Writing on the wall for the Habs?

I'm not going to lie, I'm pessimistic and cynical.  Thanks a lot, lessons learned in life!
When you include a love for one's hockey team, and continuous questionable moves, ie Gomez and Briere, it tends to re-enforce these attitudes.

I've always prided myself on being a fan, lead with my brain and not my heart, which is why I've been pleasantly surprised for the majority of this season with Montreal's play. Currently 3rd in the Atlantic and 4th in a very weak Eastern conference, the Habs have been riding high in the standings for the majority of this season for a simple two reasons.

Carey Price and the power play. However, something here is faltering, and it's not Carey Price

With their last 10 being of 4 Wins and 6 Loses, the Habs are stalling. Why?, Because they got their early success by the power play and the power play is dead in the water.

How dead?, The last ten games it's been are floating carcass of  11.8%.. That's a far cry from their season average of 19.3%.  Hell, go back even another 10 games and the Habs power play is 11.3%  We're talking terrible. Hence why they've 9-11 in their last 20

The Habs can barely gain the zone lately and when they do teams have figured out that the only players they have to pressure are Markov and Subban.  After that, it's clear our forever undersized forwards away from the net as the perimeter players won't dare crash the net.

When you live by the sword, you die by sword and that's what is taking place in Montreal.

Their 5 on 5 is brutal.  This team can barely play 5 on 5.  They rank 24th in the league for Goals For/Goals Against and 29th...2nd last in the league with an amazingly terrible 76 Goals for... on 5 on 5.

Let that set in.. 2nd last.

When you play, on average, 48 minutes a night at even strength, that screams that:
A) The Habs system sucks (Therrien is terrible)
and
B) The Habs better start beefing up their offense.  Be it via the Draft (Offensivly, the cubboard's dry), Trade (We're over a barrel) or Free Agency (you know the Habs will have to over pay so English players can tolerate the hardcore Francais Quebec media.)

If it wasn't for Carey Price, we'd be swimming with the Oilers.

Lastly, if the Habs can some how make the playoffs, Carey Price deserves a Hart nomination.

Cheers
@Dingwell

Man-cold from Hell, so why not discuss the Habs draft options

With the Habs doing their usual overachiever act in the standings, I figured it would be fun to have a look at the Habs prospects and their potential draft picks.

Let me rephrase that, players that are ranked around the Habs draft pick.  NONE of us have any idea who the Habs are ever going to draft as they can go off the board. See Fischer, David and McCarron, Mike as two quick examples that pop into my head.

The two positions I'm going to focus on are center and defence and why do I think they are weakest positions in the prospect pool?

Bournival is nearly "graduated" to full time player and well, Leblanc is a bust who was only picked to appease the "Restless Natives". After that, it's still too early to decide on de la Rose and Joonas Nattinen seems too soft for a 3rd line center.  Though Nattinen could make himself into a 3rd-4th line defensive forward yet.

As for Defence, I am of the firm belief that you can never have too many quality D-men in the system.  With Tinordi & Beaulieu nearing full-time status in the 'Show' and Pateryn bidding his time to become a 5th-7th D-man.  This leaves the cupboards pretty bare as the Habs other D prospects are 3-4 years away.  That, and the hockey boner many people had for Mac Bennet has straight up vanished.

So being the hockey nerd that I am, and using the mind blowing powers of  "What prospects are ranked around the Habs draft pick", let's have a look at 4 potential 1st round draft picks in this average draft class.

Ryan MacInnis, C, 190cm / 6'3, 77kg / 170lbs.  Do you like "hockey genes"?  Do you like players who have bloodlines to former NHLers?  Then why not have a look at Al MacInnis' son.   What's not to like of this potential two-way center? He has size with tons of frame to fill out, and a very heavy shot.

No, not your cup of tea? How about a player that everyone will be afraid to draft just because he's Russian.

Vladislav Kamenev, C,  188cm / 6'2, 92kg / 203lbs.  The former #3 over all in the KHL draft, the Vladislav has been documented as a strong defensive center , but put up the 3rd most points at the recent 2013 World Junior A Challenge. (7pts in 5 games)

A few D-men to have a peek at who's last names don't end in Ekblad are:

Brycen Martin, D, 190cm / 6'3, 81kg / 179lbs.  Martin is on a very strong Swift Current team this year, and like the other two I've listed above has room to fill out his fair size frame.  Most importantly, scouts have noted his first pass.  The first pass is the most important for D-men.  A trait he shares with our next prospect.

Jack Glover, D, 191cm / 6'3, 78kg / 172lbs.  Yes, Glover has a lot of his frame to fill out, and yes he is more of a 2nd round pick, but I'm giving him notice as he is from the draft machine that is the USNT.  Being a teammate of Mike McCarron will give the Habs lots of time to look at the kid.

Note for all of you hardcore Canadian fanatics, the US is going to start pumping out more and more high end prospects.  Get used to it.


As I said, these are only players that ranked around the Habs draft pick.  There's no saying who they'll pick.

Cheers

Random Hockey Rants - 25-Feb-2012

I really wish I had more times on my hands to write out my thoughts, but with work, training for work and regular every day life...Just don't have it in me..anyways!

Ales Hemsky

Oilers are stupid, plain and simple.  Ales has all the talent in the world but has the same heart as the Lion from Wizard of Oz and the same body as Mr. Glass.  The guy is pure offence, no defence.  Since the Oilers got him for another 2 yrs, they might as well play him mainly on the first line... Well try to, as the last 3 season's he's only averaged 38 games a season.. Money well spent.

