Is Luke Richardson having a tangible effect as Assistant Coach?

We didn't comment on the hire of Luke Richardson as an assistant coach for the Montréal Canadiens this past July.  Mr. Richardson was brought in to replace Jean-Jacques Daigneault, whose contract was allowed to expire.

My take was that it was a good hire, he was a candidate who ticked off a lot of boxes of what I expect from a position coach.  He played the position himself and has a credible career at that position, which I suspect is important in this age of Judgment by YouTube.  He has a good coaching résumé, working as a defencemen coach for the Senators and Islanders, and also as a head coach in the AHL for the Senators' farm team in Binghamton, along with a stint coaching for Hockey Canada, notably at the Spengler Cup. 

Yet, in spite of all this experience, he's still relatively youthful, which I tend to think is important when relating to players, and to be open to innovation as a coach.  This also ties in with a new attitude on the ice during practices, with Laval head coach Joël Bouchard famous for participating in drills, and Canadiens Assistant Coach Dominique Ducharme also noted for being very hands-on and didactic during practice.  If the new way is for coaches to skate and engage with their players in practice, Mr. Richardson should be able to fit in.

With the Canadiens' early results, with the way the team is playing, and the mildly surprising showing of the defencemen, sans Shea Weber, it's tempting to declare that Luke Richardson is doing a great job, and that his approach has transformed our blueliners, but it's hard to tease apart what effect a summer break had, how much of the uptick to attribute to the new fast-paced system based on 'la relance', and how much is purely due to better coaching.

When contemplating the evidence, one aspect we can base our evaluation on is how the individuals are doing.  Mike Reilly is transformed, qualitatively different than the more timid, error-prone performances we saw from him at the end of last season.  Jordie Benn, a plodder who we thought was ill-suited for today's game, and likely waiver-wire fodder, is surprisingly effective, making the most of his modest talent, yet still providing 100% effort, as always. 

Xavier Ouellet was thought to need a change of scenery, and maybe needing to hear a new voice, after playing under Jeff Blashill in the Detroit organization his entire pro career.  Well, so far so good, it seems, with Xavier turning in creditable performance on the third pair with Jordie Benn, and certainly not riding the coattails of a stud partner.

Even Karl Alzner, almost risibly ineffective last season, often flailing around in his own end for extended periods, unable to clear the zone and go for a change, looked promising against the Blues, a big tough team that was expected to provide a challenge.  Karl looked suited to the new way of doing things, he made good passes, and was seen pinching in on the play on his first shift, taking the puck to the Blues net.

So most defencemen seem to have taken a step forward from last season, except for maybe Victor Mete, who hasn't progressed like most fans would have hoped.  We might be seeing in him the early stages of a sophomore jinx.

I'll caution that I think the hype on Victor exceeded his actual production, seeing as he scored no goals and had one hit all season.  I think his sticking with the club had more to do with the Grand Club having no other options, having divested itself of Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin and Nathan Beaulieu, the entire left-side of the blue line, in one off-season.  Victor did well in camp, but didn't 'break down the door', didn't make us sit up and take notice.  He benefited from being put on Shea Weber's left, and not coughing up the bit.  Normally he would have been returned to London with a pat on the back, not hopefully inserted into the lineup with crossed fingers. 

Another piece of evidence is the testimonial from Mike Reilly on how the coaching is clear and helpful, with good video and good communication, effective coaching.

«Il est clair que je joue avec plus de confiance cette année. La communication est excellente avec les entraîneurs. Nous sommes bien préparés. Nous profitons de conseils quotidiens et de remarques associés à des bandes vidéo afin qu’on puisse bien comprendre ce qui est demandé de nous, ce qu’on fait de bien et ce qu’on doit corriger. Je n’ai jamais profité de ce genre de communication au Minnesota», a tenu à souligner Reilly avant de prendre la part du mérite qui lui revenait sur le jeu qui a mené à son but.

Again, we can take this with a grain of salt, no player would openly criticize his coach(es) if he thought they weren't good at their job, but it's one more piece of the puzzle.

One final thought, and it's a big one for me, is what Jack Todd said on the HIO Show this summer, after the hire was announced.  Mr. Todd related how Jean-Jacques Daigneault never impressed him as a coach, that he was a nice enough guy who worked hard, but who wasn't the most eloquent speaker or incisive analyst.  He gave as an example how, during Gary Bettman's First Lockout, Mr. Daigneault was the Canadiens' union representative, and failed lamentably at the task of expounding the NHLPA's position, leaving the press members more confused than before they'd spoken with him.

