Ten Habs Notes
-I find there are more positives than negatives to Louis Leblanc's decision to leave Harvard for the Montreal Juniors and a faster track to the Montreal Canadiens. I pray that he has the mental fortitude to deal with overwhelming expectations people are already heaping on his shoulders. His admittance to Harvard would suggest that he's headstrong, and if he were going to leave college to play Junior hockey, might as well leave for Montreal, where he can get a strong sense of what lies ahead of him. The Junior schedule is obviously far more comprehensive, and affords him a better opportunity to play on Team Canada, come Christmas time.
-All that considered, I bet the Montreal Juniors set records for attendance this season. The team will have top Canadiens' prospects on it, and that likely ensures they'll be more successful than they've been since owner, Farrell Miller started this project, in 2008.
-A lot of people have been wondering what Max Pacioretty's future is with the Canadiens. I'd suggest his play in training camp will go a long way towards determining his future. Pacioretty is gifted with speed and a heavy shot, and his hands are beyond underrated. I've heard people incessantly suggest that Pacioretty has no hands, but his struggle in the NHL was mostly related to his lack of confidence and composure. Max had injuries to deal with and played through them for fear of losing his spot with the Canadiens. That fear came true, and inevitably led him towards extensive recovery periods, to the point where he wasn't playing a prominent role with last year's Hamilton Bulldogs. Chances that he'll make the Canadiens out of training camp are not very good, but an impressive camp and a strong beginning with the Bulldogs likely ensures Pacioretty's call up to the NHL, and from there he can once again prove that he belongs.
-I'm very intrigued to see what Tom Pyatt will contribute to the Canadiens this season. He's arguably Montreal's most fervent worker, and the confidence he gained by playing such crucial minutes in the playoffs has to be building him into a better player. There were few players who got as many scoring chances as Pyatt did last season, especially considering his ice-time in relation to that of the stars on the team. If he can bury some of those opportunities he's sure to create with that speed, he's going to continue to surprise Canadiens fans. I don't think 20 goals is out of the question for this player, whether he reaches that mark this season or for many seasons to come, thereafter.
-When you look at the Canadiens roster up front, do you see a player there that could eventually lose his job? Can Mathieu Darche continue to play like he's starving for a job, now that he's signed a one-way contract with the Canadiens? How secure is his position with players like Ryan White knocking on the doorstep? In my estimation, the 13th forward will have a role with this team, and Darche will have to be at his very best in order to not be relegated to the sidelines.
-Speaking of the roster, one significant element continues to be missing from the potion here: Toughness. I'm not suggesting the team absolutely needs an enforcer, but I doubt Canadiens fans want to see their top 3 get knocked around by the Bruins and the Flyers without anyone having something to say about it. I'm wondering if Pierre Gauthier has any intention of doing something about it, or not.
-One thing that goes against having an enforcer: The Habs have a better balance on their four lines this season. Yes, they lost Moore and Metropolit. But they got younger and faster with Eller and Boyd. With Pyatt holding down full-time work, with Lapierre back in form and Moen hoping to have a better season (not that he had a bad one), Jacques Martin has a steadier deck to shuffle with. If he intends to use four lines much more than he did last season (and he'll need to if the Canadiens are going to make it through Christmas) that likely kills the idea of having an enforcer dress.
-More balance means less of a likelihood that Martin ever dresses nine defensemen in a game again. Seriously, if the Habs go twenty games without putting Subban, Carle or Weber on the fourth line it'll be a miracle.
-A lot people took exception to my suggestion that the Habs should put Cammalleri with Gomez and Gionta. I can understand why, and also can acknowledge that Plekanec deserves good players to work with as he has made a case to be Montreal's top pivot. But that suggestion was made with the feeling that between Eller, Kostitsyn and Pouliot, Plekanec has the goods to continue producing at the same pace he set last season. As I mentioned before undertaking this futile exercise, line combinations are based on injury and the general hotness or coldness of a player. If the team is only getting production from Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri, then obviously Martin will have to find a way to spread the wealth to Plekanec's line. Otherwise, what's the harm in starting things off with Montreal's three best offensive players on the same line?
-Another consideration for why Gomez-Cammalleri-Gionta should play together: The team is going to have to be much, much stronger at 5-on-5 than they were last season. Without Markov to start the season, without Marc-Andre Bergeron returning, the Canadiens powerplay is going to take a hit. I'm not saying the 'little three' have to play together, but how much better will this team be if Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri could play together without it affecting the balance of the top 6? What's the harm in having an established number-1 line, and an established number-2 line that adds to the scoring brigade? Do the Canadiens need to operate the way they did last season, with two number-2 lines?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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