Game #2 Canadiens Beat Newest Rivals

Details

Date: 9/10/2010
Opponent: Penguins
Location: Pittsburgh

Win: 3-2

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Fleury (L)

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri (2), Gomez
Opposition goalscorers: Malkin, Letestu

Play of the game

To decide on this night's play, I needed the assistance of instant replay. The instant replay on this particular save opened my eyes. The game was already tied 1-1, the Penguins were beginning to come on stronger and were on the PP again, this time on a 2-man advantage. The play itself from the Penguins was a thing of beauty as well, probably worthy of their play of the night. But with all those things in place, and the pressure on Carey Price to be the best penalty killer, he came through. After he registered no shot from Malkin, he sprung left to follow the pass. When Crosby met the pass in mid air without hesitation he was as shocked as many to find an obstacle. The save was made. Glove hand no less.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Tomas Plekanec
I remember on Halpern's signing, many said it was to relieve Pleks of his heavy load. Maybe some time in the future, but certainly not yet. His PK duty was a team high 4:52 and he's on as the man of choice for those 5-on-3s. PK isn't all he can do, however. There was also the little matter of setting up a highlight goal with lightning feet and clever hands. The best all around player not wearing pads, I thought.

Mike Cammalleri
Showed why he was missed the other night. At times, Mike was invisible, then there were the flashes of brilliance leading to 2 goals. Mike is the type of player that makes the difference between wins and losses. Simple as that.

Travis Moen
I've given Moen a hard time over the summer. I think sometimes for good reason. Tonight, though, Moen played a great Travis Moen game. In fact, it was a great game for any forward, I thought. Though he still never looks like scoring when he bursts around defenders on the wing, if the right linemates are found for him, he may well set them up with his errant shots. His best play was along the boards where he leveraged his size well and won many a puck.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK played a decent game and was again a great addition to the PP. His biggest and most useful contribution on the night, though, might have been his ability to drive Penguins and their fans to certain distraction. if this is a new rivalry, I think PK will be near the heart of it.

Josh Gorges
I thought Gill had an interesting game. I thought Josh was the more sound. This game was not a great defensive masterpiece for the Canadiens, as they decided to play baseline tennis at times with one of the best baseline teams in the game. Gorges kept the pace and delivered good sound passes throughout. To top it off, he found that little bit of magic that led to the victory, one of those timely seeing-eye shots we've often missed.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
It's a fine line between win and loss, success and failure, boos and cheers. Tonight Carey tread that line with few errors. This game will go down as a steal for Carey Price with the highlights vs. Crosby to prove it and is just the kind of game he needed. The next time he needs inspiration for what to do when Spacek leaves him out to dry, it will be refreshing to know he need only look at tape of himself. Going back to Montreal, this was the perfect outing for Price (it'll quell most of the boos), and he should be pleased with himself for pulling it off.

Comments

A good result to prevent an unnecessarily poor start for the Habs. Perhaps the team relied on fortune. However, they deserved that just a bit. As I said in the preview, this won't hinder the Pens, but losing could have created a mess for the Habs. in the interest of a second playoff date, the Habs win was better planning.

I thought the game itself was entertaining too. The contrast between this game and the Toronto game could hardly have been starker. Against Toronto, Montreal looked flat and disinterested. Both teams played out the minutes. The build up was slow, the shots were few and the emotion was measured. There was a lot of hitting on the scoresheet, but little in my memory. Tonight, Pittsburgh took 38 shots and hit (an alleged) 47 players. There was animosity, fighting, roughing (without gloves), and a lot of pace. The Pittsburgh fans even found a way to boo the Habs.

When people ask me if I've always hated the Leafs, I tell them that actually I haven't. When I was younger the Leafs were in a different conference, and probably more importantly were just an inconsequential match-up. Back in those days, I detested the Bruins and Sabres, Flames and Flyers. As the Penguins move towards a fiercer rivalry with our club, I feel the shift again. Perhaps the Leafs are no longer a rival of great importance, perhaps the team takes or leaves those games and gets on with the other rivalries. Who knows?