To me, that's the smoking gun, that maybe Mr. Daigneault was a hard-worker who knew the game, but may not have been able to transmit that knowledge to is charges.  He may have struggled to earn the respect of the players he served, if Mr. Todd's testimony is to be believed.

On first meeting Mr. Richardson, he has an imposing presence, but a calm, thoughtful way of expressing himself.  I don't think he'll have the same challenges Jack Todd noted of his predecessor.

Marc Bergevin came into the job in 2012 promising stability, that the revolving door approach was over with, that the media furor(s) wouldn't affect his decision-making, but there came a point where a change was necessary, for substantial reasons rather than just Montréal reasons.  Let's hope that Luke Richardson is an upgrade and we can look forward to a Weber-Juulsen-Romanov-Brook era, now that the aborted Markov-Subban-Tinordi-Beaulieu era is over.

Game 6: Canadiens 3, Blues 2

I had just texted some coworkers to tell them I was going to be there right at 1900 hr, or maybe a couple minutes late, since the Canadiens were headed to overtime, when Brendan Gallagher scored with 9 seconds left to beat the Blues 3-2.  Boy, these young kids, I tells ya, ...

Pierre Houde and Marc Denis reminded us a few times that the Blues were a King-size team, with quite a few players over 6'3" on their roster, and that they would and did try to use the same strategy against our team of rugrats that L.A. did.  They leaned on the smaller Canadiens and tried to intimidate them, but their defensive play was either not as stifling as the Kings', or the Canadiens made some adjustments, and the difference in result is plain to see.

The Canadiens scored very late to win the game, but also very early to open the scoring, with Max Domi scoring in the first minute, his first goal as a Canadien.

Mike Reilly also scored his first goal as a Canadien, and picked up an assist, and with the way he plays we can expect a few more.  He jumps in the rush, he's not afraid to shoot the puck, so he can contribute, something which our blue line has not been able to do so far to any great degree.

Karl Alzner subbed in for Victor Mete, and finished +1 with one shot on goal and 1 hit.  On his first shift of the season, he pinched far into the Blues zone, and attacked the net with the puck, so maybe he gets the marching orders this season.  This may not be his strong suit, this new skating style, but with his smarts and experience maybe he can let his passing do the talking, he doesn't need to be Phil Housley back there.

Victor Mete was described variously as being a healthy scratch, for allowing two 5-on-5 goals the last game against the Penguins, or being unable to play due to a finger injury.  Probably a combination of both factors sent him to the press box, next to Stéphane Waite as shown on RDS' broadcast.

And Tomas Tatar, again, you're earning your stripes.  He was flashy during many otherwise impotent Canadiens powerplays, and his forecheck caused the turnover that ended up on Gally's stick to win the game. 

So, 9 points out of a possible 12 for the boys so far this season.  This is not the disaster I was expecting.  So far.

Jacob de la Rose claimed by Detroit on waivers.

Elliotte Friedman‏Verified account @FriedgeHNIC

DET claims de la Rose

9:02 AM - 17 Oct 2018

I couldn't help notice Monday night that for their game against the Canadiens, Filip Zadina, the Red Wings' prized 2018-draftee, was not on the roster, but rather is in Grand Rapids, in the AHL for now.

Which is where Jesperi Kotkaniemi should be, should have been.  A good kid, a good pick, but one who'd benefit from playing against lesser competition, playing more minutes.

But no, instead we've roasted Jacob de la Rose on the pyre of hubris, wasted another asset on waivers, after Mike Condon, Mark Barberio, and Brandon Davidson in recent seasons.

And it's not like it was close, like when Calgary almost got Paul Byron through, but the Canadiens, one of the last teams in the waiver rankings, picked him up.  Or like when Mike Condon was picked by the very last team to speak, the Stanley Cup-champion Penguins.

Here, the Red Wings, right up front in the waiver order, rubbed their eyes, couldn't believe their luck, and put in a claim and crossed their fingers.  Makes you think there were at least a half-dozen other teams that must have put in a claim too. 

Dumb, dumb, dumb.  Short-term thinking.  Penny wise, pound foolish.

