Written by Rick Stephens, AllHabs.net
MONTREAL, QC. — I am on the record with the opinion that I was very concerned about the Montreal Canadiens this season, more-so than any year in the recent past. “You’re a pessimist,” said some while they articulated their prediction of a division or even conference championship. They cited the addition of Erik Cole and the return of Max Pacioretty and Josh Gorges as reasons for their optimism.
When the Canadiens won just one game in regulation time of eight exhibition tilts, we were told that the pre-season is meaningless. Now that the regular season is underway, the Habs have won once in four tries. Too early to be indicative of anything, is often the response.
All of this has got me wondering if the Montreal media and some fans have adopted a Camp North Star mindset.
“It just doesn’t matter.”
It was the theme of the apologist-philosophy-turned-motivational-speech spun by head counsellor Tripper Harrison (as only Bill Murray could execute.) The monologue was his reaction to a group of sulking North Star campers following another Olympiad trouncing by the rich kids from Camp Mohawk.
So, when does it start to matter?
Some have argued that injuries, particularly on defense, are the major factor in the Canadiens struggles. We’ve heard that before. But the cold fact is, that injuries are part of the game — it’s up to the general manager to provide qualified depth players and the coach to effectively manage his personnel to accommodate absences.
Is it true that key players missing from the line-up are the most significant problem with the Canadiens? Is the lack of experience on the blue-line really the hurting Habs?
On defense, Andrei Markov, Chris Campoli and Jaroslav Spacek are sidelined. Yannick Weber has played top four minutes with newcomers Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz being called upon to be more involved than expected.
We can set aside Markov as he wasn’t anticipated to be back to start the season and wasn’t a factor last year. No one is really sure what kind of contribution was to be expected from Campoli — keeping in mind that he was a free agent still available in September after being bypassed by 29 NHL teams. That leaves Spacek — is it credible to say that he is a key player missing from the defense?
Let’s continue to play myth-buster — the Habs young guns on defense have not been the liability that was predicted. Quite the opposite in fact as Diaz is slowly but steadily improving and Emelin has been a pleasant surprise. Weber has been one of the Canadiens best defenseman (along with Josh Gorges) being solid in his own zone while recording a goal, an assist and a team-leading plus-4 rating.
The worst of the bunch has been the number one pairing of Hal Gill and P.K. Subban. Gill has looked another step slower while Subban has returned to the selfish style of play we witnessed as he struggled for the first half of last season. Subban has a team-worst minus-3 rating while Gill is not far behind at minus-2.
Injuries aside, the Canadiens aren’t going anywhere without a much better effort from both Subban and Gill. It’s time for them to step up their game, now.
And what of Cole, a power-forward style player that Canadiens fans have coveted for so long? Remember, with Cole going to the net, we were told that the Habs would be scoring at will. His performance has been underwhelming so far prompting some to suggest a lack of conditioning or perhaps that he is concealing an injury.
On Saturday, during a Hockey Night in Canada interview, Cassie Campbell-Pascall asked Cole about his adjustment to Montreal.
“I’m enjoying trying to become a part of the group and find my niche on the team.” — Erik Cole
So who is responsible for determining Cole’s place on the team? In her next question Campbell-Pascall suggested that the responsibility resided with the coach, and asked Cole about the day-to-day communication with Jacques Martin as a way of motivating players to do their best.
“[chuckles] There isn’t a lot of communication back and forth. Obviously [Martin] has a tough job trying to find what works best, and what line combinations work best. I’m just going to go out and play as hard as I can with the minutes I’m given, with the opportunity I’m given and with the role I’m given.” — Erik Cole
Much has been made about the Canadiens’ lack of identity. Perhaps it’s simpler than that — players, even beyond Cole, seem to be unaware of their role on the team. Line combinations are sometimes changed after every shift — centers play wing, defenseman play forward.
It’s not a chess match. In the mind of the coach, he is playing checkers with equal, interchangeable pieces. And it’s clear he is no master.
There has been no opportunity for chemistry to develop and seemingly precious little communication about expectations. The result is confusion and chaos. The best example of this was the Canadiens home opener where the bench gate was a turnstile, and the Habs struggled to complete a pass.
Communication with the players was primarily the responsibility of former assistant coach Kirk Muller. It would appear that no one is filling his skates just yet to compensate for a major hole in the head coach’s repertoire.
When a team is struggling, special teams can be the great equalizer — Muller played a major role in their direction in the past. So far this season, the Canadiens are in the bottom third of the league in both penalty-killing and the power-play. The lack of success while short-handed is of particular concern with Montreal continuing to show a lack of discipline — you will remember that they lead the league in minor penalties last season.
Perhaps then it should be no surprise at the lack of success even though the NHL schedule-makers have been kind to the Canadiens with the first four games being against presumed bottom-feeders. That is about to change this week.
There have been a few bright spots so far this season including the aforementioned Gorges and Weber. Max Pacioretty is showing no ill effects from his devastating injury with two goals and two assists in four games. That’s good enough to be tied for the points lead on the Canadiens with Tomas Plekanec.
Lars Eller is another player returning to the lineup after injury who has played very well and looks ready to resume his role as third line center. Andrei Kostitsyn answered critics scoring the Canadiens first goal of the season and using his size in every game. Travis Moen has made the most of his opportunity playing on the top-6.
