Montreal Canadiens are going to be contenders next season?

[Werewolf]

There is no way Montreal could be considered a contender. All I see from the fan base is a litany of "what ifs" and no depth whatsover ... just a couple of injuries from a spiraling black hole of a season. Montreal is not a cup contender ... its a team in contention for the 6th-8th playoff seed. Pens/Caps/Panthers/Islanders/Bolts are easily better. Even if Montreal makes the playoffs whoever they play in the two tiers above them will dispatch them easily.

First Tier: Bolts, Pens, Caps
Second Tier: Panthers, Islanders,
Third Tier: Detroit, Montreal, Philly, Rangers, etc.
Fourth Tier: etc. etc.
Fifth Tier: TML

 

[Drakkar]

The Habs make the playoffs last year with average goaltending.

The had the worst save % of the league when Price went down, you cannot win with numbers like this, even with a good team.

They finished first in the East two years ago, and I feel they have a better team this year.

With a healthy lineup, I put them in the same category than Tampa Bay & Florida in the Atlantic.

 

[Lebowski]

How are the Islanders better, let alone "easily better"?

 

[syc]

The Habs make the playoffs last year with average goaltending.

The had the worst save % of the league when Price went down, you cannot win with numbers like this, even with a good team.

They finished first in the East two years ago, and I feel they have a better team this year.

With a healthy lineup, I put them in the same category than Tampa Bay & Florida in the Atlantic.

Yes the habs had no price but they also had no scoring. Both teams in Florida have three lines that can score, the habs have one line.

Habs fans have a crazy resemblance to flames fans last off season. Too much koolaid.

 

[Lebowski]

Yes the habs had no price but they also had no scoring. Both teams in Florida have three lines that can score, the habs have one line.

Habs fans have a crazy resemblance to flames fans last off season. Too much koolaid.

More like HF didn't learn from its mistakes after the 11-12 season where the Habs ended up drafting 3rd overall only to be back to following years and challenge for the division.

Last year was an anomaly, not the norm. Price being back alone makes this team nigh guaranteed to make the playoffs.

Also, Radulov has the ability to generate his fair share of offense from the 2nd line. Still remains to be seen how he meshes with his linemates and Therrien, but this isn't going to be a one line team.

 

[Drakkar]

Yes the habs had no price but they also had no scoring. Both teams in Florida have three lines that can score, the habs have one line.

3 scoring lines ? Montreal have 1 line? C'mon

Here's the Panthers 3rd line, and their points projection

McCann (29 pts), Bjugstad (40 pts), Marchessault (45 pts)

Here's the Lightning 3rd line, and their points projection:

Namestnikov (43 pts), Filppula (37 pts), Callahan (33 pts)

Let's compare it to Montreal 2nd line, and tell me how Florida's lines are better:

Lekhonen (31 pts), Plekanec (54 pts), Radulov (62 pts)

 

[sharks9]

There is no way Montreal could be considered a contender. All I see from the fan base is a litany of "what ifs" and no depth whatsover ... just a couple of injuries from a spiraling black hole of a season. Montreal is not a cup contender ... its a team in contention for the 6th-8th playoff seed. Pens/Caps/Panthers/Islanders/Bolts are easily better. Even if Montreal makes the playoffs whoever they play in the two tiers above them will dispatch them easily.

First Tier: Bolts, Pens, Caps
Second Tier: Panthers, Islanders,
Third Tier: Detroit, Montreal, Philly, Rangers, etc.
Fourth Tier: etc. etc.
Fifth Tier: TML

How are NYI or Florida clearly above the Canadiens?

 

[Frank Drebin]

How are NYI or Florida clearly above the Canadiens?

He had to fill up the second tier and those were the best teams left. Don't stand in the way of a man with an agenda.

 

[Harry22]

How are NYI or Florida clearly above the Canadiens?

Easily.

He took two teams that didn't look terrible and put them above to try to prove a very flawed point.

 

[A4T1L6]

I see them making it. Healthy Price and made some big improvements. Did I mention a healthy Price?

