Bleacher Report - Montreal Canadiens

Battered Blue Line to Blame for Montreal Canadiens Power Play Woes

Felix Sicard — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:01:56 -0500

It's unlikely that Jacques Martin and Bob Gainey wanted to see what their team looked like without power play quarterback Andrei Markov. Unfortunately for Martin and Gainey, Markov has been out since the first game of the season in Toronto.

Although it has been a roller coaster ride for the Canadiens since, Gainey and Martin now have a much clearer picture of their team, particularly at the blue line, without Markov.

Simply put, that picture is not a pretty one.

The Canadiens sit 24th in the league in power play efficiency, with a 15.9% success rate. This stat is in large part due to the absence of Andrei Markov, a lock for 55 plus points when healthy.

The rest of the defensive squad has been unable to to step up to the plate on the offensive side of the puck, with the exception of Marc-Andre Bergeron, who has infused some offense into the power play.

Besides Bergeron, the Canadiens possess no true offensive defenseman, at least not on the big league club.

Jaroslav Spacek was advertised as Markov's new partner before the season, but has provided virtually no offense at all throughout the first quarter of the schedule.

Spacek seems reluctant to jump up in the play and create an odd man situation. In the rare occasions that he has done so, the result has often been a good scoring chance or a goal.

Roman Hamrlik has been perhaps the Canadiens' most valuable defenseman, and even though he has provided some offense, Hamrlik simply isn't the guy you'd want to lean on to be quarterbacking the man-advantage.

There remains the option of calling up Yannick Weber or P.K. Subban. These two provide interesting possibilities, but it was apparent that Weber would need some more grooming defensively following his stint with the Habs, while Gainey has made it clear that Subban will spend the season in Hamilton.

Bob Gainey needs to somehow bring in an offensive defenseman who can revive the power play. Currently, there is no power play quarterback on the Canadiens' roster, and the ones that are on the farm will remain on the farm.

Looking at his players' performances, it is unlikely that Gainey has many general managers calling him about trades.

If Gainey is unable to bring in an offensive defenseman, there remains only one option to infuse offense into the dormant power play.

That would be to put a forward at the point, such as what Guy Carbonneau did last year, when he juggled Alex Kovalev and Sergei Kostitsyn at the blue line.

Calling up Sergei Kostitsyn could do the trick. The disgruntled winger has been contributing in Hamilton, and he might be the team's only hope in reviving the power play.

If nothing is done, the Canadiens will continue to struggle until Andrei Markov returns, because as of right now, Montreal's battered blue line can't get it done.

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Canadiens and Wild Suffer the Same Problem: Farm Team Development.

Sebastien Tremblay — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:43:29 -0500

A lot of teams in the NHL still have a hard time finding and drafting the right prospect. Or maybe it’s simply because they don’t have the tools to make them grow into stars? There is a plethora of talented prospects that never make a real impact at the NHL level for some reason. Reasons can range from lack of effort, disgruntled youth, overrated player, size, competitiveness.

Sometimes the assessment of a junior player is just completely off the mark. And other times, the development system is to blame.

There have been many first round busts through the years regardless of what spot they are drafted. But I noticed a familiar pattern between two teams. Both teams have had prospects over the years coming up the ranks, only to crumble at the NHL level, stay stuck in the minor leagues, or provide only marginal contributions once at the NHL level.

I’m talking about the similarities between the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild. For some reason, many experts thought for many years that Montreal had a awesome prospect pool just waiting to explode into NHL stardom.

In fact, Montreal was ranked No. 2 on the prospect depth chart by Hockey’s Future for years…until this season. They recently realized all that talent and «depth» has apparently vanished, and Montreal dropped to No. 14.

Montreal is, in my opinion, in much better shape than the Wild where there is a dearth of depth. It’s simple really, for those two teams, the rank in the draft does not matter, whatever hot prospect they will get will only provide marginal contribution to their respective teams.

At some point, for a head scout and general manager, you want those «talented prospects» to take over the team and steal the veterans spot and ice time. And for most teams, that's exactly what happens. Chicago, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Washington, Anaheim...I could keep going on and on. But the fact is on almost every roster in the NHL, the core is made up of young players in their early 20’s, drafted and developed by their respective teams.

For the sake of this comparison, I’ll say right now that out of the bunch, Mikko Koivu and Tomas Plekanec are probably the best two. And both are still on the team that drafted them. And both provide about the same offensive numbers. So I’m not going to mention them further.

Now, look at Montreal. The inability to develop young players has forced Bob Gainey’s hand over the years to sign veterans to fill a hole. And not only Gainey, it’s been the same story for years, this is what has plagues the Canadiens since the mid 90’s.

