Though
the change has been drastic in the front office and on the coaching
staff, the product on the ice should look very similar to the one
that finished last season with seven wins in its last 23 games. And
Therrien doesn't necessarily see that as a problem. "This team
has potential. We can't forget that,” Therrien said when he was
hired. "There are some good, young players to work with here."
Indeed, the 2012-13 Canadiens will still be built around its young
pillars at each position – Carey
Price in goal, P.K.
Subban on defense and Max
Pacioretty at forward, three players who are still on the upswing
of their respective development curves. Departed from the team that
finished last season are forwards Mathieu
Darche and Brad
Staubitz and defenseman Chris
Campoli (Darche and Campoli are still unrestricted free agents,
but have been informed by the club that their services will no longer
be needed). In their place, Bergevin landed forwards Brandon
Prust and Colby
Armstrong and defenseman Francis
Bouillon on the free-agent market, three players known for their
character, grit and toughness – qualities both Bergevin and
Therrien identified as areas of weakness on the club. "I like
these guys. They bring character, they bring sandpaper, they bring
personality to our club, which I feel was missing last year,"
Bergevin said of his free-agent signings. "From day one, I
wanted to build this team around character guys who put the team
first, and that's what I think we did." Though the new additions
do indeed add certain intangibles that should make the Canadiens a
more difficult opponent in 2012-13, none are expected to put up gaudy
offensive numbers. That responsibility will fall on the shoulders of
incumbents Pacioretty, Erik
Cole, David
Desharnais, Tomas
Plekanec and captain Brian
Gionta.
Additions: D Francis Boullion, RW Brandon Prust, RW Colby Armstrong, G Cedrick DesjardinsSubtractions: RW Brad StaubitzUFAs: LW Mathieu Darche, D Chris CampoliPromotion candidates: D Nathan Beaulieu, C Gabriel Dumont, RW Brendan Gallagher
The
Canadiens' offense last season was massively dependent on the line of
Pacioretty, Desharnais and Cole to produce, with the trio accounting
for 84 of the team's 207 goals (40.6 percent) and 66 of 148 goals at
even strength (44.6 percent). A healthy season from Gionta – who
missed the final 40 games of last season with a torn bicep muscle –
would not only help remedy that one-dimensional attack with his own
production, but it would likely improve the performance of Plekanec,
who had a merry-go-round of wingers surrounding him last season and
scored just 17 goals as a result, his lowest total since his rookie
season. The Canadiens are also hoping Rene
Bourque will find the form that allowed him to post consecutive
27-goal seasons before plummeting to 18 last season, including five
in 38 games after his acquisition from the Calgary
Flames. Then there's the wild card of Alex
Galchenyuk, the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft who could
conceivably make the club at center, as well as young forwards Lars
Eller and Louis
Leblanc, who could be poised for breakout seasons. On defense,
the biggest change will be a healthy Andrei
Markov. When he is on top of his game, Markov is the Canadiens'
most important player. However, Markov was clearly not himself in the
13 games he played last season, exhibiting tentativeness and a lack
of timing after rehabbing knee injuries for the better part of two
years. If Markov can return to the form that saw him finish second
among the League's defenseman in points in his last complete season
in 2008-09, the Canadiens could very well be a vastly improved club.
In spite of their lowly finish in the standings, the Canadiens had a
goal differential of just minus-7 (once the "goals" for
shootout wins and losses are taken away), which was seventh best in
the Eastern Conference. Some continued improvement from their young
core, some rebounds from veterans coming off a bad season, and a jolt
of energy created by the new blood in the front office and coaching
staff could very well propel this club back into the playoffs in
2012-13.
The
Montreal
Canadiens are coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise
history, and that alone would suggest the questions facing this
club for the upcoming season are numerous. But with a new general
manager in Marc
Bergevin, a vastly revamped front office and a new coaching
staff led by Michel
Therrien, the potential for questions grows exponentially.
