Hope on the Horizon - A New Frontier

Yesterday, I essentially covered my plan if I were the GM of the Canadiens moving forward with life after Mike Cammalleri. I talked about my biggest want: a true #1 scoring center with size. But let's say the Canadiens can't land a Ryan Getzlaf and don't finish low enough to draft a Mikhail Grigorenko. All hope still won't be lost. In fact, even if the Habs enter next season with a roster that looks very much like the current one, there is some reason for optimism. Let me explain.

It starts with Andrei Markov. If Markov gets and stays healthy, he is the caliber of player that can take a team to another level. For many years, a Markov injury would spell doom for the Canadiens as the team's back end was so reliant on his services. This season, his being out has meant great experience and responsibility for the likes of P.K. Subban and Raphael Diaz. Markov's return, perhaps on a pairing with Josh Gorges, will take difficult minutes and roles off of some other rearguards which should allow them to also be at their best. I'm hopeful and expectant that another veteran defenseman will also be added this summer on a short-term deal to round out the top 4 (and as an insurance policy for Markov, since many will say the IF he stays healthy is a big one), but in any case, the team's D will be better than this year's.

The other perhaps more important reason is depth. Injuries were an issue this season, and when you are playing without quality players, your depth is looked upon to carry the load. Unfortunately, it was not a good season for the Habs to be reliant on talent stowed away in the AHL, with the Bulldogs being quite thin. Aaron Palushaj and Andreas Engqvist got repeated looks despite their poor play at the NHL level (though they're both having dominant American League seasons), and Louis Leblanc - though impressive - was pressed into service far sooner than anyone had intended. Outside of those guys, however, with Mike Blunden likely up in Montreal for good, there are no legitimate prospect forwards on the farm to be called up. With Brendon Nash undergoing shoulder surgery during training camp, there were also no blueline prospects to be called up, though Frederic St. Denis served well during his stint with the Canadiens.

Next season, however, will be different. Brendan Gallagher and Michael Bournival have already been signed and will make their pro debuts either in Hamilton, or possibly Montreal for one of the two. Danny Kristo is likely to forego his final year of university to also turn pro, though there is no guarantee at this point. The three represent young two-way players who could slot in virtually anywhere in the Canadiens line-up when needed, and all have high ceilings. Additionally, guys like Leblanc, Alexander Avtsin, and Phil DeSimone will have another year of experience under their belts, hopefully being closer to NHL-ready. All of this means that the team will have forwards that can be counted on when the time comes.

If the forwards are getting a boost, the back end is getting an even greater injection of talent. The team's last two first round picks, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, should both start the year as Bulldogs, with a minute possibility that Beaulieu plays an overage year in the QMJHL since he'll only turn 20 next December 5th (meaning he'd be among the AHL's youngest skaters). Morgan Ellis, a two-way character guy who has been on fire offensively since being dealt in the Q, and Greg Pateryn, the long-forgotten other piece in the Mikhail Grabovski to the Leafs deal who is in his final year of College, will also earn contracts, meaning the bulk of the 'Dogs' D will be made up of new faces. Most importantly, new faces with NHL potential.

Thus, even if we look at a "worst case" based on what the team has under contract:

Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Erik Cole

Rene Bourque - Tomas Plekanec - Brian Gionta

Scott Gomez - Lars Eller - UFA/Aaron Palushaj/Brendan Gallagher

Mike Blunden - Petteri Nokelainen/Andreas Engqvist - Ryan White

Andrei Markov - Josh Gorges

Alexei Emelin - P.K. Subban

Tomas Kaberle - Raphael Diaz

Carey Price

Peter Budaj

Again, this being a "worst case scenario" with all UFAs walking (or being dealt) and none being signed, with health and a little luck, the return of Markov and the added AHL depth means fans can expect a better season than the present one.

Now We're Cooking: Sweet Wins for Habs, Bulldogs

Where it began,

Was with the firing of Perry,

And now we hope it's growing strong...

Was in the Fall,

The whole team was strugglin'

Who'da believed they'd come on strong?!

Hold up Habs fans, don't go planning any parades just yet (I mean, after all, we're not Leafs fans), but maybe - just maybe - we have something here. That 'something' is a big fat M word called momentum, with a side dish of confidence.

At 3-5-2, they're still in a bit of a hole, but the climb back up the ladder of respectability needs to begin somewhere. And back-to-back wins over the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins is as good a place as any.

