Montreal Canadiens: Mid-Season Report Cards
The Montreal Canadiens have reached the halfway point of their 2014-15 season and boast a strong 26-12-3 record to date. This performance has kept them competitive, hovering around the top of the standings since opening the season. After 41 games played, I will give my take on how each player has performed in the first half of the season through a completely arbitrary letter grade, with supporting commentary. The letter grades are based on the player’s current potential and whether I feel they’ve achieved it, paired with how well they play their role.
Forwards
Mar 18, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens team celebrates after his win against Colorado Avalanche at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Max Pac is the team leader in points with 33 and in +/- with a whopping +22, far and above any of his teammates. He is on pace for yet another 35+ goal season and is arguably the Habs’ best forward. Max has led the team well so far, wearing an “A” on the road. Grade: A
Chucky finally earned his rightful place as the Canadiens’ first line centre this season and has performed as well as expected. He is tied with Subban for second on the team in points and is a lot of fun to watch due to his dynamic, creative play. He will be a big part of the Habs’ success going forward. Grade: A
Gallagher has continued to do a lot of the things the bigger players (all of them) don’t: crashing the net, screening opposing goalies, and battling every shift. Playing on a line with Pacioretty, and more recently, Chucky, certainly hasn’t hurt his stats (22 points, +10). Grade: A-
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Pleky is still the most versatile forward on the team, consistently used in every situation. He has been given more offensive ice time this season, helping him achieve fourth on the team in points with 26. He does whatever job is given him, and he does it well. Grade: A-
Davey hasn’t posted very good offensive numbers to start the season, much like last year. However, being bumped out of the first line has been good for him, as now he is forced to shoot more and faces weaker defensive competition. Look for him to improve upon his 6 goal, 21 point start. Grade: B
The question with Master P is whether it’s his play that has been inconsistent, or how inconsistently he’s been used that has hurt his play. Parenteau is the one forward who has been moved up and down the lineup the most so far, making it hard to pinpoint who his line-mates are and where he fits in the roster. He will need to fight to solidify a clear role for himself on the team for the remainder of the year. Grade: C
Thus far, Eller is on his usual pace for about 30 points on the season. With 8 goals and 7 assists, he hasn’t been the biggest offensive threat, but he has been given more defensive assignments this year. Playing more with offensively gifted players, like Sekac and Desharnais, should help push his stats up by season’s end. Grade: B+
Oct 13, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens left wing Jiri Sekac (26) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sekac has been quite the find for the Habs in his rookie NHL season. He has posted 15 points in 34 games, with a +4 differential. Considering that he was scratched for several games early in the season, he’s had a pretty good start for a 22 year old from the KHL. Here’s hoping he builds on that for the next 41 games. Grade: A-
Weise has established himself as an excellent checking forward who can do all the little things well. His reliable play on both sides of the ice has seen him rewarded with assignments throughout the line-up, helping pad his stats: 15 points, +11. He’s an effective role player who helps the Canadiens win. Grade: B+
Prust is another role-player who has filled his role very well. He is dominant when on the fourth line and adds some grit to any other line he is put on. He’s put up 11 points thus far, being shuffled through the lineup. Grade: B
Manny has accomplished what he was brought here to do: win faceoffs. He still leads the league with a 61.9 % success rate in the dot while playing in a fourth line checking role. It would be nice if he could post more than 1 point in 38 games, but he knows his role at least. Grade: B-
Bournival has a small sample size to analyze; having only dressed for 11 games this season makes it hard to assess his impact on the team. He brings a lot of speed and tenacity on the ice with him, but struggles to put up points with any sort of consistency. If he sees more ice time during the second stretch, maybe he can find his game. Grade: C+
Oct 9, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Montreal Canadiens players celebrate on the bench after a goal against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Defencemen
Subban has not had the kind of flashy impact we’re used to seeing from him so far this year. He has taken a lot of bad penalties and has failed to jump-start the abysmal power play. He is second only to Prust for penalties on the team, which speaks to his lack of discipline. However, his stats do show a different story. We may not always see it on the ice, but the Subbanator is still playing as an elite NHL d-man. 27 points in 41 games and a +10 differential say he isn’t as bad as the critics claim. Grade: A-
The Habs’ 36 year old blue line general has managed to keep playing big minutes this year and doesn’t look out of place on the top pairing. Markov has quietly put up solid offensive numbers so far while being one of the blue line stalwarts (20 points in 41 games). Now, if he could only get the power play going… Grade: B+
Dec 5, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Sergei Gonchar (55) celebrates with the bench after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Gonchar has been a really good surprise for the Canadiens defense corps since being acquired from Dallas for Travis Moen. At 40 years old, many thought this was just a cap move and did not expect much out of Gonchar. While he’s been unsuccessful in rejuvenating the man advantage, he has brought good puck support, goal-saving stick work in the defensive zone, and a good first pass to the back end. He has performed well enough to slot into the second pairing, and has really impressed this blogger. Grade: A-
Finally, the kids are making their mark. After an unimpressive training camp, it took a while, but Beaulieu has finally cracked the lineup and has actually worked his way up the depth chart. He’s been playing good minutes, and although his 4 points in 26 games isn’t head-turning for an offensive defenceman, his confidence is growing and it looks like good things to come for the young Beaulieu. Grade: B
Dec 20, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin (74) before the game against Ottawa Senators at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
I would think the Canadiens organization was expecting more from Emelin when they gave him $4.1 Million per year over the next four. He has a lot of positional issues for a d-man and doesn’t even provide big hits like he used to. Emelin is currently on thin ice and needs to turn his game around if he wants to keep playing for the Habs the rest of the season. Grade: C-
Gilbert’s less-than-stellar play to start the year showed us he’s not really a top 4 defenceman. Since being bumped down the depth chart though, you don’t really notice him as much, and that’s a good thing. The scrutiny is on Emelin right now, so Gilbert has the opportunity to carve a niche for himself as a bottom pairing guy who just does the job. Grade: C
The Dreamweaver is not enjoying as good a season as he did last year, if only because of added blue line depth. Through 26 games, he hasn’t really been bad. Another role player, Weaver provides good minutes on the penalty kill and is a responsible presence in the defensive zone. Don’t look for him to improve on his total of 4 points for the rest of the season (even if he gets to play), but you can count on him to fill the role if called upon as a number 6 d-man. Grade: C+
Goaltenders
Do you really need any commentary? Price is the Canadiens’ best player, and the reason they are as high as they are in the standings. Period. Grade: A+
Jan 10, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins during a third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
It’s difficult to assess Ticker with Price getting so many starts. Tokarski has only started in 7 games this year, and won 4 of them. His stats are in line with Price’s, so Ticker appears to be a reliable backup so far. Expect to see him a little more often by the tail end of the season. Grade: B
Overall, the Montreal Canadiens are in pretty good shape. They battled with a lot of defensive issues through the start of the season, and their great record could be attributed to a lot of luck, given their inability to score early and their stagnant power play. Through coaching adjustments and roster moves, the Habs were able to keep a strong pace and correct some of their errors. The second half of the season will require the top performers to maintain their pace and the underachievers to pick theirs up. There is still the need to fix up the power play, but aside from that, the Canadiens are putting together a very strong campaign. Let’s hope act two will be as convincing as the first.