This article is part of our Team Previews series.
General manager Marc Bergevin and coach Michel Therrien are on a roll. They took stewardship of a team that finished last in the Eastern Conference, and in two seasons had them two games shy of the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, they were just a Carey Price knee injury away from representing the Eastern Conference. Expectations are running high in the city that hasn't seen a Cup since 1993. Normally, a club in this position might make a couple of minor tweaks -- perhaps get an injured star back and add some players with skills the team lacked. And while Montreal will be getting Price back and added faceoff virtuoso Manny Malhotra, Bergevin took a long-term view with respect to the roster. He swept out years of experience and team leadership, when he traded Josh Gorges to Buffalo and Daniel Briere to Colorado, and then let captain Brian Gionta and Thomas Vanek walk in free agency.
Veterans are helpful, but will the loss of these players hurt? Probably not. It's not like the Canadiens are bereft of experience. Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec have a combined 25 years of service within the organization, and Brandon Prust is as respected as anyone on the team. The Canadiens will be fine. A new captain will be named and they'll move forward with a young core of top-end talent. Price, defenseman P.K. Subban and forward Max Pacioretty are the cornerstones of the next Canadiens era. The trio is locked up until at
General manager Marc Bergevin and coach Michel Therrien are on a roll. They took stewardship of a team that finished last in the Eastern Conference, and in two seasons had them two games shy of the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, they were just a Carey Price knee injury away from representing the Eastern Conference. Expectations are running high in the city that hasn't seen a Cup since 1993. Normally, a club in this position might make a couple of minor tweaks -- perhaps get an injured star back and add some players with skills the team lacked. And while Montreal will be getting Price back and added faceoff virtuoso Manny Malhotra, Bergevin took a long-term view with respect to the roster. He swept out years of experience and team leadership, when he traded Josh Gorges to Buffalo and Daniel Briere to Colorado, and then let captain Brian Gionta and Thomas Vanek walk in free agency.
Veterans are helpful, but will the loss of these players hurt? Probably not. It's not like the Canadiens are bereft of experience. Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec have a combined 25 years of service within the organization, and Brandon Prust is as respected as anyone on the team. The Canadiens will be fine. A new captain will be named and they'll move forward with a young core of top-end talent. Price, defenseman P.K. Subban and forward Max Pacioretty are the cornerstones of the next Canadiens era. The trio is locked up until at least 2017, when Price becomes an unrestricted free agent. We'll also see a youthful infusion on defense with Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi. Replacing the veterans' on-ice production shouldn't be an issue. More playing time in top-six roles for Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk will serve the club well in the long run.
Bergevin is looking to sustain competitiveness over the long haul and not make a go-for-broke, one-year lunge for a championship. He doesn't want to wake up one year with veterans underperforming their salaries and contract terms. A good guy in the room can be important, but even more so are on-ice producers who aren't clotting the development of young talent. The general manager is gambling -- perhaps wisely so -- that the Habs can be Stanley Cup contenders in 2014-15 and beyond.
The Big Guns
Max Pacioretty, LW (RotoWire Position Rank*: #5): For a third consecutive season, Pacioretty led the Canadiens in scoring with 60 points, including a career-high 39 goals in his sixth NHL season. The club made a wise move a couple years ago when it inked Pacioretty through the end of the 2018-19 season. He's a high-volume shooter who improved his percentage from 9.2 percent in 2012-13 to 14.4 percent last season. He's learning how to score and scores in bunches. Before that contract runs out, he'll score 50 in a season. Pacioretty's set to open the season on the left wing of the first line.
*RotoWire Position Ranks reflected for points-based leagues*
P.K. Subban, D (RotoWire Position Rank: #2): Subban was once again an offensively productive defenseman, finishing with a team-high 43 assists and ranking second with 53 points, including 23 on the power play. Despite some moments that irritated coach Michel Therrien, Subban played nearly 25 minutes per night and was the most dynamic player on the roster. A game-changer, some might say. You've probably heard about his contract situation -- after a last-minute stare down with management, Subban signed a deal that will pay him $72 million over the next eight years. Subban should be on one of the top two defensive pairings and will continue to get a lot time on the man advantage.
