By Stevo, AllHabs.net
MONTREAL, QC. — There was a heated debate this past Friday on Twitter, after fellow-writer and friend Chantal posted her column [All Habs Mailbag: Letters to Chantal] where she answered reader’s questions about the Montreal Canadiens. The debate itself was whether the Montreal Canadiens were a Cup contender going into the 2011-12 NHL season. Ponder that thought for a few minutes while you continue reading.
Following this debate, I got to thinking about the Montreal Canadiens offseason and wanted to share some of those thoughts with you.
Goaltending:
I don’t really have any issues with the goaltending. Call me biased but if I were any of the 30 general managers in the league, Carey Price would be the goaltender at the top of my evaluation list. I don’t expect anything other then a long-term contract thrown his way following the upcoming season, in hopes of locking him in with the Habs for the long haul.
With regards to Peter Budaj, as much as I’ve made it very well known that I believe Pierre Gauthier should have kept Alex Auld, I think I’m starting to understand Gauthier’s plan a little better, if I understand it at all that is. With regards to Auld, it became clear that although he did well, and above expectations for the little time he was here in Montreal, the Canadiens didn’t have enough confidence in him, to sign him for a second season.
So on to Budaj, who up until now in the NHL, has been a complete bust with regards to the expectations that he would develop into a clear number one. Gauthier still went ahead and signed him to a two-year contract, and has been clear through the media that Pierre Groulx, the Canadiens’ goaltending coach, will be spending a lot of time working with Budaj. Ok, so why the Budaj?
Call this my gut speaking, but I believe that when Alex Auld was signed, the decision had pretty much already been taken that he would only be around for one year. The search was already on, for who they believe could fulfil a long-term number two role, and I believe Gauthier thinks he has found this in Peter Budaj.
Pierre Groulx has two years to help Budaj find his game within a system where his role will be clear, that being a number two goaltender, who should expect to play no more than 20-25 games during the season. If he can accept this role, and find his confidence, matched with his reputation of being a great teammate and great in the locker room, the Price/Budaj duo could be in Montreal for more than two seasons. Just a thought.
Defense:
There are many x-factors on defense before the season has even started.
- Will Markov’s knee holdup? And if so, will he be his ‘old’ self again?
- Will Gorges’ knee holdup?
- Will Yemelin crack the lineup?
- Will Weber play regularly?
Only time will tell us the answers to these questions, but it’s clear that in the best of scenarios, the Canadiens could have a very dangerous defensive unit on the blue line, but on the other side of the coin, one could argue that one should be hopeful for the best, but plan for the worst. Look for Gauthier to make a depth signing on defense before the start of next season.
Forwards:
Take the Montreal Canadiens forwards from last season, remove Jeff Halpern, add Erik Cole, and that’s what you have for the upcoming season as your twelve-man unit. As the Canadiens have only twelve forwards signed, look for Gauthier to also add a depth forward before the start of next season. Call it a hunch.
I do believe that with Erik Cole in the lineup, the Canadiens have a better offensive unit then they did last season, but what looks good on paper doesn’t always look good on the ice, so I prefer to be cautious with my expectations.
The following questions come to mind with the Canadiens forwards:
- Will Erik Cole be all that and a bag of chips?
- Will Max Pacioretty be the player he was prior to being injured?
- Will Scott Gomez have a bounce-back year?
- Will Andrei Kostitsyn silence the critics and demonstrate he deserves a long-term contract?
- Will the lack of grit on the Canadiens roster continue to be what many believe to be an issue preventing the team from reaching that next level?
Again, much remains to be seen before we can answer those questions.
Now back to the debate, have you made up your mind? Can we say at this moment that the Montreal Canadiens are Cup contenders? I don’t believe that to be the case. I think it’s much too early to make this type of prediction, I think that there’s too much hockey to be played before that call can be made, and so much could happen between now and then.
Is it possible that the Canadiens could have a great season, get into the playoffs, and have Carey Price shut the door and lead the team to the Cup? Of course it is, anything is possible. To call the Canadiens Cup contenders in August however, I think is much too early.
Also available at AllHabs.net, check out:
- CTV’s Brian Wilde Previews Habs 2011 – 2012 and
Habs Preview Part II with Brian Wilde: The Room, Steel Balls, Little Girls – by Iain Carnegie - Who’s This Guy? – Darren Dietz – by czechtacular