By J.D. Lagrange, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
For many years now, the Canadiens have been trying to find some offense and they have only managed some mixed success in finding some. Max Pacioretty is the only notable offensive threat on the Habs and teams zone in on him and his line as there is little top end offensive talent to support him.
PENTICTON, BC. – While fans today like to pick on head coach Michel Therrien, they tend to forget that Jacques Martin and his smothering one-man forecheck, five-men in front of the net defensive system didn’t help, to the point where Pacioretty asked to be sent back down to the AHL to allow him to develop his offensive game instead of playing up for him. Not saying that Therrien is ideal, but at least he encourages the team to use its speed with stretch passes and encourages a two-men forecheck, something his predecessor categorically refused to allow his players to do.
Fans are disappointed. Everyone, including team GM Marc Bergevin, knows that the Canadiens have a gaping hole on the top-six and had Thomas Vanek not disappeared in the playoffs two years ago, they would have addressed that need. But blaming Bergevin is a bit unfair as anyone following the team closely will admit that it’s not a lack of trying, but rather some misfortune or arguably the wrong players being targeted.
Bergevin signed Daniel Brière in hope that he could regain his offensive flair, something that certainly did not pan out with the exception of a flash here and there. Many had expected that he had solved the issue when he traded for Vanek at the trade deadline two years ago and seeing that he, Pacioretty and David Desharnais formed one of the best line after the trade, there was no denying that the situation was looking up… until Vanek made his best impression of David Copperfield by vanishing during the playoffs that year.
Bergevin then traded Brière to Colorado for P-A Parenteau in hope that he could find his scoring touch, as he had scored 32 goals in 103 games for the Avalanche, which translates to 25 goals per 82 games. Unfortunately, that attempt has flopped as well as the disgruntled winger only managed eight goals last year, placing him 10th on the team in that category. Had Parenteau been successful, Bergevin would have looked like a genius for trading Brière for him.
As we see, it’s not that Bergevin has not been trying to address the issue, but the moves that he has made have simply not paid off the way he had hoped they would. We hear people, Parenteau included, complaining about the fact that Therrien’s system is responsible for their lack of offense. It’s funny that it doesn’t seem to keep Parioretty from scoring… or Brendan Gallagher from getting a career high 24 goals… or Vanek to have a good regular season after joining the Habs. Those are excuses folks and let’s not fall into the blame trap and give traction to players looking for excuses and for people to feel sorry for them.
BERGEVIN’S PLAN
First, allow me to go on record in saying that not only has Bergevin been trying to get some help in the scoring department this off-season, but he is still working the phones if we believe that true insiders in traditional media. There is a significant difference in philosophy between some fans, some media, and what Bergevin is trying to do. Some feel like it’s his job to do everything for a one-time chance at winning the Stanley Cup, feeling like Bergevin should sacrifice top prospects and first or second round picks for short term gambles at immediate success. Those people are thinking like Pittsburgh, amongst other teams, who don’t mind being horrible for a few seasons and get a “window of opportunity.” They even state that in their justification, talking about the Canadiens’ window.
Bergevin, on the other hand, is building along the lines of the Chicago Blackhawks, hanging on to their draft picks and focussing on developing their own prospect pool, allowing the team to trade players when they get too expansive as younger and cheaper prospects are then ready to help. Notice that Bergevin never refers to a “window of opportunity”, but constantly talks about developing prospects and drafting well, and mentions regularly about building a contender year in, year out. That’s what many people notice when carefully listening to the Habs’ GM. Not overpaying, not panicking, staying the course. It’s hard to argue against it as he took a last place team and made it a constant top team since taking over.
WHERE WILL THE OFFENSE COME FROM?
In the event that Bergevin is unable to get some much needed help on offense, he feels like his team is already improved offensively and he addressed that during his last press conference. He did state that he is hoping for improvement on the powerplay, which can’t really be much worse than what it has shown last year and having Jeff Petry for a full season should be helpful, both on the man advantage and at even strength.
Bergevin also has traded away Brandon Prust (4 goals) and Parenteau (8 goals) and got Zack Kassian (10 goals in 42 games), which is an improvement offensively, especially considering that Kassian is only 24 years old. One would also hope that Lars Eller will finally break through and shows more consistency offensively, demonstrating what he can do during the season, as he’s been showing during the playoffs.
