Under reconstruction
No quick fix for Canadiens’ issues
If you want to understand what’s happening with Les Habitants, you have to listen to the people who run the team.
It starts with general manager Marc Bergevin back in September, when the Canadiens gathered for their annual charity golf tournament. Bergevin noted the team had made some improvements over the summer, but injected a note of reality when he said: “We’re not there yet.”
Fast forward to last Monday, when head coach Michel Therrien talked about his slumping team. Therrien said his challenge was to convince his players they weren’t as good as they thought they were when they went on a 9-01 run in late November, and they weren’t as bad as they looked when they lost nine of 13 games to start the new year.
It might seem painful for older fans — who can remember when Stanley Cup parades were a rite of spring — and for younger fans — who are tired of hearing from their parents and grandparents about the good old days — but the Canadiens remain a team in transition, a rebuilding project.
For the Canadiens to win, they need to play solid defence and they need to play as a team. That happened this week when Carey Price made 36 saves in a 3-0 victory over Carolina to end the Hurricanes’ four-game winning streak, and again when backup goaltender Peter Budaj beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 Thursday night to extend his perfect record at the TD Garden to 4-0.
These were games that spotlighted Therrien’s emphasis on team play. Price stopped 36 shots in the win over Carolina, but the folks in front of him blocked another 26. Max Pacioretty, the Canadiens’ leading goal-scorer, came through with a goal in that game, but so did plugger Brandon Prust.
Pacioretty upped his goals total to 23 in Boston, but Alexei Emelin scored his first of the season and Daniel Brière—who takes more than his share of abuse because the Habs are paying him too much — chipped in with a goal and an assist on a night when nine different players contributed to the scoring and the fourth line was on the ice for two of the goals.
The Boston game came at the right time in the schedule. There’s a belief the Canadiens have some magical ability to raise their level against the NHL’s better teams. The proof can be found this season in wins over Anaheim, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and, most recently, Chicago.
The rivalry with Boston falls into a different subcategory. The Bruins had a 10-point edge over the Canadiens in the Atlantic Division standings going into Thursday’s game, but there’s something about playing Boston that brings out the best in the Canadiens. And there’s something about playing Montreal that brings out the worst in the Bruins.
The Canadiens are 2-0 against Boston this season and have five consecutive wins over the Bruins. Rivals are forged in post-season action and it would be gloating to focus on the Canadiens’ mastery over the Bruins in that arena.
Overall, the Canadiens are a good team, but they will continue to frustrate their fans because there are areas that need improvement. The Canadiens have to be bigger and they need another sniper. Management is aware of these needs, but is also aware there are no quick fixes.
Defencemen Greg Pateryn and Jarred Tinordi should be ready to make the fulltime jump to the NHL next season, but when it comes to forwards the cupboard is bare in Hamilton. If you listened to talk radio in the past week, you would have heard that the solution to the Canadiens’ woes was more ice time for Louis Leblanc. He’s a nice kid, but Leblanc’s also someone who has scored only nine goals in the American Hockey League this season and has been returned to the Bulldogs.
The Canadiens’ best — and biggest — forwards are further down the pipeline. We’re talking about Michael McCarron, Swedes Jacob de la Rose and Sebastien Collberg, Tim Bozon, Brady Vail and Connor Crisp. They are all projects, but they have the raw material. And if you have a soft spot for smaller guys, look forward to Charles Hudon and Martin Reway.
While you’re waiting, enjoy the roller-coaster ride.