Last time we heard from Poor Len Canayen, he was mildly optimistic about the Montreal Canadiens' chances of making the NHL playoffs this spring. Now... not so much. Over to you, Len.
Tank youse, Walt. Last night les Glorieux played the 41st game of the 82-game schedule. The conventional wisdom is that if you're not in a playoff position at the half-way point of the season, you're not going to make it. As things stand, after their 2-1 loss (4th in a row) to Tampa Bay last night, the Canadiens have fallen to 6th place in the Atlantic division. And the Metropolitan division is so strong this year that only the top three Atlantic teams look playoff-bound, with the two wild card spots going to Metropolitan teams (Carolina and Philthydelphia). The Habs' playoff outlook is pretty dismal.
The main problem, as I see it, is lack of depth. Injuries are killing the Canadiens. [Kind of awkward phrasing. Must be Len's lack of familiarity with English. Ed.] Yesterday morning, coach Claude Julien announced that Brendan Gallagher has been placed on the injured-reserve list with a concussion, suffered the injury during a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year's Eve in Carolina after being checked by Jordan Staal and then getting accidentally kneed in the head by teammate Ben Chiarot while falling to the ice. Here's the video. Warning: content may be disturbing! [That's to make sure you watch it! Ed.]
Gallagher joins teammates Joel Armia (hand), Paul Byron (knee), Jonathan Drouin (wrist) and Matthew Peca (knee) on the injured-reserve list. Peca is one of those in-betweeners, better than average in the AHL, but not cutting the mustard with the big team. But Drouin, Armia and Byron are all top forwards, and when you are missing four (counting Gallagher), you're going to have trouble putting the puck in your opponents' net. And that was exactly the problem last night and in the New Year's Eve loss to Carolina. You won't win many games scoring only one goal.
The good news -- such as it is -- is that the Habs' defence has improved, although there's still a lack of communications, at times, between the defence pairs and the goalie. And the "third defenceman", goalie Carey Price, has been inconsistent. TBL's winning goal, last night, resulted from Price leaving the puck right on his doorstep, thinking that Victor Mete would pick it up... which he (Mete) didn't.
The defence should be improved as of tomorrow night, when Marco Scandella joins the team, having been acquired by GM Marc Bergevin in a deal with Buffalo yesterday. Scandella will probably take the place of Brett Kulak, who has been less than reliable this year, and will now get on the bus for Laval.
If the Habs are to have any hope of making the playoffs, Bergevin is going to have to buy or rent a couple of seasoned players. Drouin and Byron aren't expected back until the end of January, and there's no help coming from Laval. Three or four of the sputtering Rocket have been called up and have done nothing much. I won't name and shame them, but the initials of one are Charles Hudon.
The good news is that some of the younger players on the forward lines are playing well. Max Domi scored in six consecutive games, before last night. Ryan Poehling shows signs of adjusting to his quick move from college hockey to the NHL.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who himself was concussed until recently, is improving, although not to the point of being the marquee player fans are hoping for. The coming superstar is more likely to be Nick Suzuki, acquired as a bonus in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Vegas. In the last four games, he has been the best player on the ice, on either team, several times -- truly a delight to watch.
So... we're only half-way through the season. It's easy enough to see the glass as half-empty, but if you look not at the scores but at the way the Habs have been playing, it might just be half full. The fat lady hasn't sung yet!
UPDATE ADDED at 1130: Cazart! Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin just announced that they have signed Russian star [has-been? Ed.] Ilya Kovalchuk to a one-year, two-way contract which will pay the right-winter $700,000 if he plays with the Habs, 1/10th of that if he winds up in Laval.
Kovalchuk, 36, used to be the terror of NHL goalies, but parted company with the Los Angeles Kings in November after failing to perform miracles. Whether he can do so for the Habs is an open question, but at that price, it's worth a try. And don't forget that la Sainte Flanelle had another Great Russian, not so long ago, whose name began with "Kov"! Wonder if No. 27 is available?
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