First round draft picks should, at this point, be at the top or near the top of their teams scoring chart. But the reality is very different. Were they all bad choices? Doubtful. Because if you follow junior players and the drafts year after year, you hear about those prospects and scouts are often unanimous. Pro scouts use the same tools and criteria for their analysis and when the scouting reports come out, not always, but often the reports say about the same thing.

So where does it go wrong? Why is Montreal forced to sign established players for their top line? Why is the Wild in the same position? As I mentioned, it’s an inability to develop their talented prospects. I’m not saying these players are bad, just that they never reached expectations and especially, they never show the potential that a first or second round pick should.

Chris Higgins was a big disappointment for Montreal’s management and was shipped away to New York where he continues to struggle. Mike Komisarek showed lot of promise, but decided to leave after a horrible year. Andrei Kostitsyn is lost in translation and seems to be regressing. Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse make an interesting and dynamic duo but are not scaring any defence out there. Kyle Chipchura feels like a career minor league player.

You probably already all forgot about David Fischer, the first choice in 2006 and Cory Urquhart, second round of 2003, picked 21 spots before Maxim Lapierre. Same goes for Duncan Milroy. And as time passes, I feel Matt D’Agostini is fading away as well.

We’ll never know if Ryan McDonagh could eventually replace Komisarek. Max Pacioretty is struggling badly and is not showing much signs of becoming a dominating power forward so far. Mikhail Grabovski, Alexander Perezoghin and Marcel Hossa all left after disappointing seasons.

All those prospects were regarded as «top line talent», «potential stars», «40 goals scorers» or, «defensive stud». So…what happened? Their development was botched. That’s what. By being unable to develop their talent in the AHL or juniors, we’ve lost those «potential stars» in the making.

The result? An average team with average players who need to fill holes with more talented players through trades or free agency.

Now look at the Wild. Have you seen James Sheppard? The Wild have been waiting for him to progress and break out but he’s been going the opposite direction. To his defence, Sheppard is an offensive minded player and has been forced into a defensive system for years. I’m afraid this has effectively slowed if not stopped his development.

Maybe he was brought to the NHL too quickly? The 9th overall pick is 2006 has managed only 44 points in 180 NHL games. He had 225 points in 187 games in the juniors.

And how about Benoit Pouliot? The fourth overall pick in 2005, just one spot before Carey Price. The Wild thought they had a real sniper there. I remember Trevor Timmins talking about him and saying if Pouliot had been available at the number five spot, he was to become the new Montreal Canadiens top prospect. Thank the hockey god he was picked fourth overall. Pouliot is an effortless skater but again, is not developing into an NHL caliber player. He’s struggling even worse than Sheppard with only 65 games in the NHL so far for a weak 18 points.

Patrick O’Sullivan was thought to be a first round pick but dropped quickly thanks to family problems. So scouts thought the Wild could have a real steal drafting him in the second round…only to trade him away for Pavol Demitra before his first NHL game.

AJ Thelen anyone? What? Don’t remember him? Can’t blame you. The 12th overall pick in 2004 has been playing in the East Coast league for the last three seasons. He’s not even fit for AHL duty, that says a lot.

And what about Pierre-Marc Bouchard who, like James Sheppard, tore up the junior league with 235 points in just 136 games!? He’s managed 267 points in over 400 NHL games so far. After draft day, scouts said the Wild drafted a potential star and point per game player, maybe the best forward available in the draft after Rick Nash.

But when Bouchard reached the NHL, scouts suddenly said he was too small and would’ve benefited from at least another year in the juniors and maybe one in the American league. Pierre-Marc Bouchard unfortunately never reached the same level of excellence. And I have to agree with those scouts. He was brought up to the NHL too soon.

It’s easy to look at scouting reports and the ISS ranking and determine who will be the top 10 picks next year. But even getting the first overall draft spot is no guarantee that player will eventually lead your team in any way (see Alexandre Daigle in 1993 as reference, or Patrik Stefan in 1999)

Earlier this summer, general manager Bob Gainey decided not to renew Don Lever’s contract. Everybody was shocked. Lever had been coaching Montreal’s farm club, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for since 2005 and was said to be a genius at developing young players. The Bulldogs even won the Calder cup in 2006-07 after an incredible year.

But after a quick assessment of his younger players, Gainey probably noticed that none of the players Lever developed were actually good enough to build the team around, so he was forced to get those players elsewhere.

And the fact that, in Montreal, coaches have to speak some french to talk to the media, and Lever doesn’t, probably weighted a lot and he was replaced with Guy Boucher who should be, in a few years, the Montreal Canadiens new coach and again, is said to be a magician with developing young players.