No
player among the Montreal
Canadiens' skaters is as important to the team's success as
Andrei Markov. Reinserting Markov as the team's No. 1 defenseman
has a ripple effect on the remainder of the defense. P.K.
Subban would no longer be leaned on as hard to both shut down
the opposition's top forwards and also produce offensively,
perhaps allowing him some latitude to further exploit his
exceptional offensive gifts. Tomas
Kaberle would become a third-pairing defender and
second-power-play-unit quarterback, which makes him a luxury.
Alexei
Emelin would have a Russian mentor on the bench to help him
make adjustments and continue the remarkable improvement he showed
last season as a hard-hitting, physically intimidating defenseman.
Overall, the group would be playing in roles they are suited for.
Markov's impact on the Canadiens' power play is easy to forget
because he's been hurt for so long, but he was a major reason why
Montreal had a top-five power play in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Recovering from two consecutive anterior cruciate ligament tears
in his right knee, Markov has worked extremely hard to have an
opportunity to prove he can still perform at that game-changing
level. The Canadiens' chances for success in 2012-13 rest largely
on his ability to do just that.
Is
David
Desharnais a legitimate No. 1 center? Former
Canadiens coach Randy
Cunneyworth was asked this very question last season in the
midst of a torrid scoring stretch from Desharnais. "Please,"
Cunneyworth responded, "go ask him that question yourself."
Cunneyworth obviously recognized that much of the success
Desharnais has known at every level of hockey he has played –
from major junior to the ECHL to the AHL to the NHL – has been
fueled by his desire to prove his doubters wrong. Listed at
5-foot-7, 177 pounds, Desharnais pounced on the opportunity he was
given to center Max
Pacioretty and Erik
Cole to post a 60-point season, 20th among NHL centers and
beating out decorated colleagues Stephen
Weiss, Ryan
Getzlaf and Paul
Stastny. Desharnais is entering the final year of his contract
and the questions regarding his legitimacy as a top-line center
will probably remain unless he's able to repeat his performance
from last season. Of course, those continued questions may very
well be the fuel Desharnais needs to silence them for good.
As
popular as the hiring of Marc
Bergevin as the team's new general manager appeared to be
among the Canadiens fans and media, the rehiring of Michel
Therrien as coach was met with a chorus of indignation. Many fans
and media were still hot over their belief that Therrien cost the
Canadiens a second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the
Carolina
Hurricanes in 2002, when his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty
in Game 4 paved the way for a three-goal Hurricanes' comeback in
the third period to tie the series 2-2. Montreal went on to lose
the series in six games, and Therrien was fired the following
season. After a very successful stint in the American Hockey
League, Therrien coached 272 regular-season games with the
Pittsburgh
Penguins from 2005 to 2009, and in his first full season the
club improved from 58 points in 2005-06 to 105 points in 2006-07
before reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2007-08. The Canadiens
are banking on the improvement of young stars like Price and
Subban to take the team's performance to the next level. So in his
two NHL head coaching stints, Therrien has proven an ability to
have a positive impact on a struggling club. But Therrien's
history in Montreal will make it so a rough start to the season –
or even a little slump at some point – could shine a bright
spotlight on the coach. His ability to handle the inevitable
firestorm over any swoon the team may experience will be very
telling as to the ability of Therrien version 2.0 to handle the
Montreal market.
While
Markov is an extremely important piece of the puzzle, the
Canadiens are being built around Carey
Price in goal, Subban on defense and Pacioretty at forward.
