Your Canadiens for January 3, 2012

As the Canadiens prepare to begin a month filled primarily with home games Wednesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, coach Randy Cunneyworth has shuffled his deck at practice, coming up with the following lines:

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Erik Cole

Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Andrei Kostitsyn

Travis Moen - Lars Eller - Mike Blunden

Mathieu Darche - Petteri Nokelainen - Louis Leblanc

Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban

Alexei Emelin - Raphael Diaz

Hal Gill - Tomas Kaberle

Strange to see that Mike Blunden remains in the top 9, likely to get big minutes for a second straight game. The top 6 has a new look, but the only change, truly, is flipping Andrei Kostitsyn and Erik Cole. Expect them to swap back if these units don't work out.

On defense, these duos are probably the best the Habs can ice until Andrei Markov returns. Josh Gorges and P.K. Subban have been used as the top pairing for most of the year, while Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz have developed nice chemistry and continue to develop as legitimate NHL defenders. Emelin also gets to play on his natural left side where he has been best. Finally, the bottom pairing includes a penalty killing specialist in Hal Gill and a powerplay guy in Tomas Kaberle. The pair is likely to get limited minutes 5-on-5, but when they do get ice time, Gill can cover for where Kaberle lacks defensively.

- Returning to practice today for the first time since his injury was captain Brian Gionta. He skated hard and was not wearing a "no contact" jersey, but was only alternating in for wingers on the fourth line, indicating he may not be ready to return just yet. If he handles this step well, however, Saturday would not be impossible.

- Brendan Gallagher, Nathan Beaulieu, Michael Bournival, and their Team Canada 'mates will take on Team Russia in the World Junior Championships semi-finals at 9PM Eastern this evening. Russia advanced to the Semis after topping the Czech Republic in overtime in a classic goaltender's dual yesterday. Beaulieu should be in the line-up despite taking a puck to the face on Saturday night against the United States, resulting in these less-than-flattering photos being Tweeted by his teammates Devante Smith-Pelly and Jonathan Huberdeau:

Your Canadiens for December 27, 2011

Welcome back, Habs fans. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas or happy holiday weekend, and after a 4-day break, your Montreal Canadiens are back on the ice this evening. Let's hope that the team begins to play up to its potential and rattles off a win streak, or the opposite occurs and we see the kind of re-tooling I discussed yesterday. The only thing we don't want is a middle ground scenario, especially if it encourages Pierre Gauthier and Geoff Molson to trade picks or prospects to try to grab on to the 8th playoff spot.

- We saw Randy Cunneyworth roll out new lines at practice yesterday. They were as follows:

Max Pacioretty - Lars Eller - Erik Cole

Travis Moen - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn

Mike Cammalleri - David Desharnais - Louis Leblanc

Mathieu Darche - Petteri Nokelainen - Mike Blunden

Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban

Hal Gill - Raphael Diaz

Alexei Emelin - Tomas Kaberle

Yannick Weber - Chris Campoli

Lots to look at here. Most notable is the slotting of Lars Eller and P.K. Subban on to top lines following their one game sat as healthy scratches. Many have complained that Eller's potential is being wasted by playing him with third line wingers, pointing to this as a cause of his limited production (despite evident displays of top notch skill). He's now being given a chance with the large and talented wingers that David Desharnais has been blessed with this season (though he has played to a level worthy of their talents). It will be an interesting experiment to see if Desharnais can continue to produce without their size and if Eller can unblock offensively by playing with them. As for Subban, he will go right back to where he was before his scratch and I'm sure Randy Cunneyworth will be watching closely to see if any of the lessons he may have sent his way have been understood.

On D, Alexei Emelin seems to finally have a spot made for him on the left side. As much as Tomas Kaberle looks good on the powerplay, he hasn't earned any trust at 5-on-5. Could he really be that much worse playing the right side? At least you strengthen the left by slotting in a guy who has played like a Top 4 blueliner on the team on that side of the ice.

- Other than the lines, the big news out of practice was that the Canadiens now have an ad for Subway (Sandwiches) on their practice jerseys. This was met with outrage by many, including Dave Stubbs of Hockey Inside/Out / The Gazette. There have been many indications this season that the Molson family is about the cash in a big way and this is the latest move to increase their profits. Habs fans will be less angered if it is positioned as extra money going to pay for Jacques Martin's dismissal and/or perhaps sending Scott Gomez to Hamilton! And at least it's just a practice jersey right now.

