PAT HICKEY
Heading into home stretch, team is bigger, slightly better and has key assets for future
While fans are upset that Habs GM Marc Bergevin did not trade for a scorer, he definitely improved team’s makeup
Habs Nation is divided over Marc Bergevin’s trading deadline activity.
But there should be a consensus that the team is: a) bigger; b) at least marginally better; and c) still has its assets and key draft picks intact.
The biggest complaint is that Bergevin didn’t add a scorer.
But the difficulty of adding a Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog or even a Radim Vrbata is reflected in the fact that none of those players moved. In each case, the asking price was too high.
Martin Hanzal would have been a good fit, but first- and second-round picks were part of the high price Minnesota paid for the rental.
There were some players with marginal credentials.
Thomas Vanek? Been there, done that.
Ditto for P.A. Parenteau, who was paid $1.333 million by the Canadiens as the final instalment on a 2015 buyout.
Bergevin and coach Claude Julien are rolling the dice on Carey Price, a solid defence, and a belief that the guys who scored earlier in the season will regain their scoring touch.
That faith was rewarded in the short term Thursday when Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron, two guys who have been mired in long slumps, produced goals in a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators.
The goals backed up another outstanding performance from Price, who has been his dominant self since Julien replaced Michel Therrien behind the bench. He has allowed nine goals in his last six games.
None of the forwards added at the deadline figure to match the offensive boost Vanek provided as a rental in 2014. But they are all strong, physical players and, if they can create some room for their teammates, they will have done the job.
Dwight King has a couple of Stanley Cup rings and will push Byron and Artturi Lehkonen for top-nine ice time, but veteran Steve Ott could make the biggest contribution. He’s among the best faceoff men, with a success rate close to 58 per cent, he can kill penalties and he could assume some of the pain-in-thebutt role currently shared by Gallagher and Andrew Shaw. Hudon staying put: There are lots of folks lobbying for Charles Hudon to be brought up to the big club, but don’t hold your breath waiting for him to be recalled. When his name was raised at Bergevin’s news conference this week, Bergevin said he was comfortable trading Sven Andrighetto because he had Hudon — and Chris Terry.
If the Canadiens do run into injuries or need an offensive jolt, look for Terry to get the first call. The Canadiens signed him to a one-way deal worth US$650,000 on Friday. The odds are: The odds on the Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup this spring have gone from 9-1 to 14-1. The folks at Bodog have Washington installed as a 5-1 favourite, closely followed by Chicago at 11-2. The Canadiens are even-money to hold on to first place in the Atlantic Division, while Ottawa is the second choice at 6-1.
The computers at sportsclubstats.com give the Canadiens a 98.9 per cent chance of making the playoffs after their fourth consecutive win. The Capitals have the best chance of winning the Cup at 30.3 per cent, ahead of the Minnesota Wild at 24.3 per cent.
Bodog has some interesting propositions on the various yearend awards. Sidney Crosby is an 11-10 favourite to take the Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer. Max Pacioretty, who is three behind Crosby’s league-leading 34 goals, is 9-1 after not being listed a month ago. Alex Ovechkin is an 11-2 shot despite the fact he has only 27 goals. He has won the trophy six times.