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Boring Off-Season Fading, Training Camp Around the Bend |
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An incredibly boring off-season has almost met its end, and training camp is around the corner (not that it could come soon enough). Barring any major signings or trades (there won't be) the Canadiens are relatively set at all positions. They may find a tough guy to put in uniform or perhaps a veteran scorer to better support the offense, but beyond that, these are your Canadiens.
Sure, the starting goalie has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract, and yes it's true that the Canadiens have yet to talk extension with Andrei Markov's agent Don Meehan, but there's still time in both cases. In Price's case, it seems a deal should be finalized within the next week. In Markov's case, they have the entire season ahead of them to work something out. None of this is news, but these are the stories that have dominated headlines regarding the Canadiens, over the last couple of weeks.
Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and P.K. Subban got some press over their participation in a hockey camp to promote energy drinks. Travis Moen did some charity work with Dairy Queen in Saskatchewan. Pierre Boivin made a seemingly nepotistic decision to promote his son Patrick to Director of Hockey Operations. In other words, nothing noteworthy has happened in weeks.
We've finally reached the point where we can begin to discuss where the Canadiens may fall in the Eastern Conference standings, and better yet, what their chances might be of winning the Stanley Cup.
Forecasting where the Canadiens will finish in the standings is a harder task than assessing their chances of winning a Stanley Cup. The core of the team is made up of veterans who have had enough playoff experience to fully understand what it takes to win the Cup. The Habs proved last spring, in defeating Washington and Pittsburgh, respectively, that they were built to have playoff success.
The larger issue is bringing a playoff-like effort through the better part of 82-regular season games. On paper this team is mediocre at best, and can hardly afford to rely on talent to push them into a playoff position. Red Fisher says the team didn't improve in the off-season, and there's little you could say to debate that statement.
Going through the roster, the team will desperately need consistent contribution from the supporting members of the top six forwards. The bottom six lost precious experience in players like Glen Metropolit and Dominic Moore, but gained speed and youthful exuberance in Lars Eller and Dustin Boyd. The defense is steady and experienced, but slow and offensively challenged. The Canadiens have hitched their wagon to Price, thus making them a 1-goalie team. Trading Jaroslav Halak and signing Alex Auld put a dent in the whole "we're going to operate with two great goalies" approach. Alex Auld would have to play the best hockey of his career in order for that approach to hold true, and if Alex Auld is in a position to play the best hockey of his career then the Canadiens will still be a 1-goalie team--only it'll be the wrong goalie.
Geoff Molson will take over as President of the hockey club, next summer, and the pressure on Jacques Martin and Pierre Gauthier to produce must be that much greater than it was last season. The team has had its chance to gel, and there will be no acceptable "takes time to build chemistry with so many new players" excuse handy for a rough start or a bad losing streak.
How much leeway will Martin be given if the team isn't respecting his system-- a system that requires excellent fitness levels and tremendous patience to execute? How much rope will Pierre Gauthier be given if the team is in position to sell off players at the trade deadline? How will both men be treated by the media if Carey Price fails to put his team in a playoff position? How patient will the fans be with Price? Who will stand up to the fans like Bob Gainey did for Patrice Brisebois when life was seemingly unfair for the struggling Canadien?
The summer's been painfully boring, but this season has the makings to be as dramatic as Snooki's latest drunken escapade on the Shore.
I think the Canadiens could make the playoffs about as easily as they could miss them. The paper version of the team inspires little confidence, but the real version has the ability to be one of the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference. That likely translates to a finish between 6-11, which is bad news for those who want to see the Canadiens tank and end up with a top 5 draft pick, and worse news for those who want nothing more than to see this team compete for a Stanley Cup. In any case, at least it's news...
Do you think the team has what it takes to make the playoffs?
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Don Meehan joined Tony Marinaro yesterday afternoon and stated that Andrei Markov will likely be ready to start the season, and if not, Markov will be ready shortly after. There's some good news for ya...
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Live chat tomorrow at 2:00pm. Bring your questions and be prepared to fire away at myself and Steve Hindle.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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