There are some folks who will try to tell you that exhibition and early-season games are meaningless. They are either exhuberant fans or those trying to lead you down a path to broken dreams. While the result isn’t ultimately important, the way a team plays is indicative of future success — and what we have seen so far has given rise for concern.
Communication, cohesion, and discipline are key to putting this ship back in the right direction. That will require a commitment from everyone but it must begin with direction from the top. Otherwise we may be looking towards the NHL Entry Draft, and our mantra for the season will be “it just doesn’t matter.”
The Cole quote speaks volumes.
With the way Habs are playing now, they’re setting themselves up to be in a do or die position in March and April.
I agree Chantal. I thought that the Cole quote was under-reported. Read between the lines and it was a stinging indictment about the communication skills of the head coach.
I believe Weber has been by far the worst defense
In fact i find it terrible that the coach even decides to play him
In what respect Adam? Weber has been the Canadiens best defenseman for most of the season particularly as Gorges, Gill and Subban struggled early on. Until recently he led the team in plus/minus and he has been one of the bright spots on an anaemic power-play. He leads the team in power-play goals.
Perhaps you are confusing him with Diaz who has been dreadful all season long. Gauthier would be wise to send Diaz to Hamilton for the rest of the season once Markov returns so he can learn to play the North American game.
For those who keep preaching “relax, it’s just 4 games, they have plenty of time”, just go and read Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts from today. It provides interesting analysis for teams that get off to slow starts and their chances for the playoffs. Coupled with this excellent piece, it shatters any apologist’s excuse payload that slow starts are ok.
Furthermore, the Habs need to quit being so focused on squeezing every last penny out of every opportunity. Bringing 500 kids to camp so that they can play in 9 regularly priced preseason matches is detrimental to team chemistry. The Habs were not given the chance to hit the ground running. That is the organization’s fault. But all that is written above about the coach’s inability to build a coherent team also applies.
It was disturbing to me to hear Cole say that he is still looking to find his place on the team. You have made an excellent point Kyle: with a full house throughout training camp there was little opportunity to identify roles and build team chemistry.
Cole does have a point though. It took Cammy quite a few games to get settled and to start scoring. Anyway he was looking better last game.
I’m sorry but I don’t agree with a lot of the above points. Yes Muller was a part of the Habs success in the past two years but we’ll never know how much. Ultimately, these players are pros and no amount of communication can make them perform at their best. Coaching matters alot but its the players that win or lose games. No you can’t blame the rough start all on injuries but it is a big factor. Cammy is our best sniper and 3 good (great in Markov’s case) D-men are hurt. Yes every game matters but its the standings at the end of the year- not the start that count. Call me crazy but 5 games do not make or break a season!
Okay, I will wait 10 games and call you crazy! :) In all seriousness, based on the data compiled by Elliotte Friedman if any team is 4 points out of a playoff spot after the first 10 games, there is only a 7% chance of making the playoffs. I understand what you are saying about standings at the end of the year, but October results are very predictive of how teams will place.
I should point out that Cammalleri was fourth in goals last season, so the team is not without players who can score. That said, I don’t see the Penguins throwing in the towel just because Crosby is out of the line-up. It’s funny that people were ready to run Spacek out of the city last season and now he is one of the keys to the defense this season. Campoli is a wildcard and was available on the free agent scrap heap in September. Certainly the Habs should be able to absorb the loss of those two players. And as mentioned, the Canadiens have had to learn to play without Markov a lot over the past few years.
As far as Muller, we know exactly how effective he was during his tenure as assistant coach in Montreal based on observations during practise, the effectiveness of the power-play, and the endorsements of the players themselves. It would appear that we have a difference of opinion about the role of coaching. In my opinion, the primary role of a coach is to get the most from his players. These days, all of the best coaches are very effective communicators.
Glad I can be sane for another few days! :) You obviously have a greater knowledge of Muller’s impact on the team and for the record I was sad to see him go. I agree that communication is key. What I was trying to say is that the players still have to be responsible for using the skills they have regardless of what the coaches tell them or don’t tell them. The Habs have overcome lots of injuries the past year so it shouldn’t be an excuse but its a factor. As for Cammy, Last year was an off year for Cammalleri until the playoffs, however I still believe he is the best pure goal scorer we have and the rest of the team feeds off his confidence. Go Habs Go!
Tried to post this earlier but it didn’t work so here goes again. Glad I can be sane for a few more days. ha ha. You obviously have a greater knowledge of Muller’s impact and for the record I was sad to see him go. I think Martin doesn’t get enough credit for his impact though. What I was trying to say is that its still up to the players to use the skills they have regardless of the coaches communication skills. As for Cammalleri, last year was an off year for him until the playoffs when he proved that he is our most pure goal scorer in my opinion. Go Habs Go!
I think a lot of Habs fans are deluding themselves. The Habs clearly do not have enough raw talent to compete seriously for a playoff spot. When a team’s best hope for improvement is the return of a skilled but chronically injured player (Markov), it clearly indicates wishful thinking. On top of that, Martin’s teams usually under-produce relative to their perceived capability. The players now in the organization are not the basis of a winning team now or in the future and this is primarily the GM’s responsibility. The Habs need to hire a highly competent GM and expect to wait years to see results. This assessment is not a result of the slow start, it’s what I was expecting based in the minimal improvements in the off season to a team that barely made the playoffs last year.
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