What's clear is that the Penguins are intent on being rivals of this team, and the Habs players are answering the bell. It's encouraging because the games are exciting. It's also exciting because it indicates that the Canadiens are now, at least somewhat, peers of the contending Pens again. This game was a nice re-acquaintance with the penalty farmers, and I look forward to watching the Habs run with them again.

Meeting At The New Igloo: A Preview

A preview for Game 2. As before, we steer clear of lines and pairings and other news from Brossard and look to more important things for this match-up with the Penguins.


Key match-ups

Crosby and Plekanec
In May, Halak handed the penguins their walking papers, but it was Plekanec who handed Crosby his lunch. The Stanley Cup champ was hounded and humbled to a single goal and a minus contribution to his team. Though I'm sure we're all very worried that Letang is motivated by hate, it's Crosby's dislike of Plekanec that might be of most interest. Plekanec is ready for the season as always and is probably more than ready to replicate his form.


Fleury and Price
Two goalies who started young. One has won a Cup and so is held up as a standard for the other. Both had average numbers in 2009-10, both are looking to get above 0.900 in save percentage this year. Should be interesting to see who makes the important stops.


Letang and Subban
Two young offensive defencemen ready to accept new roles on their teams. I'm actually more interested to see if Letang's hatred can help him to defend a Subban rush.


Cooke and O'Byrne
Matt Cooke has a lot to answer for with Josh Gorges. When Matt Cooke injured Andrei Markov, it was a chance for Martin to humiliate Ryan O'Byrne by choosing to bench him in the playoffs. To start this season, O'Byrne has to suffer playing with Picard because Markov's injury lingers on, and when Markov returns will probably have lost his job to Picard. Man, he must want to pummel Cooke. Cooke, of course, doesn't know O'Byrne because the 6'5" Dman is usually hiding when the rough stuff that Cooke instigates gets under way.


Momentum

Backwards. Both teams have opened their seasons with losses. Both teams made their goalies look beatable. And both teams stars were on for important goals against. The Penguins were expected to storm and now might be downgraded to cruise through the East. The Habs didn't win when they could've, should've, would've.

On the bright side, there are no ties in the NHL anymore, so someone will get a win.


Penguins the Habs covet

Sydney Crosby
Makes things happen all on his own. He could probably even make a scorer out of a Pouliot with disinterested positioning.

Maxime Talbot
A French Canadian sure thing. He's like the Lapierre who doesn't take half seasons off. This Canadiens management would dearly love a player like Talbot.


Habs the Penguins covet

Mike Cammalleri
A winger.

Brian Gionta
A winger.

Andrei Kostitsyn
A winger.

Benoit Pouliot
A winger.

Tomas Plekanec
Can play wing.


Ready-made excuses

Michel Therrien's not in either city anymore, so honest indictments of goalies are unlikely after this one. More likely, one of these excuses for a loss:

If Montreal lose:
- Markov is injured
- Crosby plays for them
- French Canadian goalies always shut us out
- We played Thursday
- Our defensive strategy relies on a lot of luck, sorry

If Pittsburgh lose:
- We're tired from delivering season tickets all day
- We thought Paul Martin would mask all our defensive deficiencies
- Fleury is still young
- They forced us to play the puck to wingers


Impact of this result

Pittsburgh will make the playoffs this year, so this game is for positioning. The impact of a win or a loss is little really, since the President's trophy is meaningless and playoff winning will depend so much more on which wingers are added at the trade deadline than those playing tonight.

If Price loses again, I think there will be some kind of exorcism, as he will start to believe there's a cloud over him again and thereby resign to not moving his left arm all season. If the Habs win, all will be forgotten and euphoria will sweep the city until the next practice when lines are revealed.

On a serious note, Pouliot is on thin ice. As coaching decisions are made on a shift-by-shift basis in this city now, he must out-perform Eller tonight or start seriously considering community college.

Average Draft Position, Drafting = Average Team

Stu Cowan give your head a shake.

I have the utmost respect for the Sports Editor at the Montreal Gazette. He writes with insight and avoids the sensationalism of some his colleagues and former colleagues. Usually. Not today.


Today Stu Cowan writes: Poor drafting hobbles Habs

The article that cascades from beneath the rocky headline is full of the usual clap trap about the Penguins and Blackhawks.