 

[bert]

So the habs dominate a young leafs line up who played poorly and against a goalie who played for the first time in 6 weeks after an injury, and they are contenders?

Remember a few years ago when the Leafs dominated preseason like 6-2? Then the season opened with 0-7-3 or something close. What i've learned is preseason doesn't matter at all.

Believe it or not a pre season game against the leafs is not the barometer people are using to base their opinions.

 

[Church Hill]

Price's career average SV% is .920 and GAA is 2.43.

If he plays near the average the Habs are a basement team. He would have to be significantly and consistently better for them to even have a chance of playoffs.

 

[Drakkar]

If he plays near the average the Habs are a basement team. He would have to be significantly and consistently better for them to even have a chance of playoffs.

If he plays near the average, Habs are still a playoff team, or at least in the 7-10 range.

Last year, Montreal goalies had save percentages of 90.3% (Condon), 90.6% (Scrivens), 87.8% (Tokarski). That's awful.

The league average was 91.5%. The difference between what those 3 goalies did, and the league average is 20 less goals allowed. If you remove 20 goals against last year, Montreal goal differential goes from -15 to +5, which is above the Flyers (-4) and the Red Wings (-13).

 

[sharks9]

Price's career average SV% is .920 and GAA is 2.43.

If he plays near the average the Habs are a basement team. He would have to be significantly and consistently better for them to even have a chance of playoffs.

Based on what? It took FAR below average goaltending (.900) for Montreal to be a basement team last year.

.920 goaltending would have had us cruise into a playoff spot. Anything above that and we'll be challenging for the top of the conference.

 

[jacks*]

There is no way Montreal could be considered a contender. All I see from the fan base is a litany of "what ifs" and no depth whatsover ... just a couple of injuries from a spiraling black hole of a season. Montreal is not a cup contender ... its a team in contention for the 6th-8th playoff seed. Pens/Caps/Panthers/Islanders/Bolts are easily better. Even if Montreal makes the playoffs whoever they play in the two tiers above them will dispatch them easily.

First Tier: Bolts, Pens, Caps
Second Tier: Panthers, Islanders,
Third Tier: Detroit, Montreal, Philly, Rangers, etc.
Fourth Tier: etc. etc.
Fifth Tier: TML

Islanders .
Sorry Islander fans.Not laughing at your team just laughing at the tiers this poster has.

 

[Drakkar]

Based on what? It took FAR below average goaltending (.900) for Montreal to be a basement team last year.

.920 goaltending would have had us cruise into a playoff spot. Anything above that and we'll be challenging for the top of the conference.

And I'd like to add... if we keep the last 3 seasons of Carey Price (because taking his whole career average is not really accurate, he's not the same goalie he was 9 years ago), his SV% is 93,1%.

To put that in perspective, if the Habs got that kind of goaltending last year, you can remove 56 goal against for the whole year. . That's more than a goal every 2 games. You're not a -15 team anymore, but a +41 team, and second only to Washington (+59) and Pittsburgh (+42).

 

[WetcoastOrca]

A contender for a playoff spot?
Sure. I'd bet on them making it in.

 

[golgoXIII]

There is no way Montreal could be considered a contender. All I see from the fan base is a litany of "what ifs" and no depth whatsover ... just a couple of injuries from a spiraling black hole of a season. Montreal is not a cup contender ... its a team in contention for the 6th-8th playoff seed. Pens/Caps/Panthers/Islanders/Bolts are easily better. Even if Montreal makes the playoffs whoever they play in the two tiers above them will dispatch them easily.

First Tier: Bolts, Pens, Caps
Second Tier: Panthers, Islanders,
Third Tier: Detroit, Montreal, Philly, Rangers, etc.
Fourth Tier: etc. etc.
Fifth Tier: TML

ouch terrible ... don't try starting winning your life on sports gambling you'll loose everything in 3 days

 

[Batrous]

They might make the playoffs this year if Price is healthy because of great goaltending. However they still do not have good offensive depth compared to other teams in the east and they moved out a top line offensive d man for someone who just will not be as offensively strong or speedy. In other words they will not survive past round 2 in the playoffs even if they get to that point.

