After 39 games, the Habs are being forced to pick a lane

January 7, 2023

Three games were on the docket for the Montreal Canadiens this week. On Tuesday night they ended a lengthy road trip with a 4-3 win in Dallas. The Buffalo Sabres were in town on Thursday night and handed the Habs an ugly 6-1 loss. The Saturday night showdown was against the New York Rangers and the Habs gave fans some eye candy in a 4-3 shootout win. Here are my thoughts after 39 games.

How many points would Juraj Slafkovsky have if were credited with assists on every goal that was generated by his play?

In Dallas on Tuesday night, the Habs managed four goals and Slafkovsky was implicated in all of them. A beautiful pass on the Suzuki goal. Separating the player from the puck for Harris to collect and convert into a goal. Holding the play in the zone on the Caufield goal. He helped create three of four goals and had one assist.

That’s one game. Since the 22-14-20 line was created, I have lost count of all of the goals that would not have happened if not for Slaf – a turnover created, a board battle won, or net-front traffic caused – but where there was no assist for Slaf. This kid is not a hitchhiker on a good line – he’s an impact player.

Another Dvorak injury has us evaluating the trade again.

On Thursday the Canadiens announced that Dvorak would undergo surgery to correct a pectoral muscle injury and his season was done. This means that in three seasons with the Habs, he has played in just 145 games, and has 24 goals and 44 points, for .30 points per game.

He may support Suzuki defending against top competition and he may take important draws, but this production is surely not what Marc Bergevin expected when he gave up first and second round picks to get him. I know I expected more. I wasn’t expecting him to correct the KK draft miss, but I thought Dvorak would effectively replace Danault. I was wrong.

In retrospect, the Habs would have benefited more by drafting Filip Bystedt or Jiri Kulich with that first rounder. But it was a panic move by Bergevin. He was rumoured to be interested in Dvorak to replace Danault and the assets to obtain Dvorak became available when he allowed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to be plucked away by offer sheet. In the face of letting two centremen walk, Bergevin panicked.

The errors in that story are many. Bergevin notoriously alienated important players over his tenure, and fans watched one guy after another leave town. Fans might like to give KK the Judas moniker, but do we really blame him for getting out of dodge with the shit show unfolding in Montreal under Berge and Ducharme? Bergevin should have locked the kid up earlier, and having failed to do that he should have matched. Perhaps HuGo could have figured out the rest later. The panic trade was the last of the errors, but perhaps not even the worst.

Dvorak has not looked good for the Habs. He was a better fit in Arizona, and I suspect he will be a better fit elsewhere when his tenure in Montreal is done.

The loss of Dvorak was another kick in the mid-section for a team playing against the odds.

That was an ugly loss against Buffalo, but when you’ve been playing above your capacity all season and then you lose another guy to injury, that has to take a toll.

The Habs are delivering fun hockey despite facing adversity.

This week I saw a fan tweet that the Habs were unwatchable this season. Against Buffalo on Thursday? Sure. But the Stars and Rangers games were pure entertainment. And they’re still in a lottery position that will only improve down the stretch. Important kids are getting ice time and using it well. What’s not to like?

Losing Dvorak confirmed direction – again – for the Habs.

They might have won against one of the league’s best in the New York Rangers, but the direction is clear. The Habs cannot compete deep into the season with a centre group of Suzuki, Monahan, Evans and Stephens. If it wasn’t crystal clear before, it is now. Everything from here has to be about building and development.

What might that look like?

It looks like increased opportunities for Juraj Slafkovsky – perhaps the penalty kill is next. It also looks like finally giving Ylonen ice time with an offensive centreman, with another youngster beside them – it paid off on the Monahan goal.

Perhaps it looks like Lias Andersson getting the call to see if he has NHL potential, or some of your favourite defensemen getting top time in Laval in advance of deadline deals. Perhaps it looks like leaning on Armia in hopes he can attract some trade interest.

Maybe it looks like taking a flyer on a lower risk Dach deal – Ryan Suzuki and Morgan Frost come to mind. Perhaps it means weaponizing cap space in another Monahan deal.

It means finding a new home for Jake Allen, doesn’t it? It definitely means being ruthless in determining how much veteran support you really need, and how much that should cost.

We’re about to enter another window of change for the Montreal Canadiens. The most important part of this season is still to come.