The thing that I really dislike about Cowan's two-part thesis is that it is faulty in both parts. The Habs drafting has neither been poor, nor has their drafting hobbled them at any point. Their drafting has been average, even above average from a certain standpoint, and when you take off the Stanley Cup only glasses, you can see they haven't been hobbled at any point in quite some time now.

I think what Cowan meant to say is that the Canadiens inability to draft Malin, Crosby, Kane or Toews has prevented them from winning the Cup. Of course, the sensible reader will know that that scenario was precluded by never being offered the opportunity. Had they ever really been hobbled to the point of the Blackhawks, Penguins, Capitals or Kings, then the Habs would have had a top 3 pick at some point. That hasn't come around in 30 years.

And don't try to tell me that position isn't important. Pittsburgh with this crop:

"Brooks Orpik (the No. 18 overall pick in 2000), goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (No. 1 in '03), and Jordal Staal (No. 2 in '06). The Penguins also had one second-round pick (defenceman Alex Goligoski, No. 61 in 2004), one third-round pick (defenceman Kris Letang, No. 62 in '05), one fourth-round pick (forward Tyler Kennedy, No. 99 in '04), and one eighth-round pick (forward Maxime Talbot, No. 234 in '02)."

is the Atlanta Thrashers.

Chicago with these picks:

"Brent Seabrook (No. 14 in 2003) and Cam Barker (No. 3 in '04), along with forward Jack Skille (No. 7 in '05). The Blackhawks also had three second-round picks (defenceman Duncan Keith, No. 54 in 2002, and forwards Dave Bolland, No. 32 in '04, and Bryan Bickell, No. 41 in '04); one fourth-round pick (defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson, No. 108 in '05); one seventh-round pick (forward Troy Brouwer, No. 214 in '04); one eighth-round pick (forward Dustin Byfuglien, No. 245 in '03); and one ninth-round pick (forward Adam Burish, No. 282 in '02)."

never wins a Cup.


If we wanted a serious article on drafting, we'd have gone back to the old chestnuts of Perry, Getzlaf, Richards and Carter. But everyone makes mistakes in single drafts, and not everyone can sign Chris Pronger to get to a Cup final.

Nor does good drafting mean the team isn't "hobbled". Ask Buffalo who may have drafted a lot of players on their current team, some with impressive resumes, but have been hobbled since their genesis by the Cup only definition.

The Montreal fans expect a lot at every turn, and with drafting it seems they expect even more. Markov, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Lapierre, Subban, Price isn't such a bad turn. It's not just any NHL team that finds two inspiring offensive defencemen in later rounds.

In August, I asked if Montrealers could stomach a losing season. The response led me to believe that we as a group couldn't. So we must realize we can't have our cake and eat it too (you included Mr. Cowan), average draft position with average (even above average) choices doesn't deliver superstars to carry a team.

Game #1 Habs' Lack of Depth Shows in Opening-Night Loss

Details

Date: 7/10/2010
Opponent: Maple Leafs
Location: Toronto

Loss: 2-3

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Giguere (W)

Habs goalscorers: Boyd, Halpern
Opposition goalscorers: Brent, Kessel, MacArthur

Play of the game

Our first goal showed that our plumbers are at least better than Toronto's. We knew Komisarek was bad with the puck, but what we may not have known was that his partner, Gunnarsson was worse. The two had some exciting (for Habs fans) moments throughout the game; none better than on Boyd's goal. Our new winger stole the puck and seemed to put it in on Giggy with ease. Unfortunately, however, it was our D, not Toronto's that went on to be more embarrassed as the game went on.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Brian Gionta
Right where he left off. The new captain played with heart and passion and very nearly scored at the end to tie it up. It looks like he'll have a good season with Gomez, but who will be on the other wing? The experiment continued tonight with Darche and Moen (the definition of 4th-liners) seeing some serious time at that position.

Tomas Plekanec
Our best forward tonight was Pleks. He was alert and led his line on each presence. Cammalleri's return will be just what the doctor ordered, though as Eller was good, but certainly looked like a rookie. Look past the -2 in Tomas' case and try to forget the giveaway on the first goal as Kostitsyn, O'Byrne and Price all had a hand in that too.

