Speculation: Can we win the cup this year? Next year?

[bobholly39]

Fellow Hab fans - can we win the cup this year? Next year?

I'm tired of tempering our expectations. We have 3 elite players. We've had two great years.

Do we have a legit shot?

I promise you that Boston, LA, Chicago, Pittsburgh to name a few are going into this season with the goal to win the cup. Anything less and they will be disappointed.

How about us? Do we feel the same way? Or not quite yet?

Click to read more...

 

[WeThreeKings]

Save this stuff for the leafs board. They won the off season and bernier is a top 5 goalie in the league and a legit vezina threat.

 

[Lshap]

The last two seasons have shown us that our brilliant predictions are worthless. Nobody saw our 2011/12 lottery team rebounding like it did in 2013. Few of us would've put money on the Habs making it to the final-four. The lesson isn't that we're fully-built. We're not. But we are good enough to win the EC. After that, it depends who we'd face from the WC.

As to a Cup win this year, it could happen if:

- Galchenyuk, Eller, Tinordi, Beaulieu step up.

- We get another top forward, someone like Bobby Ryan, at the trade deadline.

- Healthy roster in the playoffs

- LA/San Jose/St Louis are eliminated earlier or injured

 

[Lshap]

Save this stuff for the leafs board. They won the off season and bernier is a top 5 goalie in the league and a legit vezina threat.

Considering where we finished last season, it's reasonable to project ahead by one more series. On the other hand, the Leafs would need to hire J.R.R. Tolkien to write a Cup fantasy.

 

[MauriceTheGreat*]

I'm just going to say that's not impossible.

 

[HabsRockBruinsChoke]

I'm sure our chances are better than most teams.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

See you in the SC Finals!

~Avs~

 

[Sterling Archer]

I think we have as good a chance as any, more so if we can trade for a top line winger at the end of the season a la Vanek but this time, a guy who will actually play hard.

Anything is possible once the POs start!

 

[BLONG7]

We are going in the right direction, but I think it's still too soon to go there, with Cup aspirations the way we once did ( yes I'm old )

Still like the way we are being built, but it has been slow getting bigger and better up front...

 

[bobholly39]

See you in the SC Finals!

~Avs~

eh

was hoping last year lol.

 

[Brainiac]

Well, we do have a shot at getting out of the East. We're not at the same level as Chicago and LA, though.

Anything is possible once the POs start!

I hate this idiom. First, it's just not true. 4 x 7 games series is not a coin flip. The best teams will win most of the time and the teams ranked 10-16th have practically no chance. The Kings of recent years are an exception, but we all know they are better than their regular season results.

With that being said, I'd change the idiom by saying this: once you get to the Stanley Cup final, anything is possible.

Upsetting 3 or 4 teams successively is almost impossible. But just one upset? Totally possible. For example, I'd like our chances against a team like Chicago, even though they are better than us.

 

[S Bah]

The last two seasons have shown us that our brilliant predictions are worthless. Nobody saw our 2011/12 lottery team rebounding like it did in 2013. Few of us would've put money on the Habs making it to the final-four. The lesson isn't that we're fully-built. We're not. But we are good enough to win the EC. After that, it depends who we'd face from the WC.

As to a Cup win this year, it could happen if:

- Galchenyuk, Eller, Tinordi, Beaulieu step up.

- We get another top forward, someone like Bobby Ryan, at the trade deadline.

- Healthy roster in the playoffs

- LA/San Jose/St Louis are eliminated earlier or injured

Breaking in a group of rookies and winning the SC has been done by the Habs before in Jean Beliveau's last season, the Habs had 8-9 rookies throughout that season. They beat the Bobby Orr /Pihil Esposito record setting Bruins, still considered to be the greatest upset ever in SC playoffs by most hockey people. But with 30 teams, parity being like it was for the Original Six teams, teams play four rounds of playoffs, not likely both LA and St.Louis won't be there in the Finals, if not the team that does will be tough to beat. Bobby Ryan(Philadelphia Flyers bound like Vanek to Minny) less, not sure he would be good in the Habs room, honestly.

Considering where we finished last season, it's reasonable to project ahead by one more series. On the other hand, the Leafs would need to hire J.R.R. Tolkien to write a Cup fantasy.