So getting a high draft pick is no guarantee of success. Even the best player available can become a bust if not developed properly. Confidence, skill, size, experience and also a feeling of urgency is important.

Skill, you either have it or don’t. Size comes with time. Confidence and experience comes from playing in all situations. And as for that feeling of «urgency» will come once the prospect feels he’s good enough to steal a roster spot from a veteran.

All that comes from developing at lower levels before reaching the NHL. It takes time and a good system in which to develop those prospects. And my feeling is that both Montreal and Minnesota have been in the same boat for years. The prospect pool is there, the talent is there, now all they need to do is find a way to get those guys from minor leaguers to NHL stars.

And it all starts with the farm team system…

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Montreal Canadiens Win in Overtime Once Again

Francois Gendron — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:14:58 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens are still undefeated during extra time this season as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by the score of 3-2 after a long shootout session Tuesday evening.

Both teams sent six skaters each to finally end the contest.

Maxim Lapierre's shot made the difference.

As for goaltender Carey Price at the other end, he was perfect during the shootout and made a highlight reel save on Matt Cullen at the end to confirm the victory.

Max Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn both scored for Montreal during regulation. Kostitsyn's goal came with under three minutes to play in the third period, forcing overtime.

Brandon Sutter and Jussi Jokinen scored their goals in a 2:52 span during the second period, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead until the late stages of the game.

The Canadiens have won eight straight games during the overtime/shootout session without any losses this season, tying a NHL regular season record.

(Picture: Carey Price, Canadian Press.)

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Hurricanes-Canadiens: Carey Price, Andrei Kostitsyn Bail Out Weak Habs' Effort

Rocket All Habs — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:37:00 -0500

Montreal 3 Carolina 2 (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
All Habs

Wow! Andrei Kostitsyn scored with just over two minutes left in the third period to tie the game. In overtime Carey Price was brilliant as Carolina outshot Montreal 7-to-1. Price shut down each of the six Hurricanes' shooters making some spectacular saves in the shootout. Maxim Lapierre scored the lone shootout goal for the win.

Bell Centre fans left happy and the Canadiens had two points, their first win at home in November.

But, wait a minute. Prior to the shootout, overtime, and last three minutes of the third period, this game was a dud. Other than for a handful of players, it was a lackluster effort by the Canadiens.

Let's not forget that Carolina came into the game last in points and goals scored in the conference and without a win on the road. It should also be noted that the Canes were without Cam Ward, Eric Staal, and Joni Pitkanen.

One more not-so-minor detail. Carolina's starting goaltender, Michael Leighton was injured in the second period while stretching making a glove save. He was replaced by Manny Legace who was winless in four starts. The Habs weak offense proceeded to make Legace look like a star. In fact, it was the first time in 13 games that the opposition had scored fewer than three goals against the Hurricanes.

The Habs were outhit 24-14 and outplayed for the majority of the game. Only the heroics of Carey Price game them a chance to win. There was a standing ovation for Price at the end of overtime. Chants of CA-REY,CA-REY filled the Bell Centre to start the shootout.

Coach Jacques Martin was more modest in praising his goaltender, "Carey played a good game but is still a work in progress. He has lots of things to improve and work on."

Besides Price, Kostitsyn had one of his better games of the year. In addition to scoring the tying goal, he was physical, created scoring chances, and was good on the forecheck and backcheck. Kostitsyn didn't appear on the scoresheet for Habs first goal but he made the play by going to the net, taking the defense and providing a screen. Andrei even won a draw in his own end against the vaunted face-off man, Rod Brind'Amour.

Tomas Plekanec had two assists and continues to be the Canadiens most consistent forward. Max Pacioretty played with Plekanec and Kostitsyn and scored his first goal in the last 12 games. The second line was the Canadiens best of the game.

None of the other Habs were deserving of positive mention for this game. It would be a reach to credit Jay Leach for his steady play or to recognize that Guillaume Latendresse awoke from his season-long snooze to deliver four hits.

The Canadiens fourth line struggled in the game and was limited in ice time. Being caught in the offensive zone created an an odd man rush for Carolina. Josh Gorges couldn't catch Brandon Sutter and the Hurricanes had their first goal.

Due to the depleted defense corps Jaroslav Spacek is playing more than he should. Spacek also seems to be nursing an injury. A stretch pass from Spacek in the second period was intercepted creating a 3-on-2 for the Carolina and their second goal.

Canadiens will have to raise their level of play with Washington and Detroit on the schedule this Friday and Saturday.