Dustin Boyd
Dustin is one of (the only?) the bottom-six forwards that I am pretty excited at seeing this year. Maybe that is because I don't know him that well and that I have a hope that he can provide some scoring from the area that we need it the most. So, tonight was a good audition as I thought he played well and I was encouraged to see him put one in. I hope that he can be at the heart of a competitive third line; something we lost the day we let Moore walk.

Defencemen

PK Subban - Game Puck
Thank goodness for PK. Can you imagine if Henry was in instead? Tonight Subban was our only really great defender as 4 of the others (Gill, Spacek, Picard, O'Byrne) all played as we expected. Rush after rush, spin after spin his true skills were on display and it was very exciting to watch. He will be a great player for us this year and for years to come; unless we trade him when he gets too good.

Josh Gorges
This is the regular season and that means Gill is back to his old self, which, of course, means that Josh is on clean-up duty for 81 more games. Tonight it was one mistake after another from the big man and a smooth, confident Gorges was there at each turn to take care of it. It looks like the partnership is set in stone which means we won't see Josh at his fullest until April 12th at the earliest.

Goaltender

Carey Price
An average game from Price after a shaky first few minutes. Not much he can do about defensive breakdowns in front of him, though, so it should be interesting to see what he does playing a whole season behind an average (at best) defence. Of course when Markov comes back things will change for us and for Price. I was very disappointed to see him handling the puck so much tonight as I had hoped he'd forgotten that he likes to do that over the summer. I counted 3 times where he made a mistake; 3 more than he would have made had he stayed in his net.

Comments

To me the big concern is our depth. With Markov and Hamrlik out we are really quite a weak group on the blue-line. Take out Gorges and Subban and we would be in some very serious trouble. So, let's hope we can be healthy this year (at least in the top-4), otherwise it may be more Bergeron-like (Bergeron is unsigned...) signings for us. Our offensive depth, to me, is even more alarming. Topham has made arguments for Pouliot and Kostitsyn and I can live with those, so, for me, the top-6 is good. But, take out Cammalleri (like tonight) and then things get interesting. All of a sudden you have a rookie on the the top line and are dressing a bottom-6 that has to be towards one of the worst groups in the league. We are very fragile in this area and that is why we need to be healthy and need good seasons from Eller, Boyd and Lapierre as we'd be fools to think we can win with 6 forwards alone. (Pyatt, Moen, Darche and Halpern aren't horrible, but they are true 4th-liners; something the best teams don't have a surplus of.)

Foolscap Contract Rules Not Worth The Paper They're Written On

Yesterday, while everyone was gearing up for the NHL season reading previews and criticising predictions, some NHL teams faced a very important deadline.

The Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames were all over the salary cap and had until 3 pm EDT to do something about it. The moves that ensued leave me to question my early faith in this salary cap as a levelling device once again, after a summer of cap nonsense.


To start with, let's review the consequences for starting the season over the salary cap: To be honest with you, I'm not sure. And I'm not sure anyone really is certain about what definitive move the league would take. The CBA gives flexibility in the regard ranging from fines to draft picks to forfeit of games. Let's say that it at least the teams at risk of going over believe there would be consequences, unlike those that went over to end the season.


So no clear consequences, but definite fear that the league might make an example of someone led to some tricky moves on the salary cap front yesterday.

Vancouver used Sami Salo's injury as credit to go over the cap, and messed with prospects heads and travel schedules to get to their priority. That wasn't enough though, as they also needed to make some trades, notably Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk for a player they have no intention of using.

New Jersey were expected to be forced into a trade, but instead delayed their move by taking advantage of a Bryce Salvador concussion and Anssi Salmela's recovery to declare the LTIR and non-roster, respectively.

The Bruins too used injury. They leveraged Marc Savard's and Marco Sturm's injuries into cap space. If they come back, it will be interesting to see if and how they will move.

The Flames have injuries too.

All this, of course, comes after the Blackhawks and Rangers used effective "forced retirement" to get under the cap, a disgraceful tactic that flies in the face of the spirit of competition and level playing field.

So rather than actually getting under the salary cap, teams choose to "circumvent" it by using sometimes less than honest tactics. I don't know what the solution is to all this, but perhaps some proper consequences could help. And, perhaps enforcing the cap into the playoffs (after all isn't the Stanley Cup the only prize being played for?) might help.

