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On Price, Gagne and Frolov, Roster set, Markov and Gionta for Captain |
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Don't worry, it's highly unlikely the Canadiens are trying to sign Carey Price for 17 years...But it's rather peculiar that nothing much is cooking in that department yet. You would think that sometime in the next week Pierre Gauthier will sort this situation out, and the sooner the better. I think everyone is interested to know what Gauthier has planned with the negligible amount of cap space he'll have after Price is inked. Not to say Carey will break the bank (I really don't see him averaging more than 2.5 mil/season), but it's no secret the Canadiens don't have much to play with, and they are likely looking at keeping the belt slightly looser in case they need to add some salary down the line.
So, you were hoping for Gagne...or maybe you weren't. Don't know where everyone got the idea that the Canadiens were trying to trade for him, but they never made an attempt. As for agent, Bob Sauve saying he and his client contacted the Canadiens almost immediately after the responsibility of finding a trade was placed in their hands, consider it the politically correct thing to do. Gagne's arrival in Tampa Bay was predictable, and the team offered him a much more viable option than the Canadiens ever would've. For one, he'd never expressed a genuine desire to be with his hometown team, and it's quite evident the Canadiens don't have the scratch, nor were they going to make room to spend that kind of money on the oft-injured winger.
Certainly begs the question as to who they might spend money on. There have been rumors about Alexander Frolov and the Canadiens going back to the middle of last season, though there's hardly smoke, let alone fire billowing from that direction. Yes, Frolov had success with Cammalleri. Yes, he's on the outs with Los Angeles. But that's where the coincidences end, as there's really nothing else that would have one infer he's destined for a Canadiens uniform.
It would seem that once Carey Price has signed, the Canadiens' summer business will pretty much be done. This team will have to find its way with the roster that's currently intact. It's a full roster, one that's relatively unchanged from last season, with the obvious difference being in nets. Lars Eller and Dustin Boyd factor into the equation while Glen Metropolit and Dominic Moore have been subtracted. And the Canadiens are forced to navigate the beginning of the season, once again without the services of their best defenseman in Andrei Markov.
It won't be long before the naysayers are out in spades (as if people aren't cursing the team and its direction today, on July 20th), but it should be taken into consideration that all the different parts that were assembled last season have had ample time to blend together.
Foolishly, I suggested on a few occasions last year that if the same team were brought back they would do twice as good as they did. Carey Price will be responsible for making that one come true, but it seems hard to imagine they have the components to do as well in the post-season. On paper, this team is as impressive as they were last season, and that's not very impressive at all when you stack them up against some other teams in the East.
The issue this team has had, which hasn't been addressed despite a massive 2-year overhaul, is lack of size. They aren't physically imposing, nor does their system as configured by Jacques Martin allow them to be considered an aggressive team. That could be something that changes throughout the year.
Maxim Lapierre has promised he'll be the player that he showed he can be last post-season. The Canadiens need him to be that and more if he and Dustin Boyd will largely be counted on to apply some physical pressure. Ryan White is a crash and bang option out of Hamilton, and his size could win him a position out of training camp. The Canadiens need Travis Moen to be the player he was in the playoffs too...just the playoffs from 2007.
Other than that, what kind of physical presence do they have up front? And what about offense? Where will it come from after Gomez, Plekanec, Cammalleri and Gionta? Where will it come from if those players get injured? Does Pouliot have the stones to be a player in this league for an 82+ game schedule? Will playing for a contract inspire Andrei Kostitsyn's very best?
I'll be the first to admit that having Eller is a significant improvement over what they had in Metropolit or Moore. If Plekanec or Gomez were to suffer injuries, Eller is a much better candidate to fill in on one of the top two lines. He's a much better option than Ben Maxwell too, and when you look at the position throughout the organization, offensive potential runs low beyond David Desharnais.
But the powerplay looks like it'll take some major hits. For one, it'll have to get started without Andrei Markov. Subban can shoot and pass, but he can't set himself up for one-timers, and Marc-Andre Bergeron is not being brought back. Who's on the second unit again? Spacek and Hamrlik? Oh boy...Note that Subban, Gionta and Lapierre are the only right-handed shots on the team as well...Will Jacques Martin still abstain from using a forward on the point?
The penalty kill loses Moore and Halak. But it's about time Lapierre was put to use by Jacques Martin, and with Gorges, Gill, Plekanec and Moen, the Canadiens should be fine in that department. Although, another year as one of the league's most penalized teams would certainly make it tough for them to finish in the top 10 penalty killing teams again.
The Canadiens have to be much better at 5 on 5, something they were great at in the playoffs. The solution might be the chemistry component that had the team finally blend in the latter stages of last season.
Time will tell if more changes are on their way for this club, but as it stands, you can start making lines and talking about who will receive what role for this upcoming season. One role that will be given is that of Captain, and it still remains a mystery as to who will be named.
I see one of two scenarios shaking down:
1. Markov is given a new contract and the captaincy.
2. Brian Gionta is named.
That's it for now...
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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