The last few hours of 2015 are winding down and the New Year cannot come soon enough for the Montreal Canadiens. December 2015 was the worst month in franchise history as the Canadiens lost 11 games in a month for the first time. It has not been all doom and gloom though in 2015 for the Canadiens, it just feels that way as it ends on a down note.
Some positives from 2015:
2015 saw Carey Price have an other worldly career and collect a U-Haul worth of trophies. Unfortunately it ended with him on the injured reserved.
Alex Galchenyuk has proven that he is ready to be a full-time centerman in the NHL and it won’t be much longer until he is ready to become the Canadiens # 1 center.
Nathan Beaulieu is now an established NHL defenceman. While he is still adjusting to the additional minutes playing with P.K. Subban on the Canadiens top pairing, he is the Canadiens best young defenceman under the age of 25 and represents the future Defence core along with Subban and Jeff Petry.
Michel Therrien has matured as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. While #FireTherrien is hashtagging during the Canadiens slump, Therrien has the Canadiens playing strong hockey for the most part. When the Canadiens are healthy Therrien is able to roll 4 effective lines that makes it very difficult for opponents. They are attacking rather than play in a defensive shell. If the Canadiens are unable to regain their form once healthy, then we can question Therrien again. But until then Therrien deserves recognition for an excellent first two months of hockey.
Canadiens prospects are developing well in the AHL which is very much a positive for the organization. Sven Andrighetto, Daniel Carr and Charles Hudon all look like they are just about NHL ready and a part of the Canadiens future. Michael McCarron is having a terrific rookie campaign in St. John’s. It says something that these players are able to come up and not look out of place.
Rather than focus on any negatives, I propose some New Year’s resolutions/predictions for the Montreal Canadiens in 2016:
1) Make sure Carey Price is 1000% ready to play before clearing him for game action.
2) Marc Bergevin will make a move to improve the Canadiens top 6 but he will not mortgage the future and will wait until his price is met.
3) David Desharnais will not play on the Canadiens first line again. He has been very effective on the team’s 3rd line and needs to stay there.
4) Likewise, Dale Weise will not play on the first line again.
5) Andrei Markov’s minutes will be properly managed and he will not play more than 20 minutes a game, especially in back to back situations.
6) Alexei Emelin will pretend that every opponent is the Boston Bruins and will play like that game in and game out.
7) P.K. Subban will score 10 goals before the regular season is over
8) As such, the Canadiens powerplay will re-enter the league’s top ten.
9) The Montreal Canadiens will play consistent hockey in 2016 and not experience such extreme highs and lows
10) The Canadiens will make it past the second round of the 2015-2016 Playoffs.
As for the Winter Classic on January 1st in Boston, it will be the perfect opportunity for the Canadiens to regain their form and enjoy the game. Brendan Gallagher has confirmed that he has been cleared to play and that instantly makes the Canadiens that much better. The Canadiens should have an advantage as the Bruins are without David Krejci (injury) and Brad Marchand (suspension). Mike Condon gets the start in goal tomorrow in front of friends and family which will be a moment that he will never forget. The Canadiens lines for the Winter Classic will be:
#Habs practice lines:
Pacioretty - Plekanec - Gallagher
Eller - Galchenyuk - Carr
Fleischmann - Desharnais - Weise
Flynn-Mitchell-Byron/DSP
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) December 31, 2015#Habs practice D & G:
Beaulieu - Subban
Markov - Petry
Emelin - Barberio
Tinordi - Pateryn
Condon starting
Scrivens
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) December 31, 2015Gallagher's return meant that:
#Habs send Sven Andrighetto to St. John's. Which bodes well for a Brendan Gallagher return.
— Ðrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) December 31, 2015The Boston Bruins will counter with:
Lines:
Eriksson-Bergeron-Griffith
Beleskey-Spooner-Connolly
Vatrano-Ferraro-Khokhlachev
Rinaldo-Talbot-Hayes
Marchand-Kemppainen-Randell
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 31, 2015Defense:
Chara-Seidenberg
Krug-McQuaid
Morrow-K. Miller
Trotman
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 31, 20155 Questions for the Winter Classic Game:
1) Will Brendan Gallagher instantly re-ignite Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty?
2) Can the Canadiens take advantage of a weakened Boston Bruins lineup or will Tuukka Rask continue his strong play this season?
3) Will Emelin play the physical strong game that we have come to expect from him against the Bruins or will he take his recent benching the wrong way?
4) Will the Canadiens defence contribute with a goal?
5) Is the Winter Classic an event that you look forward to or just an NHL gimmick?
I would like to wish the Hockeybuzz community a very happy and healthy New Year’s and all of the best for 2016. I have thoroughly enjoyed joining Hockeybuzz as a Habs blogger in 2015 and look forward to an exciting 2016! One thing is for sure, with the Montreal Canadiens there is always something to write about :)
Barring any weather delays, the puck will drop at 1pm for the Winter Classic.
Cheers and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Jennifer (JBC) Follow @Jenbcutler