- The 2011-12 World Junior Hockey Championship kicked off yesterday. If you don't follow the tournament, as a hockey fan, you are missing out. These under-20 kids play with hearts on their sleeves, representing their country and trying to be noticed on a big stage to vault their hockey careers forward. It is some of the best hockey you can watch all year. Here's how the Habs fared on opening day:

Brendan Gallagher had the game-winning goal and added an assist in Team Canada's 8-1 steamrolling of Finland. Gallagher spent most of the game on a top line with team captain Jaden Schwartz and future Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele.

Nathan Beaulieu played only limited minutes 5-on-5, but was a fixture on Canada's top powerplay unit where he looked far smoother than any other blueliner. He finished the game with 1 assist. He isn't a flash player like a Subban, but he makes smart, efficient plays well and has a booming and accurate point shot.

Michael Bournival was the weakest of the three Canadian Canadiens (heh), generating some chances but also fighting the puck at times. He was the only member of Team Canada to finish a negative, of course a -1. He got looks on many different lines throughout the night after starting as the fourth line center.

Jarred Tinordi, an assistant captain with Team USA, scored a lucky goal in the first period with a shot that was going well wide but bounced in off a Danish player's skate. Still, it was a well timed pinch in the offensive zone by the big man. Tinordi played on the team's top pairing with Adam Clendenning. He took a delay of game penalty for clearing the puck over the boards from the defensive zone in the first period which was costly, as the Danes scored on the ensuing powerplay.

Daniel Pribyl is an interesting story that I don't fully understand yet. Despite a report last week that he would be named an assistant captain for the Czech Republic, according to the IIHF website, he is not a part of the final Czech team. I've yet to see any report explaining this, but the Czechs do only have 12 forwards on their final roster (most teams carry 13). I would guess Pribyl may have been injured in a pre-tournament game or practice, but we will perhaps know more when the Czechs open their tournament tomorrow.

- The Hamilton Bulldogs got back into action yesterday follow their Christmas break. They played the first period as though they were still working off their Christmas dinner, falling behind 3-0 to the Toronto Marlies in the first six minutes. But they came storming back with 6 unanswered goals to earn the win. Robert Mayer was perfect after coming in to relieve Nathan Lawson after the third goal, while Olivier Fortier passes the offense with two goals. Also scoring were Aaron Palushaj, Ian Schultz, Phil DeSimone, and Andreas Engqvist with an empty netter. Joonas Nattinen and Gabriel Dumont each collected two assists.

Your Canadiens for November 21, 2011

While the attention of the rest of the league is on the much-anticipated return to action of Sidney Crosby this evening, Habs fans have a big game of their own to watch. After ending the New York Rangers' 7-game win streak on Saturday night, the team will have a chance to put a stop to Boston's 8-game run this evening.

- Your Montreal Canadiens for tonight:

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Brian Gionta

Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Erik Cole

Travis Moen - Scott Gomez - Lars Eller

Mathieu Darche - Petteri Nokelainen - Aaron Palushaj

Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban

Frederic St. Denis - Yannick Weber

Alexei Emelin - Raphael Diaz

Carey Price

- Carey Price was today named the NHL's first star of the week for a second time this season. Despite Peter Budaj getting a start mid-week, Price put up a 2-0-1 record with a .972 save percentage and a 0.67 goals against average. His last two starts have represent the first time in his young career that he has recorded back-to-back shutouts, with his current streak at 127 minutes. Congratulations Carey!

- Tonight marks the 100th game of P.K. Subban's career. The young blueliner has stepped up his game in the wake of injuries after a slow start to the season.

- Hal Gill, released from hospital on Friday, rejoined his teammates for practice for the first time this morning, but will not play tonight. His return shouldn't be far away, however.

- Gill skated in practice with Andrei Markov, who was wearing the same white-coloured jersey as his teammates. This led to speculation that he may have received medical clearance for contact in practice, but it was later clarified that he has yet to get that green light. It is expected that it may come later this week, though. There is still no specific timeline for Markov's return, but Jacques Martin had mentioned it won't be before the California road trip which is in early December.

- Chris Campoli and Andrei Kostitsyn also skated this morning, but with a team trainer as opposed to their mates. While Campoli being a ways off is hardly news, it seems Kostitsyn isn't progressing as quickly as many had hoped for.

- Turning our attention to the prospect ranks...

After a great game with a goal and 3 assists on Friday night, Brendan Gallagher was held off the scoresheet Saturday and then collected an assist on Sundy, now giving him 36 points in 21 games, but falling off the 50-goals-in-50-games track for the first time, stuck at 19.

