Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin started his off-season with the splashy mid-June acquisition of Jonathan Drouin. He also signed nine free-agents the most prominent of whom were defensemen Karl Alzner and Mark Streit. Additionally, there were seven contract extensions including Carey Price’s 84 million dollar deal.
The Canadiens defense at last season’s opener in Buffalo included Shea Weber, Andrei Markov, Jeff Petry, Alexei Emelin, Nathan Beaulieu, Greg Pateryn and junior-aged rookie Mikhail Sergachev. When the Canadiens open this season October 6th, only Weber and Petry will remain. Pateryn departed during the season. Markov, Emelin, Beaulieu and Sergachev left for various reasons in June and July.
Last season it is no secret the Canadiens had difficulty stocking their two top lines. As a result, they produced 173 even strength goals which ranked them 13th in the league.
Coaches like to tell us that today’s game is based on defense, but Stanley Cups are not won by teams that score an average of two even strength goals per game especially when they additionally have a lousy power play..
It’s September. Summer is gone. Bergevin will be heading into training camp with a 23 player roster signed and 8.5 million dollars in salary cap room. I think it’s safe to say that Bergevin is not going to be handing that money back to Geoff Molson in order to bolster the Canadiens bottom line.
In other words, Bergvin enters September with “half done work”.
I don’t think there’s a shred of doubt in almost anyone’s mind that Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is going to make some significant changes to the Canadiens between now and the first week of July. Part of it will be forced on him by what he loses in the expansion draft but the majority
[continue reading…]
Is there anyone, anywhere who isn’t convinced that whatever ails the Canadiens starts and ends with the middle of their first line. The most casual of fan knows it. Definitely general manager Marc Bergevin is acutely aware of the issue. The question for Bergevin is how to execute some kind of deal that will solve
[continue reading…]
And so it ends. After winning two in a row to take a 2-1 series lead, the Canadiens dropped the next three and they’re gone from the playoffs yet again. That’s 24 years since that 1993 Stanley Cup win. Like every game in the series, this one was decided by a break here or there
[continue reading…]
The last time the Canadiens played the Rangers in the sixth game of a series they were shutout 1-0 May 27th 2014 in the series deciding game.
….The Canadiens have outscored the Rangers 10-9 in the series. (One Ranger goal into empty net)
….The Canadiens lead the Rangers in series shots on goal 178-158 and they have won 50.9% of faceoffs.
….There have been 444 hits in the series, an average of 88.8 per game. The Rangers lead the Canadiens 229 to 215.
We’ve seen it so many times, especially with the most recent versions of the Canadiens. Their work ethic gets them a lead but their offense can’t get them the needed extra one that will get them over the hump. As a result the sit back, protecting the one-goal advantagel and the opposition comes back on
[continue reading…]
.In NHL history teams winning Game Five of a best-of-seven series that were tied 2-2 go on to win the series 78.1% of the time (193-54).
….Over the last twenty years the Canadiens have played in Game Five of a playoff series seventeen times. Their record is 6-11 including losses in five of the last 6. Only twice in the eleven times have the Canadiens recovered from a Game Five loss to win the series.