Until the NHL does something about all this, I continue to be disappointed with the Habs who seem content to sit idly by as teams perennially contend on the back of wonky rules. The Canadiens, who must have some of the largest purses in the business, seem meanwhile perfectly content to sit idly by and collect their revenue for a less than salary-ceiling payroll again. The extent of the Habs creativity went up in thin air when they pre-emptively traded Jaroslav Halak to make sure they wouldn't have this kind of work to do in the fall. It may seem right, but don't be too surprised when New Jersey, Chicago, Vancouver and maybe even Boston enter March as good-looking contenders and Montrealers have new spring calendar openings.

The NHL salary cap circumvention is shameful, just like holding and obstructing is. But if everyone else is doing it. Well come on.


More black eye

The shiners for the league's image don't end at waiver wires and LTIR lists.

At the other end of the table, the New York Islanders use salary buyouts and choose not to put Mark Streit on LTIR as it would mean they'd need to do something about meeting the salary floor. Larry Brooks thinks its just as significant a mockery. So do I.

Habs and Leafs in Hogtown A Preview

The season is upon us. There's a game at noon! So we need to get ready.

For you here is the first game preview of the season.

I figured, you knew the lineups, you knew the lines that would last for the first 5 minutes and you knew all the basic news, so I thought I'd try to look at things differently and add: Key match-ups, Momentum, Players the other side covets, Ready-made excuses, and the ultimate Impact of this result.

Key match-ups

Kessel and Auld Price
Kessel shoots from just about anywhere, and the Habs defence let up shots from just about anywhere as a strategy. It will be down to Kessel's accuracy vs. Auld's Price's positioning and size.


Komisarek and Moen
Komisarek is still looking to prove to Montreal TV audiences that he intimidates people. Last season, he opened with 15 PIM, including a double minor for high-sticking and a fight with Travis Moen. His final penalty led to the tying goal and ultimately the first Leafs loss of the season. Moen is the only player on the Habs who "can" fight. The team once again chose to recognize that 84% of NHL teams don't even have a fighter, so Moen can get pummeled in Toronto if it means having forwards on the roster. Should be fun for him.


Gionta and Phaneuf
The new captains will be squaring off for the HNIC spotlight on opening night for the season. Gionta is already under pressure to learn how to speak French. Phaneuf is already under pressure to learn to skate backwards.


Todd Warriner and Patrice Brisebois
Habs and Leafs fans both have reason for optimism as victory on the ice actually seems within reach this season. Alums Todd Warriner and Patrice Brisebois both survive to skate against Kelly Chase another day on Battle of the Blades. Needless to say, there's work to be done for both. For Warriner, learning to speak French could help him with Isabelle Brassuer. For Brisebois, learning to skate backwards is still on the do list.


Momentum

In reality: none. Training camp is a farce and I can hardly believe it is televised.

In fantasy world, the Leafs are counting on the "strong finish" from last season to spur them to at least three October victories. Similarly, the Habs believe that playoffs rounds 1 and 2 (all the same players, almost, remember) is their impetus going forward.


Leafs the Habs covet

Phil Kessel
Phil really stands out on the Leafs for possessing exceptional natural talent. On a roster laden with guys who want to push the net over the puck, Phil shines with the quickest of releases teamed with sharp accuracy. He'd be an expensive addition to any team (see no draft picks for a few years), but guaranteed scoring is worth it.

Tomas Kaberle
Even as he greys a little on top, he is still one of the smoothest and canniest passers in the league. Perhaps he doesn't fir the Leafs plans for their own reasons, and might not fit other teams because of defensive concerns, but with skills like his, you make allowances.


Habs the Leafs covet

Mike Cammalleri
More than anyone on the roster, Cammalleri is the one they longed for. The Habs signature of the Toronto sniper not only deprived the Leafs of a season with forwards, but also ultimately led to the fiasco that was the Kessel trade (even though we admire Kessel, a free agent would have allowed the MLs to keep that top pick, and the next top pick).

PK Subban
The Leafs' parent club Boston Bruins are looking to accept draft picks and a good prospect in another annual trade, but they are asking for a decent defensive prospect. Sadly the Leafs might have to look elsewhere to dump their selections in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 drafts. Subban might have been the ticket.