Rocket's three stars

1. Carey Price
2. Andrei Kostitsyn
3. Tomas Plekanec
3. Brandon Sutter
3. Matt Cullen

(photo credit: Getty)

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Week 8 Fantasy Hockey Stock Watch: Buy Carey Price, Sell Craig Anderson

Iain Arseneau — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:06:14 -0500

Attention hockey fans.

Now on to our regularly scheduled fantasy hockey buy, sell and hold candidates.

Buy

Carey Price , G, MTL – I will admit, I am a biased Montreal Canadiens fan. Over Price’s last four starts though, he completely stole a game in Boston, won with a solid performance in Phoenix, and put on one of his best displays ever in a loss to the Preds. Martin finally seems determined to give Price the chance to get on a roll, so take advantage of any owners who have written him off for the year.

Brad Boyes , RW, STL – Boyes is apparently a MOP reader, and John’s column last week lit a fire under his butt. After a miserable seven game pointless stretch, Boyes has five points and is +2 in his last three. He’s been consistently productive over the last three seasons, and looks to have rediscovered his touch.

Martin St. Louis , RW, TB – St. Louis was riding a 12 game goalless drought as of Sunday. He has been one of the most consistent and reliable fantasy performers of the past few seasons though, and RW is not a particularly deep position. See if you can find an owner desperate to move him and pounce.

Dan Cleary , RW, DET – Cleary has six points in four games since he started seeing regular minutes with Henrik Zetterberg . Detroit’s offense finally seems to have found some rhythm, and Cleary is a big reason why.

Jay Bouwmeester , D, CGY – Bouwmeester has not produced to the level expected, but did contribute a power-play marker over the weekend for his second goal this season. His early season struggles have a lot of owners looking to ditch him, but Bouwmeester is a proven commodity and should turn it around.

Pekka Rinne , G, NAS – Rinne is 5-1-0 in his last six and is fresh off a shutout against the Habs on Saturday. He will no doubt cost you less than any of the elite goaltenders, and could provide some serious help between the pipes.

Hold

Maxim Afinogenov , RW, ATL – Many would be tempted to slot the enigmatic Russian into the sell category. He’s been wildly inconsistent throughout his career, and has been completely unproductive in each of the last two seasons. He’s scoring at a point-per-game pace though, and might be more comfortable than ever with fellow countryman and offensive dynamo Ilya Kovalchuk around.

David Perron , LW, STL – Perron has shown some signs of life lately, posting a goal and a helper against the Thrashers to bust out of a ourgame pointless drought, then following that up with a hatty against the Canucks. Before that four game pointless drought, he posted six points in three games.

This sound like someone who should be in the buy category so far, doesn’t it? Well, that six point outburst came after a seven game pointless drought in which Perron was -4. That’s cold streak, hot streak, cold streak, hot streak. What comes next?

Sheldon Souray , D, EDM – The Oilers have been struggling of late, so Souray’s return to the lineup Sunday was surely a welcome sight. There might be an owner in your league who now has a glut of defensemen is forced to make a move with Souray coming off the IR, but I’d be a little tentative until Souray has a few games under his belt.

Sell

Craig Anderson , G, COL – It makes me more than a little sad to list him here. I always root for my fellow goaltenders, and love an underdog story. Anderson is 1-4-1 over his last 6 starts though, allowing 20 goals on 191 shots over that span. If he still seems to have some trade value in your pool, look to move him.

Kyle Quincey , D, COL – Quincey is riding an 11 game goalless drought and the Avs are crashing back to earth. Slumping defenseman running failing power-plays won’t help your fantasy team any.

David Backes , RW, STL – Backes has just one goal this season to follow up his 31 goal season from last year. Add to that the fact that he’s now day-to-day with one of those mysterious “upper body injuries” and it doesn’t look like he will turn things around anytime soon.

Iain Arseneau is a fantasy hockey contributor at MyOfficePool.ca . Check his articles including the weekly Stock Watch and top picks in the Hockey Survivor Pool.

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Hurricanes vs Canadiens: Game No. 20 Pre-Game Notes

Rocket All Habs — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:03:00 -0500

Pre-game notes

Brian Gionta will not play for the second straight game with an undisclosed lower body injury. Gionta took a Mike Cammalleri shot off his foot a few games ago. Gionta is the Canadiens leading goal scorer with eight.

Canadiens are 0-3-0 at the Bell Centre in November.

Hurricanes are 7-0-1 in Montreal since the lockout.

Carolina recently ended a 14-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history. Hurricanes are winless on the road this season.

Tom Kostopoulos will face his former teammates for the first time.

Fourteen Hurricanes players' fathers will be in attendance.