Fellow WHL'er Darren Dietz scored a goal yesterday, giving him 15 points in 24 games and a team best +18 rating.

Despite finishing the night a +2, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu had a 6-game point streak broken yesterday. Montreal's first round pick last June has 20 points and is a +17 in 23 games.

Michael Bournival has played three games since returning from injury. He was twice held off the scoresheet (and finishing a -2 on both of those occasions), but Saturday night he picked up 2 goals, to now give him 12 in 10 games played.

Danny Kristo was held off the scoresheet for a second consecutive weekend (with a bye weekend in between), cooling off after a rocket start. He is now back at the 1 point-per-game mark with 12 points in 12 games.

Also in the NCAA, Mac Bennett scored his 3rd goal of the season, passing the 2 he notched last year. In his rookie season, the defenseman put up 12 points in 32 games, while now as a sophomore he has 10 in just 14 contests.

Your Canadiens for October 15, 2011

The Canadiens are back at it this evening as they try to erase a poor home opener from their memory banks. Here are some updates to set the stage:

- It seems at last our prayers have been answered. At yesterday's practice, Tomas Plekanec was removed from the point on the top powerplay unit. The failed experiment has finally come to an end, as the two units were:

Max Pacioretty - Tomas Plekanec - David Desharnais

Yannick Weber - P.K. Subban

Erik Cole - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Alexei Emelin - Raphael Diaz

Looking better, much better!

- The even strength lines were shaken up a bit as well as another of our hopes came to fruition. Travis Moen was taken off the Plekanec line, making for the following:

Travis Moen - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Lars Eller - Tomas Plekanec - Erik Cole

Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Andrei Kostitsyn

Mathieu Darche - Andreas Engqvist - Aaron Palushaj

Hal Gill - P.K. Subban

Josh Gorges - Raphael Diaz

Alexei Emelin - Yannick Weber

I like these units. Even if I'm not a fan of Moen in the top 6, he has played alright with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta in the past, so it's the best of a bad situation while Mike Cammalleri is sidelined. Further, it creates a very interesting third line with Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais being reunited. The two formed a dynamic pair with the Hamilton Bulldogs and, with Andrei Kostitsyn on the right, should be able to provide some secondary scoring. Lars Eller is deserving of time on a scoring line after the spunk he showed in his season debut and hopefully he can find some chemistry with his new linemates in the short term.

- Carey Price is the confirmed starter for this evening.

- Colorado Avalanche lines for this evening:

Joakim Lindstrom - Matt Duchene - Milan Hejduk

David Jones - Paul Stastny - Chuck Kobasew

Gabriel Landeskog - Ryan O'Reilly - Daniel Winnik

Cody McLeod - Jay McClement - T.J. Galiardi

Shane O'Brien - Kyle Quincey

Erik Johnson - Jan Hejda

Ryan Wilson - Ryan O'Byrne

Semyon Varlamov

J.S. Giguere

UPDATE: - The Hamilton Bulldogs announced today the signing of defenseman T.J. Fast to a professional tryout agreement. The agreement will allow him to play with the Dogs but does not guarantee him a contract for the duration of the season. P.T.O. agreements have a maximum duration of 25 games but can be terminated at any point. The Bulldogs have 7 healthy d-men on their roster, so this signing provides some additional depth. Youngster Olivier Dame-Malka was a healthy scratch for last night's game, so it's possible they want to give him some playing time down in Wheeling (ECHL) and sit Fast as a spare blueliner instead.

- We've gotten clarification as to what is keeping gritty forward Ryan White out of the line-up (and why he wasn't even on hand for the team's home opener). The fourth liner underwent surgery for a sports hernia and thus will be out long-term. Keep track of all injured players in the Canadiens organization with our tracker on the sidebar of the page.

- Want to meet Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais, Yvan Cournoyer, Chris Nilan, and a whole host of ex-NHL'ers (for a fee)? Do you collect hockey cards and/or other memorabilia? Head on over to the L'International des Collectionneurs - a biannual weekend-long hockey-best collectibles show that takes place at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau by the Olympic Stadium. Find out more here: http://mtlccexp.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/2011lrandreoct2.jpg

- The Hamilton Bulldogs played their second game of the season last night, a 4-0 win over the St. John's IceCaps, to improve their record to 2-0-0. The Dogs' lines were the following:

Joonas Nattinen - Brock Trotter - Brian Willsie

Andrew Conboy - Philip DeSimone - Alexander Avtsin

Mike Blunden - Gabriel Dumont - Phillippe Lefebvre

Ian Schultz - Dany Masse - Alain Berger

Mark Mitera - Joe Callahan

Frederic St. Denis - Alex Henry

Zack Fitzgerald - Joe Stejskal

Philip DeSimone scored twice - the first two goals of his professional career in just his 2nd game - while Dany Masse and Joonas Nattinen (also with his first pro goal in his first game) rounded out the offense. Brock Trotter continued his strong play with 3 assists, giving him 2 goals and 7 points through 2 games. He certainly looks like he wants a call-up to Montreal soon! But even better may have been the 'Dogs netminder Nathan Lawson stopping all 40 shots for the shutout victory.

