Sorry folks, this post has
been long overdue. Hope you’ve all
been well in the interim between the Habs failure to make the playoffs and
now. I’m sure that many of you
would agree that the 2011-12 season was somewhat of a write-off. Not only did we lose a lot of games, we
played a fairly boring brand of hockey, which did not make for what you’d call
an exciting TV experience.
The good news is that it can
only go up from here. With tons of losing usually comes renewal and a fresh
start, and that is the case with the Habs of 2012-13. Will we win the cup? Probably not. Will we make the playoffs? Possibly, but nothing is
guaranteed. Will we be better than
last year? Most assuredly. Let me
explain.
Culture
Change
Sure, you’ve heard these
words before, but rarely have you seen them actually being put into practice in
Montreal. Well, I’m here to tell
you that gosh darnit it’s actually happening: things are changing, and for the
first time in years (maybe ever) I’m confident that the team has a real plan in
place to win the cup, not just make the playoffs.
The first step was simple
enough: get a GM who gets it.
Gauthier clearly didn’t, Marc Bergevin clearly does. Gauthier was not a delegator; he kept
things private and tried to do it all on his own. This does not work in today’s NHL. Bergevin has made it clear from day 1 that he planned on
surrounding himself with a team of hockey minds to make the best decisions
possible.
Since that time he’s poached
ex-GM Rick Dudley to be his assistant, hired ex-Habs Michel Therrien, Patrice
Brisebois and JJ Daigneault to be coaches, and brought ex-teammates Scott
Mellanby and Martin Lapointe aboard in key management positions.
The organization has not
looked so cohesive in years. Most
importantly, Bergevin has opened the door to a new day in communication
skills. “Monsieur this and
monsieur that” have taken a back seat to honesty and saying it like it is.
Thank god for that.
The Draft
The next step was the draft,
the first opportunity for Bergevin to really put his fingerprints on the
club. What he did with the team’s
first selection was obvious to most, but not so obvious when you consider how
disappointing our draft record in the first round has been in the last 30 years
or so. Here he drafted what
everyone in this city has been begging for, for years: a big, talented centre.
Hallelujah. Alex Galchenyuk was
the player everyone with half a brain wanted, and we got him.
The rest of the draft was
also fairly impressive. The 2nd
round selections were made up of two players who many thought would be first
rounders. Sebastian Collberg looks like a boom or bust type winger, a razzle-dazzle,
Claude Giroux-type who could either grow into being a dynamic top 6 forward, or
fall by the wayside due to his lack of size and physicality. Dalton Thrower looks like a real gamer,
a D-man with grit and offensive flair.
Think Kevin Bieksa. Like
Bieksa he’s not the biggest man, but has made a name for himself in the WHL for
not backing down from a fight. Dalton Thrower: yes, the name really does fit
the player!
Bergevin filled out the last
few rounds with more talented players that seemed to drop in ranking rather
inexplicably. Tim Bozon, son of former NHL’er Phillippe Bozon, was drafted 64th
overall. Playing in just his first
year in Canada, Bozon led the WHL in rookie scoring with a line of
36-35-71. His stock may have
dropped due to his nationality, French, and his raw defensive skills. His finishing ability reminds me of Michael
Ryder.
Brady Vail went in the 4th
round, and was one of the more safe picks. Vail is labeled as a solid two-way centre in the mold of a
Ryan Kesler, but who projects more as a 3rd line shutdown guy. He fits into the same category of
prospect Michael Bournival, a steady, reliable forward with NHL-ready hockey
sense. Whether his actual skill-set will translate into an NHL career remains
to be seen.
5th rounder
Charles Hudon came next, another boom-or-bust-type forward. Relatively small,
Hudon has the talent and scoring ability to be a top 6 forward, but his lack of
speed and size is what scared most teams away. Similarly to Collberg, if he can bulk up and retain his
overall ability, this could be an interesting pick.
Next up was Eric Nyström from
the Swedish Elite League, and from the way head scout Trevor Timmins describes
him, he’ll turn out to be the steal of draft. Apparently Timmins sent scouts to check out 2012 first
rounder Henrik Samuelsson, and ended up being more interested by the shifty 5’11,
180 lb Swede. Time will only tell if the Swedish scout hit a home run here, as
will be the case with the rest of this year’s picks. But all indications point towards a successful draft by the
first year GM.
The
Signings
Marc Bergevin has preached patience
from day 1 of his candidacy, and his FA signings thus far have done nothing to
dispel that notion. Sticking with
his mandate to make the team “tough to play against”, the GM’s first order of
business was bringing gritty forward Travis Moen back into the mix. Moen was a revelation last season,
scoring key goals while filling in on the top 2 lines. The rugged winger was on pace for his
most goals and points ever before an upper body injury ended his season.
Moen had shown enough to the
new management team, however, as they inked him to a 4-year deal worth $7.4m.
The most important part about this deal for me is the term, four years. A two-year deal would have been a waste
of money, simply because the team will not be competitive (Stanley Cup competitive)
in that timeframe. You want a guy like Moen around when a potential superstar
like Galchenyuk really starts rolling in 2-3 years.
The same can be said with
the first, big UFA pickup, Brandon Prust.
Also inked to a 4-year deal ($10m), Prust gives the organization another
ultra-physical player, an excellent, grinding two-way winger that puts a
contending team over the top. Like Moen, he doesn’t come in as a potential team
savior, but he’s the kind of player that you feel comfortable slotting into any
number of roles: a true team guy.
Lesser signings Colby
Armstrong and ex-Hab Francis Bouillon also fit that bill. Both signed to 1-year
deals of around a million each, these vets will have no trouble integrating
themselves into the team. Both will know their role, and barring injuries (which
both have been plagued of, of late) will fill them nicely.
A term that gets thrown
around a lot in hockey is that of the “role player”. Bergevin didn’t break the bank in free agency thus far, but
he identified a real weakness on the team, and addressed it head on. The bottom six of the club has been in
disarray for a number of years, and the concept of having specific roles for
each player on the team has gone by the wayside.
That clearly ended this
year. With the return of Moen, and the additions of Armstrong and Prust, the
team already looks to have solidified the bottom 6 with tough, gritty
individuals. The team may not be
the most talented, but they surely won’t be pushed around by the Bruins of the
world with this new lineup.
In addition to these
signings, the team made maybe it’s most important transaction of the year,
locking up star goalie Carey Price for 6 years at $6.5m a year. There was no
surprise here, but it’ always good news when you re-sign a player of this
caliber. Other notable re-signings were Lars Eller to a two-year deal (1.325m
per) as well as Aaron Palushaj to a two-way, one-year deal.
Next up will be a
comprehensive, up to date report on the Montreal Impact, who are currently
fighting for their playoff lives in the MLS. Till then!
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