I’m not one to buy into narratives concocted by the mainstream media in Montreal. For those of you who have been reading my articles since May of 2015, you would know that I have always defended head coach Michel Therrien when most of the people that I speak with have always called for his head. Today, I must admit that it could finally be time for the Montreal Canadiens to cut ties with him.
But there are reasons why I had a tendency to defend Therrien. For instance, his winning record of 194-121-37 in the 352 games since the start of his second stint as the Habs’ coach is very respectable, and there’s absolutely no denying that. He has helped his team collect approximately 61 percent of all available points, which includes during the disastrous 2015-2016 season and the unexpected downward spiral that the Habs are currently going through. However, throughout the course of the last 140 games (last season combined with the games played thus far), the Habs have collected 152 of a possible 240 points (54%).
Here is where it gets interesting: 18 of their last 43 games have been victories, which is far from acceptable by the fanbase. Before heading into their current bye week, the Habs have lost six of their last seven while registering only 10 goals, were shutout for the third time in five games, have only won three times since the start of the month, and have not put together two consecutive wins since winning three in a row between January third and the seventh. The caveat? Two of those three wins required overtime, and since that winning streak, the Habs have won five, lost 10, and an additional three in overtime or a shootout.
Granted, the Canadiens had over 170 man games lost to injury, but the team is fully healthy now and have not looked good in nearly any aspect.
Goaltending has been somewhat of an Achilles’ heel for the Canadiens as Carey Price has been subpar. Al Montoya did relatively well until he was responsible for (arguably) three of the four goals the St. Louis Blues scored against him on Saturday, though he won’t be replacing Price as the team’s starter anytime soon. The offense has dried up as the team currently sits in the 10th overall position in the National Hockey League with an average of 2.83 goals per game, their power play percentage continues to drop (eighth overall, 21.4%) and the penalty kill is horrid at 22nd and a 79.4% success rate.
It’s easy to point fingers at the head coach, and I’ve avoided doing so for numerous years because Therrien always seemed to win on most of his personnel decisions that have resembled gambles more than anything. But enough is enough, and a fresh face behind the bench could be the solution. After all, night after night, we are all left scratching our heads regarding Alex Galchenyuk's usage and ice-time, as well as Therrien's tendency to give opportunities to players such as David Desharnais to undeservingly eat up power play time, even if we may never see him in the lineup again.
Many are theorizing that general manager Marc Bergevin will surely offer his buddy Michel one last chance at redemption with a big trade (or two) between now and the March first deadline, and that’s understandable. However, Bergevin made significant changes to his roster last summer and apparently changed the atmosphere around the locker room by bringing in more “character… and “leadership…. He has given Therrien every opportunity to succeed, and despite the fact that the Habs are still first in the Atlantic Division and have over 90% chances of making the playoffs, the following numbers clearly demonstrate a trend in the Habs’ lacklustre performances heading into the playoffs, year after year:
Grosse tendance lourde pour Michel Therrien. Il débute fort et fini en queue de poisson! #FireTherrien @DLCoulisses pic.twitter.com/mA4Pr0Y4cn
— JB Gagné (@gagnej_b) February 13, 2017
The bottom line is that there are absolutely no excuses for the way the team has performed. Poor preparation and execution cannot solely be placed on the shoulders of the players, though they are partly to blame for embarrassing efforts that we’ve come to witness far too often. A change is required, if only to shake things up and apply pressure on the players. It’s important for Bergevin to step in and do something- anything- to ensure that the team finishes the regular season on a strong note before the playoffs come around.
More to come on this soon...
Today’s poll asks: