What do the Montreal Canadiens have to play for?

“He’s Still Got It”

Ilya Kovalchuk is the story of the season. He’s proven that he’s still got it and can produce at the NHL level, and he could have an opportunity to further build upon his legacy.

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That sounds ridiculous at first given Kovalchuk’s accolades. The 36-year-old has 440 goals and 427 assists for 867 points in 905 NHL games. Kovalchuk also has the 4th most hat-tricks amongst active players (13), fifth-most powerplay goals (144) and has a Maurice Rocket Richard trophy from 2004 in his cabinet.

The only he doesn’t have is a Stanley Cup ring. This is a prime opportunity for Kovalchuk. A team looking to contend for a championship in search of affordable depth could come calling.

Kovalchuk is on a solid pace with the Habs putting up four goals and four assists in eight games. He doesn’t necessarily have to stay at a point-per-game between now and the Trade Deadline, but he does need to prove that his recent play isn’t a sporadic burst of production. Then again, even if it is, it’s only a $700,000 cap-hit.

The Price Was Always Right

Carey Price has continued to get flack ever since he signed that contract extension back in 2017. As soon as the deal was announced, he was at a disadvantage and put on a pedestal of performance such that anything less than god-like was unacceptable. It’s understandable seeing as how he’s the highest-paid goaltender in the league, and his level of play was relatively consistent.

Price needs to do what Price does for the rest of the season: he needs to give the Montreal Canadiens a chance. It’s always easy to blame the goaltender for a loss – and don’t get me wrong, some of these losses have been directly on Price – but what the 32-year-old has to do is keep the narrative away from him and his play.

As he grows older, minds will start questioning whether Price still has it even though there have been a number of goaltenders who have managed to perform with age. If he can be a solid option for the Habs for the rest of the season, the naysayers will have nothing to jab at.