21 scouts from 15 NHL teams will attend the game. Scouts are taking a break from the QMJHL All-Stars vs Team Russia games.

Game time is 7:30 p.m. EST. at the Bell Centre.

Expected Canadiens lineup

Gomez, Metropolit, Cammalleri
Plekanec, Pacioretty, Andrei Kostitsyn
Lapierre, Moen, Latendresse
White, Stewart, Pyatt

Hamrlik, Spacek
Mara, Gorges
Bergeron, Leach

Carey Price starts in goal for the Canadiens; Michael Leighton for the Hurricanes.

Scratches: Carle, Chipchura, Stewart, Gionta (lower body), D'Agostini (concussion), Laraque (upper body), Gill (leg), Markov (ankle), O'Byrne (knee)

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Montreal Canadiens: Team Identity Remains a Mystery

Felix Sicard — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:58:06 -0500

Going into the 2009-2010 season, no one knew what to make of a Canadiens roster that had seen a major overhaul over the course of the season.

Much of the uncertainty arose from the fact that it was not clear whether the team was better off with its new crop of players, or just...different.

Through the first 20 games of the regular season, the team is not only different. It's worse.

Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre and Andrei Kostitsyn have made less-than-stellar contributions as evidenced by the Canadiens' struggles to hold a .500 record.

For most games, only six players show up (not including the goalies): Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Tomas Plekanec, Glen Metropolit and Josh Gorges. And out of all these players, Tomas Plekanec is the only one who delivers a consistent performance.

That must be a tough (and expensive) pill to swallow for Bob Gainey, who has a combined $18,357,000 cap hit between his three top-line players.

At the end of 2008-09, Gainey predicted his team wouldn't produce championship results, so he basically got rid of all them, including long time captain Saku Koivu.

But were the Canadiens really that bad with all these players?

It's tough to argue that they were better, but the team apparently hiding in its shell so far this season also makes it tough to argue that this year's edition of the Montreal Canadiens is any better than last year's.

And now, with the team's non-existent depth and crippling injuries, it's extremely difficult to see this club in the playoffs.

The only things the Habs have going for them right now is the contributions of the aforementioned players, the impending return of Andrei Markov, great goaltending, and the fact that they are in the same division as the "Three-Wins" Maple Leafs.

The future is not so bright to say the least.

But perhaps, as fellow Canadiens writer Sebastien Tremblay wrote a few weeks ago, this might be the best thing that could happen for the Canadiens.

Being excluded from the playoffs after an up-and-down season, a top-10 draft pick would not be out of the question, and the Habs' rebuilding process could finally get underway.

However, there's still room for optimism. If the third and fourth lines can pick up their play and Andrei Kostitsyn gets out of his funk, perhaps the Canadiens could make a serious playoff run.

So is this team really worst than last year?

It's tough to say because the entire team hasn't shown up to play yet. But when the entire roster starts contributing, the picture will be much clearer in Montreal.

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Carey Price Saves Montreal Canadiens from a Catastrophe

Francois Gendron — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:42:19 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens were in Nashville, Tennessee, to face the Predators on Saturday night. The Canadiens played one of the worse game of this decade allowing Nashville to fire 55 times on the net defended by goaltender Carey Price.

Price was fantastic in this game as he managed to stop 53 of those 55 shots in this 2-0 loss. I sincerely hope that all the doubts about Carey Price's talent vanished with this performance. As I stated in an article after an humiliating loss in Vancouver: Carey Price is not the problem.

Saturday night in Nashville, the team in front of Price simply did not show up. The players were watching the Predators circle around them without lifting a finger. The domination was to a point that the Nashville Predators looked like a powerhouse of the NHL.

The lack of effort and character looks to be generalized and everyone knows that you cannot win hockey games on a regular basis without putting some serious effort during practice session and during games. Head coach Jacques Martin has the duty to raise the minimum effort given by his players.

The Canadiens will play their next game on Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

(Picture: Carey Price, Canadian Press.)

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Montreal Canadiens: Doubt Setting In or Simple Slow Start?

Sebastien Tremblay — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:08:24 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens have reached the quarter of the season. That said, general manager Bob Gainey must be nervous and anxiously waiting for his summer spending spree come together. It’s been an “ups and downs” first quarter so far, but there have been a bit too many downs for my taste.

The team is in the bottom half of nearly every category. So the first quarter in general is a fail in my book. There are big questions going down the road. Management took big risks on very few players and it hasn’t really been paying off so far.

I’m telling you, behind that cold and calm image of his, Bob Gainey is anxious and worried. How patient do you think the new owners, the Molsons, are? Remember, they were not in control of the team when Bob Gainey went on his summer spending spree. George Gillett was still the owner at the time so legally; the Molsons had no say in the matter.

