By Joce, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
PENTICTON, BC. — Here are a few thoughts on different topics surrounding the Habs’ and the NHL over the past few weeks. We’re touching on Eller, Price, Subban, Galchenyuk, the injuries and more. Feel free to post your comments as they are always welcome.
1- Before the season started, there were question marks about Lars Eller after his devastating injury in the playoffs against the Ottawa Senators. Could he overcome his serious concussion and would he be as aggressive as he had shown towards the end of the season, while putting up points on the board? Eller, who is now tipping the scale at 215 pounds, is playing with more confidence and with a newly found desire to succeed at the NHL level since the start of the season. He scored five goals in his first seven games and sits second in team scoring (three points behind Subban) while being the second most utilized forward behind Tomas Plekanec. Coach Michel Therrien has placed him anywhere on the top three lines, often with struggling winger in the hope that Eller can help him out of his slump. This could very well be his breakthrough season.
2- When goaltending coach Pierre Groulx was fired, former Habs’ goalie coach Roland Melanson took a jab at him, which was laughable at best, the pot calling the kettle black. But so far this season, everyone has to praise team GM Marc Bergevin for managing to convince former Blackhawks goaltending coach Stéphane Waite to agree to work with Carey Price in Montreal. At the time of writing this article, Price is coming off of a 39 save performance against the Vancouver Canucks, a 36 save shutout against the Winnipeg Jets and he stopped 30 of 33 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Price, who seems more energetic and aggressive in his net, has lowered his goals against average to 2.01 while raising his saves percentage to .938 in his first six games this season. It is early to jump to conclusions but let’s just agree that it’s encouraging to see him off to a good start. As some fans have tweeted me earlier this week, it keeps Price’s predators in check in the meantime.
3- The injury bug is starting to take its toll on the Canadiens in this early season. Already without physical defenseman Alexei Emelin and newly signed Douglas Murray, the team announced that Davis Drewiske will be missing five to six months after having surgery done on his shoulder. We all know about the injury suffered by tough guy George Parros, who suffered a concussion after hitting the ice while dragged down by Colton Orr during a fight on opening night. And while Max Pacioretty has earned himself the nickname of Wolverine for his way to bounce back from injuries, everyone feared the worst after his latest fall in the game against the Winnipeg Jets. Pacioretty has had an MRI and should only miss a few weeks. For the keen observer, it definitely looks like Brandon Prust is also playing hurt. It’s a good thing that Marc Bergevin has addressed the depth issues on this team, as they hope to remain competitive until players get back healthy.
4- Part of this depth is the play and expectations on the team’s rookies. We witnessed last year the formidable output by young Galchenyuk and Gallagher and at the end of the season and a few defensemen were given the opportunity to show management their development progress. While they are close to being ready to make an impact at the NHL level, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu have some learning to do. They can lend a hand for short periods of time when needed, but they both have shown that they are not ready to take a regular shift quite yet in the NHL. This could very well be why coach Therrien will alternate between the two young prospects depending on the opposition they face: Tinordi against bigger and tougher forwards, and Beaulieu against faster skating teams. Here’s hoping that no one else falls until others are ready to come back as it could force Bergevin into searching for more depth at the defense position.
5- I had to laugh when, in the first week of the regular season, some reporters were already on P.K. Subban’s case because he wasn’t producing. A week later, Subban leads the team in points with ten, which places him sixth in league scoring, first in the NHL amongst defensemen, and with a differential of plus-6. Subban is Subban and he will always be a high risk, high reward player but his defensive play in the last couple of games has been outstanding. Whether it’s breaking up two on ones, distributing solid bodychecks or blocking shots, Subban’s game has come a long way. As a matter of fact, in his last 39 games played, he has 10 goals, 32 assists, 149 shots on goal (3.8 per game) and he’s plus-17. Someone should tell l’Antichambre on RDS.
6- In this just his second year in the NHL, sophomore Alex Galchenyuk is showing more consistency and seems to be more comfortable playing against bigger and faster men. His vision on the ice, his NHL caliber shot, his passing ability and his undeniable hard work ethic are all major contributors to his increased ice time this season, most notably on the power-play. This can only bode well for him and his buddy roommate Brendan Gallagher in preventing the dreaded sophomore slump. Can we safely say that Galchenyuk has put to rest, at least for the time being, the inevitable comparisons with Oilers’ Nail Yakupov?
