Montreal Canadiens: The bye week is over and it’s time for action
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens five-day bye week has come to a close, and it won’t be long before they continue their journey to answer Marc Bergevin’s optimism.
Good Morning Habs fans! If you’ve been tracking on your calendar, you can scratch in that last X because the bye-week is over. Sure the Montreal Canadiens haven’t had an ideal season, but it’s still a bore not to be able to watch them play.
The team will have their first practice since last Saturday, and for the most part, it’ll be a similar cast. Shea Weber‘s timeline was set to at least the All-Star Weekend, so there’s a slim chance he’s on the ice with everyone else. However, Victor Mete will be out there with them coming off a nice gold medal finish with Team Canada at the World Juniors.
The decision came off as a surprise to many, but management decided the NHL is the best place for the 19-year-old. There’s still the 40-game mark that Marc Bergevin needs to look out for, but Mete has another 12 to go through. He’ll be a year closer to his free agency if he plays at least 40 this season, and organizations put more stock in that over the burned entry-level year.
On a more bittersweet note, the Habs are also going to have Bergevin’s press conference optimism to go through. Although many fans and hockey minds are reading the tea leaves with a strong sense of this season being over and done with, the team will be trying their best to win.
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It starts at practice later today and continues to their game against the Boston Bruins. Bergevin could be the most hopeful guy on the planet, but if the Habs lose that game, they’re chances at third in the Atlantic are done for.
The final wild-card spot is still in reach (theoretically) considering their eight points behind Carolina – who currently holds it – but again, the odds are against them. It would take a pretty strong push to get there considering Montreal would have to leapfrog five other teams including the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
This and much more are waiting for Habs fans in the second half of the season. How will it play out? Only time will tell.
Morning Links
Analyze This: Canadiens’ lack of puck-movers leaves offence in tatters
Habs fans have seen what a puck-moving defenceman can do for a team’s goalscoring, and save for Jeff Petry the organization doesn’t have that luxury. However, Victor Mete and Jakub Jerabek could fill that role at some point but they’ll need time.
Time for Bergevin to Suit Up for the Canadiens
I mean, would Marc Bergevin ever get so desperate that he brings the old skates out of retirement? Probably not, but it’s still fun to think about.
Habs Drafting Since 2012 – Good, Average or Barren?
Grant McCagg of recrutes.ca took an in-depth look at how the Habs have drafted since 2012. Well worth the read.