This frustrates me as all hell.  The only reason you pick up a Tomas Plekanec and a Matthew Peca and a Xavier Ouellet for cheap as UFAs in July is so they'll be complementary pieces on your roster, pieces you can send down to the minors, pieces you can waive.  They're smart pickups if you can get some miles out of them, and then down the road trade to contenders as the playoffs approach, like the Leafs used to do with Daniel Winnik.  You don't stake your future on them, and let valuable young players and trade chips like Jacob de la Rose out the door as a result.

Watch tonight as two Canadiens go down with a pulled hamstring and a sore wrist, and we'll now be short a body, and find that there was no need to waive Jacob, to take that risk.

Dumb.

'Nikita Scherbak not waived down to Laval. Yet.' Part 2: Jacob de la Rose walks the plank.

I've fretted this off-season about the requirement to waive Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak if we are to send them down to the AHL, both players as of this year no longer being waiver-exempt.  My argument, which is more of a repetitive theme at this point, is that the Canadiens, as talent-deprived as they are, and with the farm system still relatively bare, are not in a position to squander organizational assets, to expose such players to other teams and risk losing them for nothing in return.

When a Tampa Bay fritters away a Mark Barberio or a Matthew Peca, I understand their situation.  They have had a succession of good draft years, a few shrewd free-agent acquisitions like Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde.  At some point, they get squeezed, they can't hoard all these players and prospects, all that talent, due to considerations like the expansion draft(s), the waiver rules, the 50-contract limit.  So they slough off talent by necessity, they trade away a Jonathan Drouin, they lose a Jonathan Marchessault to free agency.

The Canadiens are nowhere near this point, organizationally.  They should be stockpiling and transmuting assets, not risking them on waivers, not when they have other options, in a 'reset' year.

Yet the Canadiens recently have lost Mike Condon, Mark Barberio and Brandon Davidson on waivers, assets that could have reaped draft picks, or returned prospects who aren't as far along their development curve, who can still be stashed in the AHL, hidden from waivers.  It was galling to see on Canadiens online forums some posters dismissing Brandon Davidson as a player who couldn't help us, who was no big deal or no big loss when he was claimed by Edmonton, and then see him reap the Oilers a third-round pick from the Islanders a mere two months later.  "That shoulda been ours!" I wailed dejectedly.

We do this constantly.  We'll spend low or mid-round picks on Steve Otts and Brian Flynns, but then find ourselves squeezed by our own contract and roster limits, and allow the Gabriel Dumonts and Michaël Bournivals to walk away in free agency.

I argue that the better alternative would be to proactively trade away a Tomas Plekanec, reap the bounty he'd command from a team starving for an accomplished NHL centre, and promote a Gabriel Dumont in his stead, even if he's only 80% of the player Tomas is.  You prop up your own young players, your farmhands, build them up, and then trade them away too.  You backfill in your roster by your own kids, who get pushed out a couple of years later by more young kids who are coming out of the woodwork, due to your diligent asset accumulation and cultivation.

And this is how I see Jacob de la Rose fitting into this.  Jacob is no bluechip prospect, not anymore.  The promise that was seen in his World Junior appearances, the tantalizing size and skating and physical gifts are belied by an absence of offence, of point production.  But that was always the book on Jacob, that he was a smart responsible player who could be trusted by a coach, but whose offence you had to project, you hoped would come around to a decent level.

Jacob has been waiver-eligible since last season, and he spent the entire year in Montréal, appearing in 55 games and picking up 12 points, being a healthy-scratch often, not flashing much.  As the season progressed, you started to see a hint of development, which is how his previous season in the AHL had gone.  So you held on to him and you hoped, but I guess Canadiens management now figures, with the numbers crunch and players about to come off Injury Reserve, that waiving him is the least bad option there is.

For the record, I'll disagree.  I estimate there's a 40% chance that he gets claimed on waivers, and that's too high a risk on too valuable an asset for us to take.

We have one forward on the roster right now who's waiver-exempt, who's not producing, and who's at great risk to his health and development while being eased in to the NHL, and I'm speaking of course about crown jewel Jesperi Kotkaniemi.  In a reset year, when the Canadiens are not expected to compete for a Cup, and when the kid has demonstrated that he's not going to be a major piece this season, we should fold our hand and wait for the next deal in 2019.  Especially in the wake of the assault suffered by another slender teenaged rookie, Elias Petterson.