Carey Price, G (RotoWire Position Rank: #6): Price rebounded from a subpar lockout season to post a .927 save percentage over 59 games in 2013-14. It certainly wasn't easy for Price, as the Canadiens defense allowed a ton of shots. And it would have been more had the defense not led the NHL in blocked shots. A deep run in the playoffs coupled with a stint on Canada's gold-medal winning team in the Sochi Olympics made for a long season for Price. The goalie's biggest concern heading into 2014-15 is the state of his knee. He was injured and knocked out of the playoffs in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals. The knee did not require surgery, and he's started working out in preparation for September's camp. Changes on the blue line -- Montreal let Josh Gorges go and will be assimilating at least one youngster -- shouldn't impact Price, who finished fourth in the Vezina race last year.
On the Rise
Brendan Gallagher, RW (RotoWire Position Rank: #20): Gallagher continued to develop in his second season, posting 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 81 games while seeing a lot of action on Montreal's top line. He followed that up with 11 points in 17 playoff games. The young forward has emerged as one of the Habs' top goal scorers. The in-season acquisition of Thomas Vanek moved him off the top line, but Vanek is gone now. There's no reason Gallagher shouldn't reclaim top-line status, so we're expecting a modest increase in playing time and points.
Alex Galchenyuk, C (RotoWire Position Rank: #80): Galchenyuk suffered a couple of injuries in 2013-14 and was limited to 65 games. We were looking for some growth out of him coming off a promising rookie season, but he continued to make young-player mistakes. Most notably, Galchenyuk tended to have lapses in his own end, and he experienced a steep scoring drop-off after a strong start to the season. There's a ton of offensive talent wrapped up in the 21-year-old, so the Canadiens will be patient as he learns to be a more consistent contributor. There's been talk of a move to his natural center position, but the Habs are deep up the middle. The loss of Brian Gionta opens up a wing spot on the second line and Galchenyuk is an obvious choice to replace him, but coach Michel Therrien is not about to hand him the position unconditionally.
Two to Watch
P.A. Parenteau, RW (RotoWire Position Rank: #38): Despite averaging 17.5 goals over the past four seasons, Parenteau was surprisingly traded to Montreal over the summer for Daniel Briere. Apparently, Parenteau had fallen out of favor with Avalanche coach Patrick Roy, but he'll look to find a more welcoming NHL home in Montreal. The Habs were looking for some help on right wing, and Parenteau fills that need. He should offset the on-ice loss of Brian Gionta. Parenteau could slot in on the second line with Tomas Plekanec, though it's not hard to envision notorious line-juggler Michel Therrien moving him around a bit. His exact role will be determined in training camp.
Michael Bournival, C (RotoWire Position Rank: NR): Bournival made the Montreal roster out of training camp and stayed in the NHL for the season. He suffered a concussion and missed a significant amount of time between February and March, and finished with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 60 games. He's a two-way centerman who can play on the wing and slots in comfortably anywhere. Because coach Michel Therrien is fond of line tweaking, Bournival played with a few combinations. He's likely to open the season rotating with other forwards on the fourth line.
Don't Overrate
Lars Eller, LW (RotoWire Position Rank: #66): Eller has been teasing the Canadiens for a few years now. After a productive year during the lockout-shortened season in 2012-13, Eller entered last season as a breakout candidate. When he scored five goals in the first five games, it looked like Eller was going to fulfill that promise. However, he scored just seven in the final 72 games and finished with a minus-15 rating. How did that regular season earn him a four-year contract in the offseason? It didn't -- the Canadiens committed to Eller based on the promise he hinted at during the playoffs, when he scored 13 points in 17 games. Montreal hopes they're getting more consistency for their commitment, and that the two-way playoff performer shows up in the regular season. He'll line up as the third line center again.
