What the Montreal Canadiens can learn from the Colorado Avalanche
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens can learn from the Colorado Avalanche as they’re proving what a difference a year can make if you have the right hand.
It’s funny, but you can learn a lot more from an enemy than from a friend. That life lesson came to mind while reading Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts. Friedman has already given Montreal Canadiens fans plenty to talk about with his recent reveal on Calgary radio that Marc Bergevin was starting a rebuild, but there’s always more to tell.
Friedman stated that Bergevin is now a little reluctant to use the word “rebuild” with what he’s planning to do with the Habs. The league has done all it can to implement as much parody as possible. Considering how things have gone for some teams lately, it looks like they’re getting their wish.
Think about it, you have the Ottawa Senators, who made it to the Eastern Conference Final last year on the opposite side of the spectrum. That may not be as surprising to many, but the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks possible missing the playoffs will. At the same time, you have teams like the Colorado Avalanche who finished last season with 48 points who are now one of the league’s eyebrow raisers.
It looks like the Avs’ situation has put a little hope where even though you’re bad one year, doesn’t mean you’ll be bad the next. Obviously, Bergevin forgot about the Buffalo Sabres (always leave room to throw in a joke when you can).
I hate to be pessimistic, but that’s dangerous thinking. Although the Avs were horrible, they still had skilled players in Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Tyson Barrie in the fold. After Duchene was traded, MacKinnon made the Avalanche his and is slowly growing to become a favourite for the Hart Trophy.
More from Editorials
- Montreal Canadiens: Senators Rebuild At Crisis Point As Kent Hughes Moves Forward
- Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Continues Charity Work In Montreal After Leaving Habs
- Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Lineup Going To Be Must Watch
- Montreal Canadiens: Jesse Ylönen Contract Extension Analysis
- Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #31 Quentin Miller
Are we surprised? Yes and no. MacKinnon is a first overall pick, so you’d expect him to have a level of dominance at some point in his career. That’s what the Habs are missing unfortunately. A first overall pick isn’t the be all end all of building an NHL team, but it sure does help.
Again, this isn’t to take away from the likes of Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk, and Victor Mete who will be stapes of the Habs for the future. I think it would be irresponsible for Bergevin to assume that what happened this season is a one-off. The Habs aren’t bottom five bad, but there are issues in and around the team that need to be fixed.
You can’t fall in love with one game and decide that is the team. Their play against Colorado was great, but so was their win over the Washington Capitals and look what happened the next game.
As Friedman mentions in his post, Bergevin is listening and ready. Let’s see what exactly he chooses to listen to.
Do you think this season is just a ‘once in a blue moon thing’? What kind of moves do you want Bergevin to make? Let us know what you think in the comments.