Bob Gainey’s top three acquisitions during the summer, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri, have shown good chemistry early on. There have been many flashes of what could be a high scoring first line but the trio has come out empty handed on too many occasions. Not that they’re not trying, but when every other NHL team knows this is the only potential threat they’re up against, they come prepared.

Mike Cammalleri has shown flashes of what can be a 40 goals scorer. So with better support, he may just make it—next year! Right now, he too must be worried about the team struggling to score.

As for Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, their offensive production is a bit slow. For a costly $12 million cap hit combined, I’m sure Gainey was hoping for a repeat of the 2005-06 this season. I’m not sure it’s going to happen. Can Gionta still score 30 goals? Is Gomez still capable of being an 70-80 points player? There’s too much money on the line for “ifs”.

At this point, I’m saying thank the hockey gods Tomas Plekanec is there. He’s been arguably the best player so far this year. He seems to have shaken off his demons from last season and has been playing his best hockey I’ve seen him play in his career. At this pace, despite constantly changing wingers, Pleky tops the team in scoring and could put up 70 points this year.

The season is still young and he might not keep up the pace, but besides last year’s horrible performance, Plekanec has been improving every year.

Now here comes the million dollars question. We all know Bob Gainey does not negotiate contract during the season but if he keeps waiting, and Plekanec ends up posting 70 points on a struggling team, it’s going to cost maybe between $4 to $5 million a year long term to retain him in Montreal. And at the present, the Canadiens don’t have the available space under the cap to afford that.

And that’s if he wants to stay in Montreal!

As a restricted free agent he could decide to test the market. Plekanec is one of my favourite players and I’d hate to see him leave but to be honest if I were him that’s exactly what I would do. He’s only 27 years old and may want to try his luck somewhere else just like Mike Komisarek did.

So do you trade him and try to get the best possible return? It’s unlikely Gainey can get a great player, that nameless big first line center, unless he gives a lot more in return.

Bob Gainey spent a lot of money this summer and has put the team too close to the cap limit. Cammalleri, Gionta and Gomez count for 18.3M$ against the cap. And on defence, the top three of Markov, Hamrlik and Spacek count for about 15MS. That’s about half the allowed cap hit on six players.

Right now, he can “breathe” under the salary cap thanks to injuries but it’s not going to last forever. If you want to put so much hope and money on so few players you better make sure you can rely on good, cheap secondary scoring to help you.

And talking about secondary scoring—where is it? At this point, the top five scoring forwards in order are Plekanec, Cammalleri, Gionta, Gomez and Glen Metropolit. Wait. Did I read this right? Yeah, unfortunately, I did! Glen Metropolit has ten points in 14 games. He’s been working hard every game and earned the trust of his coach. He’s currently fifth in scoring.

But the fact that a guy who’s played on the fourth line his entire NHL career has managed to be in the top five scorers scares me. Where are all those “promising young players” Trevor Timmins has been babbling about for years?! How come nobody is stepping up and claim a top six forward spot?

Sometimes I get nightmares and wake up sweating at night asking myself, "Why is Glen Metropolit on the power play?!”

Andrei Kostitsyn, Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre, Max Pacioretty, Kyle Chipchura and Matt D’Agostini (pre-concussion) are not proving to be a consistent supporting cast of “promising youngsters”. It’s as if they’ve all suddenly hit the stop button simultaneously.

On the defensive side of things, I see a disorganized squad. It’s curious how a defensive-minded coach like Jacques Martin still hasn’t found a way to make his squad function properly. Okay, Andrei Markov is out until February. But should he alone count for half the defence? That’s what it feels like.

This illustrates well the importance of Markov and how fragile the defence is without him. But even more so, how badly we need defensemen capable of replacing Markov. Neither Spacek nor Hamrlik apparently have the skills to do so.

So let’s blame the goaltenders, shall we? Maybe not. Both Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak have seen a barrage of shots and very little support from their teammates in front of them. Let’s face it, neither Price or Halak are miracle workers and neither can carry the team like a Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo can.

After 20 games, the Habs have won only two of nine wins in regular time, have been outscored by ten goals and been out-shot in most of their games. So, is it time to panic yet? Well, it’s only been 20 games so maybe not yet. But I’m keeping my panic button really close.

With practically no room against the salary cap and player value getting lower every game, the hope for a trade that will magically solve everything is very unlikely.

If only every team could get rid of their struggling players to get a star forward or stud defensemen....

Sure. That’s how it works.

