in your future endeavors, but I can’t say that I’m sad to see you go.

Mathieu Darche. What more can be said about this guy? Bemoaned by nearly all Habs fans for signing a one-way deal, I was in the minority who thought this was a wise, value-packed signing, and I’m glad that I was proven right. He filled in admirably on the second line when Pacioretty went down, scoring several big goals in areas on the ice where Habs have feared to tread for years. He has to be a tremendous influence on young players who have more skill and upside than Darche, but may lack the work ethic required at the NHL level. Darche spent time all over the lineup, and even spent time in the press box. Without having access to the locker room, I’d bet my last penny that he did everything with a smile on his face.

Triple low-fives. How much fun is the post-victory ritual between Subban and Price?

This post is brought to you by Quality Plus Tickets. If you’re in need of Habs tickets next season, be sure to check them out!

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.

Orange Kryptonite

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I’ve developed a mantra for relating the size issue to whether or not the Canadiens win. Assuming skill levels are relatively equal between 2 teams, the saying goes a little like this:

Small can beat big, if big doesn’t play big and small plays big. But small can’t beat big if big decides to play big.

The Canadiens have a size issue right now that doesn’t always manifest itself during regular season play, but almost always does when the chips are down in the playoffs.

Fortunately, the future is looking brighter.

I was one of those people that didn’t want to see Pacioretty in Montreal this season, but not because I didn’t think he was good enough to play at an NHL level, but because I didn’t want Martin to get his hands on him. Martin’s modus operandi gives youngsters scant minutes only to bench them soon after for not producing immediately, or heaven forbid taking a penalty. Turns out I was wrong, and Martin, has seen the light with Max. Or, perhaps Martin needs Max more than Max needs Martin. The Canadiens also have some size in developing players like Lars Eller and Alexander Avtsin.

As far as the Habs & Flyers matchup goes, the Canadiens are a combined 4-9 vs Philly over the past 2 seasons, being outscored 40-25 over those 13 games. Maybe there are those among you who would say that that isn’t such a bad thing, after all, those number break down to an average loss of 3-2 for the Canadiens. Not so bad, right?

The Canadiens played the Flyers pretty evenly last season, going 2-2 and being outscored 10-8.

The real interesting (or damning?) part is looking at the playoff matchup. The Canadiens went down in 5 games, and were not able to generate ANY offense against a physical defense. The Canadiens were outscored 17-7 in the 5 game series, but 5 of the Canadiens goals came in their game 3 victory. Eliminating that game, the Canadiens were outscored 16-2 in the remaining 4 games, being shutout in 3 of those games. Need I remind you that the Flyers had the immortal Michael Leighton in goal? If you’re still keeping score, the average playoff loss for the Canadiens morphed in to an ugly 3.4 goals against versus 1.4 goals for. Eliminating the game 3 victory, and the average loss was an abyssmal 4 goals against to 0.5 goals for. Round up if you like, but that’s still not nearly good enough.

The Flyers are the Habs kryptonite right now. But I think it’s also painfully clear that while the Canadiens smaller forwards have hearts the size of Texas, reach is reach and size is size, especially when the organizational edict is to use that size. The smaller Habs forwards are forced to skate twice as far as they ought to just to get themselves clear of the big Flyers defense, and once they are clear, they more often than not find themselves on the perimeter where a decent goalie needs to only worry about the first save. When Mathieu Darche, God bless him, is the only player able to get near Bobrovski, there’s a problem. True, the Canadiens can cause bigger teams fits when they get their speed game going, but as we’ve seen plenty of times, they are rarely able (or allowed) to use that speed for 60 minutes, night in, night out.

The Canadiens, on most nights are a good team. On some nights they are a very good team (witness the 2-0 win vs the current Cup favorite Canucks), but don’t try and tell me that they’re an elite team. Even with the injuries to Markov, Gorges and Cammalleri, the Canadiens are still a few pieces away from being a bonafide Cup contender. And to be considered a bonafide contender, they will need to get bigger and grittier. Offensive teams like the Capitals and Penguins, while bigger than the Habs, don’t always play bigger than the Habs. The Flyers do, and last night’s loss should serve as a good measuring stick for Gauthier to see where he needs to upgrade his team.