EDIT: Therrien Out, Julien IN! Take 2... (Bergevin)

Bergevin

EDIT: Therrien Out, Julien IN! Take 2...

By Jennifer B Cutler

Feb 15, 2017 • 10:16 am

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EDIT: Michel Therrien has been let go and Claude Julien has officially replaced him as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Which pretty much makes the original blog published earlier on Tuesday completely irrelevant.

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin finally climbed out of his foxhole with Michel Therrien, relieving his good friend of his job and hiring Claude Julien to take his place. The Canadiens announced the change with the class and grace that is forever associated with the club. Their tweet stayed positive, only mentioning the hiring of Julien in their headline:

In his statement Bergevin recognized Therrien's eight years with the club, fully acknowledging his first stint to go along with the past five years. Eight years is a long time to be with one club, be it split into two separate occasions. Therrien did his best to adapt and change throughout these past five years but unfortunately for him, it was time for the Canadiens to move on.

Although fans have been calling for and hoping that this would happen, the move caught many by surprise as Bergevin and Therrien seemed to be tied at the hip. That the fortunes of one would forever be connected to that of the other. The irony of Julien replacing Therrien for a second time with the Canadiens is not lost on anyone. However, the situation is very different this time around. Today, Julien is coming to Montreal as one of the most well respected coaches in the NHL, despite being let go by the Boston Bruins. He is coming in as a Stanley Cup winner. He is coming back to Montreal because he believes that he can help bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal. Julien knows exactly what he is getting into coming back to Montreal. He knows the pressure and microscope that he will be under. It has been just a week since he was let go by the Bruins. He could have had a fresh start in Las Vegas. He could of opted for sunny Florida. He could have waited to see what else opened up. He decided on Montreal.

Tidbits trickled in following the news release in the late afternoon:

Which begs the question, did Bergevin ask the Bruins for permission before or after they shutout the Canadiens on Sunday night? Apparently though, it appears that Bergevin was ready to make a coaching change, even if Julien had not been available:

Had Therrien lost the room? As of now it certainly appears that way. Perhaps it was not a conscious decision by the players. Rather they were slowly tuning him out, doing so without even necessarily realizing it. Carey Price alluded team being too loose and not focused. That certainly won't happen with Julien behind the bench. Some believe that this goes back to Price getting pulled against the San Jose Sharks on December 8th and the ensuing stare down the bench. Price is too much of a competitor to sink the team, not to mention himself. He is a proud player. He will work through his struggles and would have done so under either coach.

Players such Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty weighed in with their reactions:

Bergevin will hold a press conference at 11am on Wednesday to discuss the coaching change. For now it appears that the assistant coaches will hold onto their jobs. Claude Julien will answer questions on a conference call at 1pm.

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For a chuckle, feel fee to read my original blog, based on no moves having occurred by 1pm on Tuesday...

Those hoping that the Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin will use the team’s bye week as an opportunity to make a roster move or change behind the bench will surely be disappointed when nothing happens by the week’s end. The organization will not hit the panic button until the team has had a chance to right its course having lost six of their last seven games. The bye week comes as a blessing and a curse for the Canadiens. The players, especially the veterans sorely need to rest and recharge. However, the team absolutely needs more practice time in order to work out the various kinks and get back to their game plan.

It was certainly troubling to hear Carey Price speak after the 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday night:

In many ways he is just as much the captain of the Montreal Canadiens as Max Pacioretty. This was the first real acknowledgment by any of the players about the troubles of the team. Price’s answer was honest and raw. It was also a wake-up call to his teammates. When Price speaks, people listen. His comments were also more than just are a reflection of the team’s play on the ice. Price’s words revealed his own lack of confidence and the fragility of the mental side of the game. Without an identity the players appear lost, like they are simply going through the motions. Without focus they play like individuals rather than a team, making way for unnecessary errors . Communication, such a key ingredient for success all but disappears.

Are these problems because of the players or the coaches? It is the responsibility of the coaches to have the players ready for each and every game. Ready to battle on each shift. However, the players must acknowledge their own faults and not appear so content with losing and their inconsistent play. Perhaps the skaters have lost their own confidence with Price’s struggles in net. Perhaps they feel as their own identity is lost without Price playing like the elite goaltender that he is.

Coming out of the bye week, the Canadiens have three areas in which they must improve on in order to regain their stronghold atop the division. That is if the Ottawa Senators do not catch them in the standings.

1) Price must regain his form. The Canadiens were able to survive December and January with an average Price but if they have any hope of playing deep into Spring they need their number one goaltender to play well, like Carey Price.

2) Secondary scoring. Therrien has to find a top six that works and not be dependent on just one line that scores. When the Canadiens got off to their quick start of the season, they were succeeding and scoring by using their speed and aggressiveness on the forecheck. They cannot just have one player on each line doing the dirty work. The trio needs to act in unison along with the defense to create scoring opportunities.

3) Get the powerplay going again. Despite their recent drought with the man advantage, the Canadiens still rank eighth overall on the powerplay. They have been plagued with inconsistency and recently a lack of structure. When they are on, they have proven to be amongst the best in the league. When they are off they can barely enter the opposing zone and are held completely to the outside, unable to creatively get anything going.

Bergevin will give Therrien an opportunity to get all three components going again as Stephane Waite will work with Price to make his movements small again as well as other necessary tweaks and improvements. If he is able to, Bergevin will make a roster move to give his coach a full arsenal of weapons but he will not mortgage the future to do so. Before he does anything though Bergevin will see what they truly have with a fully healthy lineup. Therrien has two weeks to get the Canadiens back up to speed. Only if the Canadiens continue to play uninspired hockey after the bye week through the trade deadline will Therrien be on the hot seat. The players will be held accountable, but that only lasts for so long…

Cheers and follow along!

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