Post by habslive on Dec 12, 2008 13:09:43 GMT -5
It was never supposed to end like this. The Montreal Canadiens were to regain their rightful perch atop the IHL. After making great progress in the past two seasons, the bar was raised extremely high for GM Rob Seitz and his squad. However, a lack of offense in a midseason swoon is what ultimately did them in.
After noting that all of the top teams of the past had solid defense before becoming contenders, Seitz decided to sacrifice a little bit of pop on offense in order to bolster the defensive corps, which by all accounts overachieved a year ago. Therefore, Seitz dealt for Brent Seabrook and signed Hal Gill, Mark Streit was given a nice boost in ratings, and so were Brian Campbell and Dennis Wideman. Factor in the signing and improvement of Jan Hejda and the Habs had a very reliable blue line. In front of one of the league's best goaltenders, Evgeni Nabokov, this unit performed very well, as the Habs finished 3rd overall in goals against, which had Nabokov in the Vezina talks for just about the whole season.
Perhaps some unfamiliarity between linemates up front is what led to a downturn in offensive production this season. After Seitz saw that Alexei Kovalev was not fitting in very well with Mike Richards and Alex Frolov on the top line, he decided to make a pitch for Paul Kariya, shipping out Ryan Malone to Minsk in exchange. Said Richards at the time, "Coach has been trying different line combinations but we're just not putting the puck in the net, Paul brings a new dynamic to our line that maybe fits in better with Kovy and myself." He sure did. Kariya led the Habs in scoring this season with 82 points, second only to Peter Forsberg's 84 points accumulated three seasons ago. Seitz brought in Alex Tanguay to man the 2nd line right wing spot vacated by Malone, and Tanguay responded well as well, nearly recording a point per game with the team.
It has become clear to management what is lacking from this team and that is a capable offensive defenseman to alleviate the pressure on Campbell. Don't be surprised to see them table offers to a few free agents on the blue line this winter.
A win streak of 5 games that began at the trade deadline revived hopes of a miraculous comeback, as the Habs claimed the 4th seed for a few days before the perennial powerhouse New York Rangers went on a tear and surged ahead. The defensive improvement was the highlight of their season, and they hope to go forward and couple that with a few more goals next year with an eye towards making the playoffs and claiming the elusive Canada Division title over defending champion Alberta and Cinderella fluke Winnipeg.
Seitz offered these predictions though:
Round 1
----------
Winnipeg (1) vs. Alberta (4) --> Alberta in 6
New York (2/3) vs. Detroit (2/3) --> Detroit in 7
Moscow (1) vs. Stockholm (4) --> Stockholm in 7
Davos (2) vs. Minsk (3) --> Minsk in 5
---------
Round 2
Detroit (2/3) vs. Alberta (4) --> Detroit in 7
Minsk (3) vs. Stockholm (4) --> Stockholm in 6
FINAL:
Detroit vs. Stockholm---> Stockholm in 7
Cup champs: Stockholm
After noting that all of the top teams of the past had solid defense before becoming contenders, Seitz decided to sacrifice a little bit of pop on offense in order to bolster the defensive corps, which by all accounts overachieved a year ago. Therefore, Seitz dealt for Brent Seabrook and signed Hal Gill, Mark Streit was given a nice boost in ratings, and so were Brian Campbell and Dennis Wideman. Factor in the signing and improvement of Jan Hejda and the Habs had a very reliable blue line. In front of one of the league's best goaltenders, Evgeni Nabokov, this unit performed very well, as the Habs finished 3rd overall in goals against, which had Nabokov in the Vezina talks for just about the whole season.
Perhaps some unfamiliarity between linemates up front is what led to a downturn in offensive production this season. After Seitz saw that Alexei Kovalev was not fitting in very well with Mike Richards and Alex Frolov on the top line, he decided to make a pitch for Paul Kariya, shipping out Ryan Malone to Minsk in exchange. Said Richards at the time, "Coach has been trying different line combinations but we're just not putting the puck in the net, Paul brings a new dynamic to our line that maybe fits in better with Kovy and myself." He sure did. Kariya led the Habs in scoring this season with 82 points, second only to Peter Forsberg's 84 points accumulated three seasons ago. Seitz brought in Alex Tanguay to man the 2nd line right wing spot vacated by Malone, and Tanguay responded well as well, nearly recording a point per game with the team.
It has become clear to management what is lacking from this team and that is a capable offensive defenseman to alleviate the pressure on Campbell. Don't be surprised to see them table offers to a few free agents on the blue line this winter.
A win streak of 5 games that began at the trade deadline revived hopes of a miraculous comeback, as the Habs claimed the 4th seed for a few days before the perennial powerhouse New York Rangers went on a tear and surged ahead. The defensive improvement was the highlight of their season, and they hope to go forward and couple that with a few more goals next year with an eye towards making the playoffs and claiming the elusive Canada Division title over defending champion Alberta and Cinderella fluke Winnipeg.
Seitz offered these predictions though:
Round 1
----------
Winnipeg (1) vs. Alberta (4) --> Alberta in 6
New York (2/3) vs. Detroit (2/3) --> Detroit in 7
Moscow (1) vs. Stockholm (4) --> Stockholm in 7
Davos (2) vs. Minsk (3) --> Minsk in 5
---------
Round 2
Detroit (2/3) vs. Alberta (4) --> Detroit in 7
Minsk (3) vs. Stockholm (4) --> Stockholm in 6
FINAL:
Detroit vs. Stockholm---> Stockholm in 7
Cup champs: Stockholm