Let's step back a moment, however. I posted earlier this week my discontent with the management team of Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin. I'm not a fairweather fan who is suddenly placated just because the club posted consecutive victories. I still feel the pair should be replaced in the near future for the very same reasons. The defense Pierre Gauthier assembled is largely soft, small, and inexperienced. There is a need for a tough, veteran, shutdown guy, and the only player who could eventually fill this role currently on the roster - Alexei Emelin - is being sat by Martin.

On the Emelin issue, after Tweeting my displeasure with his being scratched in favour of Raphael Diaz for a game against the Big Bad Bruins, I will admit that despite an overall shaky game on his part, Diaz made an incredible defensive slide to takeaway a goal after Carey Price was caught out of position with the game tied at 1. It wasn't a play anyone could make, and Martin's choice of Diaz over Emelin may thus have contributed to the team's win.

The downside to this is a legitimate concern that Emelin will never get a chance to develop in Montreal. His contract will allow him to bolt back over to Russia if the Habs try to send him down to Hamilton, but if he's kept in Montreal and sat for most of the season, he's likely headed home at year's end anyway. With a log-jam of players the organization feels to be ahead of him, it will be tough for him to find ice time, and thus Gauthier may be forced to use him as a transaction deal sweetener to at least get something for the asset he finally convinced to cross the ocean. This would be unfortunate as - like I mentioned - Emelin's skillset is not a common one within the organization.

But let's stick with the positives for now. Also deserving of some credit is Randy Ladouceur's management of his defense corps in the 2 games since taking over from Perry Pearn. With the team playing a third game in four nights (and second in 2 cities in 2 nights), Ladouceur and Martin managed to cycle d-men such that only one (Josh Gorges, who had a great night) topped the 20 minute mark. This is a rarity in the NHL, but allowed the team to stay fresh throughout the night which is critical considering the aforementioned personnel concerns on the back end. Diaz, while showing some positives, is clearly not ready for big minutes but has been seen as a "Martin favoured child" by many, joining the ranks of Mathieu Darche and David Desharnais. With Pearn in charge of the D, he played the 4th most minutes amongst Montreal blueliners Monday night. Under Ladouceur, he has gotten the least playing time of the group of 6 in consecutive outings. The team has also gone two games without a Too Many Men on the Ice penalty!

But this isn't just about Pearn, Ladouceur, Martin, and the defense. I talked about Erik Cole's improved play as a reason for hope, and for a third straight game he was amongst the team's top forwards. Cole totaled 2 goals and 1 assist while firing 18 shots on net over the week's 3 games, despite playing an average of only just over 14 minutes a night. Between the offense and some physicality, he is looking more and more like the player the Habs were excited to sign this summer.

Carey Price is playing like Carey Price needs to and can. Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta are showing signs of life. The fourth line, led by strong face-off work on the part of Petteri Nokelainen, behaves like a proper fourth line, able to cycle pucks and throw hits. And though I haven't been the biggest fan of David Desharnais's play, he is getting his touches in and picking up points (now at 6 in 10 games). I mentioned that the forward group should perform far better than they had been, hence not being concerned by early season goal-scoring troubles, and it looks like they may now be starting to click.

This is good news for Habs fans, of course, but it is less good news for Scott Gomez. Once he returns from his injury (and he has resumed skating already), Martin's next big test will be where to slot him into the line-up. Plekanec and Lars Eller are playing far better than he was, and Desharnais has been far more productive. Nokelainen plays the fourth line face-off specialist role well, so it sounds like someone is going to have to move to wing. At this point, Gomez should be the odds-on favourite to be forced to make that transition, and if he does, it may actually work out for the best. It will take some defensive responsibilities off his shoulders, and he does have some experience there, having spent considerable time on left wing during his early days in New Jersey.

So Habs fans, smile and relax a little. Stay on your #FireGauthier and #FireMartin campaigns if you will, and you have my support. But in the meanwhile, the game is being played on the ice, and the strong leadership core at the heart of this team has decided that it's time to step up to the plate and play some sound hockey. No one knows how far they'll be able to take it, but reinforcements are around the corner; "The General" Andrei Markov gets back to Montreal from his rehab stint in Florida today.

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If the action in Montreal doesn't satisfy you, then be happy there is more good news on its way from Hamilton. The Canadiens' first round pick in 2009, Louis Leblanc, returned from injury to make his professional hockey debut with the Hamilton Bulldogs last night, and boy was he impressive. Many questioned his offensive upside, seeing him more as a responsible, determined, and energetic two-way third-line type. The 'Dogs eased him in for his debut, allowing him to play that very role by lining up on Andreas Engqvist's wing, opposite Andrew Conboy.

