A New Hope

Emerging from this season's dark clouds has been a couple of rays of sunshine including the obviously phenomenal play of the Canadiens first line and more specifically David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty.  And although Erik Cole has also been a stud throughout this season, the hope was that he would be - just that - considering the contract that he was signed for.  But what I wanted to focus on was another bright light, a light that may not have shown earlier on in this season and may have faded a tad more recently but that light is just as important to the future success of the Montreal Canadiens and is there new hope, Alexei Emelin.

Alexei Emelin has shown that he can play in the NHL and play well.  Has he made mistakes?  Most definitely.  Has he looked lacked consistency?  He most certainly has.  But what he has shown is the ability to play important minutes against top-tier players and adjust to a North American game in a relatively short period of time.  It's important to note that it takes longer for a defenseman to develop than it does a forward in this league and at the ripe old age of 25, Alexei is just entering his prime.

The Jacques Martin Era Comes To An End

What has been talked about for weeks and months not to mention years (for some of the most ardent critics) has finally occurred, Jacques Martin has been relieved of his duties.  Most of you that read my blog know that I was never a Martin apologist but in a city where you're either with him or against him, I would have to classify myself as having been with him.  I thought he was a solid coach with the record and results to prove it.  Was his system perfect?  Far from!  Was it boring to watch the Habs play hockey?  For the most part.  Did the system actually work?  Only when all 6 players on the ice did their job and did it with near perfection.  Is that a sustainable strategy?  Of course not.

Andrei Markov Update?

Andrei Markov at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Int'l Airport - All rights reserved - (Please credit website if using picture)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  I guess that can be accurate if you really want to dissect the intricacies of what we're seeing here.  This picture, taken 2 days ago at Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, shows Andrei Markov waiting to board a flight to Miami.

A few things come to mind: where is he going, is there any visible swelling, why is he lifting his leg (added comfort or due to discomfort)?

The Injury Hex Continues

It seems the Montreal Canadiens just can't seem to get away from this cloud that has cast a dark shadow on their aspirations of becoming an elite team.  Injuries are a real part of hockey that affect all teams and are impossible to predict.  Your best defense against them is to make sure your team depth is solid but even the deepest of teams are adversely affected when the injury bug hits.

IS CHRIS DRURY IN THE HABS PLANS?

Ever since Glen Sather bought out Chris Drury's massive contract, there has been speculation on whether or not Habs management would be interested in securing Drury's services as their 4th line center.

It's not a secret (and we have touched on it in the past) that Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin are trying to build a team built on speed and skill up front and veteran leadership at the back.  A definite bonus is if a player has been an established or proven winner throughout his career.

This blueprint has looked very promising that it can and will deliver results in the post-lockout NHL.  Clearly though, there have been some exceptions especially when it came to filling in the role of 4th line center.  Starting with Bryan Smolinski, continuing through to Glen Metropolit, and last year's foray with Jeff Halpern.  All of those signings ended up working albeit with varying levels of success.

The problem here is that all of those guys were signed to fill a lessor role knowing that they had lost a step (or two) due to age and they were willing to do whatever was being asked of them in order to remain in the NHL.  I'm not sure that same scenario would play out as smoothly with Chris Drury.

NUMBERS VS. INTANGIBLES - THE GORGES STORY

It's been a few days now that Josh Gorges has signed his 1-year, $2.5M deal with the Montreal Canadiens and the reaction from Habs fans has been expectedly mixed.  We've seen varied reactions but the general consensus (from what I've read and heard) seems to be that one year was simply not enough and that the Habs seem to have short-changed Gorges.  Being a numbers guy through and through and looking at the deal, I cannot help but think that the contract seems like a fair one for both sides.  And yes, I can already hear you yelling out, "but what about the intangibles" that Gorges offers.  So you know what?  Let's take a look at those intangibles on BOTH sides of the coin.  Just as a disclaimer, I'll add right here, that I would've preferred to see Gorges signed for 3 years at $3M per (but not a penny more).

ASSESSING THE "D" BEFORE JULY 1st

So we've learned quite a bit today on how your Montreal Canadiens defense is shaping up before the free agency frenzy that starts on July 1st.

We know that James Wisniewski is not signing in Montreal after being shipped off to Columbus earlier this afternoon for a 7th round pick (to be upgraded to a 5th round pick should the Blue Jackets succeed in signing him).  We also know that Roman Hamrlik has refused to accept the 1 year deal that Pierre Gauthier offered him.  According to Petr Svoboda, Hamrlik's agent, the dollar amount was decent but the term was not with Hamrlik looking for a 2 to 3 year deal.

Finally, a news release from the Canadiens indicating that Yannick Weber had agreed to a 2 year deal that would pay him $1.7M over the term of the contract.  A cap hit of 850K is reasonable and well-deserved for Weber who continues to develop and showed glimpses of really solid play in the postseason last year.

Although there is a still a slight possibility that Hamrlik could potentially re-sign with the Habs, I would consider that possibility remote.  Considering the lack of free agents this year, I have little doubt that Roman will get his 2 year deal from another team and I don't blame him for going after it.  This is most likely his final NHL contract and he should maximize his earnings before he retires or goes the way of the KHL.  He provided the Habs organization with solid and effective play over his 4 years with the club and was handsomely rewarded for his efforts.