No miracle run can save them now. Not that it was looking likely beforehand.
It was a season of historic highs, and historic lows, ending in a seemingly never-ending nightmare. Between the meteoric rise, and the staggering collapse, it was a season of extremes.
Because the Habs suffered injuries to nearly every single member of the core — and to just about everyone else, a staggering 41 players suited up for the bleu, blanc et rouge. If you look at the 2015-16 team photo, the entire back line was a regular in St. John’s for most of the season. Yet another novelty in this gong show of a year.
The good news is, it’s almost over, and the last time things were this bad, the Habs got Alex Galchenyuk. The bad news is just about everything else.
Everything I can say has been repeated ad nauseam already, but the Habs need to really give their youngsters a look. Let the kids play. Like we were repeatedly told they would, and during this off season? Fix things. No more holding pattern. Stop letting the Tinordis, Andrighettos, Beaulieus, and Hudons of the world languish on a terrible AHL team because older, worse players are taking up spots. Also, about that AHL team, they’re too talented a roster to be this bad, and have been for years.
Fix it.
Don’t waste the primes of Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, and P.K. Subban. Don’t wait until you’re too cap-strapped to do keep the talented players on this roster together. Don’t waste the cheap years of the younger players on this team, and stop playing inferior players over superstars in the making (I’m looking at Beaulieu and Galchenyuk especially here).
Heck, stop playing mediocre players over good ones. Stop relying on veterans, when the kids are capable of so much more.
Stop with the powerplay systems that have been next to useless for more than three years. These were problems that always existed, they were just much more obvious this year.
The injuries hurt, but there is something much larger that is rotten in the state of Montreal, and it needs to be purged. Enough is enough.
Fire Therrien. Plus d’excuses.