Marc Bergevin famously said that you often regret bringing up a player to the NHL too soon, but you seldom regret bringing them up 'too late'.  This is where he should put his money where his mouth is.  Send the kid down to Laval so he can at least play more minutes, more Top 6 roles.  Or, send him back to Finland with a pat on the shoulder, as you do with every new draftee who's garnered one assist in five games to start his NHL career.  "Great job, kid.  Good hustle, good effort, keep up the good work, we'll see you at the World Juniors in Vancouver."

I'd also argue that a Matthew Peca, with his two-year one-way contract at $1.3M per is also more waiver-immune, a less attractive target than Jacob, and should have been waived instead.  Now I'll admit there might be some assurances that were proffered to Mr. Peca to get him to sign here on July 1, and maybe there was a verbal undertaking not to send him to the AHL.  Maybe the Canadiens sense that it's the other way around, that Matthew would be snapped up for sure, but that Jacob can still sneak through, but I have a hard time believing that.

Claude Julien expressed that hope, and stated that the Canadiens haven't given up on Jacob.

«Il fallait choisir quelqu'un. On n'a pas le choix, a rappelé Claude Julien. La semaine dernière, j'ai dit qu'on aurait des décisions difficiles à prendre. C'est la décision que l'on a prise. De notre côté, on espère ne pas le perdre parce qu'on croit encore en lui. Mais on n'a pas le choix quand on ne peut garder que 23 joueurs dans notre alignement. On va voir ce qui va se passer.»

("We hope not to lose him on waivers because we believe in him.  But we had no choice, we can only keep 23 players on our roster.  We'll see what happens.")

Fingers crossed, we can only hope that the Canadiens get lucky and squeak him through.  If that happens, I'll be very happy, and interested to see what he can bring to the Rocket lineup, under the fiery leadership of Joël Bouchard.  It'll sell tickets in Laval, improve the fortunes of the club, create that winning atmosphere that has been so lacking in our farm team for so many years.  And maybe a season or so at that level, with added responsibility, is the right environment in which Jacob de la Rose can finally, er, blossom.

UPDATE:

Elliotte Friedman‏Verified account @FriedgeHNIC

DET claims de la Rose

9:02 AM - 17 Oct 2018

Game 5: Canadiens 7, Red Wings 3

So the Canadiens pasted the Red Wings 7-3, even while taking their foot off the gas in the third period, enacting their own mercy rule on the hapless Detroiters.  The latter didn't really get the memo, they clubbed Jeff Petry in the mouth and scored a goal in the resultant confusion.  Tyler Bertuzzi decided to bodycheck a hobbled Jonathan Drouin, who had spent a long moment prone on the ice, and was barely mobile, trying to get to the bench after taking a shot on the ankle.  Unlike the Canucks with the Elias Petterson debacle, Xavier Ouellet jumped at Mr. Bertuzzi to make him account for his actions.

"Hey Detroit, I hear you, with all your moaning about the lack of experience on your blue line, and the injuries, Lord, the injuries.  But have I got the answer for you: David Schlemko.  He's experienced, he's steady, he can move the puck.  Heck, were you in a position where you'd lost the services of a near-Hall of Fame defenceman like, oh, Andrei Markov let's say, you wouldn't be the first to tout that a David Schlemko could fill a Markov-sized hole in your lineup.  We'll take a second-rounder for him, and you leave here quick, you're robbing us blind on this deal...

"What?  You're more worried about your goalie situation?  Dude, I get it.  Jimmy Howard, and Jonathan 'Bad Bounce' Bernier don't necessarily inspire confidence in their teammates.  How about a trusty vet to shore up that situation, a calm Stanley Cup winner who'll batten down the hatches and help you weather the storm?  Here's Antti Niemi, give us a second, and call the police, that's highway robbery, that's thievery..."

Marc Denis and Pierre Houde of RDS spoke during the game of how the Canadiens were doing what's needed, which is to make hay while the sun shines, to take advantage of a light schedule in October, with no onerous road trips and no back-to-back games scheduled, and earn as many points as possible.  They trotted out the old motto that a point earned in October is just as good as one in April.

Which is true, but it kind of stands the pre-season narrative on its head, which was that while Shea Weber was out of action, that our pitiful defence and impotent offence might mean another disastrous start, same as last year, and that by the time Shea came back we might already be eliminated from the playoffs, practically.  We'd mention how the season started with two games on the road in Toronto and Pittsburgh, then at home to the Kings and then the Pens again, and we wondered how long it would take to notch our first win.