At this pace, I hate to say it, but unless there’s a drastic turnaround by some younger players, better defensive strategies and a working power play, we might be looking at a top 10 draft pick for next year.

But it still may be too early for pessimism and when everyone returns healthy, maybe we’ll see what this team is really made of. I hope so, because after all the changes to the roster, last season’s horrible performance and a quick playoff exit, the fans are hungry for success.

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Canadiens-Predators: Habs Waste Record-Tying Performance by Carey Price

Rocket All Habs — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:49:00 -0500

Montreal 0, Nashville 2 (Sommet Arena)

posted by Rocket
All Habs

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin may have been hired for his language skills but not because he is a good quote. On his goaltender's effort, Martin was master of the obvious, "He performed well, there is no doubt."

Martin was describing Carey Price's 53-save performance that tied a Canadiens franchise record first set by Wayne Thomas in March 1974 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. Price was brilliant with numerous highlight reel saves.

Price turned away the Predators, who were on a shot per minute pace for the first two periods.

Granted, tonight's game was not in the same class as Team Canada's 47-0 win over Denmark at the 1949 World Hockey Championships in Stockholm.

Yet, shot totals of 24-to-4 after one period, and 42-to-10 after two are indicative of the lopsided level of play.

Pekka Rinne commented on the lack of Habs' shots saying, "I should have brought my iPod." Indeed. Or perhaps he could have been live tweeting from the crease. Hmm.

With Price making save after save, the Canadiens found themselves only one goal down for most of the game. Steve Sullivan scored his second goal of the game on a 5-on-3 power play with just over seven minutes left in the game.

As coach Martin said, "It's unfortunate that his (Price) teammates didn't take advantage of a performance like that."

Predators coach Barry Trotz chalked it up to a solid game plan. "You break down teams' defense when you put it on net. They are scrambling for pucks, they are reaching, and we are being firm in their offensive zone."

But let's not confuse Nashville with a contender. Coming into tonight's game, the Predators were tied for last in the league in goals with 37.

While the Predators can be credited for their offensive pressure, the Canadiens didn't even look like they were trying. Besides Price, Tomas Plekanec and Jay Leach are the only two players who deserve a positive mention.

Guillaume Latendresse was supposed to spend tonight's game in the press box but got the equivalent of a last-minute call from the governor when Brian Gionta couldn't play.

So what did Latendresse do with the reprieve? It was another uninspired effort leaving the coach no option but to limit his ice-time to just under eight minutes.

Similarly, Max Lapierre was given the opportunity to start on the first line to fill the spot of Gionta. Lapierre was not up to the task and promptly found himself on the fourth line.

Travis Moen and Tom Pyatt were the recipients of extra minutes. Even Ryan White got a turn on the no. 1 line. Andrei Kostitsyn was invisible.

Jaroslav Spacek, still suffering the effects of his leg injury, was not himself. Marc-Andre Bergeron was, which meant two egregious giveaways in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Roman Hamrlik continues to log huge minutes but that is no excuse that both he and Spacek gave up on the play that led to the first Nashville goal. Sullivan was left alone to pot his own rebound after Price made the initial save. It was downhill from there.

Injuries aside, the talent level on the Canadiens is not as poor as this team looked tonight. Perhaps after the 20-game mark, it's time for the coach to find a way to get the best out of his players.

Rocket's three stars

1. Carey Price
2. Steve Sullivan
3. Shea Weber

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Montreal Canadiens vs Nashville Predators: Game No. 20 Pre-Game Notes

Rocket All Habs — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:01:00 -0500

Pre-game notes

Guillaume Latendresse will be a healthy scratch tonight. Finally, Jacques Martin's patience has been exhausted. Kyle Chipchura will take his place.

Jaroslav Spacek has a leg bruise and will be a game-time decision.

Carey Price will use the tribute mask to his country music idols Garth Brooks and George Strait for the game in Nashville.

Canadiens are 7-2-1-1 lifetime against the Predators.

Habs are looking for their first three-road-game win streak.

Francis Bouillon will face his former teammates for the first time.

Game time is 8 p.m. EST. at the Sommet Center.

Expected Canadiens lineup

Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri
Plekanec, Pyatt, Andrei Kostitsyn
Metropolit, Moen, Pacioretty
Lapierre, White, Chipchura

Hamrlik, Spacek (GTD)
Mara, Gorges
Bergeron, Leach

Carey Price starts in goal for the Canadiens; Pekka Rinne for the Predators.