Though, I won't bash the guy for his lack of goals.. he's an assist machine just moving dimes all over the ice.  Pair him up with a sniper and you'll get your monies worth.  I don't see him playing well with Hall as Taylor is more of a "Act Like Bull/Charge at Net" winger...  Though I'd love to see him on a line with Eberle if one of them were to shift wings..

All in all, Oilers still overpaid, he's not worth the money and the owner's can't blame the players for the GM's being idiots..

Carter to LA for nothing...

I was so glad this summer when Carter got traded to Columbus.  I thought they'd finally gain some traction in the NHL's toughest division.. then the Wiz went all Tomahawk, Carter's body suddenly became as fragile as his ego and Steve Mason is continuing his impression of the great Bruins goalie Jim Carey....  All this combined made Columbus "The Blue Jackets are who we thought they were" .

Now Carter's on the King's team who's offence is worse than the California Golden Seals..it really is, look it up...but what the Kings gave up for it is amazing.  Nothing.  They get a proven 30+ year goal scorer for what?, a mid to late 1st round draft pick (aka "No Man's Land", even with Columbus's track record of brilliant drafting) and Jack Johnson, who the Kings won't miss as they have a plethora of young D-man, and that Defensive God-child in Doughty.

A lot of people think Lombardi is crazy, but watch Carter & Richards get all bromantic with each other and start becoming scoring machines...on the ice that is.

Habs


This season sucked. If you think they're making the play offs, quit watching hockey.  It's been this way even before they pulled that little win streak in January.. you know what I'm talking about.. It's like when some one is dying, and just before they die they get that "Last wind" and you get that false hope that they are feeling better.  Then you wake up the next day and find their cold stiff body...

Ya, that's the Habs this season.  Try and find the bright side though, we got three amazing young talents in Price, Patches and Subban.  Erik Cole is not pulling shades of his time in Edmonton, Gorges is showing he's a rock on D, Emelin is doing a Iron Curtain imitation and we have a chance to get a very early draft pick.. and for once, the Habs can draft a pure offensive super star... Something this team has needed for over 20 yrs... Fail for Nail and start a new in September..

So just close your eyes, bite the pillow and hope this season ends soon as it's been a nightmare..

The Season Grows Darker

Personal Note:  I am far to busy in my personal life, so I highly doubt I'll have the time to keep this blog active.  I'll reserve it for when my rants and ravings are more than 140 characters can contain.

This time of year, as the sun shine lessens, the nights grow longer and the days colder is being reciprocated by the on ice product our Habs are currently delivering.  Admittedly, I haven't had much opportunity to watch the Habs so far in this short schedule-skewed season, but the games I've watched, there are three things that caught my eye.

1) Lack of effort/heart or just plain timidness:  I notice this the most in nearly any puck battle.  It seems as if we're always 2nd to the puck or just get knocked off it.  Where's the fight?, Where's the passion? You can't win hockey games if you don't win battles...

2) Defensive zone break out:  This is something we all know... with Markov down and PK trying too hard, The Habs are getting pinned in their own end far too often or are turning the puck over in the neutral zone.  This was painfully evident last night every time Brian Campbell touched the puck.  I don't know if it was the style of play in Chicago or his contract but my god can that man skate.  His first pass is crisp and accurate and he DOES NOT over skate.  His timing, read of the play is fantastic.

THIS is what PK needs to work on.  He's young, full of confidence and perhaps feels he needs to take the game over.  How many times have we seen him skate a little too far with the puck... How many times has he caused an off-side by trying one move too late near the blue line... How many times has he take the puck in the offensive zone, skated around the head with a head of steam only for nothing to happen.

Please don't think I'm bashing him.. his talent ceiling and abilities are so high.  the only thing he needs to work on, which all young defence man learn, is his timing.  when to make the pass, how far to skate up, etc..  It'll come, but it could be a painful learning experience.  This is one key reason why I'm really hoping for Markov to come back sooner than later, so he can help relieve PK of the pressure that young man must be under.

3)  Carey Price and the fuck show that is the Defensive zone coverage..  I'll be honest.. kid still makes amazing saves.. I don't know if he's shell shocked or it's the pure mass confusion going on in his end.  Either way, he's getting frustrated with his play and the D in front of him and it's becoming evident. Diaz is showing promise, Emelin I really haven't seen much off so I can't pass judgement and well Weber's never been given a chance to fully work on his defensive game.. A quality, veteran Defensive D-man is needed...badly

Folks we can get as pissed as we want with Jacques Martin and Pierre Gauthier, we can beg for a new coach and some amazing trade to right the ship, but doing neither of these things will do anything more then get us 8th place and a first round ticket punch.

Fire JM and replace him with who? another out of work Bi-lingual talking head from RDS or someone over in Europe...Replace him with another young coach out of the Q who will wilt under the Montreal spotlight and then go on to be successful in other markets with the lessons they have learned?  This team has the quality, but needs a coach who knows what he is doing because he's been there before.. (I'm looking at you Ken Hitchcock, Columbus hasn't been the same since you left)

Fire PG and then what? Bring in Patrick Roy who may be too hot headed for his own good?  and Trade what? The Habs aren't exactly swimming in riches in the development pool and the few shining stars we do have would only mortgage our future as other teams know the Canadiens could be desperate and/or are dealing from a position of weakness...All we'll get is some other teams parts they don't want or another overpaid contract

(PS..I hate, with an ungodly passion, how the coach HAS to be bilingual.. it's pure bullshit and we're handicapping our search parameters for the best and brightest.  The only language they need to speak is hockey.. )

If this team doesn't right itself in the next few weeks, this Winter will be a lot colder and darker