I think this is a playoff team if....

[member 300185]

If Weber and Price are healthy and Price is back to his true form, then this Habs team is a playoff team.

Sure, its a first round exit but there is value in the playoffs with young guys getting valuable experience.

A healthy Weber gives much needed depth on the blue line bumping everyone down a spot where they should be.

Although the Habs cant do anything in the playoffs with no proper centers, the regular season should rack up enough points.

Thoughts?

Put together your best line-up that makes the playoffs.

Click to read more...

 

[Captain Mountain]

Weber being healthy does less to push "everyone down a spot where they should be" than almost any player on the team. Petry is behind him and he's easily Montreal's 2nd best defender (and has on multiple occasions outperformed a healthy Weber). And Weber's health has no effect on the cavalcade of bottom pair and AHL calibre D on the left side. Mete is the only LHD that could be more, and he's 20.

Weber also wont be healthy for half the season.

This is a play-off team if they get really lucky and/or Price has another all-time great season.

 

[Lshap]

Hypotheticals are fun, but your premise falls apart at the second word. Weber isn't healthy. By the time he's back and up to speed the season will be 2/3 over.

EDIT: Okay, I'll get into the spirit of this. In addition to the obvious (Price, Drouin, Domi, maybe Max) Habs are a playoff team if the young guys -- Scherbak, Hudon, Juulsen and Mete -- develop more than expected and become core players.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Hypotheticals are fun, but your premise falls apart at the second word. Weber isn't healthy. By the time he's back and up to speed the season will be 2/3 over.

So Weber is only back up to his potential by February? I hope so for another tank year but Weber will be back training in mid Nov. I expect him to be a the guy we know by the end of December worse case. If it goes beyond that, there is problems with his injury recovery.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Habs are a playoff team if we have no serious injuries to key players and Price is back to being the guy we know. Weber returns in December and looks refreshed. One of the Panthers, Flyers, and Blue Jackets have bad years. I can totally see the Habs competing with the Sabres, Canes, Islanders, etc for that bottom 2 wild card spots if we have a healthy season. I prefer another tank year but I can see a potential for a rebound year for sure.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

If Domi-Drouin-Gallagher explode as a #1 line and Price bounces back, I could see the Habs in the playoffs.

 

[Lshap]

So Weber is only back up to his potential by February? I hope so for another tank year but Weber will be back training in mid Nov. I expect him to be a the guy we know by the end of December worse case. If it goes beyond that, there is problems with his injury recovery.

After a full year away it's about more than injury recovery, it's about timing, reflexes, and wind. As we saw with Markov, even after he was back in the lineup it took time to regain his form. But he did, and I think Weber will too.

 

[shamrun]

It sucks that we need to rely on ifs to be competitive. I think this team was built for the wrong era of hockey. Even if carey price is at 100% he cant score goals and he would probably be burned out by the end of the season. How many 40~50 shots games can he physically and mentally take before the playoffs even start. And for Weber we will have to wait until he comes back and gets lots of games under his belt. There is a good chance this season will be like last. But i love your optimism though. Part of me shares in it.

 

[Bacchus1]

... if Bergevin is able to swindle a 1st & 2nd line center & a 1-2 PMD from a team for Patche or less.

In short, this team probably won’t make the playoffs.

 

[Habs Halifax]

After a full year away it's about more than injury recovery, it's about timing, reflexes, and wind. As we saw with Markov, even after he was back in the lineup it took time to regain his form. But he did, and I think Weber will too.

It's typically a 5 month recovery time from what I read. Habs have him scheduled to come back in mid December which is 6 months. I think he has plenty of recovery time to be back to his normal self by the end of December... if he doesn't face any setbacks. Weber back for the first 1/3 should not be exaggerated to 2/3

I also think Weber will regain his form and the extra time off will help him be refreshed when he is back. Like everyone has said many times, he has played heavy minutes most of his career and played close to full seasons.

 

[Milhouse40]

After seeing the expansion team in the Stanley Cup final this year, it's hard to stand here and say it's impossible for the Habs to make the PO. Price is the key, it won't be the first time he brought a crappy team in the PO.