It certainly didn't take long for Leblanc to make an impact, picking up an assist on an Engqvist powerplay goal just 4:18 into the duel with the Rochester Americans. He would add another assist on a second period Conboy goal, before saving his coup de grace for overtime, scoring the game winner to finish his first game with three points and earning first star honours for his efforts. Leblanc also led all of his teammates with 5 shots in the 3-2 win and was a +2.

Let's not begin clamouring for a call-up just yet (keep in mind Engqvist also had 3 points on this night and we know how he has looked in Montreal), but it is a highly encouraging start for a highly anticipated prospect.

Check out highlights from the game here:

http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/video/index?id=539&autostart=true

Could It Be? Is That Hope I see?

Yes, it was just one win. Yes, the Montreal Canadiens are still only 2-5-2. But for the first time since the Jets' home opener in Winnipeg, there were a few reasons to smile in Montreal last night.

Let's start with an obvious one: Max Pacioretty. There were legitimate fears over how he would play once returning from last season's spinal cord injury. The truth is, Max hasn't been the same player he was prior to that injury; he still hesitates a little about charging into danger areas or going recklessly to the net. But he is maturing into the player he has always had the potential to be, whose mix of size, speed, and skill make him a top notch top 6 guy. And if he ever re-gains that head down, charge the goal, style... (and it isn't unreasonable to think he'll only get more and more comfortable on the ice over time) look out NHL cause we'll have a legitimate star powerforward on our hands. Four goals, five assists through 9 games is a great start for Max, and this while bouncing around on numerous combinations of lines. Plus the game seems like nothing can keep him down, a studly quick healer worthy of the nickname Wolverine.

Next, there's Carey Price. The Habs' star netminder got a couple of demons out of his closet by finally picking up career win #100 and shirking the pink pads he was using since for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Not to suggest it was causing a distraction, but getting past the milestone always helps to have one less thing at the back of your mind, and about those bads... well I'm not saying they were bad luck, or that they were of some inferior quality or comfort or fit... but for whatever reason, Carey wasn't getting it done in them. If the team is going to turn this terrible start around, they need Price at his best, so hopefully he gets to that level quickly.

Third would be Erik Cole. After a tough start to the season that saw Jacques Martin misuse him in every way imaginable other than sticking him on defense, Cole has been amongst the team's top wingers in each of the last two games. The Cole that Habs fans were happy to sign seems to have shown up, and hopefully he stays hot as when on his game, he is exactly the type of player this team needs.

Next let's talk Perry Pearn. No, I'm not going to say that he was the root of all of the team's problems and his firing allowed the team to stomp the Flyers last night. I've never been a big fan of Pearn, as he has a demeanor not all that unlike Jacques Martin's and his work on the powerplay and with the defense has at times been questionable. But the firing of an assistant coach with no external replacement isn't ultimately going to be a difference-maker. So why was Pierre Gauthier's announcement and subsequent press conference an encouraging sign? Maybe it's just the eternal optimist within me grasping at straws, but I was happy to hear the line Gauthier toed with the media. He spoke of a new commitment to "outside the box" thinking. He repeated a few times that the organization had to "change its global outlook." While he did state flat out that Jacques Martin was still his guy (for as much as we can believe it when a GM says this), what this says to me is they want to evolve, modify, or completely scrap the defensive shell system that Martin preaches. This says to me they see the issues at hand and they're ready to step outside of their country club mentality and open themselves up to new tactics. I'm a fan of getting creative and using all the tools at your disposal in sports management, so if Gauthier says they're ready to try new thing, then I take that as a great sign of better days ahead. The first step may have been firing Pearn, but I'm certain other changes - whether we're privy to them or not - area round the corner.

Finally, there's the long lost saviour of the Montreal blueline, Andrei Markov. There is renewed hope on this dossier as well, with members of the media taking advantage of having access to Gauthier to get an update and PG stating that things look good. Markov has responded well to testing in Florida and will get back to Montreal this Friday. There's no explicit timetable for his return to practice or game action, but it sounds like we may finally be getting closer. If the offense has awoken, a healthy Markov is the type of boost that could quickly lift this team out of the depths of the Eastern Conference basement.

So Habs fans, happy days may not be here again just yet, but there is some light at the end of our collective tunnel. And this while Brian Gionta has yet to show up, Hal Gill is still in his usual clumsy early season mode, P.K. Subban is struggling to find his game, and Scott Gomez and Chris Campoli remain on IR. Maybe... just maybe... the Fail for Nail must be put on hiatus.