Is the 2019-20 Version of the Montreal Canadiens Better than Last Year?

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The Montreal Canadiens made a few tweaks to the lineup over the summer. Now that they are back on the ice, is this version of the Habs better than the one we saw last season?

With the 2019 training camp underway, Montreal Canadiens fans have a lot to be excited about. First, the players are healthy. Shea Weber, Carey Price and company, recently, at the team’s annual golf tournament, expressed their excitement to get the season started, after a summer of focused training.

Second, several of the team’s prominent players had career years last season: notably forwards Max Domi, Tomas Tatar and Philip Danault, in points, and Brendan Gallagher in goals. On defence, Jeff Petry, Brett Kulak, and Victor Mete all marked their most productive seasons.

Third, general manager, Marc Bergevin, made several off season moves to bolster the roster and make it a playoff team: adding Nick Cousins up front, Ben Chiarot on defence, and Keith Kinkaid in net, amongst a few other minor moves.

Meanwhile, Andrew Shaw and Jordie Benn moved out of the fold (both of whom also had career seasons last year): the former was traded to Chicago for draft picks, and the latter signed with Vancouver. Finally, a new influx of young talent is primed to challenge for roster spots, especially Ryan Poehling, Nick Suzuki, and Noah Juulsen. With these four points taken into consideration, is the 2019-2020 version of the the Montreal Canadiens really better than last year’s?

The Montreal Canadiens missed the playoffs by a paltry two points last season. From the outset of the season they were without team captain Shea Weber, for a prolonged period of time- a knee surgery that occurred in July, forcing him out until his early return in late November. Moreover, all universe goalie Carey Price experienced a poor start, posting a 5-4-3 record with a 3 .89 GAA and .892 SV%, while dealing with issues which he explicitly declared were “all upstairs.”

However, the team managed to stay afloat. The team itself congealed going down the final stretch and showed its capability and its character. If not for an overused and exhausted Carey Price due to the incompetence at the back up position and an atrocious power play, the team would have certainly made the playoffs. But how far exactly would they have gone?

MONTREAL, QC – SEPTEMBER 15: Montreal Canadiens goalie Keith Kinkaid (37) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The upstart Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the juggernaut Tampa Bay Lightning, and hockey pundits everywhere, by toppling the President’s Trophy winners in four straight games. I’m doubtful that last year’s Habs could have done that. While Claude Julien did indicate recently that the Habs peaked a little too late in the season, and ran out of time, a beleaguered Price and pathetic powerplay would have proven immensely difficult to overcome against Tampa Bay in the postseason.

The key contributors to the Habs offence: Domi, Gallagher, Tatar, and Danault all had career years last year, as did defencemen Petry, Kulak, and Mete. Is it reasonable to expect all seven of these players to match or surpass their career highs again this season? Probability suggests that is unlikely. It is natural for some players to regress and others to improve from season to season, but suggesting those players will all improve is highly improbable.

Evidently, an even greater improbability is a coveted UFA signing in Montreal. First Matt Duchene (who at least interviewed with Montreal Canadiens brass) , then the whole Sebastian Aho offer sheet fiasco, which TSN’s Craig Button called “laughable,” and The Gazette’s Brendan Kelly labelled “window dressing,” to the recent Jake Gardiner refusal of a more lucrative deal from Montreal to sign in Carolina. Duchene and Gardiner balked at the idea of signing in Montreal. The rabid fans, media scrutiny, and high taxes, amongst other drawbacks, encourage players to sign elsewhere. Marc Bergevin is correct about one thing: if you want these star players on your team, you have to draft them and develop them. They are rarely traded, and even more infrequently do they sign in Montreal.

As a result of not acquiring one of these elite players, Bergevin went out and addressed his needs to a lesser degree. Ostensibly, Cousins replaces Andrew Shaw on the wing. Is Cousins an upgrade on Shaw? Unlikely. Not only did Shaw have better offensive numbers than Cousins, he has the intangibles of being a leader on and off the ice, and his value therein cannot be overstated. Jonathan Toews once labelled him the most integral and crucial character in Chicago’s last two Stanley Cup victories.

Next, Ben Chiarot replaces Jordie Benn. Is Chiarot an upgrade? Probably. His numbers are almost identical to Benn’s offensively (22 points for Benn, 20 for Chiarot), but his size 6’3 219, and his physical style of play, should help the Habs’ cause. Finally, Keith Kinkaid comes in as Carey Price’s backup after Antti Niemi faltered and floundered last season. Is he an upgrade over Niemi? Absolutely. Although Kinkaid had a poor showing in New Jersey last season, his body of work proves him a worthy backup, being able to possibly play thirty games, or more if necessary, thereby alleviating Price’s heavy workload.

MONTREAL, QC – SEPTEMBER 15: Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Obviously, the GM is still very concerned about the number one centre position in the club, hence his attempt to secure both Duchene and Aho who are bonafide number ones. While Domi and Danault played admirably, Domi had not played centre since his junior days and could not consistently match up against the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Sidney Crosby, and Steven Stamkos in the East. Danault, on the other hand, did very well in his role as critical faceoff taker and shut down centre against the other team’s front line centres; so much so that he was even considered a long shot Selke candidate. He does, however, lack a little offensive ability to be a top two centre.

Thus, a true number one centre is still lacking on the club. Hockey legend Scotty Bowman publicly declared last season that Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be that centre, but not for a few more seasons. He even went as far as comparing his play to the late, great Jean Beliveau. Lofty comparison for the young Finn. I do expect KK (Kotkaniemi) to move up the lineup this season, to at least the number two centre position. In turn, ideally, Domi would be transferred back to his natural position as a winger. If Ryan Poehling makes the big club, I expect him to start on the fourth line, with the chance of moving up to the third line as the season progresses.

As for Nick Suzuki and Noah Juulsen, I expect them to make the team out of training camp, or at least be the first call-ups from the Laval Rocket. As I see it, and as Suzuki demonstrated in the recent rookie tournament, he is a formidable force at right wing (especially when paired with Poehling). While naturally a centre, I envision Suzuki cracking the Habs line up as a right winger, either in the third or second line position.

Finally, since Juulsen’s vision issues have been addressed, I see him taking the final right side defence position, likely just beating out Christian Folin. These young players will play a role with this year’s roster, but exactly how impactful they will be remains to be seen.

In conclusion, we witnessed a massive turnaround from the Montreal Canadiens last season compared to the previous one. What will we see this season? Ownership and management did their so called “best” to upgrade the roster and push for a playoff spot this season. However, mediocrity, or just making the playoffs, should not be acceptable-it’s not good enough. That is not how one establishes a winning culture. That is not the Montreal Canadiens.

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If all goes according to plan, the 2019-20 version of the Habs should outdo the team from last year, and if the St Louis Blues serve as example, certainly once a team makes the playoffs, as Bergy says, “anything can happen.” We will soon know if this season’s squad will perform better than the last. Let the puck drop!

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