Not looking so good in goal for the IceCaps was former Hab David Aebischer. Aebi is making his return to North America after 3 seasons in the Swiss league. He previously played 39 games over parts of the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons with the Canadiens after being acquired in a trade for Jose Theodore.

Also on scoresheet for St. John's with a fight in the third period was former Canadiens tough guy Garth Murray. Murray has bounced around the NHL, AHL, and even ECHL since leaving the Habs during the 2007-08 season. He played 80 games over 3 campaigns in Montreal, collecting 7 goals and 2 assists.

- In the NCAA ranks, North Dakota defeated Maine 3-1, with Danny Kristo picking up an assist. Though held pointless, rookie Mark MacMillan saw time on the top line with Kristo. Kristo has now collected 4 assists in 3 games

Playing his first game of the season after serving a short team-imposed suspension, Steve Qualier had 1 assist in a 4-0 Northeastern win.

- Over in the WHL, Brendan Gallagher added a powerplay assist to his strong start to the season despite his team's 3-2 loss. He is now up to 7 goals and 10 points in just 5 games, with at least one point in each match.

- In the Ontario Hockey League, London Knights captain and Hab prospect Jarred Tinordi dropped the gloves against Johnny McGuire and then could not return, seemingly suffering a cut to the head. Tinordi was a +2 in the game's first period prior to leaving. After the game, a member of his coaching staff was quoted as saying he'd be re-evaluated today but that they don't want him changing his style or holding back because he is at his best when he's most physical.

- In the QMJHL, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu added one assist to his stat line in a 9-4 victory. The points had been slowing down recently for Beaulieu, but the defenseman had dropped the gloves in each of the two previous games. The assist now gives Beaulieu 7 points in 9 games.

- Also in the Q, there was a big trade yesterday that may impact Habs prospect Michael Bournival. Bournival, you will recall, was off to a very hot start but has been sidelined for the next 3-4 weeks due to an injury suffered in practice. His club, the Shawinigan Cataractes, traded for talented forward Kirill Kabanov, a prospect of the New York Islanders. Kabanov has been regularly criticized for his poor attitude, but his size and skill are undeniable. He scored 28 points in 37 regular season games for the Lewison MAINEiacs last year before turning it up with 20 more points in 15 playoff contests. His rights for this season belonged to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada but he refused to report to the team after being cut by the New York Islanders and seemed destined to spend the season in Sweden before this last minute trade. He will help to replace Bournival's offense for the Cataractes in the short term, and once Michael is back, he could be a strong potential linemate.

- Lastly, a bad omen for those (LIKE ME) who collect Montreal Canadiens figurines and similar memorabilia. Figure producer McFarlane shutdown their official online fan forum for good yesterday, a sign that times may be tough at the company. A number of cost-cutting measures over the past months and years indicated a decline in profitability, but this is perhaps the move that struck collectors hardest, as the forums were a popular place to trade figures and swap "haul" stories. A replacement unofficial fan forum has been set up here:

http://spawnforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?

Montreal, Get Ready to Rock!

For the first time of the 2011-12 NHL regular season, the Montreal Canadiens will take to the Bell Centre ice this evening as they host the Calgary Flames. The roof is sure to be rocking, though as per the Canadiens' Facebook account yesterday, some tickets still remain for the game! In fact, when I checked last night, there were even some pairs left in the more expensive sections. If you're looking for tickets, try here:

http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=56633

It's the home opener! Anything less than a sellout is unacceptable!

- Habs line-up for tonight:

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Travis Moen - Tomas Plekanec - Erik Cole

Mathieu Darche - David Desharnais - Andrei Kostitsyn

Lars Eller - Andreas Engqvist - Aaron Palushaj

Hal Gill - P.K. Subban

Josh Gorges - Raphael Diaz

Alexei Emelin - Yannick Weber

Carey Price

Let's hope for a strong performance from the injury-depleted boys, because what is certain is that unlike Winnipeg, if Montreal is down 5-1 in the final minute, Habs' fans will definitely not be giving a standing ovation to the team.

