If there’s anything a Montreal Canadiens fan would like to forget it’s the last four months of the 2015-2016 season. Holes in the Canadiens ship sank their season fast. A new Canadiens cycle begins in the 2016-2017 season.
New Montreal Canadiens Cycle to Begin
Hot Start
After racing out to a blistering 9-0 start, things were looking about as peachy as one could hope for. Following an impressive 3-0 home win over a hungry Ken Hitchcock-lead Blues team, the Stanley Cup winning bench boss had this to say, “This is a well coached, well disciplined, play-the-right-way hockey team.” He went on to conclude that, “if this is the game that’s there, they’re going to be a very hard nut to crack.” This spoke volumes about a team looking to cement itself as a Stanley Cup favorite.
In the second of December, the Canadiens were sitting six points ahead of Alex Ovechkin and the second-placed Washington Capitals. A .500 winning percentage over the previous three weeks started bringing the team back down to earth. The sky wasn’t falling but the clouds were starting to roll in. Carey Price ended up suffering what turned out to be a season ending knee. As if that wasn’t enough, Brendan Gallagher suffered a broken finger and was out for longer than what was supposed to be only six weeks. The Canadiens cycle and possession game was starting to evaporate, and losing Gallagher’s physicality really hurt the offense.
The Downfall
Back-up goaltender Mike Condon took on the starting the role and did everything he could to give the Habs a shot at keeping their playoff hopes alive. It’s not as if he played badly. He gave them a shot at collecting the two points every night but it was becoming obvious that the losses up front were a bit much to overcome. Ben Scrivens was picked up to help ease the load on the first year pro but he wasn’t able to provide much stability himself.
General manager Marc Bergevin traded Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann to the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline, officially waving the white flag on the post-season. The lost character and grit of these two players made itself obvious when the possession game became almost non-existent.
With the trade and the injury to Gallagher, the Canadiens cycle game evaporated. Young behemoth prospect Michael McCarron, although not ready to be thrust into nightly action, got his chance. The Canadiens general manager drafted him for his size and to hopefully provide more aggressive play. Ready or not, his experience grew immensely in what was mailed away as a write-off season.
The Canadiens finished the season with a meager 38-38-6 record, and keeping in mind a 9-0 start, this actually seemed much worse than the record would suggest. There were bright spots but they ended up being few and far between for what could’ve been a great season.
The Offseason
In the June, Bergevin, a man not worried about critics or outside opinion, traded fan-favorite P.K. Subban to Nashville for the big man Shea Weber. Even in acknowledging the game and character of Subban, Bergevin stressed the importance of more stability. Weber brings respect back to a team that went down the slip and slide of the final three months backwards. This is what Bergevin had to say about Weber.
“Instant credibility, as far as his credentials. He’s won two Olympic gold medals and he’s a guy who, like Carey Price, has a presence that right away brings credibility to your team. He’ll be a great compliment to our captain, Max Pacioretty, and to our leadership group. Shea’s a big man and he’s hard to play against. If you’re lined up against Shea Weber, nothing’s going to come easy. To me, that’s something that we missed last season.”
He then traded a couple of picks to Chicago for the rights to Andrew Shaw. His relentlessness is a big reason why the Canadiens traded for him. Shaw fills an important hole in a line-up that could use more players like Gallagher.
Then the Habs signed gifted Russian sniper Alexander Radulov to a one-year contract worth almost $6 million. He just so happens to be the highest scoring KHL player of all-time. He’s a player that draws some comparisons to fellow Russian, and once beloved Hab, Alex Kovalev. Radulov has tools that compliment a Canadiens roster lacking firepower, and they’ve been needing it since Kovalev left.
Improving the Powerplay
One of the biggest setbacks last season was the power play. The Habs finished the season 25th in production at a woeful 16.2%. It’s something that has been addressed with the re-hiring of ex-captain and ex-assistant coach, Kirk Muller. Expect a big change with the way it looks on the ice.
With Subban quarterbacking at the point, teams were able to over-defend him and effectively kill flow. Because of it, his point shots were rarely hitting the net or creating second chance opportunities. Having Radulov hanging off the half board and Webers’ nightmare of a shot, the Canadiens pose a real threat. Shaw’s also a key piece that will create mayhem for opposing goaltenders and defenders. It’ll be fun to see how coach Michel Therrien employs his new arsenal.
The new additions have a chance to really change what most want to forget. It’s going to be a much different look this season and because of it, there’ll be a whole lot more smiles going around. There will be a new Montreal Canadiens cycle this fall.
Main Photo.
