Are the Montreal Canadiens not as bad as people expected them to be?
- Thread starter General Disarray
- Start date
Wildcarder
Registered User
It's early, but neither Montreal, Ottawa, nor Vancouver have been nearly as bad as anyone expected them to be.
Still lots of time to turn it around though!
Still lots of time to turn it around though!
llamateizer
Registered User
usual hot start? where have you been last season?
Season is still young. we'll have a better view at the quarter of the season
Season is still young. we'll have a better view at the quarter of the season
The Winter Soldier
Registered User
- Apr 4, 2011
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4-1-1 thus far. They play fast and smart. Kind of remind me of how NJ looked early last year.
Regardless, being a hockey fan that has visited Montreal. There is nothing like a Habs game on a Saturday night.
Regardless, being a hockey fan that has visited Montreal. There is nothing like a Habs game on a Saturday night.
Probably only means they won't have a good pick.
CupInSIX
My cap runneth over
They're doing a good job of exposing teams that are struggling, or that aren't prepared to skate from the drop of the puck.
I can see them in a wildcard spot with the points they're racking up out of the gate. Even if their play trails off, Price should get them in the playoffs. Possible Toronto-Montreal 1st round matchup?
I can see them in a wildcard spot with the points they're racking up out of the gate. Even if their play trails off, Price should get them in the playoffs. Possible Toronto-Montreal 1st round matchup?
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
I think a lot of HFers underestimate the parity.
Not to say that the Habs aren't capable of maintaining it, but more so that any team in the league can put 5 or 6 good games together.
Anyway, it's good to see, and it's odd for me to say it, but Montreal was being trashed a lot in the off-season so it must be nice for the fans to have some positivity.
Especially to have some contributions from new arrivals.
A lot of these teams that are overperforming according to expectations are working their asses off early in the season. (including Ottawa)
We'll see if that's sustainable.
Not to say that the Habs aren't capable of maintaining it, but more so that any team in the league can put 5 or 6 good games together.
Anyway, it's good to see, and it's odd for me to say it, but Montreal was being trashed a lot in the off-season so it must be nice for the fans to have some positivity.
Especially to have some contributions from new arrivals.
A lot of these teams that are overperforming according to expectations are working their asses off early in the season. (including Ottawa)
We'll see if that's sustainable.
The Winter Soldier
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- Apr 4, 2011
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TB, Boston will have a say in this. But if you ask me does Montreal have a chance at a wild card? I would say yes from what I have seen. I made a similar observation early for the Devils last season when some said they were going to fall back to earth.
Whalers Fan
Go Habs!
It's still too early to tell. However, they are a lot more entertaining to watch than the horrific brand of hockey they played last season. That was about as exciting as watching paint dry.
Johnny Hoxville
The Return of a Legend
Montrealer
What, me worry?
I could barely make it through a full game last season, it was a chore to watch. Boring, uninspired hockey.
This season is like a brand new team. Flying, forechecking, backchecking, it's been a blast to watch so far. The team has a lot of issues (special teams!) and this season will be a roller coaster, but at least it looks like it's going to be a fun ride. Claude Julien even said this week that they're in the entertainment business and it sounds like the fans are enjoying the new style of play. Claude Julien said that!
It's great for the NHL as a whole that the new meta is speed and skill. There's a lot to like about hockey in general of late.
This season is like a brand new team. Flying, forechecking, backchecking, it's been a blast to watch so far. The team has a lot of issues (special teams!) and this season will be a roller coaster, but at least it looks like it's going to be a fun ride. Claude Julien even said this week that they're in the entertainment business and it sounds like the fans are enjoying the new style of play. Claude Julien said that!
It's great for the NHL as a whole that the new meta is speed and skill. There's a lot to like about hockey in general of late.
Montrealer
What, me worry?
Really good, better than I would have thought. He seems to be having a blast playing in a hockey-mad market (which as always is a two-edged sword, it's fun when the going is good and really crappy when it's not, but for now, it's all good).
They will be better, but is that the answer for the Habs? Price playing great will hurt their draft standings. They need to concentrate on a rebuild.
1specter
Registered User
- Sep 27, 2016
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Montreal is the king of overachieving with mediocre rosters. It's actually f***ing hilarious because every time they need to do a proper rebuild they can't 
Minnesota Wild of the East
Minnesota Wild of the East
I'm conflicted, always want the team you cheer for to win but at the same time is there enough on this team to make a push for a championship? A bad season means another high pick...so conflicted.
Johnny Hoxville
The Return of a Legend
Going back to Jr, he’s been one of my favourites. I just love how he plays, loads of skill and speed while taking the game right at you. Plus he’s such a fun player to watch and he’s tough as nails. I honestly think he’s a great compliment to Drouin, his energy should spark him.
Habs 4 Life
No Excuses
Price missed already 2 games with the flu and we won them both
I don't think we will be great, but I do think we won't be as bad as most predicted, myself included
If they keep skating like this, we will give teams a hard time and we will be in most games
It's just fun to actually be able to stay awake while watching the Habs unlike last season!!!!
newfy
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- Jul 28, 2010
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As a wings fan I'm really enjoying these teams having a hot start and the wings starting with themselves in a hole. These 3 teams along with the wings were almost everyones pick for bottom 4.
The Winter Soldier
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- Apr 4, 2011
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Another thing to be positive on is Captain Weber skated last Thursday. When he gets back, the PP will improve. And he will slot everyone down a notch and make them better. IE Petry. An interesting team to keep an eye on.
Montrealer
What, me worry?
Rebuilds aren't the only way to success, and they're not guaranteed results either. There are many examples of both.
The Habs made a lot of moves to address organizational depth at centre already. There's no reason to lose on purpose to get a slightly better lottery chance at Hughes when you can easily end up picking 6th or something if it doesn't go right and you get unlucky at the lottery.
This isn't loading up on veterans and making an ill-advised push at the wild card, they're playing the young guys and they're doing well. I'm enjoying the ride fully cognizant that it's a long season and they'll lose their share. The big thing is the young guys will develop and there's a lot to like about the ones we have today, not to mention JK getting better and Suzuki incoming.
CupInSIX
My cap runneth over
BB88
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- Jan 19, 2015
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Their lack of skill shows when watching their games, but they've had good work ethic so far.
He moves around fine for a big guy and he's about as good as they come positionally. Even Benn looks faster this year playing this type of system. Weber is going to help them a lot and he'll open up a lot more options on the PP.
tom leafers
Registered User
From what i saw during the leafs game, they are kind of like the Knights of last year. They worked their asses off and controlled parts of the game with their work ethic alone. Imo they just need some more talent