Aaron Palushaj and Lars Eller will both make their season debuts tonight, while Yannick Weber will start on defense for the first time after finishing both of the first two games on the blueline.

I've advocated for the moving of Weber to the top powerplay unit alongside P.K. Subban which would give the team 2 point shots like with Subban and James Wisniewski last year, but as per practice, the Tomas Plekanec experiment is not yet over. He'll man the blueline with Subban on the top unit, while Raphael Diaz and Weber play on the 2nd wave.

- Carey Price's next win (hopefully tonight) will be the 100th of his career. He will become only the 13th goaltender in NHL history to reach that mark by age 24.

- Per awesome French site Dans Les Coulisses, P.K. Subban was out at Santos supper club last night, along with Yannick Weber and Chris Campoli. The article questions whether this is appropriate behaviour on the eve of the home opener, though in the players' defense, they've had quite a few days off to rest and thus should be well prepared for tonight regardless of having a few drinks. It is perhaps concerning since Subban is not off to a great start to the season and Weber had just a few days ago all but lost his spot in the line-up, meaning the team needs more from these guys with no distractions, but they are human and should have their privacy respected on occasion so long as it doesn't translate to on-ice mishaps.

- As we had posted to Twitter yesterday, prospect defenseman Darren Dietz's Saskatoon Blades will be hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup. Since Dietz has one more year in juniors before he can be signed to play in the AHL, this should be a great experience for him.

- Expected Calgary Flames line-up:

Alex Tanguay - David Moss - Jarome Iginla

Curtis Glencross - Olli Jokinen - Lee Stempniak

Niklas Hagman - Roman Horak - Rene Bourque

Toms Kostopoulos - Matt Stajan - Tim Jackman

Chris Butler - Jay Bouwmeester

Mark Giordano - Scott Hannan

Derek Smith - Cory Sarich

Miikka Kiprusoff

Let the 2011-12 Drive for 25 Begin!

At long last, we've made it! After an off-season that just couldn't end soon enough, filled with heartbreaking tragic losses and the constant reminder that the dreaded Boston Bruins are the current Stanley Cup Champions, this evening we have the opportunity to put the summer behind us and focus on the ultimate goal: bringing a 25th Stanley Cup to Montreal.

A little after 7:00 PM tonight, the long haul that is the NHL's regular season will get underway with a match between Original 6 rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs and your Montreal Canadiens. In preparation for that, here are you gameday notes:

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Mathieu Darche - David Desharnais - Erik Cole

Travis Moen - Andreas Engqvist - Yannick Weber

Hal Gill - P.K. Subban

Chris Campoli - Josh Gorges

Jaroslav Spacek - Raphael Diaz

Carey Price

Peter Budaj

Press Box: Alexei Emelin, Lars Eller (injured), Blair Betts (injured)

Injured Reserve: Andrei Markov, Ryan White

- Newly acquired Blair Betts was absent from practice today as he rehabs a minor shoulder injury. He will not play tonight, but is day-to-day.

- Defenseman Jeff Woywitka was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers. As such, his stay in the organization was a short one.

- RDS reported yesterday that though Lars Eller is expected to get medical clearance from doctors today, it should still be at least a week or two before he is ready for game action.

- Carey Price will wear pink-accented pads throughout the month of October for breast cancer awareness, but due to a holdup waiting for league approval, they will not be ready for tonight's game.

A couple of video previews of the coming season for the Habs found on YouTube:

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Joffrey Lupul - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel

Matt Frattin - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin

Philippe Dupuis - Dave Steckel - Colby Armstrong

Jay Rosehill - Matthew Lomobardi - Mike Brown

Carl Gunnarsson - Dion Phaneuf

John-Michael Liles - Luke Schenn

Jake Gardiner - Mike Komisarek

James Reimer

Jonas Gustavsson

Press Box: Cody Franson, Colton Orr, Clarke MacArthur (suspended)

Injured Reserve: Tim Connolly, Nazem Kadri

Here's the enemy's perspective. A Leafs preview video:

And finally, a non-Habs, non-Leafs focused video to get you pumped for the NHL season to come:

Trying to Understand Jacques Martin's Lines

Since his hiring, I've not been shy about criticizing the coaching of Jacques Martin. I don't think he's a bad coach. In fact, I think he is a great coach for the right team. For the most part, however, I haven't found his style to mesh well with the group of players the Montreal Canadiens have.

