A Tremendous Start... But So Many Unanswered Questions!
"Les Boys de Montreal" are in for quite a new challenging NHL
campaign, folks! But surprisingly, the player roster has not been
complete yet, since the club hasn't signed Martin Rucinsky and
Brian Savage... and just recently agreed to terms with Vladimir
Malakhov.
Still, Montreal fans have nothing to expect but an average season
performance. Six players gone and no major additions due to a
tight budget are likely to leave fans of their appetite. A shot
at Stanley Cup contention has never been so unrealistic.
Even if a victory doesn't make a season, the Habs started out on
a positive note, routing the NY Rangers 7-1 in the season opener.
More interestingly, seven different players scored. Mark Recchi
- the best Montreal player last season - had four assists while
lesser-known players scored (Craig Rivet, Benoit Brunet, Scott
Thornton, Igor Ulanov and Brett Clark) the goals.
Let's face it: Rucinsky (who got injured at home in Czech
republic this summer) and Savage haven't reached a financial
agreement yet with Reggie Houle, while defenseman Malakhov
finally signed a two-year contract worth more than $5 million US
before Montreal was to take on NY Rangers for the season opener.
That is to say, Damphousse is all alone on the second offensive
line with Rucinsky and Savage still missing. As for the defensive
squad, the Habs won't have to play without Malakhov this year.
That's good news since Peter Popovic and Zarley Zalapski were
traded to the New York Rangers during the summer, and defensive
forward Marc Bureau signed with Philadelphia. New comers like
Zholtok, Morissette, McCleary, Guren and Robidas are supposed to
make up for those losses? OK. Time will tell.
Actually, one more time, money will decide whether or not
Montreal is ready to be a team with depth. If current
negotiations fail, Montreal will hardly make it to the
postseason. You can bet your life on it!
For the time being, let's take a look at the Habs line up.
IN THE NET
Veteran goalie Andy Moog is gone, having retired over the summer.
Now, Jocelyn Thibault has to step up and prove to everyone that
he is the #1 goalie that Montreal desperately needs to be a
Stanley Cup contender. Let's keep in mind that Jose Theodore is
not far behind "Tbo" in Vigneault's book because he seems to be
psychologically stronger. If Jocelyn fails to deliver quickly, he
may be traded away before long and replaced by... Felix Potvin
(Toronto).
ON DEFENSE
From now on, Quintal, Manson, and Brisebois are on a mission: to
make sure fans forget the mistake made by Rejean Houle when he
traded Popovic and Zalapski, even though those strong players
were willing to stay in Montreal at a reasonable cost. As a
matter of fact, Montreal couldn't afford to go without Malakhov
at the blue line, where he is indispensable, particularly
on the special teams. Hopefully, Brisebois (currently on the
injury list), Manson (+22 last season), Quintal (+13) and Ulanov
will repeat the good performances they posted last year. Before
taking on NY Rangers for the season opener at home, Vigneault had
this to say about his defensive squad: "Popovic and Zalapski's
departures shouldn't affect our defensive play. Quintal,
Malakhov, Manson and Brisebois used to play between 90 and 100
minutes out of the 120 minutes posted by our defensemen. So..."
ON OFFENSE
The first offensive line is unchanged compared to last year. And
chances to make it to the playoffs will definitely depend on
Recchi, Koivu, Corson. Those players have all signed big
contracts recently and, if they remain injury free, they are
likely to be one of the best NHL offensive line again. Among the
players who made up the second line last season, only
Damphousse is sure to play since Savage and Rucinsky's faiths are
still on hold. However, Damphousse has to be more consistent
than he was a year ago. All of his 18 goals came in just 12
games last season, meaning he went scoreless in 64 contests. An
inadmissible performance for Captain "Vinnie", whose salary was
substantially raised over the summer. But, Vinnie has been the
leading scorer of his team through eight exhibition games.
Surprise! Usually, he's such a slow starter.
Moreover, if Savage does not sign an agreement, the situation
will not be that disastrous. Stevenson or Brunet would fill in
efficiently - both played good games in last season's final
stretch.
Now, on the third and fourth lines, new faces have emerged.
Center Sergei Zholtok, who stood out in preseason games, will
play along with Scott Thornton and Jonas Hoglund. The "tough
line" is made of Dave Morissette and Trent McCleary who cracked
the lineup during training camp. They will see action... thanks
to their fists. In preseason games, Terry Ryan was merely
eclipsed by those tough cookies. Hey, Terry never won a single
fight in four occasions!
Over the next few weeks, the Habs will play on home ice seven out
of 10 times. It's about time the Molson Centre becomes a place
where opponents don't look forward to playing. Judging by what
happened against New York, Montreal is on its way to have an
awesome home season.
For the moment, let's hope that Reggie Houle comes to a
financial agreement with Rucinsky and Savage.
