posted by Kyle
As we await tonight’s matchup between the bottom-feeding Hurricanes and the struggling, punchless Habs, one question seems to be mysteriously gaining momentum.
Let’s blow this thing up and start from scratch.
Huh? What? Say again?
Are people not paying attention or are they just out of their minds? The Habs just blew it up! To a larger extent than anyone has EVER done before!
Prior to the start of the season, people had no idea how to classify Bob Gainey’s new squad, but consensus was that they’d be in the usual 7-10 range, fighting for a playoff spot. That was the prediction when the team was healthy and together. Take away the team’s best player in Andrei Markov, and other defensemen like Ryan O’Byrne, and Hal Gill, and what do people want? Miracles from what’s left? Call in shows on the Team 990 are riddled with people who want to start over from scratch, through the draft, in the hopes of landing a Crosby/Malkin, Ovechkin/Backstrom, Toews/Kane duo. Some say that what the Canadiens just did was a facelift and reorganization of the team. Whatever you call it, the Canadiens just made major changes and GMs don’t get numerous kicks at that can. The Canadiens are tied to the core of this team for the next 5 years.
Does anyone really believe that guys like Mike Cammalleri, and Brian Gionta came to Montreal for the opportunity to sit through a rebuild? Fat chance. Would guys like Plekanec and Price choose to stay here long-term if they know there’s no chance of winning in the next few years? Dicey call.
Let’s just go with it, for the sake of argument that the Habs brass and their top players all agree that a rebuild from scratch is in order. For starters, a couple of those high-priced guys would have to go.
Second hurdle is this city’s rabid fan base and the at times vicious media. Would either faction accept the idea of a true rebuild, especially after what transpired this past summer, and ESPECIALLY with this team’s management calling the shots? Highly unlikely in my opinion – and let’s remember that finishing low for a number of years does not guarantee success. In recent years the Canadiens have shown an ineptitude in developing their young players. Latendresse, Lapierre, D’Agostini, Chipchura, and Pacioretty have all stalled or regressed as players once coming to Montreal from Hamilton (or junior in Latendresse’s case). Before we bank on years of drafting can’t- miss-blue-chip-franchise-players, the problem of pro player development absolutely needs to be addressed, not to mention the issue of mentoring these young players. Montreal is not the type of city that lends itself to a quiet lifestyle. The dalliances of the younsters (and the whole team, really) is well documented and been very public. The Canadiens need to more closely monitor their youngsters before they go off the rails.
Assuming the Canadiens internally agreed that they were going to rebuild, with a lot of honesty and transparency I think the fans and media could accept this plan. Most of the callers on the Team990 say they could handle it, so why not try it, right? All I’m suggesting is to not mess with our heads. It’s all in how the team positions itself. If they claim that they want to be young and talented, with the goal of making the playoffs, well they just screwed themselves by giving everyone the belief that playoffs are the target. Falling short of that is what brings the madness in this city. You can’t be a playoff team in rebuild mode. You have no hope at the Crosbys, Ovechkins and Tavares‘ of the world if you’re a playoff team. They need to be clear without going so far as to say “we are going to lose 45 games per year for the next few years”.
Here are some tips on how they can be transparent during a rebuild:
• no marketing that puts emphasis on a glorious past and recapturing that success now,
• not even coming close to spending to the cap, playing young guys and properly developing them,
• no price hikes for tickets/concessions while this team wallows in the gutter.
All these elements drive fans to expect immediate success and would sabotage their rebuild efforts and renew the cycle of mediocrity that we’ve sat through for 15 years now.
All this being said, how do you explain to guys like Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri, Spacek, and pending free agents Price and Plekanec that you’re going to spend the next 3-5 years in the gutter?
It won’t happen, and no total rebuild is forthcoming. Period.
Am I wrong? Thoughts welcome!