Montreal Canadiens' Awards for the 1st Half of the 2014-15 Season

The Montreal Canadiens must be happy with the first half of the 2014-15 season. It went about as well as they could've hoped, as the team has a tidy 26-12-2 record and sit just three points off the Atlantic Division lead with four games in hand. 

The No. 1 key to Montreal's success has obviously been the superb play of Carey Price. But general manager Marc Bergevin has put together a solid roster in front of his star goalie, and some players deserve recognition for their strong play as well. 

Here are some awards for the Montreal Canadiens at the halfway mark of the 2014-15 season. 

Rookie of the Year: Jiri Sekac

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Jiri Sekac

Not a lot of competition for the Montreal Canadiens' rookie of the year at the midway point.

Sven Andrighetto has had his moments, although he has only played 12 games. Nathan Beaulieu has also been great since his latest call-up on Dec. 19, but he doesn't qualify as a rookie by the NHL definition as he has appeared in six or more games in each of the last two seasons.

Therefore, this one's a runaway: Jiri Sekac is the rookie of the year at the halfway mark. 

Sekac has been a wonderful find for Bergevin and his scouting team. Signed from the KHL as a free agent in the summer, the 22-year-old has found himself a comfortable spot next to Lars Eller on Montreal's revamped third line.

Through 34 games, Sekac has seven goals and eight assists. A few of those goals have been of the highlight-reel variety where he's shown off amazing hands and a wicked shot. 

Sekac is also very fast, something NHL fans will all discover when he takes part in the All-Star skills competition as Tanner Pearson's replacement. He'll likely compete in some of the skating events, according to Andrew Berkshire of Habs Eyes on the Prize. 

The young Czech has fit in perfectly with the Canadiens and has shown flashes of brilliance so far this season. His combination of size, speed and skill have Habs fans very excited about what the future may bring. 

Breakout Player: Lars Eller

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Lars Eller

Lars Eller has been a pleasant surprise for the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15. Fresh off a four-year contract extension this past summer, he has teamed up with rookie Jiri Sekac to form the core of a vastly improved third line. 

He is playing a solid 15 minutes a night and has given head coach Michel Therrien a third trio that he can trust at both ends of the ice. 

Offensively, he has chipped in with eight goals and seven assists in 36 games. Modest numbers perhaps, but it's decent production for a third-line center. 

In his own end, he can be counted on to win faceoffs. He's obviously learned a trick or two from faceoff guru Manny Malhotra, as Eller is winning them at an impressive 56.3 percent.

Eller brings some speed and physicality each and every night for the Habs. He forechecks as hard as anyone on the team, which is exactly what you want from your third-liners.

Most importantly, he has become consistent. Eller has shown flashes of his A-game at times during the past few seasons, but those moments have been followed by prolonged slumps where he disappears. We've yet to see that from Eller this season. He makes his presence known on the ice in just about every game.

It has been a nice start for Eller so far in 2014-15. For that reason, he's the Habs' breakout player at the midway point.  

Top Forward: Max Pacioretty

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Max Pacioretty

Max Pacioretty leads the Montreal Canadiens in goals (18), points (33) and plus/minus (plus-22). Oh, and he's also third in assists with 15. 

He's the only candidate for top forward at the midway point. 

We knew coming into the season that Pacioretty could score with the best of them. He did score 39 goals last season. 

But it has been amazing to see the 26-year-old turn himself into one of the best two-way forwards on the team. At even strength, his plus/minus rating speaks for itself, but he's also developed into one of Therrien's top penalty-killers. 

Pacioretty has been nothing short of awesome so far this season, and expect it to continue in the second half. He's Montreal's top forward by a long shot. 

Top Defenseman: P.K. Subban

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P.K. Subban

When you sign a $72 million contract, you're never going to meet the expectations that come with it. Fans and members of the media just aren't realistic at times. 

But when you sit back and analyze Subban's season at the midway point, he's been nothing short of great. And we can't allow a ridiculous snub from the All-Star Game to cause us to forget that. 

P.K. is the thoroughbred defenseman on a team that is challenging for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. He's playing more than 25 minutes a night on the top pairing, often against the the opposition's superstar forwards, and is a plus-10 in doing so. 

Don't like the plus/minus stat? Well, he also leads the team in Corsi. 

Let's not forget the offense. He's tied for second in team scoring with Alex Galchenyuk at 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists). All but five of those points have come when the Canadiens are playing at even strength. In fact, he's tied for third among all NHL defensemen with 22 even-strength points. 

Subban is a stud, even though it is sometimes overlooked by those who think he should be leading the league in every possible category because of his new contract. He's the Canadiens' best D-man and will be for a long time to come. 

Most Valuable Player: Carey Price

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Carey Price

Who else would it be? 

Carey Price is obviously the Montreal Canadiens' MVP at the midway point and, barring major injury or a complete meltdown, will be at the end of the season. And if he continues playing the way he is now, he could even be in the discussion for the Hart Memorial Trophy come June. 

Price's stats are ridiculous: 22 wins, a 2.19 GAA and a save percentage of .928 in having faced over 1,000 shots. He's on pace for a career-low goals-against average and a career-high save percentage. 

He's Montreal's best player night in and night out. In fact, he's the only player to win the Molson Cup, a monthly award given to the Canadiens player with the most three-star selections, so far this season. 

It's been said many times before, but it needs to be said again: Montreal is a good hockey team with a great goaltender. The Habs will go as far as Carey Price takes them this season. 

All stats from NHL.com. Advanced stats from Puckalytics. 

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