by Blain Potvin, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

The New Year is a time of renewal and a time when many, after sober reflection, focus on self-improvement. With this in mind, we will look at five resolutions for the Montreal Canadiens.

1. Be more disciplined

The Canadiens are ranked 12th for penalty minutes (PIM) and most are minors. They cannot afford to continue taking penaties when their penalty-killing unit sits in 19th place at 80.9 percent efficiency.

Penalties can a direct effect on the outcome of a game. The final game of 2016 was a barn burner, yet it could have had a different outcome if Michel Therrien had better managed the bench and avoided a too many men call in overtime (OT). That penalty set the table for Evgeni Malkin to wire a perfect shot past Carey Price.

2. Improve special teams

The Habs have improved their power-play from last season where they finished 25th in the league with a rate of 16.2 percent. This season, they are currently ranked 11th at 19.8 percent. Since December 6th, they have gone a woeful five for 37 with a 13.5 percent production rate. That’s significantly lower than their rate for the season.

Did 2016 kill the power-play? It may feel that way, but the answer is no. The loss of Alex Galchenyuk seems to be the biggest reason for the drop in power-play production. His aggressive play-making and one-timer is missed.

Kirk Muller was unable to hide his frustration during the last game played. The Canadiens were unable to sustain any pressure or gain momentum with the man advantage. To improve with Galchenyuk out is simple, but not easily done. The Canadiens must begin with controlled zone entries and find another shooting threat to force defenses to look for something other than a shot from the point.

The Habs penalty-kill has dropped to 19th in the NHL at 80.9 percent. That’s one goal nearly every five penalties. At the rate the Habs take penalties, it’s nearly one goal per game.

If Montreal wants to have success in the playoffs, they need to improve by at least five percent and cut the goals against rate down. The best way to do so is to improve team discipline. Another way is to be more aggressive on the puck. With the team’s speed, there is no reason that the Habs shouldn’t be attacking the puck carrier to cut the space and time that they have been given.

Special teams will play a large role for the Canadiens in the playoffs. They will need to find a way to get the power-play and penalty-kill percentages added together to be closer to 110 percent. This would ensure a positive rate of production with special teams allowing for a better chance of success.

3. Improve team consistency

When the team is committed to playing the ‘right way’, they can dominate games and show that they belong in the top tier of the NHL. That said, their focus seems to wane at times and that has cost the Canadiens points in the standings.

The lack of focus was displayed in the loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning as they were unable to respond to pressure in the third period and showed a the lack of discipline. This is an area that must be addressed prior to any playoff series as it appears to be an Achilles’ heel for this club.

4. Upgrade scoring

After 38 games played, the Canadiens sit at fifth in the NHL in total scoring. That is a significant improvement of last season’s 16th place finish with 216 goals. At this current pace, they would finish the season with 248 goals, which would have placed them in second place, tied with the Washington Capitals last year.

To date, everything seems to be working well in this aspect for the Canadiens thanks to scoring depth. However, as the season nears the playoffs, defenses tend to tighten up and scoring can dry up.

Finding another offensive threat should be on Marc Bergevin‘s to-do list. He has done a good job building up the prospect pool and the overall depth that has allowed the Canadiens to remain in the playoff hunt this season.

Now, it is time for him to use this to build on his five-year plan and add a true second-line center to the mix. This would allow the opposition defenses to ease their focus on Galchenyuk once he returns. Doing so also adds another offensive threat to the mix that can add points when those defenses tighten up, allowing the offensive production rate to stay at relatively the same pace.

There are many fans in the Twitterverse that are wishing for Matt Duchene to don the Bleu Blanc Rouge to solve this issue, and who can blame them? However, that dream will remain unfulfilled as he would probably cost more than Bergevin could afford or want to pay. Bergevin will likely find a way to surprise Habs fans before the trade deadline.

5. Let the kids play

Michel Therrien has shown that he prefers a slow and steady rate of progression for the team’s youth while he relies heavily on more veteran players. This serves many prospects well, however some need to be given more responsibility and playing time.

Case in point is Artturi Lehkonen. The 55th overall pick in 2013 has played very well in a third line role, scoring seven goals so far. He has also proved to be defensively responsible and is on pace for 18 goals for the season, while playing 13 minutes per game. He has done everything a rookie would need to do to earn more responsibilities. With Byron producing well at even strength and on the penalty-kill, it is a good time to allow Lehkonen more time on the power-play to take advantage of his play-making abilities.

Another example is Nathan Beaulieu. In the last few games, he has had a dramatic increase in ice-time with Andrei Markov out injured. Yet, consistency issues have dogged him throughout his entire career. That said, he is playing fairly well at the moment and has shown, at times, that he can fill a second-pairing role.

Beaulieu is also the best left-handed puck moving defenseman the Canadiens have that is healthy. It may be time to give Beaulieu even-strength time on the top pair, splitting ice time with Alexei Emelin.  In my opinion, Shea Weber pairs best with a puck-mover, and this increase in roles could help re-launch Weber’s offensive production in even strength.

There is always room for improvement, but fans can enter 2017 with a renewed hope in their team knowing that 2016 and all it’s terrible memories are behind them. From myself, the entire All Habs Hockey Magazine team, and Rocket Sports, I wish you all a Happy New Year and may 2017 be everything you hope it will be.