NHL
Canadiens Move on From Players That Haven’t Helped Team Win in Recent Years
The 2017-2018 Montreal Canadiens finished 6th in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons. That was due in large part to a number of key players missing from action. Also, star captain Max Pacioretty and former Hart and Vezina trophy winning goalie Carey Price underwhelmed significantly. This team is severely lacking down the middle. The question remains: is this once vaunted franchise ready to return to the playoffs?
Have the Canadiens Gotten Better?
Drafting Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall in this year’s draft will improve the team’s prospects at center. Trading for Joel Armia from Winnipeg will bolster the top 6. Signing Xavier Ouellet will help to shore up a bottom 6 gaping with holes similar to Swiss Cheese. If the once trusted veteran presence on this squad steps up, the Canadiens will have a better shot at making the playoffs this year.
Additions
The big splash in an offseason severely lacking the “wow” factor, is the addition of C, Max Domi (details here), who was later signed to a two-year extension through 2019-2020. Like I said previously, this team drastically needs to improve in the middle of the ice. Domi, 25, is not a scoring threat, per say, only scoring 36 goals in his career. He is a perimeter player who can dish the puck with 36 assists out of 45 points last season, he just needs someone to bury it in the back of the net. That someone is Joel Armia.
Armia, the highly-skilled RW formerly playing in Winnipeg was acquired because of how many scoring threats the Jets currently have on their roster. In a top 6 role, he will have to produce. Armia has a lot to prove, being a third line player for Winnipeg, which undoubtedly was frustrating for him. Look to see Armia surpass his games played, goals, and total points last year, which was 79-12-29.
The signing of young Defenseman Xavier Ouellet, 25, will bring down the average age of the Canadiens blueliners. He left a bad taste in Motown and gets a fresh start in Montreal. His role will be to shut down offenses and keep the puck away from Carey Price. His new team ranked 25th in the league last season in goals allowed (3.11 per game) and 30th (74.1%) on the PK. He won’t be relied upon for his offensive prowess, notching only 7 points in 45 games last season.
Subtractions
It goes without saying that losing a player like Alex Galchenyuk is going to hurt your team. That wound is deepened considerably when you realize that you are already weak at the center position. Losing his point potential on any given night will be a difficult task for the Canadiens to swallow. He tallied 51 points in a system that was bogging him down.
Five unrestricted free agents were not tendered by the Canadiens in the offseason. Charles Hudon added 30 points on 10 goals. Daniel Carr played in 38 games and tallied 16 total points. Arturri Lehkonen played 66 games and added 21 total points. Byron Froese played 48 games as a fourth line defenseman and notched 11 total points. Joseph Morrow rounds out the 5 unrestricted free agents. He contributed 11 points in 38 total games.
Where the Montreal Canadiens Stand
Time to add up the points. The Montreal Canadiens added a combined total of 81 player points. The combined total of subtractions adds up to 140 total player points. That is a whopping grand total of -59 net points. Mainly because the team was bitten by the injury bug all season. Many of the players that left due to free agency filled in for injured players.
Adding Max Domi tells me and the fans of the Habs that this team wants to win now. Mix in the drafting of Kotakaniemi 3rd overall this year, and you have an impressive pair of perimeter puck passers. Trading for Joel Armia will add to a top-6 that desperately needs skilled skaters. When you sign a player like Ouellet, you are looking for someone that will be a stay at home defender, help kill penalties, and take some defensive pressure off offensive defenseman like Shea Weber and Jeff Petry.
Veterans Need to Step up and Earn Contracts
In the end, the Canadiens will only go as far as veteran stars Max Pacioretty and Carey Price carry them. Both stars had off years last season and with a combined cap hit of $15 million for the 2018-2019 season, will look to turn it around. Pacioretty will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season so look for him to score at least 30 goals this season and score on every 5-7th shot. A healthy Carey Price will go a long way towards earning that $10.5 million AAV contract that is set to go into effect this season. His will count towards the cap for that number until at least the 2025-26 season. The former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner in 2014-2015 played in only 49 games last season and had the worst GAA (3.11) and SV% (.900) of his 10-year career. Look for the Habs to contend in a contested Atlantic division, but in my opinion, will be close to that 6th place finish, just like last year. Making a push for the playoffs will require a full team effort, and for many key veterans to stay healthy.
Follow Sean on Twitter at: @O303C
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