The Habs have been on a steady decline since Xmas...Why? What is to blame, who is to blame, why the malaise?
First things first, I would like to point out that the Habs roster from top to bottom does not scare anyone. There is not one superstar in the line-up. This begs the question, is it not possible for a team to succeed without at least one marquee player on the roster? And if so, why haven't the Habs, a historical organization, the most successful hockey team on the planet, been able to not only attract marquee talent, but also develop marquee talent within their system? There is of course the political/cultural/linguistic challenges that the city of Montreal poses (all bunk, of course, I am an Anglo, and I loved my 9 years in Mtl), there is then the taxation issue (The province of Quebec has the highest taxes in Canada). But is it more then that?? Are superstar players leery of playing in Montreal because of the overwhelming media scrutiny? Hell Toronto is hockey mad as well, but our cousins in the TDot have come to expect failure...failure is not well received in Montreal. So a lack of superstar talent on the Habs roster may be a large part of the teams inconsistent play...but there is more to it then that.
Before I take the veterans to task..and yes their play has been lackadaisical at best lately.. I think I would like to focus on management. I believe Bob Gainey is a good hockey man, I believe he might even be the best GM the Habs have had since Serge Savard, hell maybe better then Savard (win a couple of cups Bob, and you will surpass old Serge in my books.), but this is Bob's team, he has been at the helm long enough to have his fingerprints all over it. Frankly the product that Gainey has put on the ice this year, aint all that great. Where is the right handed centerman that Gainey has been promising to acquire for years, where is the offence, and how can a man who was the reason for the creation of the Selke Trophy not address the glaring need for quality defencemen on this team? I will give him a pass, I have already mentioned how seemingly difficult it is to attract marquee talent to Mtl...he does the best with what the market has to offer. Sure ok, so lets address his spending habits..3.75 million for Samsonov, whoops, close to 2 million for Bou Bou..eeeks, the Radek Bonk deal, Janne Ninnimma who was acquired via trade yes, but is the 3rd highest payed dman on the team, and yet is almost always a healthy scratch. Is Gainey not fiscally responsible enough to work within a salary cap construct?? From Gainey, to his coaching staff.
Guy Carbonneau is not yet an NHL caliber head coach in my books. He is yet another in a long line of rookie head coaches that the Habs have rolled out almost yearly for the last decade or so. I will give props to he and his assistants for really shoring up the Habs specialty teams (in a funk now mind you..part of the blame??), but his constant line juggling, his inability not only to keep his team disciplined, but also control his own emotions when his team is called on an infraction (Carbo's constant smirk, and bitching at the officials has done nothing to endear the Habs to the zebras). I blame Carbo largely for the mess that is Sammy, sure Sammy hasn't earned his millions, but he has been Carbo's whipping boy all year long, a good coach does not pick favorites...there is no way in hell the Latendresse deserved to be bumped up to the 1st line, before at least Sammy or for that matter Kovalev got a chance to skate with Saku. The Habs are out-coached pretty much every night, and their play 5 on 5, and their record over the last month or so reflects that. Carbo bash over, lets move on to the players themselves
When you are paid millions of dollars to do a job (especially if that job is in fact a game) you better show up to work every night, and work your hardest. This has not been the case for the Habs. To many guys on this team take nights, heck weeks off. Sammy is the most glaring example, Kovalev is the second biggest example after him. There is far to much quit in the Habs right now. When faced with adversity, instead of gritting their collective teeth, they fold up tent. Saku Koivu God love him, is a gutsy guy, and has had to face nothing but adversity his whole career, but I am beginning to question his ability to lead this team. Rivet and Souray, Saku's assistants try their best some nights to lead by example, and stand up for their teammates, but it takes more then 2 or 3 guys to buy into a team concept for a team to be successful. What can be done...are the Habs in need of a large scale shake up?? Is there just no chemistry or team togetherness?? Of that I am unsure. A solid couple of nights by Huet (who has stunk), maybe a few goals from the top two lines (Saku, Ryder, Higgins, Sammy where art thou??) would be nice, hell a few crisp passes out of the defensive zone might work (Markov hurt, Bou Bou needs to be benched, Striet back on the back end might not be a bad idea).
There is more wrong then right on the Habs right now...the blame can't be placed squarely on any sole person or factor. Unless the ship is righted soon, whether via trade, or simply the team finally coming together, the Habs are perilously close to falling out of playoff contention.
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