Sunday, September 12, 2010

2010-11 Preview: Montreal Candiens


2010-11 Prediction 10th Eastern Conference

The only way to properly explain to someone that is new to hockey what the Montreal Canadiens mystique is about is to compare them to the New York Yankees. Everything they do, both on and off the ice, is subject to intense scrutiny in both then English and French speaking media. One would think that all would be well coming off a season in which they upset both the Penguins and the Capitals in series that they "couldn't win". This is far from the case as the man largely responsible for these upsets, G Jaroslav Halak, was traded to St. Louis for depth. Time will answer the question of whether this was a bad move or a shred move to unload a one-hit wonder at the peak of his worth. Present day Montreal has to find themselves wondering if G Carey Price is washed up before ever having lived up to his hype at the old age of 23 (told you they were tough up there). Past the goalie, the Canadiens return most of the small lineup. While this didn't cause problems for them in the first two rounds against high skill teams, a more gritty Philly squad was able to trip them up. Mike Cammalerri, Brian Gionta, and Scott Gomez are tiny forwards, while guys like Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Darche add size. The blue line has some talent as well with guys like Andrei Markov, Hal Gill, and PK Subban hoping to help Price stabilize his performance. All in all, the Canadiens will most likely come up short due to Price's inconsistencies.

Player to Watch: G Carey Price

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