Scratches: Carle, Latendresse, Stewart, D'Agostini (concussion), Laraque (upper body), Gill (leg), Markov (ankle), O'Byrne (knee)

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Tomas Plekanec: First Quarter MVP For Montreal Canadiens

Felix Sicard — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:34:50 -0500

Tomas Plekanec seemed to have hit rock bottom during the 2008-09 season, being his own biggest critic, he described his play as that of 'a little girl'.

While that may have been slightly exaggerated on his part, the young centre had certainly stooped to the lowest point of his career.

Often times, it seemed like he was never quite sure what he wanted to do with the puck, or that he simply didn't want it. He would either dump it as soon as he got it, or try to weave through three players at once.

These were not good times for the player who had just experienced the best season in his young career, one in which he tallied 69 points and formed one of the best lines in hockey with Alex Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn.

The following campaign was just the polar opposite of that, and many fans in Montreal were beginning to clamor for the departure of number 14.

Bob Gainey was the wiser, however, and inked Plekanec to a one-year, $2.75 million dollar deal.

Not a bad price, considering what Plekanec had done, or could possibly do, which seems to be the main selling point of young players these days.

Gainey's patience and confidence in the player that he selected 71st overall in the 2001 NHL entry draft was rewarded, as Plekanec has become the Canadiens' most valuable player through the first quarter games of the regular season.

Through the first 19 games, Plekanec has put up four goals and thirteen assists, good enough to be the team lead in points.

However, it is not just his offensive production that has been on the rise, but his overall play.

Jacques Martin has not been afraid to place Plekanec in every situation, notably the penalty kill where he has excelled.

The 27-year old Czech has bloomed into one of the best two-way centers in the league, largely due to his renewed confidence.

Unlike his linemate Andrei Kostitsyn, Plekanec has one of the hardest work ethics on the league. The guy simply won't quit, and his stats reflect that.

Although it is team policy to not sign any contracts during the season, Bob Gainey will have to forego this archaic rule if he wishes to retain his player. If Plekanec continues at this rate, his margin of bargaining will be much greater, and he might be able to fetch a more lucrative contract elsewhere.

Being the team MVP so far, Gainey has to re-sign him, as it simply will not be acceptable to lose another great player to free agency, as was the case with Mark Streit and Sheldon Souray.

Also, being offered a contract early on will boost Plekanec's already burgeoning confidence, as this will show him that management believes that he is "their man".

Whether management signs him soon or later, it is apparent that Plekanec is stealing the "franchise player" tag from Carey Price. Although Bob Gainey will never let that happen, Tomas Plekanec is the best and brightest hope for a Canadiens' franchise that is in dire need of it.

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Montreal Canadiens: Bob Gainey Needs to Let Go of Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak

Miah D. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:23:12 -0500

Our folks have taught us to think first before we speak, so we do not send the wrong message. But some messages are just meant to be wrong.

The fuss over the goalie controversy provoked by Allan Walsh a few days ago truly reflects the susceptibility around hockey in Montreal.

That was one heck of a gutsy twit; but then again, coming from an agent whose client is constantly trying to get out of the shadow, anything is possible.

Let’s face it; some days must be frustrating for Jaroslav Halak.

In 2007, number one goalie Cristobal Huet suffered a groin injury that was going to put him on the sideline for the second half of the season. So the team recalled Halak to back-up David Aebischer.

But because of Aebischer’s poor play, Halak started 16 of the 21 remaining games. He posted a 10-6 record during a critical playoff race and kept the Habs’ hopes alive until the final battle.

One summer later, the 2007 training camp came.

After winning the Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs, 19-year-old Carey Price turned many heads; including the most important of all: GM Bob Gainey.

Numerous questions were, and still are, raised concerning the proper development of a 20-year-old whose future is to carry a team on his shoulders.

A debate divided Montreal in two; there was the Carbonneau side and the Gainey one.

The head coach stressed that Price was not ready to graduate in the big club. But the GM was set; this kid was to be the future of this organization.

Gainey apparently thought another year in the AHL would be a waste of his talent. Even more, six more months as a back-up goaltender would be a shame!

With Halak second to Price, the GM expected to have a healthy competition between his young goalies. After all, nothing helps you dive off the board better than a push in the back.

However, there was going to be some collateral damage involved.

Gainey rubbed two rocks together; eventually starting a fire.

It is such a fairytale story to have a 20-year-old rookie handling the toughest job in the NHL. But that won’t make him as experienced and mature as a veteran goaltender; which according to his recent season, are two things Price needs.

I do not question his talent, but I do doubt the rest.

It has been said so many times before and it needs to be stressed again: Price needs a veteran back-up. An experienced goalie who will provide him with some ‘I-have-been-there’ talks.

At 24, Halak hasn’t been there. His first priority is becoming a number one goalie; not helping Price remain one...

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