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Gameday Vs. Tavares + New Look Habs Showing Promise |
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Tonight the Montreal Canadiens face the New York Islanders for the second game in a row, and for the final time this season. The game tonight will be on the Isle’s home ice at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm EST.
The second straight meeting against the Tavares led team has aimed a lot of love struck eyes at the Islanders captain as the Canadiens fans (and I’m sure management) view his impending UFA status this summer as the solution to almost all of the Canadiens problems.
Hard to disagree really, the Canadiens have lacked a #1C since the Koivu era ended and in today’s NHL it’s nearly impossible to be considered a Cup contender without a top end C that can make the players around him better.
Tavares brings exactly that along with a tenacity that would be along the same level as the Habs own Shea Weber. If Tavares wanted to play with Weber and Price for the next 7 seasons in quest of a Stanley Cup that would be swell.
The odds are going to be tough but if he sees potential in the group the Habs have then perhaps there’s a deal to be made. It will be tough to compete against other markets that lack the high taxes, vitriolic media, and never ending language issues, but there are many great things about the Montreal Canadiens and their city that can be sold to Tavares as well.
I’m of the opinion that the taxes aren’t as big an issue to true star players. The money can be made up in different ways. Tavares already likely has a few solid endorsements bringing in extra cash, but Montreal’s marketability should be more advantageous to future endorsements as he would be reaching a world wide fanbase and not just the NYI’s fanbase (no offense to Isle’s fans, but the Canadiens are a world wide brand). When you factor in the exchange rate and more lucrative endorsements, I’m sure the tax issue can be worked around. It will just take some good, big picture thinking and explaining to assure Tavares he won’t be limiting his earning potential by signing in Montreal, but he will be playing with a core that includes Carey Price, Shea Weber, Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, and possibly Max Pacioretty. Plus whoever the Habs draft this summer which could be an impact player.
There’s no denying that Tavares will sign the max contract available and the player has stated a few times now that stability and commitment to winning are his main goals going forward. Montreal is definitely committed to winning, despite this current season, and have some great foundational pieces to build around and lead the youth.
The addition of another corner stone in Tavares may give the Habs enough of a foundation to finally build that solid hockey team that could contender for the next 7 years.
Tavares would be adored by (most) fans, or at least the logical ones, and with him, Weber, and Price leading the club I think we would all feel much better about about the present and the future.
BACK TO REALITY
Habs begin a 6 game road trip, over the next 10 days, tonight in Brooklyn against the Isle's.
The Canadiens come into the game having played some pretty good hockey lately. The Canadiens won the tank battle against the Rangers a week ago Thursday before losing to the East’s best Lightning squad in a Shoot Out. They then lost another Shoot Out to one of the NHL’s top scoring clubs in the Flyers by a score of 1-0 after both teams failed to score through 65 minutes. Then they beat the desperate Islanders club 3-1 in a game where the Canadiens took it to the Isle’s for the most part, and all while icing a pretty young squad that is missing Price and Weber.
So, over the 4 game home stand the Habs went 2-1-1 and while it doesn’t help their draft situation it at least shows this team has some guts. I refuse to say this team is brutal and in need of a blow up, I never thought that. I can acknowledge the need for a puck moving D man if Mete isn’t ready to be paired up with Weber full time, but with the addition of Reilly it’s possible the Habs just bought low on a guy with some speed and potential who is hungry to make his NHL career begin full time.
The need is definitely a top 6 C and the draft may give them someone like that. The development of Poehling could bring that as well next fall. The goal is always going to be to win and the way professional sports is organized nowadays it kind of stops teams from forming dynasty’s. To have a dynasty in todays day and age you have to have either Baseball rules, exceptional scouting/drafting, and a city/organization that is the envy of other major metropolitan cities.
Some teams and cities can make it happen for a while, a select few can make it happen consistently, but for every 1 city like that there’s usually 10 others that aren’t and the purpose of today’s pro sports is to have as many players making big money as possible while as many teams pay for players that teams can no longer fit under their payroll/cap/etc because of other big contracts. This way the players get paid and the other owners get name brand talent even if they can’t draft.
To think that a full rebuild is required when a team has the players Montreal has is lunacy. The team has one of the best goaltenders and defenseman in the game. They also have some really good young talent at all positions and this year saw many of them get their first real opportunity. To think there wasn’t the possibility of growing pains wouldn’t be logical, but it’s still reasonable to feel optimistic as a fan when the season started. Either way, you want the kids to play and learn then you have to accept they will struggle too. Add in the number of injuries and down years the Habs had from top players and you get a chance at the draft lotto. Sh!t happens.
Reilly and Juulsen have looked good so far and the remaining games give them, and management, a chance to see what they have going into next season. Getting the kids on wing more chances to show if they have the drive, smarts, and skills to make plays in this league is the goal now. Pressure less hockey (aside from the guys playing for new contracts) will give them the chance to play to learn and cultivate confidence within themselves heading into the offseason. They will have the chance to identify goals for improvement because they now know they are full time NHL players and they need to keep trending upward to make a career out of this.
Even in meaningless games, as in a team without a shot at playoffs, there is paramount importance. While some fans will write off the team and tune out it’s actually a time for management and coaches to really dig in to find out who is getting the first looks next season.
The games within the game never end no matter if your team is in playoff contention or languishing at the bottom of the standings. Player development is a 24 hr job by a hockey club, and if it’s not then they are doing things wrong. You want to win a championship? You better have a management team that is constantly working to improve the team from the inside as much as from the outside.
These are the goals of your Canadiens squad going into the final 19 games of the season. Despite some of us being on a witch hunt for Marc Bergevin, it would be small minded to think that he is making all decisions unilaterally. The Canadiens are paying R Dudley a quality amount to be AGM and he is highly regarded in NHL circles for his eye for talent. They rightly promoted T Timmins as he has constantly helped the Canadiens acquire talent through the draft and it isn’t his fault some of that talent was dealt away for the Scott Gomez’s of years past. They hired one of the leagues most respected coaches in Claude Julien and gave him virtually everything he had in Boston except a Patrice Bergeron. The even created a new title, and I’m sure a quality paycheque, for K Muller who has improved the PP despite this season being one where the Habs have had difficulty scoring.
The Canadiens are not a team in need of a full blow up. Teams that are managed well typically don’t need to do this either and there is no guarantee of success after selling off assets for hopes at a top pick either. You could end up with a Yakupov, or a Johnson, or a Nugent-Hopkins, or a Ryan Murray. Add that to let’s say not having Price for the next 6-7 good years? Or having Petry as your #1 D for everyone to learn from? No offense to Petry, who’s been awesome this season, but I think even he may agree that Weber shouldn’t go anywhere.
Let’s all take a step back, refocus on what’s important, and move forward. Let’s see what the kids do. Let’s see how Reilly plays. The Habs will be one of the first offers to fly in front of Tavares this July 1st, if he makes it there, so the situation will literally be out of Bergevin’s hands other than the max contract value offered. The draft will hopefully reward the Habs with either Dahlin or one of the stellar 5 choices afterwards.
The Habs are actually playing some entertaining hockey and we are seeing the retool/reset right before our eyes. Pay attention and we all may have a more informed opinion heading into the offseason.
Go Habs Go!
OVERTIME
Welcome, Seattle Kraken, to the NHL….. in 2020. Should be fun rearranging the divisions again.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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