7- Speaking of Yakupov, the Oilers coaching staff chose to make him a healthy scratch for the game following his poor showing against the Habs and this move has opened all kinds of speculations and rumours. As reported by CBC’s Elliotte Friedman, Yakupov was quoted as saying that it’s not his style to play without the puck and deliver bodychecks on every shift. Something must have been lost in translation but he will need to learn the North American way to play if he hopes to make it big in the NHL. The Oilers aren’t performing up to expectations so far considering all of the early draft picks in their line-up and someone will have to pay at some point, whether it’s management or players through a trade or two. Tough times to be an Oilers’ fan, that’s for sure.
8- Speaking of struggling clubs, the New York Rangers seem to be going nowhere and some wonder if the fact that Henrik Lundqvist is scheduled to become a UFA at the end of the season doesn’t play at least some role in their poor play. I don’t buy it personally. Lundqvist is a true pro, one of the best goalies in the NHL, but he’s not getting much help in front of him. I also believe that Alain Vigneault is an excellent coach, so what’s wrong in the Big Apple? It could just be a matter of a team adjusting to a new system, and perhaps not having the right kind of players to play that new system. Let’s see what GM Glen Sather does to address his team’s needs.
9- No team is struggling more than the Philadelphia Flyers, who have only managed two points in eight games, sitting dead last in the NHL standings. In what appears to be an attempt to buy himself time in order to save his job, GM Paul Holmgren fired his head coach Peter Laviolette after only three games and the team has not looked any better under the direction of Craig Berube. In my humble opinion, the problem is Holmgren. He may be spectacular in pulling off trades that no one else seems to be able (or willing) to complete but it has had a negative effect on the Flyers, who seem to have lost their identity. Holmgren’s biggest mistake might have been to take Chris Pronger’s side instead of team captain’s Mike Richards, as the team is lacking leadership and grit since the move. Many around the NHL wonder what desperate move(s) Holmgren will be making in a last attempt to save his job if team owner Ed Snider allows him to do so.
10- Seeing the teams’ record so far this season, one player who may be laughing the most right now is Canadiens’ winger Daniel Briere, whose contract was bought out by the Flyers. The Habs won their last four games and sit in fourth place in the conference, eight overall in the NHL. But Briere doesn’t have much to be too proud as his contribution to his new team is rather minimal and he has yet to show any signs of rebounding from last year’s bad season. Only injuries seem to keep Briere on the top nine as coach Therrien had him practicing on the fourth line in the morning practice when Max Pacioretty suffered his most recent injury. He did respond with two points that night though, but he’s definitely not the Daniel Briere the Canadiens are expecting to see. Briere better find his groove as some fans were already on his back before he even had a chance to wear the 48 in bleu, blanc, rouge.
11- One team that is not struggling is the surprising Colorado Avalanche, who have won their first six games before falling short against the Detroit Red Wings. The Avalanche made some major changes in management with Joe Sakic and behind the bench with the hiring of Patrick Roy, who also has his say with the team’s trades. While Roy’s intensity has already cost him a few dollars, it certainly seems to be motivating his troops so far.
12- The only team doing better than the Avalanche so far in this early season is the San Jose Sharks, who also started the season with six straight wins but they have yet to lose in regulation time, their only loss coming in overtime at the hands of the Dallas Stars. Yes, the Sharks also had a strong start last year only to return to reality later in the season. But what’s most amazing about this year’s start is the fact that in their first seven games, they’ve outscored their opponents but 20 goals, led in big part by rookie sensation Tomas Hertl who already counts seven goals and nine points in his first seven NHL games! The team will, however, have to do without their top defenseman Dan Boyle, injured by Maxim Lapierre, who received a five game suspension from the league.
Hockey is back and two weeks in, the Habs are doing well. We have fines handed out, suspensions issued, early surprises and deceptions, fans are back at panicking and/or dreaming of the Stanley Cup, and reporters can pretend to be experts once again! Ah NHL hockey, where have you been? Go Habs Go!!!
En français: Repassage en famille: Eller, Price, Subban, Galchenyuk et plus.
