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Has it Really Been 5 years? |
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First of all, happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste to all of the Quebecers out there! I hope you made the most of the day off and that you found some way to celebrate last night even though there were no big gatherings for shows like there usually are. For my part, less than a week post operation, I'll admit that I took it very easy. I watched the Cowboys Fringants' live show on Facebook last night and slept once again through most of today but still, a day off is a day off eh? Speaking of Facebook, the memory app reminded me that 5 years ago today, Carey Price won 4 major trophies at the NHL Awards show: the Jennings, the Vezina, the Ted Lindsay and the Hart. A year removed from THAT injury thanks to Chris Kreider, Price had showed us all that he was still at the top of his game. I'll be honest, after the knee injury, I had doubts, knees are so important to goaltenders but for Price to pitch such a season coming back from it was just amazing. The numbers were just unbelievable, 9 shutouts (still his best number to date in a season), 1.96 GAA and a .933 save percentage. I thought that the only way from there was up but unfortunately, 5 years on, it's clear that I was wrong.
While Price was in great shape the season following the initial injury at the hands of Kreider, the following season saw him play only 12 games. Sure, he had great numbers in those 12 games but it was never so apparent in a season how much this team relied on Carey Price. It wasn't until the month of April that the Habs revealed the nature of the injury that had kept the Habs netminder out of the net for most of the season, teasing us with return to play dates in 4 to 6 weeks all trough the season before then. We finally learnt that he had strained an inner ligament in his right knee on November 25, 2015 against the Rangers... Of course, every body responds differently to injuries but this was probably the longest time needed to heal from a strained ligament with no tear... And then there was the 2017-2018 season, the flu, the chronic fatigue, the concussion... in the end, Price played 49 games in that one and didn't look like himself with a 3.00 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The numbers have gone back up since but we're far from the 2014-2015 Price and one thing is clear, if the Canadiens are to win the cup with Price in net and Weber as captain, number 31 will need to get back to his former self and once again carry this team.
Let's not kid ourselves, this year has showed us that the Habs are nowhere near to being legitimate contenders and they lack the depth necessary to get through a full NHL season. They did have injuries but all teams get them and if that makes the train go off the rails well, you're not in the right league. While the organization keeps telling us that the future is bright, some of our vets need to win now not in the future and chances are that Marc Bergevin will once again fail to bring in any significant help this summer. Suzuki has showed us he can make an impact, Cole Caufield has been dominant in the NCAA but that's not the NHL and he still needs some seasoning before he's NHL ready and as for Ryan Poehling well, even with his 4 goal debut, it's clear that he is not a born scorer and that in an ideal world, he would be a very good third line centre. Sure, Romanov will be available next season but as we've heard time and time again, there shouldn't be too much pressure put on him from the get go, he will not be the blueline's savior right away.
In short, if the Canadiens are to do anything of significance in the foreseeable future, Carey Price needs to be the Carey Price of 5 years ago. Can he do it? Can he find that kind of shape back at 32 and without the likes of Markov and Emelin to clear the front of the net? I'm afraid I'm not sure that it's possible... What say you?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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