HI/O Show: How can Canadiens become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders?

[doniceage]

The Canadiens’ Stanley Cup drought hit 22 years — and counting — when they were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

On the final HI/O Show of the season, former Canadien Chris Nilan, columnist Jack Todd, reporter Jessica Rusnak of TSN Radio 690 and Montreal Gazette sports editor/host Stu Cowan break down why the Canadiens couldn’t beat the Lightning and what the club has to do in the future to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender before their window of opportunity with Carey Price, P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty closes.

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/show/...cup-contenders

[chakhae1]

I am a new Habs fan and watching them during the playoffs this year for some games was like watching the Leafs. The absolute inability to generate any offence at all at times was frustrating so their primary need in the offseason has to be to bolster their forwards somehow.

[mooneyes]

The need to find, or draft more young talent like the Bolts have, simple but not easy I suppose. Galchenyuk has too much pressure on him no doubt. Part of the lack of offence is just their system as well. It can only get them so far, not much different than the Rangers. Even if they got to the finals, how do they out gun Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, Saad, Keith etc etc??

[habsmtl09]

Habs have plently of young players in the lineup (Galcheniuk, Gallagher, De La Rose, Beaulieu, etc) they need a top line forward

[geschrocks33]

Teach Carey Price to score. He does everything else for them LOL

Or find a way to clone Max Pacioretty

[30ranfordfan]

How do they fix it? Good article on THN that made a great suggestion:


http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/wh...-trade-target/

[RGM81]

Habs have plently of young players in the lineup (Galcheniuk, Gallagher, De La Rose, Beaulieu, etc) they need a top line forward

Nikita Scherbak is probably only a year or two away. This kid is going to impress.

Bigger picture - they will only go so far with this coach and his system. They play a system that relies too heavily on Carey Price to steal games and suppresses offensive flair. Too much talent to not give them the green light to go score goals. Also, the PP coach must be terminated effective immediately--there was a time not too long ago that the Habs PP was the key to their success, now it's a momentum-killer.

If I'm Marc Bergevin, I'm going hunting for a top line winger or two. I know that's not an easy thing to find these days but they need players that can not only hang with Pacioretty & Gallagher, but help improve them. I also start taking a good long look at whether David Desharnais as a #1 centre is really best in the long term, and also about Lars Eller and whether he's reached his upper limit. $3.5M is a lot to pay a guy that isn't used on the power play and seems to be stuck as the #3 centre. Also, the playoffs showed that the team needs another top 4 D that helps alleviate the strain on Markov--he was horrible in the playoffs. Petry may help.

[30ranfordfan]

A friend of mine (Habs fan) asked me this (when Tampa was up 3-0): "Do you think Therrien gets fired?"

My answer wasn't a simple "yes / no". I don't watch enough Habs games to really answer this question (but I bring the conversation up, because your comment alludes to what I said).

Is the coach's system suppressing the offensive abilities of the players, or are the players just not that good? (in some cases still young, in other cases... just mediocre).

If it's a case of personnel: I think the coach's track record is a good one. In three year's they've won the division twice, and been to the conference finals once. If it's a case of his systems are leading to an inability to score (by players the GM things should be scoring more) then that's a problem, regardless of the track record.

If I'm Bergevin, that's the question. If my coach is getting in the way of goals, he's got to go. If he's making do as best he can, he's doing a good job.

Nikita Scherbak is probably only a year or two away. This kid is going to impress.

Bigger picture - they will only go so far with this coach and his system. They play a system that relies too heavily on Carey Price to steal games and suppresses offensive flair. Too much talent to not give them the green light to go score goals. Also, the PP coach must be terminated effective immediately--there was a time not too long ago that the Habs PP was the key to their success, now it's a momentum-killer.

If I'm Marc Bergevin, I'm going hunting for a top line winger or two. I know that's not an easy thing to find these days but they need players that can not only hang with Pacioretty & Gallagher, but help improve them. I also start taking a good long look at whether David Desharnais as a #1 centre is really best in the long term, and also about Lars Eller and whether he's reached his upper limit. $3.5M is a lot to pay a guy that isn't used on the power play and seems to be stuck as the #3 centre. Also, the playoffs showed that the team needs another top 4 D that helps alleviate the strain on Markov--he was horrible in the playoffs. Petry may help.

[10-4 collector]

They need a real #1 centre, they have 3 #2 centres. They will probably have to trade a young prospect like Beaulieu to get a good forward, maybe a player from The Oilers, Eberle? I think Eller has to go, he has a certain talent but he always seems to be skating in circles doing nothing. Desharnais is barely a #2 center. The Powerplay, I don't get, they were the best in the league a few years back with the same team. Maybe a better centre would help. I love Plekanec but maybe his time has come, he's not a playoff performer. Bergevin has done a good job so far, he will figure something out.

[RGM81]

A friend of mine (Habs fan) asked me this (when Tampa was up 3-0): "Do you think Therrien gets fired?"

My answer wasn't a simple "yes / no". I don't watch enough Habs games to really answer this question (but I bring the conversation up, because your comment alludes to what I said).

Is the coach's system suppressing the offensive abilities of the players, or are the players just not that good? (in some cases still young, in other cases... just mediocre).

If it's a case of personnel: I think the coach's track record is a good one. In three year's they've won the division twice, and been to the conference finals once. If it's a case of his systems are leading to an inability to score (by players the GM things should be scoring more) then that's a problem, regardless of the track record.

If I'm Bergevin, that's the question. If my coach is getting in the way of goals, he's got to go. If he's making do as best he can, he's doing a good job.

And that's kinda the big question - chicken/egg is are they goal-starved because they play defensively or do they play defensively because they're goal-starved? To me, when I look at the stats of some of these guys, and watch the endless chipping and chasing, I think they're being stifled a bit. And at the same time, they don't have enough really good players. Compare Chicago's or Tampa's top six to Montreal's...the Habs drop off pretty quickly. Depth is key, and depth is definitely looming on the short-term horizon...but today it's not at the elite level.

If the Habs got swept, I think Therrien would have been axed. But he got the troops going enough to make a series of it. And so I think he'll be back in the fall.