LCS Hockey - Team Reports - Montreal Canadiens

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head coach: Alain Vigneault

roster: C - Saku Koivu, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Patrick Poulin. RW - Mark Recchi, Brian Savage, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund, Mick Vukota. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore.

transactions: Gonesville: Sebastien Bordeleau (Nashville), Marc Bureau (Philadelphia), Peter Popovic (NY Rangers), Zarley Zalapski (NY Rangers), Andy Moog (retired). Charlie New Guys: Nobody.

1997-98 results:

Record...........37-32-13, 87 PTS, 7th Eastern Conference 
Goals Scored.....235
Goals Against....208
Power Play.......18.3% (3rd)
Penalty Killing..84.5% (16th)

GEE, THAT'S SWELL

* Assuming everyone gets signed, the Canadiens have two solid scoring lines with Saku Koivu centering Mark Recchi and Shayne Corson, and Vincent Damphousse centering Martin Rucinsky and Brian Savage.

* Overall, Montreal has excellent team speed.

* Still have the famed Montreal mystique on their side.

GRIEF

* Koivu, Rucinsky, Savage, and Vladimir Malakhov all need to be re-signed. Corson is adding to the problem by demanding that his contract be renegotiated.

* Montreal doesn't have much depth on defense after losing Peter Popovic and Zarley Zalapski to free agency.

* Team could also use more toughness up front.

* Andy Moog's retirement leaves the goaltending duties to the unproven combo of Jocelyn Thibault and Jose Theodore.

1998-99 OUTLOOK: Obviously, Montreal has to get its players signed and in camp. But after giving massive contracts to Recchi and Damphousse, the club reportedly only has two million dollars in its budget to get all these other guys signed. Koivu, who made only $750,000 last season, could be particularly difficult since he's seeking in the neighborhood of $4 million a season. It's tough to make an accurate assessment of the Canadiens without knowing the status of the unsigned players, so we decided to consult Winkles the Bible Monkey for guidance. After plying him with cheap wine and Ring Dings, Winkles assures us that Montreal will open up the bank... eventually.

PREDICTION: Third in Northeast Division and barely in the playoffs.