Yet here we are, with seven points out of a possible ten, early on, in third place in the division.  There's still lots of time to stumble, but for now, it's great watching entertaining hockey.  If only for all the strange uniform numbers on the ice ("Who's #54 on defence?  Oh, that's just Charles Hudon covering for a teammate on the attack.  But wait, now who's #63?  Did they call up one of the Czech kids from Laval?")

Noted: Prior to Tomas Tatar's goal, late in the first, I gasped as a Canadiens' defenceman failed to retreat and remain prudently between an onrushing opponent and his goalie, which is what we were taught when I played, back when the sticks were made of wood and men were men, even the snot-nosed ten-year olds like me.  "He's going to get caught flat-footed!", I railed, aghast at his folly.  But no, the culprit, namely Noah Juulsen, was doing that newfangled defence they do nowadays, the whole 'stand up at the blueline' thing.  He, instead of turning tail and yielding ground, did the new move, the 'closing the gap' deal, and it was remarkably effective.  The Detroit rush was countered by his spearing the puck, which bounced around for a second, and then Phillip Danault and TomasTatar were off to the races.

I was ready at the start of the season to sacrifice Noah and Victor Mete to the safety of the AHL, for more 'seasoning' and 'marinating', out of my fear that we'd lose bodies to the waiver wire, as the risk-averse scaredy-cat armchair-GM that I play in my mind and on this blog.  But so far so good, we haven't been pinched yet, and injuries and circumstances have helped.  And it gets harder and harder for me to advocate that Noah wouldn't suffer from more tutelage in the AHL with Joël Bouchard.  The kid looks effective and comfortable at this level, and soon enough he'll be by necessity demoted to being the rightie on the third pair, with a returning Shea Weber and Jeff Petry to do the heavy lifting ahead of him.  That role surely is well within his capabilities.

Another defenceman who I thought could safely be waived, and cherished in Laval as organizational depth and injury protection was Xavier Ouellet.  Tonight, against the club that bought him out this summer, and which probably dearly wishes they had kept him now, in these dire straits they are in, he played an effective, inspired game.  He was the player he was projected to be when he got drafted, a skilled skater and puck-mover who'd support the attack.  He got off a few shots on net, including one that barely missed the post, and which in a world where poetic justice ruled would have gone in.

Saturday, we heralded the play of Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin, and we get to do so again tonight.  Monsieur Drouin is doing what we need him to do, which is produce offensively and play with a purpose, with his penalty shot goal and powerplay goal.  Pan Tatar, with a goal and two assists and all-over-the-ice effort, is wrestling that Max Pacioretty trade to a standstill early on, all by his lonesome.  All that remains is for Nick Suzuki to become the second coming of Pierre Mondou or Tomas Plekanec, and for Trevor Timmins to use George McPhee's second-rounder to draft another P.K. Subban, and we'll have won this trade.

Two more games for the boys this week, on Wednesday and Saturday, continuing with the light schedule motif.  It'd be great if they kept at it like this, kept playing with effort and pride and putting on a show.

Elias Petterson, and how his televised mugging applies to the Canadiens

Last year prior to the start of the season, I wrote a position paper on Victor Mete, arguing that a frail teenager whose presence on the roster won't materially affect the fortunes of the Grand Club shouldn't be exposed to the risk and the toxicity of the NHL, that one further year of physical growth, of strength training, of maturation can do wonders for the life-expectancy and skill development of a prospect.

This is largely how I feel this year, in reference to Jesperi Kotkaniemi.  We first saw him at the Prospect Development Camp and later at the Rookie Camp, and he proved to be a nice kid who still needed to improve his game and to put some meat on his bones.  Since then, he's improved every game he's played, he's held his own, he's not been embarrassed, but I'm going to shudder anytime he goes in the corner or is anywhere near a Bruin. 

The Mike Matheson wrestling move on Elias Petterson is exactly what I feared would happen to Victor Mete last season, and what can happen to Jesperi this season.  The League has changed, sure, small guys can now thrive yada yada yada, but in the end, there's still boards and corners and crosschecking in the NHL.  Nick Kypreos and Don Cherry and Mike Milbury still hold court prominently.  Just because Matt Cooke or Colton Orr aren't around anymore, doesn't mean that a slender teenager is now bulletproof.

