NHL: Something Missing In Montreal

Pegged by many as an Eastern Conference front-runner this off-season, the Montreal Canadiens have struggled out of the gates thus far. A mix of injuries and general inconsistency have plagued the Habs up to this point. The loss of Mike Komisarek is the most glaring of these injuries.

His return to the lineup on Thursday night, in a victory over the streaking Philadelphia Flyers, showed exactly how important his presence is on the ice. The problem for much of the year however has not been defensive, but rather the teams ability to put the puck in the net.

Entering the game against the Flyers, Montreal boasted only one player with over 10 goals, compared to the Flyers six. With only minor losses to the forward position from last years squad, coupled with the addition of Robert Lang and Alex Tanguay were expected to lead to an increased offensive output. A struggling power play, which led the league only a year before, is the main culprit. The inability to produce with a man advantage falls on one player; Alexei Kovalev.

Kovalev has earned a reputation as a player who plays when he chooses. The NHL's version of Randy Moss, a player with arguably more talent than anybody else in the league, who does not always take full advantage of his physical ability. As of the writing of this article, he had scored a total of seven goals.

To put this in perspective, 120 forwards have lit the lamp on more occasions this season. Last season he led the NHL in power play goals and scored a total of 35 goals on the year. He was mentioned along with Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Zetterberg in MVP discussions only a year ago and is now tied in scoring with Wojtek Wolski.

The question for the Canadiens is how do they solve this problem? Kovalev's contract expires after this season, making him more difficult to trade unless coupled with quality prospects such as Kyle Chipchura or Ryan O'Byrne. Should the organization or coaches push him to play better by moving him down a line or two or reducing his playing time, with his personality? There is a chance he could quit on them completely.

With incredible talents on the trading block such as Marion Gaborik in Minnesota or Ilya Kovalchuk in Atlanta, Montreal just might need to use Kovalev in a package to attain a top-tier talent.

While Kovalev will only be a part of the puzzle that it could take to land a Kovalchuk or a Gaborik, Montreal has a deep enough pool of young talent in Hamilton to replace mid-level NHL talent. Kovalev, along with most likely two of the following players, would be required: Christopher Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, Sergei or Andrei Kostitsyn, and Mathieu Dandenault along with late draft picks.

In the Centennial Season, the Habs are looking to add the 25th Championship banner to the rafters of the Bell Centre. The production from their current group of forwards will not be enough to get them past Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or Boston in the East. GM Bob Gainey will be looking to make a big splash at the trade deadline to ensure the best fans in the NHL have something to cheer about at seasons end.