Can The Canadiens Win The Northeast Division?
by Robert L on Nov 30, 2009 10:27 AM EST
6 comments
A simple question for a Monday morning. Can the Canadiens win the Northeast Division? One quarter of the way into the 2009-10 season, it appears that no team at present is poised to run off with the Northeast Division title. As the current standings show, the top four teams are separated by a mere five points, and it gives credence to the notion that if one club were to get hot at this time, they could conceivably eclipse the other three. As it stands, the Bruins lead the pack with 31 points, followed by the Sabres and Senators with 30. The Canadiens are 4 points back of Buffalo and Ottawa, and 5 back of the Bruins. A busy December schedule that sees them play 17 games in 31 days is a crucial month of the season. When the New Year dawns, the Habs will be sitting just past the mid-season point, with 43 games played.
It is not certain when key players such as Andrei Markov, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Andrei Kostitsyn will make their return to the lineup, but with Markov beginning ti skate again and strong showings from the team in recent games, an air of hoprfulness has returned to Montreal. The play of youngsters such a Max Pacioretty and a rejuvenated Sergei Kostitsyn also serves to bolster the Canadiens' chances. A look at an uninjured Canadiens roster speaks well for the team's potential: Forwards A. Kostitsyn - Plekanec - Cammalleri Gionta - Gomez - S. Kostitsyn Pacioretty - Metropolit - Moen White - Lapierre - Pyatt (D' Agostini - Pouliot - Laraque) Defense Markov - Mara Hamrlik - Spacek Gorges - Bergeron (Gill - O' Byrne) Goal Price - Halak
December's schedule begins Tuesday with a home date against the Toronto Maple Leafs and features six other games against Northeast Division rivals. Six of the first ten games, between December 1 and 17 are at home, while the following seven, during a 12 day trip are on the road. The Canadiens play back to back games twice, playing the Wild in Minnesota following a home date with the New Jersey Devils on December 16. The round out the calendar year in the state of Florida, with games against the Lightning on succesive nights.
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I believe that the key to this season is the utilization of both Price and Halak. Price has been playing excellent but he’s not going to be able to all 17 games this month so Martin will need to properly schedule the goaltenders for the best efficiciency.
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by YourHabs on Nov 30, 2009 11:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Ugly month ahead of us!
As I have said all along, we have grit and character on this team compared to last season but not as skillful.
The season really depends on the work of Lapierre, Pacioretty, D’Agostini, Pouliot, O’Byrne, Andre and Sergei Kostitsyn and if they have what it takes to step it up and if Carey Price is really that No. 1 franchise goalie we drafted and the play of our very weak depleted DMen.
If so, we can make some noise in the East and in the playoffs.
But, in my opinion, we won’t.
It will be a disapointing season for us Habs fans and I see us finishing in 10th place in the East if not further.
Sorry to disappoint anyone, but reality sinks in.
I really hate to see next season if we have only $17 million of cap space next year to disperse among 12 players.
Yikes!
I really pray that I am wrong but I envision years of misery are ahead for our once proud franchise.
We will win the Cup only with a mature Carey Price in the nets
by RetroMikey on Nov 30, 2009 3:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Actually it's 11 millions.
See Capgeek.com. But it’s not as bad as it looks.
On D, we have our top 6 back (Markov, Hamr, Spacek, Gorges, O’Byrne & Gill) and I add Carle at 800k riding the press-gallery circuit.
We also have 8 forwards signed: 4 top sixers (Cammalleri, Gionta, Gomez & AKost) and 4 bottom sixers (Moen, Laraque, Pacioretty and White).
Our two goalies are at the end of their entry-level contract.
Say Laraque is gone, so we have 7 forwards and 2 goalies to sign with 12.5 millions. Of those 7 F, we in fact absolutely need a #2 C, maybe a top 6 winger (but we can also pine on the development of a kid still under control) and a bunch of bottom-sixers. And we need two goalies. I expect one of Pacioretty or SKost to compete for the last wing spot on the top 6.
Now. Say you fill out the bottom six with these guys (anybody tell me if I’m off the hooks on the salaries): SKost 1 mill, Lapierre, Pouliot, D’Agostini & Pyatt @ 750k. Skost may catch fire and earn a big paycheck, but may as well bolt. We’ll see. I’m calling 750k for the other guys as a cookie-cutter number.
That leaves us with 6.4 millions. Add a 500k cap hit for Laraque’s buyout and we are at 5.9m$; add 1 million as a safety cushion and we are down to 4.9. Obviously, we don’t have enough room left for both Pleks and Price, but we don’t have in-house replacements for these guys either. So some of the salary currently on the ledger is going out. I guess that’s Hamr, with one year at 5.5 left, is the one to go. Unless Bob trades Pleks for a young C who’ll be groomed behind Gomez over the next few years.
For those interested in that kind of stuff, capgeek.com is a wonderful tool.
by Olivier on Nov 30, 2009 4:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s hard to fathom a fully healthy lineup, and if I had to guess, we’ll never get to that point unless it’s at the end of the Olympic break. I’m choosing “15-21” but aiming for the high end of that, which is about 96-98 points over the course of a full season. Anything more without Markov (who isn’t expected to play a minute in December) seems foolish. I hope they make a fool out of me, though!
Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.
by saskhab on Nov 30, 2009 3:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Gabriel Desjardins says no. I know not everyone puts stock in New Stats, or stuff like that, but the fact that, as of a week ago, the Habs had a nigh-identical regulation record to sad-sack Toronto? That’s all kinds of no good at all, especially since, over the samples we see in a season, OT results aren’t repeatable.
Where have you gone, Andrei Markov? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there). Link now 100% less broken.
by Doogie2K on Dec 1, 2009 7:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
You’re kidding, right? It’s not the Canadiens’ fault they lost Markov in the first game of the season, but the fact is this is not even a playoff team, let alone a Division Champion. If Markov were to come back tomorrow there might be time to make up the lost ground, but as of today the Canadiens are nowhere near the playoffs, and unlikely to catch up anytime soon. If the Canadiens take anywhere less than 22 of 34 points in December, the season is toast.
by Tom Awad on Dec 1, 2009 11:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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