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Montreal Canadiens: The playoffs are unfortunately within reach

By Wesley Smith

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 20: Generic photo of Bell Centre prior the game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 20, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 20: Generic photo of Bell Centre prior the game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 20, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Unfortunately for the Montreal Canadiens, the playoffs are within reach in the upcoming season.

Let’s be real; it’s way too early to determine whether the playoffs are within reach for any team. With that being said though, the Montreal Canadiens are in a striking position, mostly because of Carey Price guarding the net.

If Price bounces back and has a season that even equals a typical Price season, the Montreal Canadiens will be okay. The 31-year-old has shown in the past that he can steal games for his team. It wouldn’t be the best situation, but he could find himself in that position for the 2018-19 season.

Looking specifically at last season, if the Habs had another ten wins (twenty points), they finish the year with 91 points. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t have secured them a playoff position as the Canadiens would still be six points behind the New Jersey Devils. But six points is a lot more promising than 26.

Defense

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On the back-end, I believe the Canadiens have a promising season upcoming. Victor Mete almost certainly has a spot in the top six from start to finish and should be a steady and reliable player to quarterback the power play, especially with Shea Weber out likely until Christmas.

Karl Alzner, simply put, couldn’t have a worse season than he had last right? If he improves, Alzner is a solid third defenseman on the second pair. Mike Reilly and David Schlemko aren’t anything special however they can be an average third pair which is exactly what the Montreal Canadiens defense amounts to this year.

Not great but also not all that bad, just average. That could work in the team’s favour though. Think back to the 2017-18 Stanley Cup playoffs an incredibly average Pittsburgh Penguins defense won on the performance of Matt Murray. Obliviously more goes into winning than just the goalie though.

Forwards

Probably the largest change for the Canadiens this offseason has been the addition of Max Domi. Domi was acquired for Alex Galchenyuk straight up which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Galchenyuk creates a lot of offense and has scored at a very high rate early in his career with a 30 goal season under his belt. Domi who is an offensive player plays primarily on the perimeter in the offensive end. The Canadiens have struggled when it comes to scoring goals, and honestly, this move really didn’t make sense to me.

Similar to the defense, the forwards are just average made up of a pair of second lines and two third lines. They aren’t the worst in the league but really won’t break any scoring records. But again with the world-class goalie average can be good enough.

Next: Lost Leverage in a Pacioretty Trade

All in all the Canadiens are in what should be considered a rebuild.

When a team is stuck being average, it’s time to try and build for the future as it’s really hard to get out of that grouping. But if they continue to be in the conversation for the playoffs, which is exactly what Price gives them at the start of every season, it’ll be hard to do.

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