There is also the Alex Galchenyuk effect that we too often tend to forget about. The 21 year old and former third overall pick has shown constant improvement in his game and he has shown flashes of greatness, especially last year. It is not too farfetched to think that he will improve on his 20 goals and 46 points and takes a bigger offensive role on the team this upcoming season.
While he may be perceived as somewhat of a long shot, fans and media alike should not be downplaying young Russian prospect Nikita Scherbak. Most pencil him playing a season or two in St. John’s to gain some maturity but seeing him showing up at camp at 6-foot-two-inches and 204 pounds, with the mad skills that he has and with the mindset that this kid possesses, I wouldn’t be so quick at placing him anywhere, including on the Canadiens’ top-six or nine next season. The NHL has very much become a young players’ league and not many expected Johnny Gaudreau and Filip Forsberg to have the impact they had on their team last year, or that Sean Monahan and Nick Bjugstad had two seasons ago.
The Canadiens also hold a wild card which could (or not) turn out to be quite valuable. When they traded for 22 year old Devante Smith-Pelly, they not only added muscles to the line-up, but they believed that they were getting their hands on a young player who could, with the right frame of mind, become an excellent top-nine player with some major offensive upside, while providing a physical presence on a team that needs it.
While the Canadiens will certainly not be mistaken for the Pittsburgh Penguins offensively, they should present a better and more balanced offense as what they have shown this past season. Those are not unrealistic targets or expectations. They are very much real and attainable goals.
If the powerplay improves ever so slightly by a few percentage points, and the youngsters Galchenyuk, De la Rose, Smith-Pelly, Kassian and even Scherbak (or McCarron) bring some improvement to the roster, the Canadiens could surprise more than one team, fan or media with a very balanced attack.
Go Habs Go!!!
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Excellent article. Hopefully MB stays the course and ignores the so called “experts”
Thanks Norm. Much appreciated.
Neither myth nor reality. Merely speculation at this point. But since we are simply speculating, the question needs to be asked, on what are we basing our speculation?
You speculate that “disgruntled” winger PA Parenteau is simply looking for an excuse as to why he did not produce this past season. Meanwhile you ignore his usage. Why is that?
You try to back that up saying that because Pacioretty and Gallagher can score under Therrien’s system, there should be no issue for a guy like Parenteau. Pacioretty is an elite offensive talent in the NHL who is being deployed by his coach as such. Gallagher gets to play on that same first line with Pacioretty. That line is used exclusively for offense. A simple look at zones starts would confirm that.
You offer up Zack Kassian as an improvement to our offense, ignoring all the distractions that led to the Canucks trading him in the first place. (He MAY be an improvement, but the jury is far from in on that issue.) You hope that Eller will break through?! Just how many goals does Eller have to score from the third line, deployed in his own zone over 60% of the time against the toughest opponents possible with a revolving door of wingers before you acknowledge that he has shown what he is capable for the Habs? All while his coach demands he take the safe play off the glass and give the puck to that opposition?
It IS far fetched to think Galchenyuk will show big improvement in his game. Just how good is he supposed to be stuck on the second line playing left wing? How about some first line minutes? How about some quality PP time? How about a move to centre, the position he was drafted to play? I will assume you have heard the saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
You hold out hope for DSP as well. No facts, no stats. Hope. Your entire article is speculation based on hope bereft of any statistical analysis. Like the power play. Has to get better, right? Why? What is significantly different between the PP today and the single digit PP we saw in the playoffs?
Sadly, myself or any of my friends could have written a hopeful fan article regarding the offensive outlook for the Habs heading into the 2015-2016 season. Frankly, I expect more analysis in what I read, and will not be able to support this site with my readership any longer.
Thanks for the reply and for the input.
Let me ask you this though… Is it biased on unrealistic to expect:
– Galchenyuk to continue his development as he’s done for 3 years?
– Kassian to provide as many (or more) goals than Parenteau and Prust (12 total)?
– the PP to improve ever so slightly over a terrible season?
I live in BC. I see the Canucks as they are my second favourite team. I can tell you from seeing it that Kassian has had 3 coaches with different styles since with the Canucks. Under Desjardins, any honest Canucks’ fan will tell you that it seemed like every time he would make a mistake, he would be put on the 4th line or worse, sat on the bench and/or in the pressbox. Therrien has done the same to some players so there is no guaranties that the same won’t happen but just like Parenteau, he will get a chance to show what he can do first. Here’s hoping that unlike Parenteau though, Kassian will seize his opportunity and make the most of it.