Mike Matheson obviously is no goon, and his check wasn't egregious, but it was a little bit angry, it was within that mile-wide grey area that board battles offer players.  His extra propulsion of Elias down to the ice, when the puck was no longer in the area, that would have been penalized in the NFL as a roughing the passer move, as "giving him the business".  In the NHL, it's a 'hockey play', and veterans are coming out of the woodwork to expiate the crime, to argue that they saw and endured way worse back in the day.  As if we should look back to the NHL's sordid history for guidance on how to proceed.

Send Jeppu back to Finland.  He's not physically ready for the pounding that is coming his way, inevitably, one of these days.  It doesn't need to be from Dave Schultz, it will come from another team's version of Jordie Benn, an overmatched plodder who now only has one way to stick in the NHL, with toughness and grit and 'being hard to play against', and the Kypreos-sainted "let them know you're there" approach.  Otherwise, Jesperi is going to get a truncheon in the mouth, and it'll wreck him, and we'll wallow in our sorrow.

Game 4: Canadiens 4, Penguins 3 (SO)

With less than $2M at the goalie position, the Canadiens bettered the vaunted Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in an entertaining game that required a shootout to decide.  Bring your Crosbys and your Malkins and your Kessels, we'll nullify them with our trademark anttiniemi, and a splash of tatar.

It was such an exciting game that even Bob Cole couldn't ruin it for me.  Now that there's a sunset clause, that we know he'll be put out to pasture at the end of the season, I can almost tolerate his unfocused warbling, his obfuscating nasality.  I just wonder if the string-pullers at Sportsnet putting him on Canadiens game is the best use of the sentimentality he is meant to evoke.  Shouldn't he be playing the heartstrings of Leafs fans who grew up on his foghorn call?  Because it leaves this blogger cold to hear him: "Domi..., ..., no shot!  Petry..., ..., no shot!"  Let Winnipeg fans 'enjoy' his final few outings, and Ottawa fans too.  We've had quite enough thank you.

Much was made, including in these pages, of the ineffectual faceoff work by the Canadiens against the Kings on Thursday, with their big centres Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter dominating at the dot.  A few articles were written about Phillip Danault, recognizing that his 8% efficacy that night was unacceptable, that he'd spend some time in practice working on this aspect, that he'd improve.  Sure enough, tonight against the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, formidable adversaries, he won 60% of his draws, and the Canadiens' much-maligned centres finished at 52% for the game.

We saw Jonathan Drouin, also bearing the brunt of criticism after a tepid outing versus the Kings, be explosive, decisive and productive with the puck.  He won a critical faceoff in overtime while the Canadiens were on a 4-on-3 advantage.  No muss no fuss, after Brendan Gallagher had been tossed, he took the faceoff and won it cleanly, gaining possession for the club and giving his team a chance to win.

Monsieur Drouin did what is expected of him.  He was dangerous in the offensive zone, set up a powerplay goal by Tomas Tatar, and cashed in his attempt on the shootout to help seal the win.  If he does those things every game or nearly so, we'll forgive him his more detached, cerebral approach to the game.  I don't mind if my Steve Shutt doesn't backcheck quite like Bob Gainey, as long as he pots 60 goals.

Tomas Tatar got his first two goals of the season, and it's not like we were anxious or anything, we're just glad he got on the board.  In the pre-season he was effective, he put up points, and it'll be nice if he can do so over 82 games, and somewhat make up the lost production of a Max Pacioretty.  The Red Wing Tatar was a very nice player any team would have wanted, let's see if the Canadiens Tatar (the one with the $500 000 held back by George McPhee) can become that kind of tradeable asset.

What's there to say about the defencemen?  Jeff Petry is effective and earning his dollars.  He'll look great as the second-pairing rightie behind Shea Weber in the lineup.  Mike Reilly continues to impress.  Victor Mete almost notched his first NHL goal.  No pressure Vic, I'm sure your second season is the charm.  And Jordie Benn, a player who I never liked for no particular reason, is forcing me to admit that he's playing decently.  I'm beginning to ascribe trade value to him, that's how well he's performing.

And speaking of trade value: Antti Niemi?  A few more games like these, a torn groin here and a shredded knee there around the league in various creases, and all of a sudden we have a third, nay, a second-rounder en puissance in the fold, a player we can auction off as the trade deadline approaches?  No?  I'll keep my Michael McCarron machinations to myself then...

