After 61 games, the kids own the Habs

March 3, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens had three games on the schedule this week. On Tuesday, they defeated the Arizona Coyotes with a score of 4-2. They were in Florida on Thursday night, and held their own against the Panthers in a 4-3 shootout loss. Then on Saturday night they were in Tampa Bay to face the Lightning, and the result was another 4-3 shootout loss.

Here are my thoughts on the Habs after 61 games.

The Battle for the Basement resulted in both a win and a loss for the Canadiens.

The Habs are at the stage of the season where the loudest cheering section is the Tank Wankers. With playoff hopes all but mathematically eliminated, the focus has turned to securing the highest draft pick possible. There are some teams the Canadiens simply cannot “catch” unless they were somehow permitted by the NHL to forfeit the remaining 21 games. Chicago and San Jose, I’m looking at your sorry asses. More realistically, there are two teams that Montreal can leapfrog to the bottom – Ottawa and Arizona.

In your classic “four-point game” a loss would be a win for those watching draft odds, but the players and coaching staff are playing for pride. On Tuesday night, they apparently had too much pride to give one up to Arizona. If we can’t cheer with them when they win, when the difference in lottery odds between finishing fifth and seventh is 2%, we might be losing the plot.

Samuel Montembeault continues to prove himself as starter.

Monty made 36 saves and allowed two goals against Arizona. Against Florida he was solid again, and was properly pissed following the shootout loss. The kid is managing to stay above .900 on a team competing for the draft lottery. Inside that humble local kid is a fierce competitor. I can’t wait to see him backstop a rebuilt team with a mature defense group.

Cayden Primeau also looked great against Tampa, and in less than ideal conditions he has earned the role of Monty’s backup.

Nick Suzuki is having a career year again, and the league is noticing.

Barring injury, Suzuki will have another career year, continuing his upward trajectory since starting his NHL career… while playing on a pretty bad team. The stats say he is a number one NHL centreman. After the Habs played Florida on Thursday, Coach Paul Maurice compared him to Aleksander Barkov, which is high praise coming from the competition. Barkov is a solid two-way centreman who competes in all three zones, wins faceoffs, and averages a point per game.

Smart Habs fans would take Barkov as the 1C on their team any day of the week, but some of them are not smart enough to see what they’ve got in Nick Suzuki. I freaking love that kid.

The game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday was a pretty good showcase game.

Goals from Armia, Evans and Anderson, while the pro scouts look on less than a week from the trade deadline. All three of those guys pick up their game when the playoffs start. Is it possible one of them finds a new home by Friday?

It’s the kids getting it done, and it’s their team now… as the trade deadline approaches.

When Kent Hughes traded Sean Monahan weeks before the trade deadline, part of his thinking was turning the leadership of the team over to the kids. They took him seriously. Yes, some veterans scored this week but it’s the kids leading the way.

Suzuki with two goals and two assists, Newhook with a goal and two assists, Harris with a goal and an assist, Caufield and Xhekaj with a couple of assists apiece, Slafkovsky with a goal, and Guhle and Roy with assists. That’s a slew of kids taking charge of their team.

So what does this mean for the trade deadline? Here’s some of what I think it means, for what it’s worth.

If the right offer comes for David Savard, he will be dealt. But that calculation is based on what Hughes believes he can fetch between now and the end of the contract, not on how essential he is to stabilizing the D group. If a veteran is needed, there are a variety of ways to get one, and that doesn’t mean Hughes doesn’t value what Savard brings. Hughes said he was content to keep Lehkonen and Kulak and Petry – just like he’s content to keep Savard – and all three were dealt.

The consideration where Jake Allen is concerned is likely retention spots, not the return, and probably not even retention itself. Hughes has one retention spot left for this season, and he may prefer to use it on something else now and move Allen in the summer. Allen may prefer to stay, but that fact won’t drive the ship.

The veterans some would like to see moved will be dealt with when necessary. For those suggesting it, there is no merit to retaining 50% on Josh Anderson and moving him for a bag of pucks right now. He’s at his lowest value and he isn’t blocking anyone. By the time he is blocking someone his value will have changed, if for no other reasons than the cap going up and the term having eked out.

The final impact I see for the trade deadline is that we may find out whether Hughes has already made some decisions about which kids he is prepared to deal to relieve the clog. While all eyes are on Savard, Harris and Kovacevic are smart targets for contenders.

Five more sleeps!