Brand New Lows....
A whooping 0 goals in their last two games, only 4 wins in their last 13 games, an assistant captain who was benched, then left the rink in a huff, a hot shot free agent signing who has also been benched, an all star goalie who is playing like an AHL back-up and an all star dman who is more fit to play in the beer leagues.......things have gone from bad to worse in Montreal, and I am unsure if there is any relief in sight.
All the bad habits that I have been bitching about all year have finally come and bite les boys in their collective asses....luck and strong special teams work can only get a team so far...sooner or later the luck is going to run out, and the special teams will go in a funk, and then what??? Well then the mid season slide begins... the question is, how are Gainey, and his buddies on the coaching staff going to end this slide? Does Gainey trade a couple unproductive veterans, namely Rivet, and Sammy, or does he move some prospects, mortgaging the future, in the hopes of short term gain??? Does he try and solve things within the organization, waiving players, moving players up and down to the farm?? What can the coaching staff do....practice, practice, practice..drills on going to the net, breaking out of their own zone, general 5 on 5 play?? I am not sure, all I do know is that the Eastern conference is tight, and if this slide continues all that much longer, the Habs will be on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.
7 comments:
1) Samsonov we believe is untradeable. He makes 3.5 mil AND has another year left on his deal. Time to have him join Garth and waive him to save some cap room?
2) It won't be easy to turn things around with trades. It never was in the old NHL, and is now almost/virtually impossible in the new capped NHL. Can't hide your off season mistakes
3) Only can hope this is a temporary down turn. As is the key about 95% of the time, it all starts in goal. Huet is the key one way or the other.
Every team goes through these funks... And, I consider this a "funk" for les boys... They have most of the ingredients to ensure a decent playoff run - special teams, speed, solid goaltending, and luck... Sure, trading Samsonov would be a bonus from a variety of perspectives, but Faux is probably correct... Nobody in their right mind would want that salary part of their payroll... I stand pat when saying that Montreal will be a pleasant surprise to Joe in postseason...
Every team goes through these funks... And, I consider this a "funk" for les boys... They have most of the ingredients to ensure a decent playoff run - special teams, speed, solid goaltending, and luck... Sure, trading Samsonov would be a bonus from a variety of perspectives, but Faux is probably correct... Nobody in their right mind would want that salary part of their payroll... I stand pat when saying that Montreal will be a pleasant surprise to Joe in postseason...
Sorry for the double post, Joe - Computer glitch...
i am a die hard habs fan, but to be truthful, i really don't see how this team is any better then the teams that have been iced in the last 5 years or so...all the same problems exist, incompetent defensive zone coverage, inability to make good crisp break out passes, too small/ not physical enough, no finishers, and goaltending that is at times stellar, but still a question mark. i believe that they will scratch and claw their way into the playoffs...but they will be lucky to win more then one series.
Hey Joe, keep it all in perspective... You should know that playoff success depends quite a bit on matchups... The Habs can match up well with several of the "can't miss" playoff teams... Moreover, tonight was a pretty decent effort...
les boys did pick up a big win tonight to be sure....huet came up big, kicked out 44 pucks i believe. antz all right sure, anything can happen in the playoffs...who'd have thunk that the canes, or oilers would have been last years finalists...but i just see the same familiar things happening this year that i have seen in years past...and i bugs the shit out of me.
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