Are the Montreal Canadiens not as bad as people expected them to be?

[The Winter Soldier]

No comparison to the Knights please. The Knights have a multiple stanley cup champion and underrated star in Fluery.

They have one thing in common. A potential elite Goalie to carry them a long way. Flower and the Price is Right.

 

[bert]

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.

They are set up for sustainable play much better than the sens are. They are deeper and more experienced.

I think most notably its been pretty obvious Dominic Ducharme is a superb coach. They have completely changed their style of play and it has replicated Team Canada at the WJC the last two seasons which played a very similar style to Vegas. They have 4 lines that can absolutely fly, and a mobile d core that as a group attacks the puck all over the ice. No time and space is given to the opponent, by rolling 4 lines and 6 d you can keep playing at this pace.

You have to wonder if teams approach the habs to take Ducharme what they do...

 

[NyQuil]

They are set up for sustainable play much better than the sens are. They are deeper and more experienced.

I agree.

My impression is that they've played better in their wins than our team has.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

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.

Price has played well, but he is not the reason why the habs have 4 wins.
In fact, Niemi has half of those wins.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Some teams like Montreal and Vancouver have looked much better than expected. But it’s still very early and this happens every year. Let’s check back at the one quarter point to see if it’s sustainable.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

They have one thing in common. A potential elite Goalie to carry them a long way. Flower and the Price is Right.

One is underatted the other one is the opposite and overpayed.

 

[Dack]

Claude Julien is one of the best coaches in the NHL and his teams will play above their talent level.

But I don't know if they'll be a playoff teams because their team is really bad.

Finally everyone was crapping on the Habs for the Domi trade even though him and Galchenyuk are very similar players and it looks like he might not have awful puck luck this year.

 

[Hockeyholic]

They need to tank and acquire elite talent. I'm sorry but making the postseason and getting creamed in the 1st round isn't going to help them. Regardless, its early and I expect them to be bad this season.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

One is underatted the other one is the opposite and overpayed.

Price like many Canadiens players were bad last year. At times one just has to trust they will bounce back. Draw a line through 2017-18. Plus he was not healthy. As for his cap hit, yes, it is high. But he has the potential to play to that cap hit if he gets back to his previous form as the best Goalie in the world. When you have this potential, you are a dangerous team to play. And one teams do not want to meet in the first rd. Price brings this to the Canadiens.

 

[odishabs]

No comparison to the Knights please. The Knights have a multiple stanley cup champion and underrated star in Fluery.

Sorry man, having multiple stanley cup champions does not make the Knights a better team.

 

[MtlBoxFan]

How has Domi looked?

Great imo. Like a second Gallagher with a touch more size and upside.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Sorry man, having multiple stanley cup champions does not make the Knights a better team.

Worked last year. Knights still have a better roster than the habs.

 

[MtlBoxFan]

No comparison to the Knights please. The Knights have a multiple stanley cup champion and underrated star in Fluery.

This has to be trolling. I think most people would pick Price over Fleury. Price hasn't had the luxury of having a career with Crosby and Malkin in front of him.

 

[MtlBoxFan]

Worked last year. Knights still have a better roster than the habs.

Of course they do. They were given all their players.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Of course they do. They were given all their players.

GM still had to pick the roster. Are you suggesting the finals trip is not deserved?

 

[MtlBoxFan]

GM still had to pick the roster. Are you suggesting the finals trip is not deserved?

I'm suggesting no expansion team should ever make the finals in their first year and is a crystal clear indication that the expansion draft was not designed correctly.
Vegas having success was important to the NHL brass, so they did what they could to enable it.

 

[Number 57]

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.

As I've already posted before with Kotkaniemi/Suzuki added to the prospect pool there is very little need for the Habs to tank some more. Honestly, nobody wants to watch a loser for 3-4 seasons, and for some teams (EDM, BUF, FLA, ARZ, NYI) it hasn't been the answer at all.

A lot of Habs fans said last summer that the roster wasn't as bad as people thought. Honestly when you have Weber and Price, you can't really tank. And Montreal has a lot of pieces that should do well in the future.

Kotkaniemi, Suzuki, Poehling, Mete and Juulsen are all trending up, and we have plenty of other roster players and prospects doing great. If Weber and Price can play well for a couple more years and Kotkaniemi becomes a 1C, the Habs will be highly competitive.

Also I do not expect them to make the playoffs this season, which means you can add potentially a top-10 prospect from the 2019 draft to our team. Which, in a sense, would complete the rebuild.

 

[karnige]

na it's the something to prove mentality. eventually they will come back to reality.

 

[SensFactor]

I never thought habs would be a terrible team. They have Price who can steal games single handedly. They are a bubble team IMO.

 

[torniojaws]

Their lack of skill shows when watching their games, but they've had good work ethic so far.

That got Vegas quite far last season.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

The Tatar/Suzuki addition is looking good. Tatar is paying instant dividends, and the Habs went from 0 Center prospects to suddenly looking good down the middle in the future with Kotkaniemi, Domi, and Suzuki. Say what you want. I have to give credit to Bergevin. This team went from bleak and boring to young, fast and exciting over night.

 

[BB88]

That got Vegas quite far last season.

Sure, but who's going to be their Karlsson& Marchesault?

 

[Reality Check]

Montreal nor Ottawa are going anywhere. But their success so far this season only helps Detroit so I'm all for it.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

They're much funner to watch than anything we have had in the last couple of years but I think they're overachieving at the moment, teams will adjust to their speed and they don't really have a sniper/big shot anymore - at least until Weber is back - so their PP will struggle

 

[DatSnipeMatthews]

They will be in the bottom 10 for sure. They don't have any game-breaking talent on that roster. And no, Drouin and his career best of 53 points is not a game-breaking talent.