What the Montreal Canadiens Need

Gone is the talk about bringing in Vincent Lecavalier, although it's funny how these kinds of rumours never really die.  In 2009, the Montreal Canadiens built their new identity through the signings of Brian Gionta, Micheal Cammalleri, and Scott Gomez.  They parted ways with their captain, Saku Koivu, and moved on from the flashy Alexei Kovalev.  This was the new direction of the Canadiens.  So now that we are three years removed from this major shift in the franchise, let's assess the state of the team.

The hot and cold, nonchalant nature of Alex Kovalev is surely not missed, however, his production on the power play was undeniable.  Although Saku Koivu was not a huge offensive threat (highest season total being 22 goals, and 75 points in '06-'07), his leadership did play a major role for the team.  The parting of Mark Streit to the New York Islanders after the '08 season also took a major threat away from the once #1 ranked PP in the league.  The injury of Andrei Markov has been missed the most by the power play.  It appears then that in regards to the power play, the Habs have certainly floundered in the past couple seasons.  

So what have some of the positives been since the '09 rearrangement?  Well, the Canadiens had an unforgettable run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2010.  This was highlighted by the stellar play of Jaroslav Halak, the sniping abilities of Michael Cammalleri, and the "block every shot" mentality that the Montreal coaching staff got the Habs to buy into, which was led by Hal Gill.  The problem is that 2 out of 3 of those players have since been traded.  Now, I do not want to suggest for a second that Pierre Gauthier got it wrong by keeping Price and trading Halak, because I firmly believe it was the right decision.  However, the trading of Michael Cammalleri did not sit nearly as well with me.  Admittedly, Cammalleri has been slow out of the gate this year, and has not lived up to his unconscious sniping ability that everyone witnessed in the playoff run of 2010, but I feel that the Cammalleri-Bourque swap was a move that the GM made to appease the french-Canadian population in Montreal.  Having Randy Cunneyworth behind the bench has caused such ridiculous drama, and I feel that the trade for Bourque was a strategic political move, and not as much for the greater good of the team.

In the same breath, I do admit that it is good that Bourque makes the Habs slightly bigger up front.  That is is direction that Montreal must take in order to be a playoff contender again.  The magical run in 2010 was stopped short by a much larger team in the Philadelphia Flyers who could wear down the smaller Canadiens over a seven game series.  Going after power forwards is something that needs to be addressed if the Canadiens want to be able to play with the likes of the Bruins and the Flyers.  Signing Erik Cole was a great step in that direction, as well as keeping grinder Travis Moen, and watching Max Pacioretty develop have all been positives for the Habs.  Another positive is the presence of youth on the back end.  P.K. Subban is a guy with great talent, who just needs a little more time to figure out the NHL game.  Alexei Emelin, Raphael Diaz, and Yannick Weber are all bright spots for the team on defence.  With the leadership of Josh Gorges and Hal Gill, hopefully Montreal can have a bright defensive future.  If a healthy Andrei Markov could ever make his way back out onto the ice, suddenly the Habitants would immediately have a top 5 defenceman once again.  

Which brings me to my final point, the Canadiens need to make a splash and sign a big name.  The problem here is that with the horrible (and I mean horrible) acquisition of Scott Gomez and his outlandish contract paired with the signing of Thomas "won't shoot" Kaberle, the front office of the Habs have their hands tied and have their work cut out for them.  Gauthier needs to pull the trigger on a big name, but how will he do that with the tight cap space?  Star-power and scoring ability are of the utmost concerns in Montreal, and without a prominent scoring threat the Habs may be in serious trouble.  Carey Price is a star, and has great potential, but when the team can't score more than 2 or 3 goals a night, that puts way too much pressure on the goalie.  As if Price isn't under enough microscopic scrutiny by playing in Montreal, the lack of scoring makes the problem exponentially worse.  The offensive outburst last night against the Red Wings was fantastic, but it is consistency that Montreal needs.

So to sum up, the Habs need pure scoring ability which can only come from acquiring an offensive star.  The Habs need to continue bulking up the front end, and the Canadiens need to be more consistent in their game.  All of these things can't happen without either some cap space, or some crafty moves by Pierre Gauthier.  There are certain bright spots for the future in Montreal, with a great goalie in Carey Price, some young talent in Max Pacioretty, David Deharnais, P.K. Subban, as well as a strong farm team with multiple prospects in the Hamilton Bulldogs.  But what of the Habs chances this season?  With last nights' win, the Canadiens remain 8 points out of a playoff spot with 33 games remaining.  Hopefully a big win like last night can start some momentum for the club, and they can get a on a bit of a streak.  It is however consistency that they need, which is only found when you "have the horses."  The Canadiens are a ways away from "having the horses," but with Price between the pipes this fan is still hopeful.