The Habs play host to the best team in the East, the Tampa Bay Lightning, tonight at the Bell Centre with puck drop scheduled for 7 pm EST.
The game has the potential to be a blow out depending on how hard TBL come at the Habs tonight. The Canadiens are a group of good men who have the unfortunate task of trying to play their best, while also feeling plenty of anxiety in the lead up to Monday’s trade deadline.
It will be hard for some to muster the effort if they feel they are on their way out, but don’t necessarily want to be. On the other hand, there will be players looking to get off the sinking ship and make any kind of positive impact on a playoff bound team for the sake of their careers and contracts.
Could be a mixed bag of effort on the Habs bench tonight, well aside from Gallagher. He is always turned up to 110%.
The Lightning come into the game winners of two straight against the Capitals (4-2) and Senators (4-3) and although I didn’t watch the Sens/Bolts game I’m presuming from the score that the Lightning maybe had the foot off the gas a bit. This could very well be the case tonight against Montreal, but the Lightning’s forward depth is just too much for the Habs to handle at this point. I wouldn’t hold my breath for a Canadiens win.
The Lightning scouting department have become the new Red Wings in that they find gems everywhere they pick and in almost everyone they pick up. The Lightning wouldn’t be where they are if not for the astute picks of guys like Kucherov (58th overall, 2011), Vasilevskiy (19th, 2012), Point (79th, 2014), and Namestnikov (27th, 2011). Of course you would include Stamkos (1st, 2008), and Hedman (2nd, 2009) but with picks that high you are likely to find successful NHL’ers.
The Lightning followed up those high picks with stellar late picks that have become stars and impact players. Also consider that they have top prospects still coming in Howden, Katchouk, Raddysh, and Foote that will either begin to earn their NHL place soon or could be used to acquire even more NHL talent for playoff runs and you can see that the Lightning are doing things right at the most important level: The Draft.
Report: Canadiens getting more calls on Plekanec amid Brassard trade talks https://t.co/wV1Vvh3W6b pic.twitter.com/3v4YVaehYM
— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) February 23, 2018
PLEKANEC SCRATCHED AHEAD OF TONIGHTS GAME
Tomas Plekanec out vs #lightning #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 24, 2018
I have spoken recently about how this draft is the Canadiens most important one in a long time. The Habs have a fantastic opportunity to pick up an impact player in the making and a chance to scoop up some sleepers/sliders with 3 second round picks.
There is also the possibility that T Plekanec could bring in a late 1st round pick with the prices of trades so far and may only require the Canadiens to retain salary/cap hit or something else that doesn’t truly effect the future of the team.
It’s always difficult as a fan to watch your team lose and be subsequently dismantled but it’s especially tough when it’s players like Plekanec who are on the way out. Plekanec is one of the Canadiens all time best, no matter what you think of his current play. He has been a consummate pro, has produced consistently throughout his career, and held his teammates accountable when he felt he needed to.
Knowing I will soon be writing an opinion piece on his future trade is something that is a bit heartbreaking. I am a big fan of Pleks and my hockey crazy mother calls him her favourite player. It’s going to be a bitter sweet moment for sure but I will hope that Plekanec not only gives the Canadiens a great return for the future, but I also hope he goes on to win a Stanley Cup. I felt the same way when the Habs parted ways with Koivu, I just hoped that in the twilight of their careers they achieve the ultimate goal.
DEADLINE DREAMIN'
I would hope that after Monday’s deadline the Canadiens have added a first and second round pick to this years draft, or next years. With this being the goal of the GM to maximize assets then I think he should also hold the scouting work to the same level of importance. It is completely possible to find 2 to 3 soon to be NHL’ers within their first two rounds picks as they stand today. They can’t be like the Edmonton Oilers in their inability to draft outside the top 5 (with even Puljujarvi being a questionable pick at #4 considering Tkachuk, Keller, Sergachev, Jost, McAvoy all went almost immediately after).
The Canadiens must make those 3 second rounders count in the best possible way either through astute selections or trading one of them with some other picks to move up into the late 1st round, should a slider or sleeper be that tempting to AGM Timmins.
It will be hard to screw up their first round pick as its likely they pick inside the top 5 and will be spoilt for choice in this years extremely top heavy draft. Outside of consensus #1 pick Dahlin, Svechnikov, Zadina, Tkachuk, and Wahlstrom all project to be impact forwards with an emphasis on skill and scoring.
If they pick outside the top 5 then they get a choice of Blue Chip D prospects in Boqvist, Hughes, and Bouchard. The potential outside the top 8 picks is good too, Farabee could be an impact scorer that not many are giving proper hype.
Bottom line is that the Lightning are where they are currently because of their ability to draft year in year out and their ability to manage assets and cap. I have no doubt that there are many ownership groups and high level club managers that are trying to emulate their process. Before it was tanking to scoop up numerous top 3 picks like Pittsburgh, then it was adding skilled goons for playoffs to emulate the Bruins as the refs did nothing to keep the integrity of the game in tact during playoffs, and now its about youth, skill, and speed which is also a Pittsburgh model but also includes Tampa Bay. Both these teams have done a great job keeping the system stocked through drafting or NCAA signings.
Little possession plays like these make Ryan Poehling so good in transition. Instead taking the easy route and dumping the puck in, he takes a peek over his shoulder and finds a teammate on the backhand.
— Mitch Brown (@MitchLBrown) February 24, 2018
A reason why he leads SCSU in controlled entry % (74%, 18-gm sample). pic.twitter.com/0myDqX0W4d
Get those scouts out there Bergevin and get lots of data and opinions. This draft is too important to the near and long term future of the franchise.
HUGE IF TRUE...
Per source, the Montreal Canadiens have been engaged as a third-party team in an Erik Karlsson trade.
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) February 24, 2018
Go Habs Go!
CANADA PROUD OF RECORD SETTING ATHLETES
Congrats to the Canadian Olympic athletes for setting new records for Canadian medals at The Games. I wish I could have watched some of these records being broken and medals being won but as you know my living area is destroyed right now and I’m likely still going to be limited to my Gamecenter and Netflix sources of entertainment.
Congrats also to the Canadians Men’s and Women’s hockey teams for securing medals for our country.
There was definite and understandable disappointment on the faces of our strong women when they received their Silvers, but hopefully someday soon they can hold their head up high and realize what an accomplishment that truly is. I would be thrilled to have won any Olympic medals in my life, but I understand the frustration after losing in the Gold Medal game. Canada will welcome them home with a grand salute I’m sure.
The Canadian men had probably the worst job at the Olympics and made the best out of it. It’s a team that was a disappointment before it was even assembled when the decision came that the NHL would not allow its members to participate. So in came a team of guys who can’t come close the NHL standards competing for the title of the worlds best hockey team. I know all countries were affected by this but I’m Canadian, I love the Olympics, and this hit hard.
Bronze baby! 🇨🇦🍁🥉 #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/x2ZslKxi2w
— Team Canada Men (@HC_Men) February 24, 2018
The team was defeated by the Germans and relegated to a Bronze medal game against the Czechs and won 6-4. You know, this team came in without the fanfare that usually comes with being an Olympic athlete and they ended up bringing Canada home another medal to keep raising Canada’s Olympic medal bar higher. You can’t ask much more of your athletes and I think we all owe them a HUGE kudos for coming in and getting the job done.
Congrats again to our Canadian Women and Men on your Olympic medals! You’ve made many of us very proud to be Canadian.
A heartbreaking loss, but we and all Canadians are so incredibly proud of you @HC_Women. 🥈#PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/8avDC3kdYb
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 22, 2018