Memo to Marc Bergevin: It's time to trade Subban!

Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Marc Bergevin:
As our readers know, the proprietor of this blog and I are big fans of your Montréal Canadiens, a.k.a. Les Glorieux. We are disappointed in the extreme that for the week last past week they have been anything but.

Three straight losses! That's unacceptable! Before the team falls out of what seemed to be a guaranteed playoff spot, something must be done! Here's our analysis and recommendation.

Goaltending: You've got two Olympians, both of whom were playing very well until this month. Wednesday night Petr Budaj let in zero goals. Unfortunately Carey Price let in five. (Therrien left him in the game one goal too long.) Price has every reason to feel demoralized. To use the old cliché, he should sue his defence for non-support.

Offence: The current edition of les Canadiens is never going to score a lot of goals. You should be able to count on 2, or maybe 3 on a good night. 5-spots are rare. But Wednesday night and last night they managed only one (1). You've got a couple of guys who aren't contributing. Here's a short list:
Rene Bourque -- Shows signs of trying hard but can't find the back of the net. We hear you've already shopped him around, with no takers. Send him to Hamilton and give someone else a chance.
Daniel Brière -- Past his sell-by date. Could he be traded?
Lars Eller -- We like Eller a lot and wouldn't like to see him gone. Perhaps the solution is to reunite the "EGG" line, once (as we hope) Galchenyuk's injured hand heals.
Michael Bournival -- Back to Hamilton for more experience, especially when playing without the puck.

Defence: What defence? You'd think out of eight or nine guys you could get two reliable pairs. Our comments:
Andrei Markov -- Never a speedster, now getting old and obviously his bunged-up knee will never be the same. But the team wouldn't be where it is now without him. Forgive him for the game against Pittsburgh. He just can't keep up, 25 minutes a game, any more.
Alexei Emelin -- Is a puzzlement. He bangs and crashes with the best of them, but doesn't seem to be reading the plays very well. Leave him with Markov and you've got one good (if not exceptional) pair.
Josh Gorges -- Gorgeous Gorges, a capable stay-at-home defenceman, great shot-blocker. And a real team leader. He too is doing his best and will be OK, but who to play with him?
Rafael Diaz -- Why did he have to watch from the press box on Wednesday and Friday? He hasn't been any worse than the other defencelessmen. He's competent enough, just lacks the toughness to really intimidate opposing forwards.

So -- leaving aside last year's Norris trophy winner -- there's your top four. Now let's look at:
Francis Bouillon -- Another member of the over-the-hill gang, but still OK as long as he doesn't have to play two games in two nights. Could play with Gorges if needed.
Douglas Murray -- Has improved and has the toughness Diaz and others lack, but soooo slow. Makes the much-missed (by us) Hal Gill look like a speedster. We couldn't believe Therrien paired him with Subban last night. They probably only saw each other in the dressing room.
Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi -- Two more not ready for the NHL.

Which brings us to:
Pernell Karl Subban -- Marc, it's time to think the unthinkable and speak the unspeakable. The team would be better off trading Subban for an impact forward!

It's time to stop making excuses for P.K. He's not a kid any more, and he doesn't learn from his many mistakes. First, he needs to learn how to skate. Maybe he's top-heavy, or maybe he has equipment problems, but he seems to keep falling down. And when he does a tight turn, the knuckles of his free hand drag on the ice! Secondly, he needs to learn to play defence. His job should be not to score goals -- although that's appreciated -- but to keep guys like Sid the Kid from scoring goals! Thirdly, he needs to stop being a "heat score". He's very visible [a vizmin! Ed.] and the referees don't like him.

Speaking of "don't like him", you've got to stop glossing over the fact that Subban is disliked not just by fans of every other team, but by some of his own teammates. The Russians (Markov and Emelin) won't play with him. Erik Cole went to Dallas in a "me-or-him" decision. And stories of dressing room dissension persist. Subban is a puck hog, a hot dog, a distraction and a divisive force in the room. Get rid of him!

"But where?", we hear you ask, Marc. Why, Toronto, of course! Subban is a Toronto boy, the Leafs' defence is woeful, and P.K. can be a hero to the promoters of diversity. And... get this... Toronto has the impact forward that Montréal needs -- James van Riemsdyk. What a deal that would be! ... Just our two cents ...

À lire: "Canadien: d'autres remaniements en défense"