by Marc Lescoutre , Vodcast Producer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
OTTAWA, ON — As a disappointing season has now come to a close, we begin to look at the future of the club. We now know that Michel Therrien and the rest of his coaching staff will be back for another season. That news frustrated many, myself included, but what else is in store for the Canadiens’ offseason? A potential lottery pick, trades, and free agent signings could be on the horizon. I’ll touch on some of those points below in this week’s mail bag, and don’t forget to check out this week’s upcoming episode of the Habs Banter Video Podcast for more analysis of the 2015-16 season, and what Habs fans can look forward to in the offseason.
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Serious question. Are the Canadiens committed to winning the Stanley Cup? — Marc (Laval, QC.)
I honestly do think the brain trust of the Montreal Canadiens are, or believe they are, committed to winning the Stanley Cup. The problem I see is that the team’s leadership, specifically GM Marc Bergevin, often preaches each season that the team’s goal is to qualify for the playoffs.
While I can appreciate the team not trying to get ahead of itself, taking it one step at a time, the difference in quality between a team simply trying to make the playoffs, and a team loading up for a legitimate run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is huge. For the team to be taken seriously, more ambition needs to be shown by the club, which brings me to the next question…
Marc Bergevin keeps saying how hard it is to be a GM. Is he in over his head? — Greg (Carman, MB.)
I think it’s safe to say being a GM in the National Hockey League is a tough job. Trades seem to happen less and less nowadays, and its certainly hard to build your team in a salary cap era on the free agent market without overpaying, or signing aging players to too much term.
Having said all that, Bergevin is beginning to sound like a broken record, and his constant reminder to fans that trades are difficult is beginning to sound like an excuse, despite the so-called motto of the team. In his time as Habs GM, he has struggled to find a forward via trade or free agency to lock down an effective role in the top-6.
Bergevin should get some credit for a few of the moves he has made as GM. He has been able to dump players on bad contracts such as Rene Bourque and Travis Moen for players with less term, and has been able to deal players such as Erik Cole and Brandon Prust, just as they were starting to lose their effectiveness (I realize the Kassian experiment didn’t work out, but it was a chance worth taking at the time, and I still believe getting Prust’s $2.5-million contract made the deal worthwhile). The bottom-6 of the Canadiens is also solid, with a number of players that can slot into various roles at centre and on the wing, as well as pretty good depth when it comes to penalty killers.
Hopefully, Bergevin is able to get over that hump this summer and find a solid option to slot in the top-6 to help provide secondary scoring behind the Habs’ new top line of Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, and Gallagher. With the cap situation of a number of teams around the league dire, several solid options could hit the market July 1, which could be beneficial to the Habs.
Morgan Ellis and Mac Bennett will be RFAs on July 1st. Gabriel Dumont and Bud Holloway will be UFAs. Which players will be back with the IceCaps? — Trevor (Stephenville, NL.)
If I had to guess, three of those players you mention above will be back with the organization next season.
Starting with the captain of the IceCaps, I believe Gabriel Dumont will be back, as leadership and experience is important to have around the team when many players will be taking part in their first year of professional hockey.
Morgan Ellis is the most sure thing of the list. After a bit of an off year that saw him split time between the ECHL and the AHL, Ellis came back with a solid full season in St. John’s, where he was named to the AHL All Star game, and looked solid in a short stint with the Habs. Depending on what happens on the blue line in the offseason, Ellis could have an outside chance for the No. 7 defenceman role in the fall.
Mac Bennett had a bit of an odd season, splitting the year between the AHL and ECHL. All Habs and Ice Caps Hockey Report colleague Amy Johnson followed Bennett throughout the season and gives him credit for showing solid hockey IQ when given ice time despite being stuck in the press box at times, and playing with different partners though out the season. I expect he’ll get another chance with St. Johns next season, and hopefully he’ll get a chance to play steady minutes without repeatedly jumping between defensive partners.
Bud Holloway, 28, signed with the Habs last off-season after a few years in Europe, Holloway led the IceCaps in scoring with 60 points, and even made his NHL debut in November. With a solid season behind him, the IceCaps would likely be interested in holding onto him, however with little to no chance at cracking the Habs line-up next season, I could see a scenario that has Holloway looking for another club to sign with in hopes of a chance at a full-time NHL gig.
Do you think Max Pacioretty did an adequate job as the Habs captain? If not, who would be your choice? — Jessey Rice (Mount Forest, ON.)
I think adequate would actually be a pretty apt way to describe Pacioretty’s first year as captain of the team. It wasn’t great, but neither was anything else about this season for the club. Pacioretty is a quiet leader who isn’t a big fan of the spotlight, but leads by example, and plays a solid two-way game. It’s hard to give a full answer on this without being in the room day-to-day, but I don’t think I can take anything away from Patch’s first year as captain. What comes next for Patches, and how he uses the experiences of this past season will be crucial in how he grows as a leader on this team.
As for other options at captain, those who follow me on twitter will know that I’m a huge fan of P.K. Subban. I would have loved to see him wear the C for the Habs, but he’s firmly planted as part of the leadership group of the club. P.K. provides acts as the more vocal part of the leadership which I honestly believe complements Pacioretty’s quiet style. As for the rumours that the two players have been feuding throughout the season, I don’t believe them for a second.