Martin is a defensive-minded tactician. He likes players who are responsible in their own end and make few mistakes. Think Tom Pyatts and Andreas Engqvists. He likes balancing out his lines, putting defensive-minded players alongside goal scorers to increase the team's depth up front. He feels that the best way to eliminate errors is to punish them, frequently cutting ice time in response to a mistake. He tends to overlook potentially better choices if the ones he made previously are winning; that is to say he is a believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." He is not a strong communicator, often criticized by departing players for not having informed them of his intentions or rationale.

That said, he does coach a strong defensive system that is quite effective, particularly in tight-scoring playoff games. For a group of responsible veterans close to a Stanley Cup, he might be the perfect bench boss. That team isn't the Canadiens though. At least not right now.

But I can live with his unorthodox style. What is driving me crazy on the eve of the regular season is his line-up. Granted, the Habs' lines will change many times over the course of the season, and many different iterations will be tested. But at the moment, his initial personnel decisions are incomprehensible to me.

Martin is no Guy Carbonneau, notorious for his far too frequent shuffling of trios. Carbonneau seemed just one step shy of auditioning Ryan O'Byrne for the glaring hole need of a power forward. Sure Martin loves inserting a grinder like Travis Moen on to a scoring line, but he hasn't been THAT crazy. At least not yet.

Flash forward to this year's training camp. When Jacques Martin dropped Brian Gionta to David Desharnais's wing in favour of Brendan Gallagher in the penultimate preseason game, one thing was clear: he was seeking three relatively balanced scoring lines.

With Gallagher back in the WHL, Gionta returned to Scott Gomez's wing, and it was Erik Cole's turn to take a spin with Desharnais. This created the following top 9, which has held right through to yesterday's practice, and thus should be expected to start game 1 in Toronto:

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brain Gionta

Mathieu Darche - David Desharnais - Erik Cole

Habs fans were in uproar over Cole's name on a "third line." "Patience," I urged. Cole would surely still get big minutes, taking some shifts in place of Kostitsyn and getting plenty of powerplay time. Besides, it leaves two tried, tested, and true trios in tact as a top 6 while giving the team their best third scoring line in years. Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri don't NEED Cole to produce offense, while Andrei Kostitsyn and Desharnais both had weak preseasons and thus should be surrounded by better players. Cole himself spoke out saying he understood the change given that the players in the top 6 had experience and chemistry playing together, and that the club had to decide where he would best fit in over time. These lines, for now, could be rationalized. The fourth line, due to injuries, looked like:

Travis Moen - Andreas Engqvist - Yannick Weber

We won't get into the Andreas Engqvist debate here, as he appears poised to make the squad despite a poor training camp that showed he didn't have the best off-season training summer. Despite his good size, he has looked extremely weak on his feet, knocked off the puck far easier than a man of his height should be. Instead, let's talk Yannick Weber. The d-man as a forward was a favourite move of Carbonneau, but in Martin's defense, Weber actually looked reasonable filling in at forward during the playoffs last year. A disappointing camp meant Weber was passed by many in the blueline depth chart, but a main advantage of having him in the line-up at forward is the ability to have him at the point on a powerplay unit.

Up till now, I've defended Martin's choices here. But you'll notice the common thread in my explanations was the powerplay units. So surely, by providing them below, we'll be all good and can wrap this article up, right?

Mike Cammalleri - David Desharnais - Andrei Kostitsyn

Tomas Plekanec - P.K. Subban

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Chris Campoli - Raphael Diaz

Thank you for reading, and tune in... wait.... what? What? WHAT?! You read that right. Based on practices in Collingwood, these will be our PP lines to start the year.

Before you jump on me with the "It's only training camp practice! The real lines are being hidden/rested" excuse, keep in mind the team's powerplay looked pretty awful during preseason. If the real units were different than these, they would undoubtedly be the ones getting in the extra practice time. So there you have it. No Erik Cole. No Yannick Weber.

Did Cole kick Jacques Martin's dog or something? All he has done since being signed (admittedly we have only preseason to go off of) is come exactly as advertised. He throws his body around, creates turnovers, goes to the net looking for rebounds and deflections, and even led the team in points over the 8 preseason games, held off the scoresheet in only 1 of the games for which he was dressed. And now he's slotted on to a third line with no powerplay time. I don't know the reason this newly acquired established veteran may have dug himself into the doghouse even before game 1, but hopefully this is just a temporary experiment. With the contract Pierre Gauthier gave Cole this summer, he is being counted on to be a big part of the offense for the new few seasons. I'm not sure how the inconsistent Kostitsyn gets a spot on the top unit ahead of him.