Game 3: Canadiens 0, Kings 3

That's more like it.  Our first convincing loss of the season, right in the kisser.  We were kinda in it pretty much the whole way, hit a few posts, peppered their fringe-AHL goalie with shots and Corsis, but all in all it wasn't even a moral victory.  We lost this one fair and square.  It's a relief.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater, one who wants the team to lose so I can rejoice in how horrible my team is, so I can screech about how right I was when I ridiculed every single coaching or scouting or managing or medical decision the Canadiens have made for seasons on end.  I don't want humiliating losses so I can tweet 18 times a day that Marc Bergevin should be fired.

But I kind of had my mind made up, when I gazed upon our tepid roster this training camp, that this would be another season of futility, that we'd land out of the playoffs, that we'd barter away pieces of now for bundles of futures as the trade deadline approached, and that we'd be in the draft lottery again this spring, expectant, fingers crossed, that the bouncing balls of justice would fall our way and we'd stockpile another franchise player in June.

Now, I'm as adaptable, nay, pliable as the next guy.  In my years, I've learned to embrace and thrive on change, just as long as it doesn't interfere in any way with my routine.  And I could have gotten on board the bandwagon, with the small quick team with new improved chemistry, that's all about work ethic and forechecking and pressuring the other guys into mistakes.  "Wave after wave of Smurfs!", we cried, after a huge honking two-game sample size.  Out with the Gomez-Gionta-Desharnais régime, in with the Byron-Gally-Tatar epoch.  Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!  (Never mind that King-Martinsen-Ott interregnum.)

Except, um, games like tonight's, the carborundum in the bandwagon's transaxle.  Who let the air out of the balloon?  Pierre Houde and Marc Denis of RDS, calling the game, repeatedly mentioned that one tactic other teams might use to slow down the sprightly Canadiens would be to finish checks, impose themselves physically, to intimidate and push them around.  And they did that a bit, but the play-callers also pointed out how players like Drew Doughty or Jeff Carter can dominate a game.  They pointed out how there are two teams on the ice, and tonight wasn't just a case of the Canadiens being unlucky, unable to convert on the powerplay.  The Kings were playing superbly and countering their efforts.  They defended effectively.

Carey Price made some key saves, but not an early one.  On a line rush, Adrian Kempe bore down on Carey with Tyler Toffoli, but the passing lane effectively closed by Artturi Lehkonen and Mike Reilly.  So he fired a wrist shot that beat Carey short-side, on his blocker side.

What we get coached in Pee Wee is that as a defenceman, when you defend that rush, your objective is to prevent the pass, and let the goalie handle the shooter.  Mike Reilly did that.  Carey should have had that one.

Mike Reilly continues to solidify his position in the blueline pecking order.  I can't see how he doesn't get at least a trial period next to Shea Weber when he's back.  Tonight, he managed the feat of a shorthanded breakaway by a defenceman.  He didn't convert it, but you have to like where his mind's at, the panache.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi didn't embarrass himself, but his impact on the game was negligible.  That's another thing going according to plan.  We need to send that boy back to Finland to mature further, he'll not benefit from a full season of barely hanging on.  Let's let him go play first-line minutes back home in the Liga, and at the World Juniors.  Come back next season and duke it out with Ryan Poehling for the franchise centre title, and for our hearts.  But for now, leave a slot in the lineup for Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose to sink or swim.

Phillip Danault had a shocking night in the faceoff circle, finishing with a 8% winning percentage. 

The Penguins, eager to avenge their loss from last Saturday, are the next visitors this Saturday.

Game 2: Canadiens 5, Penguins 1

This won't last. 

The Canadiens took new League powerhouse Toronto to overtime on Wednesday, getting one point in moral victory/loss.  On Hockey Night in Canada, the Canadiens followed that up with a 5-1 convincing win on an atypically listless Penguins squad.  This all happened on the road, folks.

And, it won't last. 

We all know the immortal quote from basketball coach Marv Harshman: Quick guys get tired; big guys don't shrink. 

The Canadiens have a new ethos, one of industry and pugnaciousness and tenacity and unrelenting pressure, compared to the plodding puck support approach formerly preached by Claude Julien.  They're quick off the starter's pistol, swarming over more talented and highly-appraised opponents just trying to get their legs underneath them, trying to get in sync out of training camp.  Much like the Michel Therrien teams of the past few seasons, they storm out of the gate and catch some prognosticator darlings off-guard.

But it won't last.  As it didn't with the Michel Therrien teams who'd reel off win streaks to start the year, but coast into the playoffs with a few sputters.  When the grind starts to take hold, when the Malkins start flying, when all that forechecking starts to wear on you, when that lower back starts to tighten up on you, it's difficult to maintain the enthusiasm, the pace.