Price signed a six-year, $39 million contract extension July 2,
giving him the third-highest cap hit among NHL goalies behind
Nashville's Pekka
Rinne and the Rangers' Henrik
Lundqvist. Price finished 20th last season in save percentage
at .916 and 18th in goals-against average at 2.43, but on many
nights he was the only thing separating a one-goal Canadiens loss
from an embarrassing blowout. With his 25th birthday coming up
Aug. 16 and the possibility of a more structured team in front of
him, there's no reason to believe Price won't improve, even though
the pressure to do so will be enormous. Subban, 23, finished fifth
in scoring on the Canadiens with 36 points while facing the
opposition's top forwards every night at even strength and on the
penalty kill. His entry into the NHL has been very impressive, but
he's also been the target of a lot of criticism for the way he
plays the game, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, his
next step will be to become a team leader, a quality that will
need to emerge this season. Finally, Pacioretty, also 23, led the
Canadiens in scoring with 65 points and showed that he is ready to
emerge as one of the NHL's top power forwards, but the pressure is
on him to repeat last season's performance.
The
poster boy for the underachiever label on the Canadiens is Scott
Gomez, the team's highest-paid player, who produced 11 points
in 38 games of an injury-riddled season. Since being acquired in a
much-maligned trade from the New
York Rangers on June 30, 2009, Gomez's production has gone
from 0.76 points per game in 2009-10 to 0.48 in 2010-11 to 0.29 in
2011-12. There's little reason to believe Gomez will be able to
turn it around in 2012-13, but at 32 years old, it's not
completely outside the realm of possibility. A more legitimate
candidate to bounce back would be Rene
Bourque, who scored 27 goals in back-to-back seasons with the
Calgary Flames in 2009-10 and 2010-11, but never found his niche
in Montreal after a Jan. 12 trade to the Canadiens. While Bourque
has been a target for criticism for his lack of consistency and
unwillingness to effectively use his physical gifts, he is far
from done at age 30 and could benefit from having a full season
with the Canadiens to bounce back and put up similar numbers to
his two previous years in Calgary.
A
consistent criticism of the Canadiens over the past few years has
been their lack of size and physicality. Bergevin clearly felt the
same way.
Playing
in a Northeast Division where the rough and tough Boston
Bruins are king, Bergevin increased the truculence quotient of
his team by signing New
York Rangers tough guy Brandon
Prust to a four-year, $10 million contract on July 1. While
the dollar figure for the League's co-leader in fighting majors
(tied at 20 with Boston's Shawn
Thornton) was high, Prust's ability to stand up for his
teammates while also serving as an effective penalty killer who
doesn't hurt the club at even strength added a needed element to
the Canadiens. "I think they're lacking someone like me in
their lineup," Prust said when he signed with Montreal. The
addition of Prust coupled with the re-signings of Travis
Moen and Ryan
White gives the Canadiens three forwards who aren't afraid to
drop the gloves. Free-agent acquisitions Colby
Armstrong at forward and Francis
Bouillon on defense are also tough customers in the sense that
they play a physical game, but both have a history of injuries as
a result of that style of play. Still, a potential fourth line of
Prust, White and Moen gives the Canadiens a physically
intimidating presence the team has lacked for years. If bangers
Armstrong and Bouillon can remain healthy while Emelin continues
his progression to becoming one of the League's elite open-ice
hitters, the Canadiens may not carry the reputation of being an
easy opponent for much longer. Last season was a disaster in La
Belle Province. The Montreal
Canadiens lost seven of their first eight games, and coach
Jacques Martin eventually was replaced by Randy
Cunneyworth. Montreal finished last in the Eastern Conference,
and it led to sweeping changes in the organization.
Some
of the problems in Montreal last season were bad luck. Scott
Gomez, Andrei
Markov and Brian
Gionta, three of the team's four highest-paid players, played 82
games combined. The fourth, Mike
Cammalleri, was traded to the Calgary
Flames. The Canadiens scored 2.52 goals per game but were
incredibly inconsistent. They scored one or zero goals 26 times, and
were 0-24-2 in those games. To compare, the Los
Angeles Kings scored fewer than two goals 27 times but managed to
collect 13 points (3-17-7). Montreal also lost a League-high 12 games
in the shootout.
