Season Preview : Better late than Never
Yeah, I know. The season started yesterday and I’m previewing it today. Give me a break, I work 10 hours a week, have a dog to walk, a little brother to take care of, and a life on GTA 4 I have to continue. Not to mention the shitty computer that broke down yesterday. I don’t have time for this hockey shit. But as unprofessional as it is, it’s here! TopShelfHabs’ season preview of the 2008/2009 Montreal Canadiens.
Coaching staff: What can I say? Is there a better-looking coaching staff in the league? Carbonneau should play John Connor in the next Terminator. Screw Christian Bale man! But anyway, Guy ‘Carbs’ Carbonneau is one of the best coaches in the league. He’s not scared to shake things up, which is very important. Kirk ‘Aaron Eckhart’ Muller, Doug ‘Whitey’ Jarvis and Roland ‘Call me Rolie’ Melanson are vital pieces of the puzzle as well. I wouldn’t want anyone but Melanson as goaltending coach, and Jarvis is the kind of coach that says we need Alex Tanguay at the point on the powerplay, and goddamn I think it’s gona be beautiful.
Forwards:
Line 1: Higgins - Koivu - Tanguay
Is this the best line Saku has centered since being here? It might just be. A good number of people are already predicting that Tanguay will be a flop, you know, being the whole French Canadian thing, I for one believe he will rock…a lot! Christopher ‘Yale’ Higgins is like waiting for an STM bus - you know it has the capability to be there at a certain time, and you know it SHOULD be there, but you just don’t know - but he if finally breaks the 30 goal barrier, Mr. Tongue has a decent season and Saks plays well, then lots of people are gona be reaaaaaaal happy. If not, burn all three.
Line 2: Kovalev - Plekanec - A. Kostitsyn
By the way, it’s fucken pronounced PLEKANETS! Ok!? Anyway, this is the most technically-gifted line we’re gona put on the ice this season. They ran the show last year and I expect them to run it again this year. Pray to God they stay healthy, ’cause if they don’t, Guillaume Latendresse is gona have to be a first line winger, and we don’t want that to happen. The most important player on this line, and I didn’t say the best, is Tomas Plekanec. Kovalev had an awful season 2 years ago because he had a retard on speed called Sergei Samsonov playing next to him. Plekanec can almost make Latendresse look good, I love Plekanec! PLEKANEC PLEKANEC PLEKANEC!
Line 3: Latendresse - Lang - S. Kostitsyn
BIG ROBERT LANG! From what I saw in preseason action, this trio has incredible potential. Latendresse just has to do what he’s paid for AND DRIVE TO THE F’N NET MAN! Sergei is awesome, and he’s a nice guy and all, but I’m pretty sure he works part time as a serial killer or something. This is the most offensively-capable line we’ve fielded since the days of Pierre Dagenais, Perreault, Bulis and Langdon (that is humor). They’ll either kill or suck.
Line 4: Kostopoulos - Begin - Laraque (Lapierre)
Skate. In. The. Other. Fucken. Direction
Defensemen:
Pair 1: Komisarek - Markov
Markov is probably the best all-around player we have. He has a hell of a shot, an even better pass, extremely strong on his skates, leads the powerplay and is not very goodlooking (but that doesn’t matter). Komi is scary.
Pair 2: Hamrlik - O’byrne
O’byrne is a Komisarek-in-training. He’s got the huge physical presence, a pretty good shot which will improve, and the uhh, rugged good looks. He gets caught out of position pretty often, but I expect the coaching staff to improve that this year. And he has to hit more, fucken injure people! Hamrlik is the steady veteran presence we needed last year and will need this season, hopefully he plays like he did last season and not the one before that when he got driven out of Calgary.
Pair 3: Bouillon - Gorges
The trade involving Josh Gorges-Max Pacioretty for Craig Rivet has already been labeled as one of the better pieces of business Bob Gainey and Trevor Timmins have dealt. Gorgeous Gorges wasn’t exactly a house-hold name when he was sent to Montreal from San Jose, but he’s evolved into a hugely capable defenseman to have. He ends up on the floor more than those Swiffer broom things, but he never stays down, and I like that. He’s matured this past season and expect him to get even better. Bouillon is Bouillon. He hits, he shoots, he passes, he’s reliable, he’s quick. What more do you want?
Goaltenders:
Price:
Carey Price is the franchise goal-tender this team has been lacking since Roy’s departure to Colorado. Don’t underestimate the kid, he’s something special. I value him as highly as I value Kovalev, Kostitsyn and Plekanec. Expect him to put in a Vezina-worthy performance this year. He’s got the calm needed to play in Montreal and the positioning required to stop a LOT of pucks (see Brian Rafalski).
Halak:
Jaroslav Halak is a great young goaltender. But I don’t think he’ll be here for very long. Denis and Desjardins among others are the kind of reassurance Bob Gainey needs to trade Jaro for either a Puck-moving defenseman or a Power Forward. The franchise is already betting on Price long-term, and Halak is better than a second Goaltender. He can easily challenge for the starter’s job at many other NHL teams.
Conclusion: This is, without a doubt, the most balanced team we’ve had for years. The expectations will be and already are huge, so that may be the biggest problem. If the players can stay level-headed and concentrate on the job at hand, which I think Carbo will help immensily with, I believe they can go all the way. The media has got to chill, and not freak out every time Price/Halak let in a bad goal, Begin takes a bad penalty, Kovalev decides to shoot instead of pass etc etc. We can’t monitor and critique everything the players do, we’ve got three extremely talented lines, and a fourth line that’s among the toughest and the most experienced in the league.
: Last year, with a less talented roster and a less experienced goal-tender tandem we made it to the Conference semis. This year, once again, if the expectations themselves don’t beat the team, I predict we will go to the Stanley Cup Final. Once we’re there, I’ll let the ghosts of the Forum do their job.
Prediction
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