 

[Daniels45]

If Montreal does NOT lose Price for long stretches of the season, they are a shoe in for the playoffs. If they go into the playoffs healthy, they have a chance to win the SC just like any other team in the playoffs does. IN 86 and 93 they made it to the playoffs without being favoured and they still ended up with the CUP so anything is possible. Are they the most liikely team to win it? Of course not but like Ive seen so many times in the past, its not always the most talented team on paper that wins it. So yea they will be a contender just like every team that makes it to the post season.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

They have a pretty good roster. But no real top-end talent yet again unless Gally and Radulov score 60+ which could be possible. We will see how that second line holds.

What has ailed the Canadiens throughout the years is consistent top 6 production vs bigger/faster teams. Especially since Pacioretty disappears constantly. Also, lets see how their mobility is from the back-end. They relied a lot on Subban moving the pace up ice.

 

[ProspectsFanatic]

The last season Price was healthy in the 14-15 season, we finished 2nd in the league. I am pretty convinced the current team is even better than the one in 14-15. With Price in net every thing is possible; if Price play at .935 (he could easily do even better than that), it means he should let on average 2 goals per game. If this happen, MTL should be able to grab points almost every game.

14-15 lineup:
Pac-DD-Gally
Galchy-Plek-Parenteau
Bourque-Eller-Weise
Prust-Malhotra-Sekac
Depth: DLR, Bournival, Ghetto

Markov-Subban
Emelin-Gilbert
Beaulieu-Weaver
Depth: Pateryn, Tinordi

Price
Tokarski


Now:
Pac-Galch-Gally
Lehkonen-Plek-Radulov
Carr-DD-Shaw
Danault-Mitchell-Byron
Depth: Ghetto, Flynn, McCarron, DLR

Beaulieu-Weber
Markov-Petry
Sergachev-Emelin
Depth: Redmond, Barberio

Price
Montoya

Improvement for practically each line / D pairing. The depth is also a lot better.

Seeing the Habs as cup contender isn't far fetched. Don't underestimate the edge Price give MTL every game he is in the net. A decent team with the best goaltender in the league will always have a shot at wining the cup. A hot goaltender can steal entire series just by himself.

Making the playoff should be a formality.
From there, I can easily see Price wining the Conny Smith; I can see the Habs as cup contender.

 

[Here I Pageau Again]

I don't think anyone is questioning the Habs ability to be playoff contenders (ok some are but they shouldn't).

Habs are a playoff team and most likely nearer to the top than the wild card. That said, this is about the cup. And I'm not convinced just yet. They've played great in the regular season but the last few years I don't see them as a strong cup contending team.

That said, Habs have some health, Gally at C and then the wild card in Radulov. So who knows!

 

[HuGo Sham]

I don't think anyone is questioning the Habs ability to be playoff contenders (ok some are but they shouldn't).

Habs are a playoff team and most likely nearer to the top than the wild card. That said, this is about the cup. And I'm not convinced just yet. They've played great in the regular season but the last few years I don't see them as a strong cup contending team.

That said, Habs have some health, Gally at C and then the wild card in Radulov. So who knows!

As a habfan I agree - there are too many ifs. Price is one of the 5 best players in the NHL when heathy, but they lack depth up front to be true beasts. They are a quality forward away from being dangerous. That being said if Radulov has a good year and the big 3 (11,27,67) continue to be consistent, they will score more.
On D, i'm not concerned, last year Subban himself couldn't stop the bleeding - with Weber, he's less the puck mover than subban but makes up for it with his D play in front of price. I think sergachev and beaulieu both develop into quality dmen too

 

[covfefe]

Price's career average SV% is .920 and GAA is 2.43.

If he plays near the average the Habs are a basement team. He would have to be significantly and consistently better for them to even have a chance of playoffs.

So you are implying that Price is an average goalie? Ignoring the fact that the leading hockey minds in the world all think he is the, if not one of the, best? Thanks for padding my ignore list yet again!