Jiri Sekac, RW (RotoWire Position Rank: NR): Sekac was a highly-sought free agent this offseason, coming out of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. The Czech winger was reported to have several NHL suitors, but chose the Canadiens, who employ fellow Kladno native Tomas Plekanec. He's viewed as a highly-skilled winger with good puck possession skills and playmaking capabilities. This will be his second go-round in North America -- a teenaged-Sekac played eight games in the Ontario Hockey League in 2009 and a couple of seasons in the United States Hockey League before returning to Europe. He's matured some since failing to stick in the NHL orbit, and blew off a lucrative offer from a Czech team to return to North America. He has size (6-foot-2, 182 pounds), and stood out at the Habs' development camp in the summer. General manager Marc Bergevin said Sekac will have a chance to compete for a roster spot, as the Habs shed wingers in the offseason. The Canadiens are clearly high on Sekac, but whether he's NHL-ready in 2014 will be decided in training camp. If he doesn't make the Canadiens' opening night roster, Sekac said he will accept an assignment to AHL Hamilton.
Top Prospects
Zachary Fucale, G (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #41): Fucale, a 2013 second-round draft pick, enjoyed another strong season in the QMJHL, taking home the Jacques Plante Trophy for posting the best GAA (2.26) in the league. The 19-year-old seems to have a bright future, but with Carey Price in the prime of his career, the organization is of no mind to rush him through the system.
Nathan Beaulieu, D (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #44): The shakeup on the Montreal blue line suggests an enhanced role for Beaulieu in 2014-15. They Habs have traded Josh Gorges while letting Francis Bouillon and Douglas Murray walk, clearing at least two spots for some of the organization's younger defenseman. Beaulieu held his own in 24 games at the NHL level, including seven during the playoff run, finishing with a plus-9 and four assists. While playing with AHL Hamilton, he had 27 points and five power-play goals, but was a team-worst minus-19 on a bad Bulldogs team. He has offensive skills and more importantly size. Look for Beaulieu or Jarred Tinordi to grab one of the six spots on defense.
Sven Andrighetto, RW (RotoWire Prospects Rank: NR): Andrighetto thrived in his first season in the AHL, finishing second on Hamilton in points with 44 in 64 games. He likely would have led the Bulldogs in the category, but he missed a month with a lower-body injury. He's got great hands and is a gifted puck-handler, though he handles it too much at times. We're unsure how his 5-foot-9 frame will handle the rigors of the NHL, as he can be easily knocked off the puck. But small guys have survived before, using speed and shiftiness. And Andrighetto has both qualities. He should return to Hamilton for the 2014-15 season and skate on the Bulldogs' top line.
Nikita Scherbak, RW (RotoWire Prospects Rank: NR): Scherbak, 18, was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Canadiens, who feel he was a steal with the 26th overall pick. Apparently, the "Russian factor" scared off some teams, but Scherbak allayed any concerns when he told reporters he was "not thinking of the KHL." The critiques are that he doesn't play in the dirty areas enough, should look to shoot more, and he needs to improve his play in the neutral and defensive zones. But he's young and there's time to develop him. Scherbak is expected to return to the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League to open the 2014-15 season.
Michael McCarron, RW (RotoWire Prospects Rank: NR): McCarron had a rough start to his first season of pro hockey and was left off the U.S. World Junior team. The 6-foot-5 power forward improved over the second half, finishing with 34 points in 66 games for London of the Ontario Hockey League. The Canadiens are saying all the right things about their 2013 first-round draft pick, noting it was possible McCarron could take a step back in his first exposure to the pro-style schedule. It turns out McCarron was in need of better conditioning and nutrition. He's shed some body fat and added muscle this summer and is looking to change the first impressions he left.