I won't be biased here. For the record, career-wise, Cole has 43 PPG in 620 games, while Kostitsyn has 29 in 326. Kostitsyn had 5 last year (out of his 20 goals) to Cole's 3 (out of 26). Thus, the averages are on Andrei's side. But who on the top PP unit is going to post himself in front of the opposing goalie? That's not Cammalleri's spot. Desharnais can do it, but many goalies can look right over him. Kostitsyn will do it on occasion, but will also disappear. That's why Cole seems to be the perfect fit there over him.

As for Weber, he did not impress during the preseason, so I would not mind him being off the powerplay. That is, if he were not in the line-up. His shot is the main reason the team is dressing him, and yet they are taking away his best opportunity to use it. If the plan is to play him at forward with defensive-minded linemates and that's it, that's all, why not dress Mike Blunden instead? If you want another offensive talent at forward, why not play Aaron Palushaj? If Weber is not being used on the powerplay, there is no reason or excuse for him being played up front. Is the Canadiens' defense that fragile that Martin wants a spare dressed just in case one of them blows a tire? Maybe we'll get lucky and Montreal will put in a successful waiver claim today for Blair Betts or Victor Oreskovich, two big forwards who could really help out.

Kudos to you, Jacques Martin, you have me stumped. For the good of the team, I hope your wacky choices pay dividends. But at least, I can be confident that if these lines struggle, you won't hesitate to change them up.

Dangerously Close to Habs Final Team

Brendan Gallagher has made the Montreal Canadiens. Wait, I'll let that sink in for a moment.

Ok, so maybe it's not a 100% given, but after today's cuts and waiver announcements, the Canadiens are dangerously close to finalizing the roster that will open the season. Not including the players in camp strictly due to their injured status, the following names remain on the active roster:

GOALTENDERS (2)

30- BUDAJ, Peter

31- PRICE, Carey

DEFENSEMEN (10)

17- CAMPOLI, Chris D/L

61- DIAZ, Raphael D/R

75- GILL, Hal G/L

26- GORGES, Josh G/L

79- MARKOV, Andrei G/L (injured)

6- SPACEK, Jaroslav G/L

76- SUBBAN, P.K. D/R

68- WEBER, Yannick D/R

8- WOYWITKA, Jeff G/L

74- YEMELIN, Alexei G/L

FORWARDS (17)

45- BLUNDEN, Michael AD/RW

49- BOURNIVAL, Michael AG/LW

13- CAMMALLERI, Michael AG/LW

72- COLE, Erik AD/RW

52- DARCHE, Mathieu AG/LW

51- DESHARNAIS, David C

81- ELLER, Lars C (injured)

63- ENGQVIST, Andreas C

73- GALLAGHER, Brendan AD/RW

21- GIONTA, Brian AD/RW

11- GOMEZ, Scott C

46- KOSTITSYN, Andrei AD/RW

32- MOEN, Travis AG/LW (injured)

67- PACIORETTY, Max AG/LW

60- PALUSHAJ, Aaron AD/RW

14- PLEKANEC, Tomas C

53- WHITE, Ryan AD/RW (injured)

The final Habs team is likely to consist of 23 players, being 2 goaltenders, 13 or 14 forwards, and 7 or 8 defensemen. With 4 injured players (Andrei Markov, Lars Eller, Travis Moen, and Ryan White) in camp, that means only 2 final cuts are necessary for Montreal to lock in a squad for opening night.

These cuts are likely to be Michael Bournival and Jeff Woywitka, both of whom have had solid camps, but the former's lack of action due to injury and the latter's two-way contract mean they should be the ones out.

This means, effectively, that Brendan Gallagher should make the opening night team to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in October. So should Andreas Engqvist, Aaron Palushaj, and Mike Blunden, one of whom would sit as a healthy scratch in the 13th forward slot.

Of course, there are no guarantees. Any of Eller, Moen, or White might be ready by then, creating a need to cut another body. But it looks good for the youngsters, especially young Gallagher's chances at getting at the minimum a 9-game tryout.

On defense, based on lines in camp (see below), Raphael Diaz is the leader for a spot in the top 6, leaving Alexei Yemelin to start the year as a 7th defenseman in the press box. Hopefully being around the team will help him adjust his game to the NHL level quickly. Yannick Weber, meanwhile, appears to be in a swing role, serving as a 14th forward fill-in or an 8th d-man. A possible scenario has Weber playing on the fourth line and with second unit powerplay duties, while one of Gallagher or Palushaj is sent down.

