An excerpt from Globesports.com (Sean Gordon):
MONTREAL CANADIENS
TOP STORY: Alexei Kovalev is known as The Artist for his puck-handling skills, but the moniker also applies because of his temperament. Will the Habs get the selfless, switched-on Kovalev of 2007-08 or the moody, sulky Kovalev of 2006-07? He’s turned up to camp 15 pounds lighter and vows he will improve on an 84-point performance last season. With point-a-game winger Alex Tanguay providing some sniping might on the second line and Georges Laraque adding brawn to the checking line, the pieces are in place for a serious Cup run to cap the team’s 100th anniversary season. Assuming, of course, the defence holds and Carey Price blossoms into the dominant goalie he seemed destined to become in the second half of last year.
SAY HELLO TO: LW Alex Tanguay, C Robert Lang, RW Georges Laraque, G Marc Denis, D Shawn Belle, D Alex Henry, D Chad Anderson, D Greg Paternyn.
SAY GOODBYE TO: RW Michael Ryder, D Mark Streit, C Brian Smolinski.
THE NUMBERS GAME: The Habs have committed $54.1-million (U.S.) to 23 players which gives them about $2.5-million in cap room. Yesterday, the Canadiens acquired 37-year-old Blackhawks pivot Robert Lang and his $4-million salary in exchange for a second-round draft choice. That would seem to officially end their interest in Mats Sundin, given Lang addresses the team’s glaring need: a big, skilled centre. The team’s young nucleus is signed to long-term deals, but Tanguay, Kovalev, Lang and captain Saku Koivu are in contract years.
TOP PICK IN 2008: Danny Kristo, RW, U.S. under-18 national development program, 56th overall. Montreal traded its first round pick to Calgary for Tanguay, and chose Kristo in the second round. At 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds, Kristo is undersized, but is seen as a fierce competitor who plays much bigger and who has blazing speed and a nose for the net. He’ll play at the University of North Dakota this year.
UNIT GRADES:
Special teams (A-): Doubters predicted the demise of Montreal’s vaunted power-play with the exit of Sheldon Souray. They were wrong. And though the same questions will arise after Mark Streit’s departure through free agency, the power-play should continue to be a strength. Thanks to their league-leading power play (90 goals, 24.1 per cent efficiency) Montreal was a net +30 on special teams in 2006-07, and their penalty killing should remain solid (they ranked 15th in the league last year) with an unchanged cast.
Goaltending (B+): Carey Price spent the summer far from hockey, working with a trainer and nutritionist, but the chief concerns over the 21-year-old prodigy have more do with his mental state than his body. Price showed flashes of brilliance in asserting himself as Montreal’s number one goaltender over the second half, but his inconsistent, error-prone playoff performance raised eyebrows. If he plays to his potential, though, Price could join the goaltending elite.
Offence (A+): Only the Senators scored more goals in 2007-08 than the Canadiens (one more, in fact) and Tanguay will provide a significant upgrade over Michael Ryder. The Habs are one of the fastest teams in the league, so goals shouldn’t be a problem for the NHL’s most balanced offensive attack. Youngsters Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn should benefit from having a full year under their belts, Guillaume Latendresse spent the summer improving his skating and shed 25 pounds.
Defence (B): The Habs’ top two defensive pairs stack up well against anyone in the league, with Andrei Markov providing the pop (16-42-58 last season) and Mike Komisarek, Roman Hamrlik and Josh Gorges providing the stop. But then it all gets a little dodgy. How will Montreal replace Streit’s 62 points and seven power-play goals? The diminutive Francis Bouillon is an effective defender, but injury-prone.