New
general manager Marc
Bergevin added some depth and a new (sort of) coach, Michel
Therrien. The Canadiens will need more from their top players this
season, and that starts with better health. With strong play from
goalie Carey
Price and some better luck, it could be a quick turnaround.
Here's
what the Canadiens' lineup could look like on opening night:
Forwards
Max
Pacioretty - David
Desharnais - Erik
Cole
Rene
Bourque - Tomas
Plekanec - Brian
Gionta
Travis
Moen - Lars
Eller - Brandon
Prust
Colby
Armstrong - Scott
Gomez - Louis
Leblanc
Petteri
Nokelainen
Defensemen
Josh
Gorges - P.K.
Subban
Andrei
Markov - Alexei
Emelin
Tomas
Kaberle - Raphael
Diaz
Francis
Bouillon - Yannick
Weber
Goaltenders
Carey
Price
Peter
Budaj
NOTES:
Pacioretty, Desharnais and Cole were one of the League's most lethal
lines when they were put together, so it would make sense for
Therrien to leave them alone and figure out the rest. The Canadiens
are going to need more from Bourque. The emergence of Desharnais and
Eller last season doesn't leave a lot of room for Gomez, and Leblanc
and Brendan
Gallagher could move ahead of him in the pecking order for prime
ice time. A lot of eyes will be on 2012 first-round draft pick Alex
Galchenyuk in training camp, but he missed almost an entire year
of development with a knee injury. Unless he clearly earns a spot in
the top six, he'll return to the junior ranks for 2012-13. If Markov
is healthy, he's going to play a lot. Where Kaberle fits is more of a
mystery. Emelin and Diaz are promising, and Boullion was a solid
addition. It is already crowded on the back end, so 2011 first-round
pick Nathan
Beaulieu is in a position similar to Galchenyuk. Price is a
proven workhorse, but like others, a little less could mean more. If
Therrien's staff doesn't trust Budaj or he struggles, the addition of
Cedrick
Desjardins could prove to be a nice one. Injuries have derailed
him a bit, but there's plenty of potential in Guy
Boucher's former American Hockey League netminder.
The
Montreal
Canadiens will enter training camp for the 2012-13 season with a
glaring hole among their top six forwards, one the team hopes can be
filled internally. There aren't too many candidates to fill the need
for a fourth scoring option on the wing, but if Rene
Bourque can get back to being the player who scored 27 goals in
back-to-back seasons with the Calgary
Flames, he would fit the bill quite nicely. Bourque scored five
goals in 38 games after he was acquired by the Canadiens in exchange
for proven goal-scorer and playoff performer Michael
Cammalleri – a trade finalized during the second intermission
of a Jan. 12 Habs game in Boston. New general manager Marc
Bergevin was a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks when Bourque
cracked the NHL with the team in 2005, and he was in the front office
when Bourque was traded to the Flames for a draft pick in 2008. But
Bergevin was impressed with the numbers Bourque put up in Calgary and
remains hopeful he can do the same in Montreal. "He scored 27
goals two years ago," Bergevin said. "I know he had an off
year, but I'm not ready to write him off." In all likelihood,
Bourque will be placed on the left wing of center Tomas
Plekanec on the Canadiens' second line, but that pairing was
disastrous for Montreal last season. However, the struggles of that
line could have been because the right wing spot was a revolving
door, with a steady stream of candidates coming in and out. Having
team captain Brian
Gionta, who missed the last 40 games of last season with a torn
bicep muscle, on the line could help a great deal. Even though
Bourque put up great numbers while in Calgary, he was often
criticized for having a poor work ethic, a lack of consistency and an
unwillingness to use his 6-foot-2, 211-pound frame to its full
potential. The same tendencies were seen in Montreal, but they were
made even more glaring by his lack of production. New Canadiens coach
Michel
Therrien has a zero-tolerance policy for a lack of effort from
his players, so perhaps he will be able to coax the necessary hustle
out of Bourque. If not, the Canadiens will need to look elsewhere to
fill out their top six forwards.
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