The most recent lines including these players can be found in our updates from today's practice HERE.

It should end up looking something like this until the injured players are back:

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Erik Cole

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Andrei Kostitsyn - David Desharnais - Brendan Gallagher

Mathieu Darche - Andreas Engqvist - Yannick Weber

Hal Gill - P.K. Subban

Chris Campoli - Josh Gorges

Jaroslav Spacek - Raphael Diaz

Carey Price

Peter Budaj

PRESS BOX: Alexei Yemelin, Aaron Palushaj, Mike Blunden

IR: Andrei Markov, Ryan White, Travis Moen, Lars Eller

It is very possible that Palushaj is sent down rather than sitting, just as it is possible he would play wing ahead of Weber or Gallagher. But Gallagher has been the more impressive of the two, and as much as most hate the thought of playing a d-man on the wing, Weber would contribute more than Palushaj with his defensive presence and powerplay ability.

Lines at Practice, Sept 22

Here's a peek at Jacques Martin's lines from this morning, an indication of who should be expected to dress tomorrow night in Ottawa:

FORWARDS

Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brendan Gallagher

Andrei Kostitsyn - Andreas Engqvist - Erik Cole

Mathieu Darche - Gabriel Dumont - Alexander Avtsin

Michael Blunden - Philip DeSimone - Brock Trotter

Lars Eller

DEFENSEMEN

Zack Fitzgerald - Alexei Yemelin

Hal Gill - Raphael Diaz

Morgan Ellis - Jarred Tinordi

P.K. Subban - Alex Henry

GOALTENDERS

Carey Price

Nathan Lawson

It looks like Gomez may be back folks! If Engqvist does play, it will be his third straight contest, a good indication that he may start the year in Montreal.

It's a little disappointing to see Peter Delmas again held out of the roster as I do believe he's an intriguing prospect, but it's not the biggest deal. It's possible Price would play a full game at this point anyway.

David Desharnais and Hunter Bishop did not practice after suffering minor injuries in last night's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Brendan Nash, meanwhile, was operated on for an undisclosed upper body injury yesterday, and will be out for an indefinite period of time.

Preseason Game 1: 20/09/11 Dallas Stars at Montreal Canadiens

And we're off! Game 1 at the Bell Centre, albeit just preseason, is finally here! The game, which starts at 7:30 PM, will be broadcast on RDS, as well all 7 other exhibition matches the Habs play.

Here's a little look at who who will be playing tonight to whet your appetite for hockey, as if the flame needed further fanning.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Mike Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Erik Cole

Andrei Kostitsyn - Brian Willsie - Aaron Palushaj

Brock Trotter - Andreas Engqvist - Mike Blunden

Alain Berger - Dany Masse - Ian Schultz

Hal Gill - Raphael Diaz

Jarred Tinordi - Yannick Weber

Jeff Woywitka - Alexei Yemelin

Carey Price (1st half)

Nathan Lawson (2nd half)

The game will be a good opportunity for both Andreas Engqvist and Michael Blunden to prove their worth as they appear to be amongst candidates battling for one of the remaining spots at forward.

On defense, Alexei Yemelin - who many Habs fans are eager to final see don the blue-blanc-rouge - will continue to try to show where he fits in the team's depth chart, particularly given that one of his competitors for ice time, Yannick Weber, will also be dressed. Speaking of Weber, given that Alain Berger and Raphael Diaz are also scheduled to play, the Habs will have three Swiss players in the line-up.

Carey Price admitted that he doesn't feel great yet, believing there is much he needs to work on to prepare for the season before it begins. As such, he has suggested it's possible tonight doesn't go all that well, but to "chill out" even if he does not have his best performance. It's only preseason after all, folks.

DALLAS STARS

(final roster TBD, following players possible, bold indicates confirmed)

Goaltenders: Andrew Raycroft, Richard Bachman

Defensemen: Alex Goligoski, Nicklas Grossman, Trevor Daley, Mark Fistric, Brenden Dillon, Maxime Fortunus, Philip Larsen, Adam Pardy

Forwards: Brenden Morrow, Steve Ott, Mike Ribeiro, Michael Ryder, Jamie Benn, Vern Fiddler, Krystofer Barch, Toby Petersen, Jake Dowell, Matt Fraser, Travis Morin, Raymond Sawada, Tomas Vincour, Tom Wandell, Francis Wathier