A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens: From Euphoria To Doubt

By Patrick Lortie

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 02: Head coach Dominique Ducharme of the Montreal Canadiens reacts against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period in Game Three of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Bell Centre on July 02, 2021 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 02: Head coach Dominique Ducharme of the Montreal Canadiens reacts against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period in Game Three of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Bell Centre on July 02, 2021 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Do you guys still get chills watching this?

I sure do. Like everyone else also, I went into the Montreal Canadiens’ off-season with optimism and hope. The team was on the road to greatness and the future looked extremely bright. We had youngsters ready to take on bigger role, veterans who were still hungry, a goaltender who found his elite ways again.

Then in less than 3 months, that magical playoff run almost feels like an illusion. Ken MacMillan touched on some of the challenges coming into the new season, but let’s also recap what happened.

  • Phillip Danault and management couldn’t agree on the role he should play and thus impacted contract negotiations. He left for sunny Los Angeles with a 6 year $33 million in his back pocket.
  • The man that was projected to be the long-term solution at center on the 2nd line behind Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi also left to Carolina after signing an RFA offer sheet for one year at a whopping $6,100,015. There were already tons of speculation and strong rumors that Kotkaniemi requested to be traded after the playoffs regardless and that he wasn’t happy with his development and the way he was being used in the lineup.
  • Corey Perry who went from taxi squad depth to fan favorite and one of the main leaders of the team didn’t receive a contract offer and ended up signing a 2 year $2 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in what will most likely be his swan song on what is likely a hall of fame career.
  • Eric Staal, who despite some criticism on his play, was extremely respected from his peers and gave a positive veteran presence in the locker room. It was found out that he also was playing with a myriad of injuries and his career status is still unknown as he remains a free agent at this time. Although reports claim he is shopping for a team to play for.
  • Shea Weber who is the undisputed leader and “father” of the team has likely seen his career come to a screeching halt after the final horn that saw him watch Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup. Severe injuries to his wrist and knees and ankles will likely see him on the LTIR until his contract expires in 2026.
  • Carey Price, who went into the playoffs with more questions about his health than ever before, performed at an elite level that only Carey can. Unfortunately, after suffering a setback in his rehab (meniscus surgery) and dealing with mental health issues, Price won’t be available to return to the team for at least a month. Most don’t expect him back before the holidays.
  • Mike Hoffman, who was brought into free agency with great fanfare to bolster the Habs’ powerplay unit, walked into training camp injured and will miss opening night. This puts into question what shape he will be in and what contribution he will bring early on.

The center lane gaps have been filled with Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans while the 4th line will likely end up being a year-long battle between Ryan Poehling, Matthieu Perrault and Cedric Paquette. The jury is still out however on whether or not Dvorak and Evans are an upgrade over Danault and Kotkaniemi.

With the loss of Shea Weber at the blue line, suddenly, things look bleak for what was one of the Habs’ strength during the playoffs. Ben Chiarot and newcomer David Savard have showed little chemistry thus far in the pre-season but the team is hoping this changes quickly. Jeff Petry will be heavily relied upon to lead the defensive brigade but is he actually a Top-2 defenceman? On the bottom pair, Alexander Romanov has shown nearly zero progression as he still makes the same mistakes and Chris Wideman hasn’t gotten anyone excited after posting dominating numbers in the KHL and AHL the past two seasons.

Jake Allen has done a great job last season filling in for Carey Price but with a questionable squad in front of him, will he be able to keep the team in playoff contention until Price returns? If Price returns? What about Samuel Montembeault? With a chance to finally prove he belongs in the NHL, will he finally seize his chance?

Paul Byron is also injured while Jonathan Drouin hasn’t played in months. Tyler Toffoli and Brendan Gallagher had to deal with groin and wrist injuries during the playoffs respectively so are they ready to go?

Will Cole Caufield break out in his first full rookie season? Will Nick Suzuki emerge as a bona fide number one center that the Habs haven’t had since Vincent Damphousse?

Will Dominique Ducharme also emerge as an NHL caliber coach now that his interim tag has been taken off?

We’re walking into what can potentially be a great or disastrous season. Not only the NHL is going back to its regular 82 game format, but it’s a condensed season due to the Olympics being played this upcoming winter forcing the league to close for 2 weeks.

Depth, discipline and playing a tight-knit game will be of the utmost importance for this version of the Montreal Canadiens. That being said, are you as optimistic as you were in July?

More questions and answers begin Wednesday as the Habs open their season in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

Home/Editorials