Also need a couple of unexpected performance for this to happen. (Like a Lehkonen or Hudon putting up 30ish goals or Peca playing top 6 center)

Still wouldn't bet on it. Too many holes and Weber, Shaw and Byron out to start the season is already a hard knock on the team.

 

[Ozmodiar]

... if they were in the AHL.

 

[HomeAndHome]

The Habs making the playoffs really does rely on Price putting up a stellar season + Weber coming back relatively healthy.

Aside from Weber/Petry the defense is relatively bad or young and the forwards will probably struggle to score again this year.

Crazier things have happened but a lot will have to go right for the Habs to make the playoffs this year IMO, and as others have pointed out Weber, Shaw, and Byron all potentially out for the start of the season could really make it tough out of the gate.

 

[26Mats]

If Domi-Drouin-Gallagher explode as a #1 line and Price bounces back, I could see the Habs in the playoffs.

imo the offense may be salvageable if Scherbak and Domi step up, even if Drouin doesn't take his game to another level at center, and if Gallagher has the same type of season as last year. But the dcore without Weber imo surely has us too far out of the playoff picture before his return.

This would be my lineup (probably very different from what Julien will do)

Pacioretty Danault Scherbak/Domi (depending on chemistry)
Scherbak/Domi Drouin Gallagher
Hudon Pleks Lehkonen
Armia Byron Deslauriers (can't keep any of these 3 out of the lineup for DLR, but with Byron's injury, DLR will get his shot at the beginning of the year)
DLR, Froese

Mete Petry
Alzner Juulsen
Ouellette Benn
Reilly, Lernout, Valiev

Price
Niemi

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

If the Habs make the playoffs.. its because of a incredibile individual performance from Price, throughout the whole year, shitload of luck for us and bad luck for other teams. In other words, we need the whole universe to be aligned.

We won't make it because we have a good team.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

imo the offense may be salvageable if Scherbak and Domi step up, even if Drouin doesn't take his game to another level at center, and if Gallagher has the same type of season as last year. But the dcore without Weber imo surely has us too far out of the playoff picture before his return.

This would be my lineup (probably very different from what Julien will do)

Pacioretty Danault Scherbak/Domi (depending on chemistry)
Scherbak/Domi Drouin Gallagher
Hudon Pleks Lehkonen
Armia Byron Deslauriers (can't keep any of these 3 out of the lineup for DLR, but with Byron's injury, DLR will get his shot at the beginning of the year)
DLR, Froese

Mete Petry
Alzner Juulsen
Ouellette Benn
Reilly, Lernout, Valiev

Price
Niemi

I agree with that lineup, though would have Reilly in at that last D spot. Would also lean towards Scherbak on that first line as I would imagine he'd fit better beside Danault and Pacioretty, while Domi would fit better with Drouin and Gallagher.

 

[Runner77]

... if Bergevin is able to swindle...

If not Bergevin, maybe a turnaround can be orchestrated but not this year. Bergevin will swindle no one.

 

[habsterr]

If we do make the playoffs by some miracle, surely a 1st round sweep is worse than another top 10 draft pick.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Habs are a playoff team if and only if they are all healthy all season long and each and every single player has a career year.

And even then, I wouldn't bet my money on it.

 

[habsfan909]

Habs are a playoff team if the top half of the league all decides to fold their teams in protest, leaving the 8th seed open for us (if Price has an all-world season).
Otherwise - consider coming bottom 3 the playoffs for us. Of course, that makes us top 3 for the lottery playoffs which is all that matters this season.

 

[Belial]

Price is the real Price and this team makes the PO.

 

[Koivu11]

If we make the playoffs that means Bergevin stays and that would be a disaster.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Price is the real Price and this team makes the PO.

You mean the real Price who always had TWO number 1 defensemen everytime he had vezina worthy stats?

 

[26Mats]

Price is the real Price and this team makes the PO.

If Price is the real Price, i.e. his trade value is back up to high levels, I REALLY hope he gets traded.

(and this will mean that Bergevin will have been fired)

 

[peate]

With our scoring? I don't care if Price has a .950 Save %, if we can't score more than 2 goals a game we don't stand a chance.