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2015-2016 Part I, by Andrew Saadalla |
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Here we are. After a long, tumultuous season that felt like it would never end, the Montreal Canadiens cleaned out their lockers this morning. They gave interviews to the members of the media, and a trio comprised of owner Geoff Molson, general manager Marc Bergevin and head coach Michel Therrien were in Brossard to simultaneously hold their end-of-season press conference. I’ll touch upon everything that was said in a later article. For now, let’s take a look at what went down during 2015-2016.
In order to do so, I’ve decided to put together a three-part series that I invite you all to share in. In tonight’s piece, I outline my version of the start of this past season. Afterwards, I will write about the dark times that ensued following Carey Price’s injury. Finally, the series will come to a conclusion with a look at the last few months, including the youth movement and organizational failures, including today’s god-awful press conference.
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After a franchise-best 9-0 start to the season and a 19-4-3 record after 26 games, the Habs prided themselves on consistent and top-to-bottom balanced scoring from all four forward lines. They rested assured, knowing that legendary MVP goaltender Carey Price was there to bail them out should they falter, and in an interesting turn of events right out of training camp, rookie Mike Condon dislodged Dustin Tokarski from the latter’s role as the go-to backup. Fans and media members alike, save for a very select few, saw this team as being not only of the elite brand, but a serious contender for the Stanley Cup.
You’ll recall that Bergevin had signed Alexander Semin during the offseason to play on the right wing of the first or second line, a calculated risk that cost the organization very little. The belief was that Semin would relish the opportunity to play on a team and for a city that would adore him should he have excelled in his role as a power play specialist, potentially earning himself a renewed contract at some point during the year. He meshed exceptionally well with Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller during the preseason, lifting fans out of their seats with their dazzling displays of pure talent and skill. Eller finally looked he was ready for a breakout year, one in which he would score more than 20 goals, and everyone believed that Galchenyuk was set to show monumental development in his overall game. Moreover, with newly-appointed team captain Max Pacioretty (recovering from knee surgery) and Brendan Gallagher playing on a line with Tomas Plekanec, the Canadiens looked like they finally had two bonafide scoring lines that would boost the power play.
Moreover, David Desharnais centered a third line flanked by Dale Weise, who had started the year off on pace for 40 goals and a Tomas Fleischmann who had earned himself a professional tryout contract which was followed by a one-year deal after a solid showing during training camp. Suddenly, Michel Therrien’s troops had 3 scoring lines, something of a rarity in today’s NHL. Zack Kassian was also acquired in exchange for the beloved Brandon Prust, with similar hopes of a career revival and maximizing his untapped offensive potential. In the worst-case scenario, Kassian’s presence would be one exclusively of depth, where his strength and size could serve well in protecting the young guns.
It was when Brian Flynn, Torrey Mitchell and a thinner Devante Smith-Pelly started putting up points that 2015-2016’s outcome was set in stone: this team was no longer “all about Carey Price”.
Throw in an excellent Jeff Petry signing, an ever-progressing Nathan Beaulieu and P.K. Subban, as well as a healthy Alexei Emelin, a solid Tom Gilbert (who excelled during the playoffs) and an ageless Andrei Markov who slowed down but never lost an ounce of his mental acuity, your 2015-2016 edition of the Montreal Canadiens was without a doubt destined for glory. After so many years of mediocrity and downright embarrassment in the greatest hockey town in the world, fans with the highest, at times most unrealistic expectations of championship #25 breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was bound to be one of the most exciting hockey seasons any of us had ever experienced, and the confidence in this team across the entire city was infallible.
The only real concerns heading into the season were essentially secondary and virtually meaningless: where would defensemen Jarred Tirnordi and Greg Pateryn fit within the lineup? Will Alex Galchenyuk be a center after all? Could Gabriel Dumont, Sven Andrighetto, Michael McCarron, Daniel Carr, Jacob de La Rose, Darren Dietz, Morgan Ellis, Bud Holloway, Charles Hudon, Lucas Lessio, or Christian Tomas do enough to prove to Bergevin et al. that they belonged in the big leagues? Will Kassian and Semin turn their careers around?
None of these questions really mattered 10-12 games into the season, because the Habs were a force to be reckoned with. They genuinely competed with anyone and everyone, often taking to the ice with a sort of swagger in their stride knowing that they were the odds-on favorites to be victorious nearly every single time, regardless of whether they were at home or on the road.
The team led the league in goals scored during a stretch of almost two months, and we were all hard-pressed to believe that their scoring woes had finally been somehow solved. Twenty games into the season, Pacioretty had 10 goals. Desharnais was on pace for a 60+ point season, Fleischmann and Mitchell for 20 goals apiece, and a certain Paul Byron acquired off of waivers was showing everyone that he had every intention of being a regular in the lineup by chipping in with the occasional shorthanded goal.
Subban had 17 points and his partner Markov had 16, while Price was his usual otherworldly self and Condon turned out to be a revelation…
To put it lightly, things were looking awesome. Members of the media and bloggers such as myself were struggling for the first time in years to come up with subjects to discuss and analyze. Everything was going smoothly, and it was nearly impossible to get creative and critique anything because there simply was nothing to work with. At least, there was very little…
That is, until the Zack Kassian incident in which his SUV crashed into a tree after a night of heavy partying. He would be sent to the NHL’s substance abuse program and then shipped out of town after completing his stint in rehabilitation. That would be the end of the short-lived Kassian saga in Montreal. He would never play in a regular season game with the Habs…
Afterwards, Alexander Semin reminded everyone of why he had such a negative reputation. His effort levels were practically nonexistent, and he was often seen coasting on the ice as opposed to hustling to be the difference-maker that he should’ve been. It took all of 15 games before the organization cut ties with him, and he went on to enjoy a surprisingly and, arguably, undeserved successful end-of-season in the KHL.
And then, the infamous first “mystery” injury to Carey Price occurred, and it all went downhill from there…
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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