So much for that historic 9-0 start.
The 2015-16 Montreal Canadiens have turned into Tomas Plekanec’s worst nightmare – a team seemingly incapable of winning without Carey Price.
I’ll dispense with the game in Philadelphia – other than to wonder when this pattern started of core players being outplayed by guys who were recently in the American Hockey league, and to point out that if not for the work of Ben Scrivens the well rested Habs might have suffered a humiliating loss to a non-playoff team. Come to think of it, with 47 points after 41 games the Habs themselves might be a non-playoff team.
WTF happened?
A
- Carey Price. Remember him? Picked up (10-2 2.06 .934) right where he left off (44-16-6 1.93 .933).
- Brendan Gallagher. Indispensable. Maybe he has the wrong letter on his jersey.
B
- P.K. Subban. A lightning rod for recent heavy criticism, mostly because of his nine million dollar salary. That he’s stuck on one goal is kind of mystifying but the fact remains that Subban still controls the play when he’s on the ice. Only six players in the NHL have more assists. His recent horrid performance in the second game of a back to back in Florida was utterly predictable after he logged nearly 30:00 of ice time the night before. We’ve seen this play out too often this season. Unlike, say, Erik Karlsson, Subban plays a heavy game and is always in motion. Or the opposite of conserving energy. I don’t know what happened to his shot but it is possible that even superstar players lose confidence. His swing and a miss on a one-timer in Philadelphia tells me all I need to know. If I’m Subban I’m spending more time before and after practice/morning skates to work on a weapon he’s apparently lost. His first half shooting percentage of 0.9% is ridiculous. But in the meantime, if you’ve joined the chorus of Subban bashers think of this team without him for a month or so.
- Alex Galchenyuk. It’s been a slow but steady climb to productive NHL centerman. He’s done it without a legit proven NHL scorer on either side of him (unless you still think Alex Semin – 7 goals in his last 72 NHL games – was the answer if he had only played more often).
B –
- Tomas Plekanec. On pace for 60 points which is ok but only goes to highlight the same issue that has dogged this team for at least a decade. They don’t have a true #1 centre. That’s why Galchenyuk was drafted. But in the meantime the Habs simply cannot afford to have Plekanec go 30+ games without scoring 5 on 5. Especially in the aftermath of his pre-season comments (“sick and tired” of hearing how the Habs are only about Carey Price) which were meant to highlight the overall strength and balance of the team but has instead thrown the spotlight on an under achieving leadership core.
- Max Pacioretty. Maybe his inability to train all summer caught up to him in November. While he is on pace to score 32 goals (3 of 16 into an empty net) the 3-time 30 goal scorer doesn’t look like the same player. He’s taking way too many shots from outside the face off circle, sometimes from the boards. There is no explosiveness to his game. When was the last time you saw him take the puck to the net? Pacioretty is a proud player but he’s also someone who admittedly is prone to severe self-examination when he doesn’t put the puck in the net (4 goals in his last 18 games). Perhaps the added pressure of wearing the ‘C’ during a monumental team collapse has taken its toll. His obvious distaste of playing alongside Galchenyuk didn’t exactly help the team.
- Dale Weise. Scored a career high 11 goals before his injury. We knew he wouldn’t score 30 but a third line winger who’s apparently capable of scoring 15-20 is a solid player. Especially at 1.025 million. He’s also proven to be a big game player – he looked as good as anybody on the ice at the Winter Classic before he was forced out. Very popular teammate. Did they miss him that much in Philadelphia?
- Jeff Petry. Hit a wall not named Jamie Benn even before the game in Dallas. But overall his skating and offensive skills have made it difficult for opponents to hem the Habs inside their zone when he’s on the ice.
C+
- Andrei Markov. Like so many of his teammates, Markov has struggled big time after getting off to a great start. Hasn’t really righted himself after perhaps the worst game of his career December 15 vs San Jose. He’s lost his spot on the #1 D pair and his spot on the #1 PP unit. While so much of the focus of the lack of offense from the back end has been on Subban and his one goal, Markov has just two – none since November 11 (24 games). If Markov can’t recapture his form soon then the Habs will be in even bigger trouble than they appear to be.
- Nathan Beaulieu. Like Galchenyuk, Beaulieu has taken an important step forward in his evolution as an NHL player but does not appear ready to replace Markov. Just like #27 is not quite ready to be a #1 centre. That’s asking a lot. Too soon. With depth – in numbers anyway – it’ll be interesting to see if the Habs can hang onto Beaulieu or do they succumb to the temptation of adding some much needed offense by weakening their blue line.
- Mike Condon. Great story. But playing goal in the NHL as a 25 year old rookie is not supposed to be as easy as it initially might have seemed. Big time performance in his home state after a shootout win in Tampa Bay might be an indication that he’s got his ‘A’ game back. Only time will tell. Clearly the Habs did not feel comfortable with Condon as the only real option to back up Carey Price in a possible playoff series.
C
- Torrey Mitchell – Brian Flynn – Pau Byron. Mitchell, before his injury, seemed primed for a career year. This is a good 4th line albeit without much grit. It’s fun to watch Byron skate but with a shooting percentage of 28% I wonder how far off he can move from his career high seven goals.
- Tomas Fleischmann. A star calibre winger for two months. Dead man skating since. The truth lies in the middle. But age 31 and having to earn a spot with a strong training camp you can’t help but wonder if Fleischmann is strictly a 4th liner at this point, if even that.
