The next time Pierre Gauthier calls a Press Conference , he should grab Bob Gainey by the hand and bring the former General Manager along with him.
Gainey could walk the short distance up the stairs of the bleu, blanc et rouge podium ahead of Gauthier and squint delicately into the lights of the millions of cameras that follow the team. Wiping sweat from his brow – Gainey could then apologize for making a colossal mistake with the signing of Scott Gomez for a price normally associated with Sidney Crosby or the feeding of a small nation.
Robert Micheal Gainey could then ‘ officially ‘ end his reign and pass the microphone to Gauthier. The current General Manager would then confess his sin.
“I am sorry . I made a huge mistake by trading Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. I must have gotten Ashton Kushter on the phone. I was ‘ Punked ‘! “
Gauthier and Gainey would then leave Le Centre Bell and head toward Bishop Street. The duo would descend the stairs into Grumpy’s Bar and once seated, they would encounter the ghost of Nick Auf der Mayer. The trio could then hoist their pints to the ‘triviality of life ‘or drown their sorrows with a shot of ‘Whisky ‘
Legendary Montreal journalist Nick Auf der Mayer would inform them ( among other things ) , that Lars Eller is not a top six forward. He would go on to say that in order for a top prospect to be considered as such , the young man should – at the very least , display signs of greatness. Monet was an avid finger painter. Alexander Graham Bell ? A heavy breather. All the greats demonstrated early in their careers – omens of things to come. Flashes of brilliance that encouraged those around to step up and send smoke signals, morse codes, and later on – E-mails to relatives and Gary Bettman.
Danish Hockey Cards ?
Given the truthful fact that playing hockey in the NHL does not rank high on the list of ‘ things to do ‘ in the Country of Denmark, it is simple to comprehend why Lars was designated a top prospect in the first place.
The ‘ black sheep ‘ of the Gretzky clan would have all the Danish scribes running for their Laptops in Lars’ homeland. Tom Pyatt ? An image of the Habs ‘ fourth liner would be depicted on a postage stamp if he was of Danish origin.
In forty – three games as a rookie with Montreal, Eller has accumulated seven points. He has not divulged any secrets as to his top prospect status. Nary a missed breakaway and no goal posts on a regular cycle. No awesome displays of missed two on ones with Kostistyn, Pouliot or any of the trainers.
David Desharnais was recently added to Montreal’s line up in an effort to halt the scoring woes. In five games – the diminutive forward has amassed two points. Given his current pace – David will tie Eller around the fifteen game plateau and presumably surpass the Dane by game number twenty.
If Eller is a high prospect and projected top six forward, does this make David Desharnais a lock to challenge Guy Lafleur as the leading goal scorer in Canadiens ‘ history? Eller is not in the top thirty for rookie goal scorers and is closer to the fortieth position. Instead of a ten-year veteran with proven skills, Gauthier took on a lad who will become a reflection of Benoit Pouliot without Benoit’s knowledge of the Ontario landscape.
To add salt to the wound, the other player in the Halak deal – Ian Schultz, will never become a regular player in the NHL. Let alone on the Montreal roster. For once , it would be nice to see a Habs rookie let his antics do his skating for him. It would be a welcome addition to the history of the Habs and a player such as P. K Subban is that man.
Defence , Defence , Defence !
In an ideal world or an almost perfect hockey club, a balance is required on defence as well as offence. A foursome of offensive lines requires plumbers and a sextet of defencemen are in need of stay – at – home types.
Josh Gorges, Jaroslav Spacek , HalGill and Alexandre Picard answer this bell as well as any of Pavlov’s dogs. They stay near to Price and ensure that Carey’s next contract is lucratively higher than the previous one. Along with Price and Auld, they are the nucleus of the Habs success and cannot be chastised for the lack of success that occasionally shows it’s teeth now and again.
Roman Hamrlik is somewhere in the middle. A wily veteran and former first round pick – Hamrlik knows ‘when to hold ‘ em ‘ and definitely ‘ when to fold ‘ em ‘.He is solid defensively and tends to score goals at the most opportune time. If Roman jumps into the offensive play, seldom will the thirty – eight year old get caught up ice without a paddle. The Montreal Canadiens’ should re – sign the veteran in the off season to tutor the youngsters in the future and to continue his solid play. His skills are showing no signs of deteriorating.
James Wisniewski , Andrei Markov and P.K Subban do not fit the above category. They are offensive skaters who should be treated as such. That does not mean the trio should dive under the surface of – 6 in the plus / minus ratings. Nor should the three amigos be made to feel guilty for using the skills that the Lord handed them abundantly.
An eighty point P. K Subban with a minus five figure is much more pleasant to the eyes of a Canadiens fan than a twenty – five point P.K with a plus six number. Allow Gill and the boys to take care of their part of the game and allow the ‘offensive ‘defensive stars to help the Habs poor showing in the offensive end.
Jacques Martin
The coach of the Habs is Ken Hitchcock without the size and the Stanley Cup ring. A defensive specialist who believes that the only way to win is to be on the constant watch for the other team’s stars. He will ‘unleash ‘his offensive stars on occasion to allow them the illusion they are enjoying the game of hockey.
Once they build a foundation of a two or three goal lead – Martin blows his defensive Bugle and quickly ends the offensive shenanigans .Instead of a Habs 3 -0 lead evolving into a 6 – 0 or a 8 – 2 blow out , Jacques ‘ troops eke out 3 – 2 wins or lose by the same mark. A boxer is well aware when his opponent is ‘on the ropes ‘. Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano did not sit back and allow their sparring partners the time they needed to rebound with points. They went for the ‘ kill ‘. The jugular. The knock – out punch.
The Montreal Canadiens are winning many hockey games recently with strong defensive play. In the play – offs, they are guaranteed to meet other teams with the same agenda. The team will – at some point, require offence to win these games and may find themselves out of practice when it comes to that aspect of their game.
Pierre Gauthier cannot grab Lars Eller by the hand and lead him to the podium in what may well be the eighteenth year of a ‘ shudda – wudda – cudda ‘ speech. Eller has nothing to apologize for and is too young to recall Nick Auf der Mayer .
Lars may know Nick’s daughter Melissa however…