Montreal Canadiens Players with the Most to Prove During the 2014-15 Season
The start of the Montreal Canadiens' 2014-15 season is just over a week away. Puck drop against the Toronto Maples Leafs is on Oct. 8.
The Canadiens have enjoyed a solid preseason so far, as they sit on a 3-1 record with three games to go. The roster is beginning to take shape, and as of Sept. 29 there were 20 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goalies left in camp, per Canadiens.com.
Looking ahead to the season, the Canadiens have a lot to prove as a team. They need to show the NHL that they deserved to be within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final last season.
There are also a few individual players with a lot to prove. Some have new contracts, while others are young prospects who are waiting to break out. Another has just been inconsistent.
Here are the Montreal Canadiens players with the most to prove during the 2014-15 season.
P.K. Subban
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There are 72 million reasons why P.K. Subban has a lot to prove this season. It is, after all, the amount of money the Montreal Canadiens will pay him over the next eight seasons.
He is now the highest-paid defenseman in the league and third-highest overall after Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in terms of cap hit, according to CapGeek.com. He is also the highest-paid player in the history of the Montreal Canadiens.
Subban, who was in the spotlight even before his megadeal, will now be put under the microscope by not only Canadiens fans but hockey enthusiasts around the league as well. The expectations that come with a $72 million contract are so high that it's going to be very hard for him to meet them.
Subban isn't going to score 40 goals or lead the league in points. That's just not going to happen.
Realistically, he should have his sights on 15-20 goals and 40-plus assists. He should also be looking to improve on his minus-four rating from last season.
If he's able to achieve those numbers, he'll be in the discussion for the Norris Trophy at season's end. And, really, that's all you can ask for without being outrageous.
If he struggles, however, he's going to hear about it from the fans and media. Subban will have to play well in 2014-15 to prove to everyone around the league that he's worth being paid like one of the best players.
Lars Eller
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Staying with the contract theme, Lars Eller is another Canadien with a lot to prove in 2014-15.
Eller, who was a restricted free agent, avoided arbitration by signing a four-year, $14 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $3.5 million. The contract is identical in terms of length and value to the extension signed by David Desharnais back in March 2013.
Desharnais struggled out of the gate after his new deal and watched Eller take his place as the No. 1 center on the team. By December, however, Desharnais was back to filling the stat sheets with assists, while Eller struggled through a midseason slump that saw him record just one assist in 24 games.
That kind of slump will be unacceptable for the 25-year-old Dane this season.
Eller won't be expected to put up the same offensive numbers as Desharnais. He simply isn't that type of player. He doesn't play with the top offensive wingers on the team and doesn't get No. 1 power-play minutes.
But even as the third-line center, he will be expected to chip in a bit more than his 12 goals and 14 assists from last season. He has the skill to do so. He showed it by putting up eight points in eight games to begin the 2013-14 season.
Eller should be aiming for a 40-point season in 2014-15. If he can do that while still playing reliable defense night in and night out, he will prove his worth to the Canadiens.
Nathan Beaulieu
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Nathan Beaulieu has just one simple thing to prove to the Montreal Canadiens this season, but it's a big one. The prized prospect must show the organization that he's ready to be a full-time NHL player.
All indications are that Beaulieu will be given the opportunity to be a top-six defenseman this season. He did, after all, play in the team's most meaningful games last season after he was made a regular in Game 6 against the Boston Bruins last spring. He's also been skating with Mike Weaver on the third defensive pairing, as Stu Cowan at Hockey Inside/Out reports.
If Beaulieu finishes training camp strongly, he'll likely be in the lineup when Montreal takes on Toronto on Oct. 8. But that won't mean his job is safe.
Jarred Tinordi is waiting in the wings and desperately wants to stay in Montreal this season. Ditto for Greg Pateryn. Beaulieu, assuming he makes the team out of camp, will be on a short leash.
The Canadiens want Beaulieu in the lineup due to his abilities with the puck. Yet in order to keep his job he'll have to walk the fine line between being offensive yet defensively responsible. He'll need to choose the right times to rush, pinch and make the stretch pass. A few bad decisions could see him in the press box after just a few games.
Beaulieu is just 21 years old but has already played two full seasons in the minors. And as a former first-round pick, he likely feels that he belongs in Montreal for good. It's time for him to prove that he does.
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Rene Bourque
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Rene Bourque has had something to prove in Montreal ever since he joined the Canadiens back in January of 2012. But, with one small exception, he still hasn't shown that he can be the 27-goal scorer he once was, and therefore he still has something to prove in 2014-15.
To be brutally honest, Bourque's stats with the Canadiens are just awful. He has just 21 goals in 128 regular-season games. He's also a minus-18. His pitiful play even made him a healthy scratch nine times last season.
But then in the playoffs, things changed. He morphed back into the stud power forward who was seen so much more often during his Calgary Flames days. He skated hard, forechecked, hit and scored. His eight goals in 17 games were the most on the team. He even tied for fifth in the entire playoffs in goals scored, even though every player ahead of him appeared in more games.
His playoff performance left Canadiens fans wondering where that style of hockey had been for the previous two-and-a-half years. Now the train of thought shifts to whether he'll be able to put on a similar show in 2014-15.
According to Sean Gentille of the Sporting News, Bourque has constantly been at the center of trade rumors in Montreal over the past couple of seasons, but his playoff performance likely bought him a bit more time in town. He does have to prove that he can play at a similar level consistently in the regular season, however, if he doesn't want to hear his name being shopped around the league again this season.
Alex Galchenyuk
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Alex Galchenyuk is still just 20 years old. The vast majority of players his age are still developing in the minors, having just completed their junior careers. Yet Galchenyuk is already entering his third NHL season.
He was, of course, the third overall pick in the 2012 entry draft and made the Canadiens after his first training camp. He was relatively sheltered in his first season, averaging just 12 minutes, 19 seconds per game, but he still managed nine goals and 18 assists in 48 games.
Last season, injuries took their toll and denied him from getting into any kind of rhythm. He missed 17 regular-season games and 12 playoff games but returned to score twice in five games against the New York Rangers.
He has shown flashes of brilliance so far in his young career, but anyone who has watched him play knows he can do more. Much more.
Montreal is waiting for him to really break out and show the world the superstar potential he has in him. Perhaps this will be the season.
All stats from NHL.com. All salary-cap information from CapGeek.com.
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