Montreal Canadiens

Improvement, but still a flawed team

It has been 9 games since Bob Gainey has taken over as coach of the Canadiens, and some noticeable adjustments and improvements have occured. Nonetheless a 3-3-3 record under the Bob Gainey coaching era also reflects the fact that the team remains deficient in certain areas, and no amount of coaching tactics is a sufficent substitute for a required upgrade in personnel.

Under Gainey, the Canadiens work ethic has improved. The habs still do not appear capable of putting in a full 60 minute work ethic game to game, but the overall intensity and commitment to adhereing to a more structured game in all three zones is more readily apparent. The forwards are providing better puck support for the defense in the Canadiens zone, the teams gap control between the forwards and the defense, although still problematic at times, has unquestionably improved.

The powerplay, perhaps the biggest singular reason for the Canadiens overall struggles this season as compared to last year, has started to show some renewed signs of life. The Canadiens powerplay had a 15 percent success rate under Carbonneau, whereas with Gainey as the coach the powerplay percentage is at 19 percent. There appears to be better movement, better rotation by the players in the offensive zone. With Gainey as coach, the Habs are not as reliant upon the diagonal cross ice pass from Markov to Kovalev to achieve all of their success. There is a renewed emphasis on a spread formation, with the point shooters firing at the net, and the Canadiens trying to set up picks and screens down low, giving the opposition some different looks. The powerplay, however, is still a work in progress, as the team continues to have issues with gaining the blueline, maintaining puck possession while trying to set up in the opposition zone on a consistent basis.

Perhaps the biggest revelation of the Gainey coaching era, is the development of an efficent checking line, capable of shutting down the oppositions most dangerous scoring units. Higgins, Dandenault and Metropolit, entrusted as being the teams top checking unit has done a superb job in neutralizing the likes of Lecavalier, Kovalchuk, St.Louis, and Vanek. Without the pressure of being looked upon as an elite goals scorer, Higgins has thrived in a defensive role. His work on the penalty kill, and shadowing the top wingers in the game, seems to be an effective niche for him. The checking unit features top end speed in Dandenault and Higgins, contributing to the overall effectiveness of the line.

Gainey’s decision to modify the teams top line has also proven benefits. Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay give the Habs a potent creative puck possession line. With Tanguay’s superb vision and puck passing skills, it has opened up the ice surface for Kovalev. Tanguay is able to complement Kovalev’s free lancing style of play, and as such, AK27 is able to stretch the defense by roaming beyond just the right side of the ice surface.

Unfortunately, problems persist for the team. The Canadiens remain a smallish team down the middle. A lack of a big physical center, still undermines the team. Although, not overly physical, Robert Lang, was able to use his size to establish body position down low at both ends of the ice, creating time and space for his wingers, and aiding the Habs defense in crucial one on one battles along the boards and in the corners of the Canadiens zone. Through out his tenure as gm of the Canadiens, Gainey has recognized this obvious issue. As such, he has pursued free agents from Arnott to Ryan Smyth to Mats Sundin, before settling on Lang, to address a key shortcoming in the organization. Unfortunately, the long term injury to Lang, has once again exposed a critical shortcoming of the team.

A continual, persistent issue with the team is the poor positional play of the Montreal defensemen. Bad reads, errors in judgement, breakdowns in fundamental positioning have all been hallmarks of a ragged Canadiens defense for the 2008-09 season. Time and again the Canadiens on icedefense pair both chase the puck carrier, leaving the deep slot wide open. Whether it is due to lack of confidence, uncertainity in terms of executing a proper defensive zone positioning posture, the absence of a defenseman coaching the Habs d, the team looks completely disorganized defending in its end of the ice. The problems become magnifed when the opposition begins cycling the puck in the Habs zone. A partial short term solution would occur, if Hamrlik and Komisarek, would revert to their stabilizing play of a year ago. Both have vastly underperformed this season. For the Habs to go deep in the upcoming post season (assuming they make it) both players need to elevate their play.

Certainly, there is no substitute for having a couple of top end elite level talents to offset a teams deficiencies. In Markov, the Habs have one of the leagues premier defensemen. What Markov, and the Canadiens as a whole need, is another top end player to complement him. Try as they might, Kovalev and Koivu, given the vagaries of age are in the twilight of their careers and while teriffic complementary players, are not capable of being a second go to guy. Price has the potential, but he is only 21, and this season is still struggling with maturity issues. In the immediate future (the remainder of this year) he does not appear quite ready to fullfill his perceived manifest destiny.

Gainey has made some interesting adjustments in an attempt to get the most out of a talented but flawed team. He will need to continue to make certain tweaks, and tactical changes in personnel to upgrade secondary scoring issues as well as adding structure to defensive zone coverage if the Habs are to have any degree of post season success.