Written by Steven Ellis, AllHabs.net
With plenty of games left to prove that the Canadiens can put together a competitive lineup, the season may not be over. The problem is, Montreal has not been a force this year, and unless the team decides to play, it doesn’t look like things will get better. Here are a few of thoughts that popped into my head about the Canadiens.
1.Leaf fans need to be quiet. Every time I laugh at Toronto for losing to a team like the Kings, I always get one of two people saying at least they are ahead of the Canadiens. News flash: most teams are! Montreal is having a bad season. So when Toronto loses 6-0 to Boston, but then Montreal loses 3-2, I point that out. Toronto has not been able to match their play from October and November, while Montreal has been consistently inconsistent. Montreal has had to deal with a bad coach, a coaching change, and many injury problems, with Markov out for what could be the rest of the season, and having Max Pacioretty, Mike Cammalleri and Hal Gill out for periods of time. When Toronto loses, they play very poorly. Montreal hasn’t played well all year. Toronto is doing better than Montreal for the first time since the lockout, but keep in mind that Montreal is only three points behind Toronto, and all it takes is two games for Montreal to be in front.
2. The Habs need to return from Summer Vacation. Night in and night out, Carey Price is the only Canadien who shows up. In fact, if you put him at forward, he would be the top scorer in the league. Erik Cole has been a great addition so far, with 23 points, and Max Pacioretty has been great since returning from injury that could have easily finished his career. Michael Cammalleri, Andrei Kostitsyn and Brian Gionta have not been able to rack up big point totals like many hoped. Tomas Kaberle has been arguably the best defenseman since joining the Habs a few games ago, and considering he was a healthy scratch multiple times with Carolina, that is saying something about the defense. Alexei Emelin has been strong on occasion, but he’s a healthy scratch a lot. Some believe that Emelin and Lars Eller were “wasted” by Jacques Martin, so lets see how they perform under Randy Cunneyworth. Price is the best player by far, but he needs help if the Habs are interested in seeing the playoffs.
3. As EVERYONE knows, Jacques Martin was fired recently in favour of interim Randy Cunneyworth. But will this save the team? The general sacrificed his coach before he himself was given the boot by Canadiens owner Geoff Molson and an ownership group that, like the fan base, must be growing impatient with inconsistent results generated by often listless and, worse, boring hockey. It may be time, Mr. Molson, to explore other General Manager options. If you look at his past trade history, he hasn’t done anything major, but while he didn’t need to in the past, he needs to pull off something SOON if the Habs want to be serious contenders. Take a look at Twitter. It’s hard to go one day without people asking for PG’s firing.
4. I asked some people on Twitter who they would prefer, Max Pacioretty or Alex Semin. Everyone, except for one, agreed that Pacioretty should never leave the Bell Centre. From the great “Habsterix“-
“Can’t stand Semin. I much prefer Pacioretty’s style, and combination of size and grit. With Cole as mentor, could be great”.
There are a few things to keep in mind. Alex Semin has proved he can at least 80 points a season, but even with Alex Ovechkin, Semin has been inconsistent. Semin has loads of talent, and owns one of the best shots in the NHL, but at times can be one of the laziest players in the game. Would you welcome back another Alex Kovalev? You may want to notice the fact that he is on pace for only 32 points this season at over $6M a year.
Max, on the other hand, is on pace for 63 points this year, and can possibly rack up more during his career. Pacioretty has a ton of potential, despite almost having a career ending injury last year. Everyone in Montreal loves this guy to death, and would probably hate to see the team part with such a great young player.
Semin is the more talented player, but isn’t liked much around Washington and was part of the reason Bruce Boudreau was fired. He may thrive in a new environment, so who knows?
Let me know who you would prefer in the comments below.
I’m not really sure about who I Would prefer. I like Pacioretty, and Semin hasn’t done squat this year, but a change of scenery could help him. But there isnt any Ovie’s on Montreal. I Think Il decide once the season is over. I hope we don’t have to choose one or the other.
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