Last year, the Montreal Canadiens finished off their season in 6th place - only to face the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in the first round. During the off-season, the team lost three solid defenders in Hamrlik, Wisniewski and Sopel. They also lost a few 3rd and 4th liners - one of which included Halpern. He is a tremendous worker and will definitely be missed. After these disappearances, the Habs brought in one newcomer: Cole. Simply because of their off-season stagnancy, I predict the Canadiens to just barely miss the playoffs. Whether or not this will actually happen should be interesting.
The offense for this club is small, but very fast. They have a ton of potential but never seem to live up to it. The biggest question mark for the Canadiens offense this coming season surrounds Gomez. His ridiculous cap hit prevents the team from making external, or internal, improvements. Scoring 38 points is not sufficient and if history repeats itself, the Canadiens will be in trouble. Cammalleri and Plekanec are two forwards Habs' fans have nothing to worry about. Plekanec should be counted on for about 60 points every season. This is due to his superior playmaking abilities. It's a pleasure watching this guy play. Although I severely dislike Cammalleri, he does score a ton of goals for this club. These players are hard to come by, I just wish he would behave himself a little more. After playing his entire career in New Jersey, Gionta jumped ship to Montreal. In both of his seasons with this club, he has scored 46 points. At 32, Gionta still has something in the tank and I expect him to burn the majority of his fuel in front of the net. Cole played his first 82-game season last year and the organization hopes he can keep this pace up. Over the past few seasons, Cole has been quite injury prone. Before last year, he played a combined 120 games in three seasons. That's an average of 40 games a season. Not good. When healthy Cole is an extremely fast player with a knack for finding open ice. Kostitsyn caused some turmoil in the off-season. For this reason, I don't see him on the team much longer and that's a shame. Although a tad inconsistent, he possesses vital talent to the Canadien lineup. If he is moved, his consistent 40-50 point production will be missed. Before Pacioretty's serious injury last year, he was on pace for a 53-point season. I'm sure we are all hoping he comes back healthy and firing once again. If you can't tell from my other articles, I have an affinity for grinders and Moen is no exception. He is an important part of shutting down the opponents top lines. He'll also drop the gloves if the mood strikes him. How will the mood strike him this season? Eller is another talented individual. I anticipate his responsibilities to increase this coming season. As a 3rd or 4th line center, he not only is expected to score goals, but also prevent them. Desharnais was a pleasant surprise for this club last year. 22 points in 43 games is nothing to scoff at and his teammates are hoping he can continue to carry some of the offensive weight. Darche is finally finding his home in Montreal after a long career of trying to prove himself as a forward. He may not be the fastest, most talented player, but boy does he work hard. I'll take determination over skill any day of the week. White and Trotter round out the forward troops and are hoping to earn a bit more ice time this season. This group has potential, but for now...
Offensive Score: B-
The losses of Sopel, Hamrlik and Wisniewski are going to hurt this team more than management probably anticipated. They lost incredible stability in Sopel and Hamrlik and offensive production in Wisniewski. Subban is the future of this team on the blue line and I expect his development to continue. I remember when the Habs brought him up in the playoffs in 2010 and he did more than anyone could have imagined. He is a star in the making. Markov was signed over the summer to a questionable 3-year deal with a cap hit of $5.75 million. I say questionable not in reference to his play but his health. If he can stay healthy, Markov is one of the best in the game. However, with 52 games over the past two seasons, he is a gamble. Spacek, or Dan, eats up a ton of space in his defensive zone. He is a big body that's not afraid to block shots and toss his weight around. Apparently, he's a comedian too. Gill is another massive body on the back end. He may be a little slower than most defenders but just try and get around his reach. He is most useful controlling play along the boards in his own end. Woywitka was scooped up from the Stars and should provide some good minutes on the ice. Whether or not he cracks the lineup on a consistent basis will be interesting. He'll likely be battling Weber and Yemelin for a spot. Weber has shown he is more than capable of the handling minutes with the big club. I expect him to grab the final spot through most of the season. I have not seen Yemelin play, but like I've said before, I look forward to seeing what he can do.
Defensive Score: B-
The saving grace of this team is Price. I'll be the first to admit, when Halak left, I did not think Price was going to make it as their #1 goalie. I thought the pressure of playing goal in Montreal was going to be too much for a kid with incredible expectations. I was sadly mistaken. Price embraced his responsibilities and showed the hockey world he is here to stay. His side-to-side movement is one of the best in the game, but every once in a while he gets caught out of position. A small price to pay for such a talented goalie. His backup, Budaj, has another chance in a new environment. He isn't a starting goalie, but should be good for about 20 games this season.
Goaltending Score: A-
What side of the bubble will the Canadiens choose this season?
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