It's fun while the streak is on though, and you kind of hope that the Canadiens do like the Coyote and stay suspended in mid-air, but inevitably, they'll look down and realize they're headed for a big fall.

Notable in this enjoyable game was Paul Byron, with two goals to take the Canadiens well out in front, to stay.  The defencemen again, with Mike Reilly, leading the way, looking very promising early on.  Charles Hudon, who has to deliver with guys like Tomas Plekanec and Nicolas Deslauriers currently on the sidelines but eager to return to the regular lineup, had a nice wraparound goal showing effort and skill.  Jeff Petry played a solid game, with no heart-stopping gaffes.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a nice shot on goal on a two-on-one, but couldn't convert.  Kid, you have seven more games to make a solid impression.  No pressure, no pressure...

Jonathan Drouin, (sigh)...  Lots of flash, but nothing of consequence.  He should be leading the offence.  No goal, no assist, -1, that's not going to cut it kid.  Sure, I'll oooo and aw along with everyone when you stickhandle like the second coming of Pierre Larouche, but right now, if Steve Yzerman hadn't called 'no backsies', I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Mikhail Sergachev, a veritable cure for what ails us on the blue line.

Carey Price needs a tonne of these quietly superb games to justify his huge new contract, good that he delivers.

Kind of weird that the Canadiens don't play again until Thursday at home against the Kings, so three games in nine days to open the year.  Why do we have Stanley Cup hockey in June again?

Simon Bourque on Unconditional Waivers, will be bought out.

Simon Bourque, an erstwhile Canadiens draft pick and farmhand, who was a throw-in on the Steve Mason and Joel Armia trade, sent to the Jets to relieve the Canadiens of a contract on their books, has been placed on Unconditional Waivers by Winnipeg, a prelude to having his Entry Level Contract bought out.

He was drafted in the sixth round in the 2015 Draft, one of an impressive crop of LHJMQ defencemen predicted to be picked that season.  Jakub Zboril and Thomas Chabot were in their own first-round tier according to the draft touts, followed by Jérémy Roy expected to go late in the first or early in the second, and then came the trio of Nicolas Meloche, Guillaume Brisebois and late-riser Jérémy Lauzon.  Beyond them, Simon was generally seen as the next-best LHJMQ defenceman prospect, with some hype that he might be just as good as the Meloche-Brisebois-Lauzon trio, that he might go as early as the third or fourth round.

So nabbing him in the sixth round was a positive I thought, a local boy obtained on the cheap, a 'value' pick.  He didn't quite make the .6 pts/game threshold during his draft year, the level that seems to be the bar below which a d-man prospect from the CHL has no chance of an NHL career, but again, we'd invested a pick in the mere sixth round, so I was ready to indulge the longshot. 

I still soured a little as he played two more steady but unspectacular LHJMQ seasons, which didn't bode well for a NHL career.  And I functionally wrote him off when he had an unspectacular Memorial Cup, rarely catching the eye or dominating play for the Sea Dogs as a 19-year-old.  His teammate Thomas Chabot, two draft classes younger, skated circles around him in terms of his play.

There was talk that the Canadiens might ask him to play a further season as a 20-year-old in the LHJMQ, that the AHL might be too big a step for him, and that's usually the death knell for a prospect, having that 20-year-old season, but there are exceptions, Micheal Ferland being one off the top of my head.

In hindsight, he might have been better served doing that rather than what eventually happened, a very poor season as a Laval Rocket during which he was regularly a healthy-scratch early on, until injuries and callups piled up, and through attrition, he got a regular role in the AHL.  He finished the season with no goals and 3 assists in 46 games played.

So like William Bitten, Simon was a player who I hadn't given up on exactly, since we held his rights anyway, but who I mentally didn't include in my future projections.  When he was flipped to the Jets, it was clear to me that Marc Bergevin asked that they take a contract off his hands, like when he dealt Stéfan Fournier, and Jack Nevins.  They were sent away to keep the organization under the 50-contracts limit.

It'll be interesting to see if Simon asked for his release because he has other designs, like a career in Europe, or if it's the Jets who are showing him the door.  Nothing against the guy, he seemed like a nice kid, but he's one of those many, many players who have some promise as a 17-year-old but who don't progress to an NHL job.