Canadiens Summer Recap Part 1
NHLHS Montreal Canadiens Correspondent Christopher Nardi presents his Habs Summer Recap. A summary of the major news out of Montreal so far this off-seasons.
From boom to bust, the Habs off-season started with a bang and has since calmed.
So we’re in mid-July and Ilya Kovalchuk FINALLY sighed with someone, more “the salary cap has once again been rendered useless” talks have sprung up (see: Kovalchuk’s contract), LeBron James ended his endless mind games and told the world where he was signing (the world that has ESPN, that is), and now you MUST be wondering: “but what has happened to the Habs? Is the city of Montreal still standing? Where can I get my poutines from now? Well worry not my friend, because Montreal is still standing, and although the changes brought to the team this summer are not as drastic or unexpected as last summer’s (although there have been quite some surprises), the Habs were not quiet this summer.
Lets go over a few of those changes that have happened.
The Halak trade
The trade that sent Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues for a couple of prospects, Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, came as a surprise to many, but to those who study the cap closely, it was a little more expected. After his extraordinary season and post-season, Halak was in a position to demand a salary that was equal to/exceded 4 million per year, a salary that the Habs just could not afford, being strapped to the cap ceiling that they were. So, they did the smart thing, and instead of allowing the matter to inevitably go to arbitration, they got the best that they could (or hopefully they got the best that they could) in return for Halak’s rights. If you want my analysis on the whole trade, and a profile on both players, click here.
Needless to say, the trade indicated that the Canadiens’ management wholly trusted Carey Price as the new starter in nets for the Habs. Although the choice may have made some jump in their seats, I, for one, am a strong naysayer about Price. I don’t believe that Carey Price has earned the spotlight at all. For sure, many goaltenders are thrown into the first spot because of necessity (see: Philadelphia Flyers’ whole past season), but when an administration willingly begins the season with a number 1 goaltender set, it’s because that player has proved his value, proved that he is ready and is willing to give it his all, on and off the ice. With Carey Price, I don’t feel any of that. His play last season had become “relaxed” at best, completely indifferent at worst, and even during his post-game interviews he seemed distracted and just generally annoyed at having to be held accountable.
The best thing that a Habs fan can hope for is that Carey is able to return to his 2007-2008 form, the year during which he charmed Montrealers with his speed, size and dedication to stopping every single Bruins puck that headed towards his crease (see: Montreal-Boston series of 2007-2008, the highlight of Price’s career, in my opinion).
Plekanec resigning
Another milestone in the Montreal squad’s summer was the resigning of free agent Tomas Plekanec. The first or second line center just came off of a career high season, notching 70 points, and a playoff series that was more average than anything else. His playoff production was exceptional during the Montreal-Washington series (8 points in 7 games, in addition to being regularly matched to the Capitals’ top line), and although his point production significantly reduced over the next two series, his defensive play was what kept Crosby at a point production low and allowed the Canadiens to move on to the next round.
Plekanec’ contract, an annual cap hit of 5 million, was a big reason why Halak wasn’t able to resign with the Canadiens. Although his contribution to the team has been immeasurable over the last season, his inconsistence over the years has me cringing at the beginning of every season, wondering which Plekanec we will see this season. Will it be the 2009-2010 Pleky, or the dreaded “little girl” Pleky 2008-2009, who was more invisible than Kovalchuk’s defensive play (or just about). Certainly as a young player (27 year old), Plekanec still has much room to improve and to steady out his play, even if his defensive play has been the more consistent aspect of his game over the years. Pleky’s new hefty contract now has most Habs fans praying hard that they will see their new-old center play a hard defensive game while contributing offensively all the time, just to make sure that every penny of those five million dollars a year are spent wisely. And if he doesn’t play up to expections? Well I can assure you that Habs fans will personally hunt him down and get every single penny he owes them back.
That’s the way Habs fans roll. Plekanec has been around long enough to have figured it out by now, so hopefully for Montreal, he’ll be able to tear it up when tearing up will be needed.
Stay tuned for part 2 of my off-season recap, where I will discuss the trading away of Sergei Kostitsyn, and ponder on how much money Carey Price will be making next year.
Christopher Nardi
NHLHS Montreal Canadiens Correspondent
cnardi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @dragonlancehuma