You addressed Pacioretty being an elite talent. I don’t think Gallagher is. Yet, he managed 24 goals under Therrien. I’m from the old school and I do believe that ice time is something that is earned. Competition brings the best in some players and those with no drive blame everyone and everything around them.
I’m glad that you bring up Eller as he’s a great example of a guy who, for some reason, raises his play in the playoffs but has a hard time finding the consistency that is needed during the season. You mention his defensive zone starts… so does Plekanec but unlike the regular season Eller, he also contributes offensively… as does the playoffs’ Eller with similar zone starts. Let’s stop the blame game here and place some accountability on the players to earn what they get. If Eller (or Smith-Pelly or De la Rose or Scherbak or Kassian or…) get on a tear offensively, show some major improvement, they will earn playing more and in more offensive situations.
I had a discussion with a Twitter follower yesterday who claimed that no one could convince Therrien that another player wouldn’t do better than Desharnais offensively. I happen to think that it’s ill-intent as if a centerman steps up and produces regularly and DD doesn’t, Therrien will make the switch as he’s done before. The problem is that no one has yet to show that they can do it (yet). In spite of all the hater that DD (and Therrien) gets from some of the fanbase, a lot of it is not even his fault. He is a $3.5M player who is expected by some to play like a $7M player because the team doesn’t have a true #1 centre!
I happen to think that the offense has improved ever so slightly. Time will tell if I’m out to left field or if I hit the nail on the head. But don’t ask me to join the negativity bandwaggon as for one, it’s not me and also, I do see some positive in what’s coming up for this team.
Cheers. :)
I enjoyed reading your article, having said that I do think that Terrien should be on notice this year. The Habs PP which was in the top 5-10 has fallen off since his assistants have been replaced. All the fans and haters of the Habs have said over and over that we need more goals, more size. For me the problem with this team isn’t so much scoring as it is PP goals. Teams have keyed on PK`s boomer’s from the point and have adjusted accordingly. I`m not saying that the team isn’t lacking a top end scorer, what team doesn’t need/want that. 5 on 5 scoring we ranked where the Blackhawks were, not too bad in my opinion.
The problem I see with the coaching is not developing the younger players on this team. Miss use of Galchenyk, looking for a upgrade at top line center, while we have Chucky playing the wing has bothered me for 2 years now. I am hoping like hell that this year, with so many young players on the cusp of making the jump to the big team, they get that chance.
Thanks John. Good comments. Seems like every year, I’m expecting for a young guy to break out. Here’s hoping that it’s the case this year. Also agreed on the PP.
“Let me ask you this though… Is it biased on unrealistic to
expect:
– Galchenyuk to continue his development as he’s done for 3
years?
– Kassian to provide as many (or more) goals than Parenteau
and Prust (12 total)?
– the PP to improve ever so slightly over a terrible season?”
Allow me to backtrack and use unrealistic, please.
1. Depends on how much you are expecting from Galchenyuk. There is only so much he is going to be able to do with limited ice time, in situations that do not necessarily put him in the best position to succeed.
2. I think that if we are speculating, there is no reason to
think that, used properly, Parenteau could not match the totals we will see from Kassian this year. As far as the trade itself (Kassian and 5th for Prust, don’t get me wrong, it is a good
deal.)
3. The fan in me agrees. But based on what? It cannot get worse so it must get better? That is thinking based on mere hope with little besides a wish to support it. Action would indicate perhaps we should expect improvement. I’ve seen none so far.
Regarding Gallagher, while he is not elite, he benefits from
playing on the one line in Montreal that is tasked with offense. Looking at his zone starts compared to Parenteau I think that perhaps we see a situation where the system could be tweaked. (It seems I have a huge crush on PAP. I merely
come back to him as I feel, looking at how he was deployed, that he is a good example of a poorly used asset.)
You say Eller, for some reason, lacks consistency during the regular season. Why do you think that is? You say that Plekanec is given lots of defensive zone starts. His relative zone starts stat is -3.1 compared to Eller almost 10 points lower. Of players with more than 40 games played, only Prust and Malhotra have a worse number. Plekanec suffered the same criticisms not too long ago and was in the same situation. A revolving door of wingers and facing the best the opposition could offer. Having Eller doing that job for him this year (highly successfully too) allowed him to have a great offensive season. Is Eller as good offensively as Pleks? We won’t know for sure until he is given an opportunity to show it. The stats you eschew indicate he might very well be.
