"We've had guys yelling in the locker room, we've had coaches yelling at us, and sooner or later it's going to sink in. But it has to sink in right now. It's unacceptable to get booed out of your own building two games in a row."- Christopher Higgins
Unfortunately for the Montreal Canadiens, it still hasn’t sunk in. Coming off another home loss last night to the worst road team in the NHL (the Tampa Bay Lightning), the Canadiens weren’t booed off the ice but they certainly weren’t cheered.
Making things worse for the Habs is the fact that two of their more versatile and defensive players will be missing. Centre-winger Bryan Smolinski is out six weeks with a sprained right knee, while winger Steve Begin will miss two to three weeks with a separated left shoulder. Defenceman Patrice Brisebois is also nursing a shoulder injury and did not accompany the team to Philadelphia. He is day-to-day. If that's not enough, Cristobal Huet has been out of the lineup for over a week, but looks to return Saturday night against Toronto.
Clearly, Le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge have turned black and blue as of late and have only mustered 3 wins in their last 10 games. Dropping from 4th in the eastern conference to barely clinging onto 7th place, the Canadiens are only 1 point ahead of 9th place rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs. After starting the year with an impressive 11-6-3 record (5-3-2 at home), the Habs have dropped five of their last six and six straight at home, leaving the sold out Bell Center fans begging their team for a win. So what gives? The reason the Canadiens are stumbling all comes down to this: simply put, the Habs are in desperate need of a goal scorer.
Although Montreal owns the best powerplay in the league for the second straight season (25% successful rate), they have not fixed the problem they desperately needed to address after last season: 5 on 5 scoring. The Habs are averaging 0.78 goals/game at even strength, not much better than the 0.75 goals/game they averaged last season.
This begs the question, “Why did Bob Gainey not address the Canadiens’ biggest issue?”
Well folks, he tried…and tried… and tried… and tried some more.
Over the years, Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has struggled to attract numerous ‘big name’ free agents to Montreal; Brendan Shanahan, Ryan Smyth, Vincent Lecavalier, Daniel Briere … the list goes on. In some cases, he even offered more money and the player still decided to play elsewhere. The language barrier, high Quebec taxes, the critical fans and media, and the pressure of playing for the most storied franchise proved to be too much for many players. The bottom line is that none of them ended up signing on the dotted line…leaving the Canadiens’ top-line centered by Saku Koivu with a void. Unfortunately for Koivu and the Canadiens that void has yet to be filled. Paired with Christopher Higgins up front, Koivu hasn’t had a reliable goal scorer all season. Michael Ryder, who is coming off back-to-back 30 goal seasons hasn’t proven himself this season with an abysmal 3 goals in 29 games. The top line’s rightwing position has been a revolving door all season long having the likes of Tom Kostopoulos, Guillaume Latendresse, Mathieu Dandenault, Mark Streit, and Steve Begin all taking a crack as the Canadiens top right winger. But with all due respect to the aforementioned players, none are what other teams would call ‘goal scorers’.
The Canadiens have not only tried juggling lines, but have also called up Maxim Lapierre, Ryan O’Bryrne, and just today, Andrei Kostitsyn’s brother Sergei from the American Hockey League. Meanwhile, Michael Ryder, Tom Kostopoulos, Steve Begin, and veteran defenseman Patrice Brisebois have all been healthy scratches in the process. If this shakeup doesn’t work, then all sources will point to an eventual trade. Rumors circulating around the league have Bob Gainey busy on the phones trying to shake up the Habs locker room, with Christobal Huet being targeted by rival general managers.
Besides Alexei Kovalev, the Canadiens are not even close to having a true bonafide sniper, and haven’t had one since the 1990’s. Besides Michael Ryder, the last player to have scored 30 goals for the Habs was Richard Zednik (31)… five years ago. If rival general managers want Christobal for a sniper, then Bob Gainey may certainly have to go the trade route as free agency has not worked in the past. Can rookie goaltender Carey Price handle the load? That is a question that Bob Gainey will have to answer.
That being said, the Canadiens do have lots of depth. The problem (if you would even consider this problem) is that the Canadiens have a wealth of youthful talent up front, but many of their young guns have yet to blossom in the NHL. Over the years, Gainey and his scouting staff led by Trevor Timmons have drafted the likes of Maxime Lapierre, Michael Komisarek, Andrei Kostitsyn, Chris Higgins, Alexander Perezhogin, Mikhail Grabovski, Tomas Plekanec, Kyle Chipchura, Guillaume Latendresse and Carey Price. All will undoubtedly provide an exceptionally bright future for the Canadiens organization. Specifically, Christopher Higgins and Thomas Plekanec have been outstanding this season with a combined 22 goals and 43 points. Not bad for two players who aren’t even close to their prime. However, patience doesn’t always bode well for the fans of the most storied franchise in the National Hockey League. Many across the hockey world know that Montreal can be one of the best cities to play in, but also the worst. Just ask Patrice Brisebois, Jose Theodore, and Mike Ribeiro who were all booed out of a Canadiens uniform.
Since their last cup win in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens have gone through a period of losing in the 90’s, followed by mediocrity in the2000’s, but now have a solid core built for the not too distant future. Bob Gainey has made it clear that he wants the Canadiens to raise Lord Stanley in 2009 when the Habs play in their 100th season. If Gainey’s goal were to become a reality in 2009, then the Canadiens will have won a Stanley Cup in every single decade of their existence. But before Gainey gets too ahead of himself, he’ll need to bring in some help for Saku Koivu…now. The Canadiens will never get over the hump if they don’t acquire a true sniper; for if you can’t score, you simply can’t win. And if you can’t win, you certainly won’t be raising the Stanley Cup...whether it’s 2009 or 2099.
