Back to the Habs’ reality: Subban isn’t going anywhere
Everyone take a deep breath. If that doesn’t work, try a Valium. We all know that life in this city revolves around the Canadiens and their situation has never seemed more dire than it does now.
In the wake of an 0- for- 3 road trip, playoff hopes have been dashed and there’s renewed controversy surrounding coach Michel Therrien and star defenceman P. K. Subban.
Let’s start by looking at the final moments of the 3- 2 loss to Colorado and see where things went wrong.
Without naming names, Therrien blamed Subban for losing the puck on the sequence that led to Jarome Iginla’s winning goal.
The two principals addressed this issue on Friday.
Therrien noted that criticism is part of a coach’s job and that he expected that Subban would learn from his mistake. For his part, Subban repeated his earlier remarks that he expected to be criticized and he said his goal remains the same as it was the day Bob Gainey drafted him — to help Montreal win the Stanley Cup.
There is a question of whether Subban did the wrong thing by not taking the safe route and dumping the puck into Colorado’s zone. After all, didn’t general manager Marc Bergevin say he didn’t want his team playing not to lose?
The problem with that thinking lies in the situation. The Canadiens were desperate for points and they had one in hand if they took the game to overtime. And while they are 1- 2 in 3- on- 3 decisions, they are 4- 1 in shootouts.
The other mistakes came from Max Pacioretty and Therrien.
Pacioretty admitted Friday that some missed communication — it looked more like a lack of effort — left Iginla uncovered at the other end of the ice.
As for Therrien, he could have called a timeout with three or four minutes to play and impressed on the players that this was one of those rare occasions when playing not to lose was important.
Where do the Canadiens go from here?
Despite the bravado in the dressing room, the Canadiens are not going to make the playoffs. Every player will tell you there is a lot of hockey left, but none of it will be played after the regular season ends with a home game against Tampa Bay on April 9.
It’s time for Bergevin and Therrien to take stock of what they have and what they need. Don’t expect a lot of movement at the deadline — the Canadiens are sellers, but they don’t have a lot to offer — and dismiss any of that nonsense about trading Subban. The most intriguing speculation is a Subban- to- Toronto deal and there would be a certain irony seeing Subban reunited with Mike Babcock, the coach who didn’t dress him at the Olympics.
But missing the playoffs opens some enticing possibilities. There are four or five players in the draft with size and skill who can help the Canadiens right away but, if Montreal doesn’t have a top- five pick, it might be the right time to trade the first- round pick for some offensive help.
As for the current roster, let’s give Alex Galchenyuk another audition at centre because his defensive shortcomings won’t matter and might give the Canadiens a better shot in the lottery. And don’t even think about putting Carey Price on the ice even if he’s healthy. The Canadiens don’t need him until October.
Looking ahead, it might be time for another look at Michael McCarron and Charles Hudon. And let’s see how Zach Fucale and a healthy Nikita Scherbak play at this level?
It would also be the right thing for owner Geoff Molson to come forward and end any speculation about the future of Bergevin and Therrien.