As far as DD goes, I like him a lot. What I dislike is that he is, essentially, delaying the development of Galchenyuk as the first line centre of the Montreal Canadiens. Nobody on the Habs is sheltered with zone starts like Desharnais. He is given the lions share of the PP time. You cannot tell me that Galchenyuk
would not produce more points in that situation than DD. As it was, DD scored 2 more points with 48 than Chucky. If the Habs are not going to allow Galchenyuk to learn from his mistakes, then he is not going to learn to play centre in the NHL. It has nothing to do with DD love or hate. Nor does it have to do with my expecting DD to produce like a high end #1 centre. I have no such expectation. My expectation is that the Habs will look for that centre. Since they drafted him to be that guy, it infuriates me that Galchenyuk has been given no true opportunity to be that guy.
You touch on your feelings about stats and those feelings are absolutely valid. However, as you agree that they tell a part of the story, you need to embrace them and tell that part of the story as opposed to ignoring it. You made zero reference to stats in your article. Calling PAP “disgruntled” and not discussing his usage doesn’t tell the whole story. Calling Eller “inconsistent” without discussing his actual offensive output vs his extreme defensive usage, does not tell the whole story.
That is my issue. Anyone can tell half a story. Anyone can
speculate. Without something like stats to back up the speculation, it is just opinions shared over a cold beverage with friends. You write well, but by ignoring the stats you do not become all of the writer you could be.
I fully understand what you’re saying and for the most part, I don’t disagree. Where the difference in opinion sits, if I may say, is in the “usage” of the players. Parenteau was given ample opportunities to succeed early on. He did nothing with it. They have moved Gallagher around, playing anywhere from the first line to the second and the third line. The difference is that unlike Parenteau, he seized his opportunity and made the most of it. As a matter of fact, he was used as a spark plug for lines that weren’t working. Unlike what some people think (not you specifically here, let’s be clear), Therrien is no dummy. He’ll give Kassian, who will be on a contract year, a chance to show what he can do. It will be up to him to seize his chance. If he does, he’s an asset. If not, he’ll be like Parenteau and will have to regain his coach’s confidence.
Can we agree that Eller in the playoffs is not the Eller from regular season? I like the Eller from the regular season for his defensive awareness, but I love the playoffs’ Eller because of his desire to play a more intense game and take charge, while used in similar situations. I could be wrong but as mentioned earlier, believing that ice time is earned, something tells me that he’d get better usage if he was more like the playoffs’ Eller during the season.
Okay, you want stats. You also claim that Galchenyuk isn’t used properly. Here’s a stat. In his 1st season, Chucky played 12:19 mins/game. In his 2nd season, his ice time went up to 14:23 mins/game. Last year, this being his 3rd season in the NHL, Galchenyuk’s ice time jumped to 16:25 mins/game. His PP time also went up every single season. So why not think that with maturity and development, under the same coach, as a skilled former 3rd overall pick (not a grinder here), his play won’t warrant an increase not only in ice time, but in quality ice time?
At All Habs, we offer observational analysis, statistical analysis and editorial opinion. Not all will be the same and I personally feel like it’s a good thing, as while someone may like spaghetti, few like to have it every day. :)
Sorry, I wanted to touch on the “stats” comment. If you have followed me and read my articles, you also have noticed that I’m not a big fan of stats as in my opinion, they only tell part of the story. There is so much more to the game of hockey than stats and while they do hold some significance, they certainly don’t tell the story.
I could be wrong but for some odd reason, it seems like to some, everything must be justified with statistics and for that reason, they are inventing new stats for everything. Some are good, but NONE tell the true and entire story. If stats dictated hockey, you wouldn’t have coaches. Teams would be run by computers making decisions based on them.
Again, not downplaying statistics here, simply responding to your comment about “no facts” (although some are facts), “no stats”.
Respectfully. :)
Good read as usual JD.
The Habs are basically the same team, except with, Petry and DSP will be there for the full season, plus Kassian, who will not be asked to play goon as in Vancouver, the young man has hands and is a definite upgrade on the aging Prust. DD51 and Subban only found their game in December. It is not realistic to pretend the the Gally’s and Beaulieu are not going to improve, even if there is only one that does, the Habs will be good and a contender, providing they stay healthy, and even then, they have depth.
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