The Leafs with Brendan Shanahan as the Boss, will be playing smash-mouth hockey count on that, but no TML SC this year!

 

[Price is Wright]

Nope, never. Montreal will never win another Cup ever. Best time to get off this train. Just call them the Montreal Cubs!

 

[Bob b smith]

The goal has to be to win the Cup. Making the playoffs won't satisfy the fans. And we've won a couple of rounds with a less mature version of this lineup.

 

[Blind Gardien]

Missing the playoffs seems more probable than winning the Cup this year, I'd say.

But until shown otherwise, anything is possible, I guess. On the plus side, the field doesn't seem too stacked in the East... maybe you really only need one playoff upset to get to the Finals. Maybe not even that if you're really lucky. But on the minus side, whoever comes out of the West is still likely to be a powerhouse and it'll take a lot of luck to be able to win in the finals even if you get there.

 

[Price is Wright]

Missing the playoffs seems more probable than winning the Cup this year, I'd say.

Ah yes, the old coin toss.

We either win or lose! 50/50!

 

[Habskrieg]

No.

I like our chances to making the playoffs, but that isn't guaranteed. If we do make it, I think we can make a deep push. But maybe not as far the finals.

And say we do make it to the finals. No. I have serious doubts we'd win.

So, probability wise, yes. But honestly, no, we won't.

 

[S Bah]

Until our team has a proper balance of talent, size, & speed with depth(injury free) that can match the other contenders, the hopes aren't in the Habs favor. When our prospects have developed and get NHL experience, then the Habs will be favorites to make the SC Finals and win, not before that. I'm sorry to burst the bubble, but the Habs are becoming a good soon to be great team again. Three yrs. minimum IMHO, and that's without setbacks in development & injuries to key personnel.

 

[Non Player Canadiens]

I see the Habs belonging to the second tier.

The Kings, the Bruins , the Ducks, the Blackhawks and the Sharks are at the top. Then there's a drop off, and a new tier begins, possibly with the Habs at the top of it.

So yeah, I guess there's an outside chance, but it's not very likely.

Go Habs go!

 

[Teufelsdreck]

Fellow Hab fans - can we win the cup this year? Next year?

I'm tired of tempering our expectations. We have 3 elite players. We've had two great years.

Do we have a legit shot?

I promise you that Boston, LA, Chicago, Pittsburgh to name a few are going into this season with the goal to win the cup. Anything less and they will be disappointed.

How about us? Do we feel the same way? Or not quite yet?

Ask yourself if the Habs are good enough. Fellow board members may reassure you or disappoint you but it's up to you to make up your own mind. If you can't right now, stick around and see what happens in the first 20 games. IMO winning the championship would depend on the disabled list of the contending teams.

 

[Chacal667]

2 words : Carey Price

 

[Skip Bayless]

I still can't see us beating the Kings or Chicago in a 7 game series.

 

[MauriceTheGreat*]

I still can't see us beating the Kings or Chicago in a 7 game series.

Well, we have Price and a promising D and if Price can pulls a Roy or a Hasek it's absolutely possible but one have to be careful with hopes.

Don't see it either but I'd be cheering like crazy.

 

[Devourers]

We could, any team that went deep last year and is largely the same this year can, but thing is in order to win we'd need some massive developmental leaps from a few of our players.

Galchenyuk would need to become a dominant force, Eller would need to keep up his quality play from last years post season, there's way too many factors at hand.

Of course when you've got a guy like Price and PK on the backend, anything can happen. That's why I say it's possible but doubtful. Hey, to be fair if Phaneuf is the best thing you have on the backend, you won't even sniff past the 1st round.

 

[Rozz]

can we? Sure.. any one could win with the right circumstances and miracles all falling into place...

will we? well that depends on a lot of things ... and i mean a lot.. and unfortunately i miss placed my crystal ball so i'm just gonna guess and say that we will probably have a alright chance but fall short .. but we will learn from our mistakes and be seen as a contender in the next year or 2. but, that's with out some sort of meteoric rise or epic fail happening..

ahhh... screw it... the fan boy in me just wants to say YES .. SO, YES WE WILL!




..but, logic still says no.