Ready-made excuses

In Toronto and Montreal, the only sport more popular than hockey is scapegoat hunting. Over the years, this has led to players, trainers, coaches and managers adapting the uncanny ability to wriggle free like earthworms trapped in the maw. I figure to do this, they need some excuses ready. Luckily, they've had a whole summer to think of these.

If Montreal lose:
- Markov is injured
- The goaltending coach is working hard on that every day
- This new group of guys really needs time to gel
- Our defensive strategy relies on a lot of luck, sorry
- Halak lost too

When Toronto lose:
- We had a strong finish to the game and that will provide our momentum going forward
- We thought the fans were booing us, so we stopped shooting high glove side
- Kaberle is distracting us
- You can't judge this team during the portion of the season where the refs ref, it wasn't built for that (see: strong finish)


Impact of this result

In Toronto, fans really are a bit more even-keeled than in Montreal. They will give the team plenty of leeway this season to grow and take advantage of the deft maneuvering that created the defense that boasts five potential 30-point men, to go with the two they have at forward. A win will be greeted with knowing nods and uneasy optimism. A loss with knowing nods and familiar pessimism. Either way, Kaberle really must go.

In Montreal, I expect everything will be viewed through the in-net camera. The Halak trade made an already focused group into one completely obsessed by goaltending. If Auld should win, the inevitable cascade of praise will lead to questioning of Carey Price. If Auld should lose, the hand wringing will be followed by the questioning of Carey Price.


Sometimes, you have to wonder if they even need to play the games. Both teams could really use the points, however. And, in all seriousness, these 2 points look to be deciders for these teams that fancy themselves contenders.

Players Preview 2010-11

Last night, for lack of real hockey to watch, I tuned into the TSN panel's night of previews and fantasy draft. Thankfully for my sanity, my good sense made me turn off the TV before too much of the four panel fantasy draft had taken place.

The player preview for the upcoming season was interesting. As you'd expect, the panel was still all googly eyed for Chicago and it showed. The panel discussing the choices weren't the only ones to vote, they were four from a larger group of "experts", but they did vote. Frequently they made mistakes.


As a Habs fan, I can be hard on the team sometimes, but despite my gruff veneer I do have deep respect for certain parts of the team that has been assembled. So, it was quite a surprise to watch the hour-long discussion take place without a single nod to a Montreal Canadiens player.

In a normal year, we could pass this off for Toronto sour grapes, but coming off a conference final with several excellent performances along the way. I know there's a leeway to prediction that allows one to say pretty much whatever pops into one's little skull. But the players that didn't make the grade vs. some of the ones that did. It didn't add up.


My question to all of you then. Does Montreal really lack a player who ranks among the top 50 in the NHL? According to TSN, they do:




Montreal's possible candidacy

When I took to answer this question, I had to think about the realistic candidates for this list. No Josh Gorges, no matter how beloved of Mike Boone.

In my estimation, three players present realistic cases based on the players that currently sit in that TSN list: Andrei Markov, Mike Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec.


Andrei Markov

The experts polled for TSN ended up identifying 10 defensemen to rank among the top 50 players for the upcoming season.

Top candidates and Norris contenders like Lidtsrom, Green, Keith, Pronger and Chara were all there. They were joined by Drew Doughty, Shea Weber, Dan Boyle, Tyler Myers and Brent Seabrook.

At a glance, I can tell you as a fan, I wouldn't trade Markov straight up for half of these guys. I'm not certain there's a GM in the league who wouldn't put Markov ahead of at least 2 or 3.

Simply put, Andrei Markov has earned the right to be called a top tier defenceman in the NHL by now. He was second in scoring among defensemen a year ago and was in the upper group in PPG last season. He is probably the best PP point-man in the league, as he has been on the top or near-top PP in recent seasons. Subtractions of Kovalev, Koivu, Streit and Souray have proven that he's the lynch pin. On top of all this, he is good a defending.

I understand momentum in these predictions. How else to explain Tyler Myers as the 37th best player in the NHL, or Doughty as the 8th, or Seabrook on the list at all? The strange thing in all this is Markov has momentum. His return to the Habs coincided with a run to the playoffs and a run on the top PP in the league again. His play after returning from injury set a staggering point accumulation (again). And, he was pivotal in the Canadiens post-season success, and his injury there proved to be a major obstacle to the Habs further progression.