To reach Christos, send an email to christos10@gmail.com
Unfortunately for the Montreal Canadiens, it still hasn’t sunk in. Coming off another home loss last night to the worst road team in the NHL (the Tampa Bay Lightning), the Canadiens weren’t booed off the ice but they certainly weren’t cheered.
Making things worse for the Habs is the fact that two of their more versatile and defensive players will be missing. Centre-winger Bryan Smolinski is out six weeks with a sprained right knee, while winger Steve Begin will miss two to three weeks with a separated left shoulder. Defenceman Patrice Brisebois is also nursing a shoulder injury and did not accompany the team to Philadelphia. He is day-to-day. If that's not enough, Cristobal Huet has been out of the lineup for over a week, but looks to return Saturday night against Toronto.
Clearly, Le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge have turned black and blue as of late and have only mustered 3 wins in their last 10 games. Dropping from 4th in the eastern conference to barely clinging onto 7th place, the Canadiens are only 1 point ahead of 9th place rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs. After starting the year with an impressive 11-6-3 record (5-3-2 at home), the Habs have dropped five of their last six and six straight at home, leaving the sold out Bell Center fans begging their team for a win. So what gives? The reason the Canadiens are stumbling all comes down to this: simply put, the Habs are in desperate need of a goal scorer.
Although Montreal owns the best powerplay in the league for the second straight season (25% successful rate), they have not fixed the problem they desperately needed to address after last season: 5 on 5 scoring. The Habs are averaging 0.78 goals/game at even strength, not much better than the 0.75 goals/game they averaged last season.
This begs the question, “Why did Bob Gainey not address the Canadiens’ biggest issue?”
Well folks, he tried…and tried… and tried… and tried some more.
Over the years, Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has struggled to attract numerous ‘big name’ free agents to Montreal; Brendan Shanahan, Ryan Smyth, Vincent Lecavalier, Daniel Briere … the list goes on. In some cases, he even offered more money and the player still decided to play elsewhere. The language barrier, high Quebec taxes, the critical fans and media, and the pressure of playing for the most storied franchise proved to be too much for many players. The bottom line is that none of them ended up signing on the dotted line…leaving the Canadiens’ top-line centered by Saku Koivu with a void. Unfortunately for Koivu and the Canadiens that void has yet to be filled. Paired with Christopher Higgins up front, Koivu hasn’t had a reliable goal scorer all season. Michael Ryder, who is coming off back-to-back 30 goal seasons hasn’t proven himself this season with an abysmal 3 goals in 29 games. The top line’s rightwing position has been a revolving door all season long having the likes of Tom Kostopoulos, Guillaume Latendresse, Mathieu Dandenault, Mark Streit, and Steve Begin all taking a crack as the Canadiens top right winger. But with all due respect to the aforementioned players, none are what other teams would call ‘goal scorers’.
The Canadiens have not only tried juggling lines, but have also called up Maxim Lapierre, Ryan O’Bryrne, and just today, Andrei Kostitsyn’s brother Sergei from the American Hockey League. Meanwhile, Michael Ryder, Tom Kostopoulos, Steve Begin, and veteran defenseman Patrice Brisebois have all been healthy scratches in the process. If this shakeup doesn’t work, then all sources will point to an eventual trade. Rumors circulating around the league have Bob Gainey busy on the phones trying to shake up the Habs locker room, with Christobal Huet being targeted by rival general managers.
Besides Alexei Kovalev, the Canadiens are not even close to having a true bonafide sniper, and haven’t had one since the 1990’s. Besides Michael Ryder, the last player to have scored 30 goals for the Habs was Richard Zednik (31)… five years ago. If rival general managers want Christobal for a sniper, then Bob Gainey may certainly have to go the trade route as free agency has not worked in the past. Can rookie goaltender Carey Price handle the load? That is a question that Bob Gainey will have to answer.
That being said, the Canadiens do have lots of depth. The problem (if you would even consider this problem) is that the Canadiens have a wealth of youthful talent up front, but many of their young guns have yet to blossom in the NHL. Over the years, Gainey and his scouting staff led by Trevor Timmons have drafted the likes of Maxime Lapierre, Michael Komisarek, Andrei Kostitsyn, Chris Higgins, Alexander Perezhogin, Mikhail Grabovski, Tomas Plekanec, Kyle Chipchura, Guillaume Latendresse and Carey Price. All will undoubtedly provide an exceptionally bright future for the Canadiens organization. Specifically, Christopher Higgins and Thomas Plekanec have been outstanding this season with a combined 22 goals and 43 points. Not bad for two players who aren’t even close to their prime. However, patience doesn’t always bode well for the fans of the most storied franchise in the National Hockey League. Many across the hockey world know that Montreal can be one of the best cities to play in, but also the worst. Just ask Patrice Brisebois, Jose Theodore, and Mike Ribeiro who were all booed out of a Canadiens uniform.
Since their last cup win in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens have gone through a period of losing in the 90’s, followed by mediocrity in the2000’s, but now have a solid core built for the not too distant future. Bob Gainey has made it clear that he wants the Canadiens to raise Lord Stanley in 2009 when the Habs play in their 100th season. If Gainey’s goal were to become a reality in 2009, then the Canadiens will have won a Stanley Cup in every single decade of their existence. But before Gainey gets too ahead of himself, he’ll need to bring in some help for Saku Koivu…now. The Canadiens will never get over the hump if they don’t acquire a true sniper; for if you can’t score, you simply can’t win. And if you can’t win, you certainly won’t be raising the Stanley Cup...whether it’s 2009 or 2099.
To reach Christos, send an email to christos10@gmail.com
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1 comment:
I agree with you 100%. Nice article.
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