- David Desharnais. I’ll give him the benefit of some doubt with Fleischmann and Weise as his wingers but he better get a second wind, especially with added power play time on the left point. The biggest problem I see for Desharnais these days is his inability to alter his game. It’s one thing to always think and look pass when you have a 30 goal scorer on your wing but when it’s a Fleischmann or a Weise he’s got to be more selfish. 58 shots on goal in 41 games for a career 15.5% shooter is in self-defeating territory.
- Lars Eller. Learning to be an NHL left winger. No doubt he’s offered protection down low to Galchenyuk but 7 goals (2 in his last 22 games) and 13 points playing alongside an offensive talent is not going to cut it. Maybe he has a strong second half. Maybe he saves his best hockey for the playoffs. Something has to give because as of next season he becomes a 4 million a year player.
C –
- Tom Gilbert. The personification of steady. Somewhere along the way in his career he went from an offensive defenseman to a keep-it-simple-stay-at-home type. But his play, too, started to dip before he got hurt.
- Alexei Emelin. Looked like a return-to-form season before his game fell apart. Again.
- Devante Smith-Pelly. Strong winger enjoyed some inspiring moments before suffering a leg injury. Hasn’t been the same since. If it’s any consolation, the guy he was traded for has been a healthy scratch for the surging Anaheim Ducks. Jiri Sekac has also been injured but in 18 games this season has just one goal and two assists. The Habs need Smith-Pelly’s heavy presence up front. Or somebody like him.
INCOMPLETE
- Daniel Carr looks very good. He’s shown good hands scoring goals in tight while also providing an aggressive forecheck. Appears to be the only Montreal forward not named Gallagher who’s willing to hang out in dirty areas of the ice. The last time I used the word ‘keeper’ to describe a young Montreal forward it was Sven Andrighetto who soon found himself back in the AHL. Andrighetto has a great set of wheels but it’s still difficult to tell just how much he’ll produce. If one or both are not packaged in a trade then they will certainly press an older teammate or two for a job.
- Greg Pateryn. Looked solid until that nightmarish end in Detroit. But Pateryn is not somebody to worry about.
- Jarred Tinordi. Maintaining a stiff upper lip and an NHL job simply because he’s out of AHL options. I get the Habs stance here. It is awfully difficult to give up on a 23 year old 6’6″ defenseman who was a first round draft pick. The Rangers selected 6’4″ defenseman Dylan McIlrath 12 picks earlier than the Habs took Tinordi in 2010 and McIlrath only started to get meaningful NHL ice time this season. In the best possible scenario the Habs deal Emelin to make room for Tinordi who is then able to relax and become the valuable hard hitting player Montreal needs him to be. Unless they’ve decided as an organization that he’ll never be that player. Not in Montreal anyway.
- Michel Therrien. If he gets these guys into the playoffs and a deep run to at least the Conference Final he will have done a terrific job. Why it took him so long to increase Galchenyuk’s ice time is a head scratcher. Why he allowed J.J. Daigneault to over-use Markov is another. Why he puts the plodding Markov on the ice for 3 on 3 but not the much more mobile Beaulieu is strange. Why he continues to lean on Subban so heavily in the first of back to back games is another lesson he has yet to learn. But when the Habs are on their game, which they were for two months, opposing coaches marvelled at their speed and structure. Through several of the losses in December the Canadiens could lean on the fact that they were not outplayed but simply outscored. But not so much lately. The loss to the Flyers revealed a head coach who seems exasperated by a month long drought at both ends of the ice while calling out his best players to be a lot better in the second half. I don’t blame him. Because even when perfectly healthy it’s pretty clear the Canadiens are two forwards short of being legit Stanley Cup contenders.
- Marc Bergevin. If this slide is a test of Pacioretty’s captaincy and of the rest of the leadership group’s ability to keep things together until Price returns it’s also perhaps Bergevin’s most defining moment as General Manager. He already addressed the players in their room following a loss in Washington. It worked. Two nights later they were able to bounce back late after surrendering the lead to eventually beat Tampa Bay. The next night they had nothing as they mostly watched the hottest team in the league led by the oldest player in the league (who apparently wasn’t good enough for Bergevin) skate circles around them. But they bounced back on the big stage outdoors in Foxboro against a depleted Bruins team. It was a one sided win that was supposed to signal an end to their dreadful December and propel them back in the right direction for the second half of the season. Three days later in Philadelphia they were as a flat as a piece of play dough under the feet of Chris Christie. Bergevin was so pissed that he bolted from his seat above ice level, according to TSN 690’s Sergio Momesso, during the second period. We know that Bergevin is a very patient guy. But he too has a threshold. While many fans and some media types believe he should bring in Guy Boucher to replace Therrien it’s Bergevin himself who has to fix what’s ailing this team. And that means getting better players or at least a different mix. Not firing the coach. At least not yet. Bergevin has tried to address his team’s most glaring weakness. But Justin Williams decided it was worth less money to sign with the Capitals (smart dude). T.J. Oshie was available but Bergevin wasn’t going to get him for Eller and Emelin. Patrick Sharp has predictably thrived in Dallas. It wasn’t planned this way but Bergevin bought out P.A. Parenteau (9 goals in 37 games in Toronto after scoring 8 in 56 games last season) so he could bring in Semin and Zack Kassian. Ouch. No, it’s Bergevin who has to make this right. The challenge of assessing a team wide collapse is to determine how much of it is random (those underlying numbers look good) and how much of it is on players, especially older players, who might not be able to fully rebound. And to make the proper call(s) before it’s too late. It might be a tough job but it’s also a dream job. Happy New Year Marc.