Markov is definitely a top 50 player in the NHL. And he is most definitely more deserving than Myers and Seabrook of being recognised as such. TSN made an oversight on his part. If it is injury that led to his omission, I'd wonder if TSN is privy to any of the information that has been around since August indicating he's way ahead of his May prognosis.


Mike Cammalleri

Last season, Mike Cammalleri scored 39 goals in 84 games. Several of the goals were scored without the benefit of surprise and smothering coverage. He had 40 the year before that in 87 games. Over 2 seasons, not many have scored more. None that aren't on the list.

When it comes to predicting how he'll do, things are a little easier than they've been in a long time for Mike. For the first time in ages, he's coming into a season with the same center he had the year before. He enjoys the service he gets from Plekanec and the PP help he gets from Pleks and Markov, so it'd be surprising to see him fall off a cliff in numbers and play.

However, as the list goes, Mike isn't beating any of those ranked at his position of LW. Ovechkin, Semin, Nash, Parise, Sedin and Marleau represent a select group.

In reality, I think Cammalleri isn't quite a Top 50 NHLer. If the list were Top 60, he might get a sniff. Top 75, he'd be in like Flynn. Despite all the positives, in his case, I think TSN probably got it right.


Tomas Plekanec

TSN and its panel identified 19 centres in all on its list. There were established veterans, Conn Smythe winners and flashy youngsters in the mix. No Plekanec though, and it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't garner even a a single vote.

In Montreal, the media loves to lament the serial underrating of 5th defenseman and current soundbyte darling, Josh Gorges. The player who really needs to question his out-of-town rating is Plekanec.

If I'd never have Seabrook over Markov, then it must be said if I ever got control of the team, I'd never release Plekanec for some of the serially overrated players on this list. Honestly, you'd think Brian Burke votes counted for 10 times as much on this panel.

Tomas Plekanec doesn't often storm the headlines, but he has quietly become a top centre in this league. Last season, Tomas scored 25 goals (that makes more than 20 for every NHL campaign but his rookie year) and he posted 70 points. 70 points may not be 108, but it's still more than Getzlaf's 69, Richards' 62 and Carter's 61. It's also the same as Lecavalier's 70 points, though Tomas was a respectable +5 on a conference finalist, as opposed to the Lightning man's horrific -16 on a repeat non-playoff team.

Part of the reason Tomas will have been overlooked is because he does do things rather quietly. He is constantly accused of underperforming in the playoffs, but that must be from those who forget he shadowed Backstrom and Crosby while putting up his 4 goals and 11 points en route to the conference finals. Nor does his defensive skill and penalty killing get the recognition it deserves from scoring leader gazers. He's an all-rounder with growing offensive influence, but you wouldn't know it from reading his press.

If I was to make a list of the top 50 players in the NHL for this upcoming season based on all-around play and impact to their team (I presume that's why Johnathan Toews is third and Doughty could be 8th) then Plekanec would be soundly in the mix. Players who might have to cede their current place to him might include Ryan Kesler, Mikko Koivu, Vincent Lecavalier and Jeff Carter. That may be a Habs fan's skew, but someone had to offer one.


Players by regular season rank




Players by playoff success




As you can see, Montreal isn't the only that was shunned. Caught up in all the Chicagolove, Myers mania and Tampa ogling were three playoff teams: Montreal, Phoenix and Colorado.

I've already made cases for Markov and Plekanec being overlooked. Certainly there must be players on Phoenix (107 points and 4th in the league) and Colorado with more to them than Brent Seabrook. Paul Stastny is an obvious omission. Basically a lock for 75+ points and leading his team by now, he had more assists than fabled playmaker Sidney Crosby last season. Phoenix may have been a flash in the pan, but they didn't beat Rick Nash's Blue Jackets by 28 points without some stars. Bryzgalov fits the underrated bill, and it will be interesting to watch Wolski after his mini break-out following his trade last season.


With the season only hours away now, I am very much looking forward to watching the Habs again. I'd recommend the TSN panel take in a few Canadiens games this season too. It might do their case of cockeye some good.