Montreal Canadiens: Despite negativity, Habs could surprise this year

The Montreal Canadiens may surprise those who expected a disappointing showing this season because of their speed and the players that bring it.

The National Hockey League isn’t like the other three pro sports leagues, and it’s not for the reasons you think. Sure, it’s the league with the least personality, and that doesn’t seem like it’s going to change anytime soon. The one thing the NHL does have going for it though is parity, something the Montreal Canadiens can bank on for success this year.

After finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NHL last season, the Montreal Canadiens fan base doesn’t have high expectations for 2018-19, and reasonably so. It’s easy to be hesitant after such a disaster of a season, but there might actually be more hope present than most originally believed.

It’s often difficult to take Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin at face value. However, his intentions to build this team around speed and youth are quickly coming to fruition. Many have felt that he was stuck trying to manage a team from the early 2000’s instead of one for the modern NHL for the majority of his tenure in Montreal. Quietly, amidst the skeptics, this Habs team won’t be one to take lightly this year, even if the end destination isn’t a postseason berth like Bergevin suggested.

As currently constructed, there likely isn’t enough high-end skill on this Canadiens roster to compete on both the back end and up front. Here’s where things get interesting.

If you look at the likely forward group, the one thing the Montreal Canadiens have plenty of is speed. Looking around the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Boston all have one thing in common: speed and skill. It’s where the NHL is today, and if you aren’t building your roster around that, especially in the Eastern Conference, you likely won’t be competing for a Stanley Cup anytime soon.

Down the middle with Max Domi, Phillip Danault, Matthew Peca and Tomas Plekanec, the Canadiens will quietly throw out four centers that are all considered good skaters. The wing position is where the team’s speed is going to be the most effective. Even after trading Max Pacioretty, the Canadiens still have great depth on the wings, and it’s headlined by that attribute.

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Jonathan Drouin came into camp this year much lighter on his feet, and he’s added another gear of speed to his game that can only help the Canadiens. With Brendan Gallagher, Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron, the team will be forcing turnovers with their foot speed and giving their opponents nightmares. Claude Julien pinpointed playing fast as one of the keys to the team’s success this year, and we’ve seen the benefits of it so far in the preseason.

The only problem will be converting those chances after the turnovers. The Montreal Canadiens still lack finishers, but I’d expect players like Lehkonen and Drouin to fill the net a little more than they did last season.

On defence with Jeff Petry, Victor Mete, Noah Juulsen and Mike Reilly, the Canadiens will be much quicker and more importantly, better in transition. The Canadiens struggled to find a partner for Karl Alzner and Shea Weber last season, but there will be more suitable options this year once Weber becomes healthy.

The identity here is clear, and it’s team speed. Team speed that will likely give opponents fits. If it’s not a successful year in the standings, at least the hockey will be entertaining, and that’s something that couldn’t be said last year.

Next. The Impact of the Domi Suspension. dark

At the end of the day, Carey Price can mask a lot of the issues, and the Canadiens will still go as far as he takes them, wherever that may be.

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