Buckle up, folks.
Long before the Ottawa Senators decided to turn Tuesday’s exhibition game in Quebec City into a re-enactment of the notorious 1984 Canadiens-Nordiques brawl known as the Good Friday Massacre, the season that begins Wednesday night in Toronto was the most anticipated Habs campaign in decades.
After a senseless parade of Ottawa players beating their faces on the fists of Jayden Struble and the Xhekaj brothers, the scoreboard read Canadiens 5, Senators 0, Anticipation 1,000.
Even the dynasty teams didn’t spark this level of excitement in October, simply because it was taken for granted that they would go deep into the playoffs and probably (ho-hum) hold another parade along the usual route.
The sorry exhibition in Quebec City, however, could have put an end to the anticipation even before the season began. Senators coach Travis Green and his minions brought the stupid, even without man-child Brady Tkachuk in the lineup.
The most dangerous hit was a cowardly slash to the forearm of budding Canadiens star Ivan Demidov from Ottawa journeyman Nick Cousins. Predictably, the punishment meted out by the useless department of player safety was a US$2,148.44 fine to Cousins — the NHL equivalent of removing his name from the Christmas card list.
Other than raising the temperature between fans in Ottawa and Montreal, the slash did no further damage. Demidov spent the night whetting appetites for the season by creating four goals while earning credit for two assists — but it’s the way he does things that sparks the excitement.
This is Montreal, after all. It’s not enough to win; you have to win with style and the way this team brings the style, you know Guy Lafleur is smiling.
Like Lane Hutson, Demidov can change directions quicker than a politician with a pocketful of bribes. Together, they are going to break a lot of ankles and leave any number of defenders feeling as though they just stepped off a Tilt-A-Whirl.
Hutson and Demidov were much in evidence Tuesday, but the best news was at centre ice. Rookie Oliver Kapanen cemented his spot in the lineup by firing six shots on goal, scoring the opener and looking completely at ease between Demidov and Alex Newhook. Kirby Dach also had a strong game, setting up a vintage performance for Brendan Gallagher and meshing with newcomer Zachary Bolduc.
Fans who spent the off-season clamouring for the Canadiens to make any deal that would bring a young Mason McTavish or an old Sidney Crosby to centre the second line have been forced to concede that maybe Kent Hughes knows what he’s doing and his patience is going to pay off.
Defenceman Noah Dobson follows the play during Canadiens training camp scrimmage in Brossard on Sept. 18.
If indeed the second and third lines are going to come into focus, it’s easy to see why anticipation is running so high. This team is deep and talented, Martin St. Louis has matured as a top-flight NHL coach (not simply a tutor for young players) and they are ready to rock and roll.
If anything, the excellent communicators who run the CH may have to work overtime to manage expectations. The talent is there, the depth is there and the coaching is there. If there’s a cautionary note, it’s that this was a young club even before the departures of Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and David Savard. Now, they’re even younger and defensive cohesion in particular may take a while to develop.
Still, the wild optimism is not confined to the fans. Two writers for nhl.com predicted that the Canadiens will win the Atlantic, a tall order in a division that includes the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning and a Maple Leafs team that topped the division with 108 points last spring.
The injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are going to hurt the Panthers. On paper, the departure of Mitch Marner figures to hurt the mighty Leafs — but moving away from the Kyle Dubas fantasy hockey model might help Toronto at playoff time.
Last spring, the Canadiens finished with 91 points despite a goal differential of minus-20, most of it accumulated during their early season struggles. They tied in points with the New Jersey Devils and squeaked into the final playoff spot, six points behind the Senators.
So what happens this season, given the additions of Bolduc, defenceman Noah Dobson and Demidov? If this team can stay reasonably healthy, a 12-point improvement to 103 points is within reach, good for home ice in the first round and a legitimate chance to progress. You know they are the very last team the Leafs want to meet in the playoffs.
This is the year the window begins to open. The Canadiens have the best management group in hockey. They have an innovative and talented coach. They have a solid top line, a mercurial talent on the second line, the Calder winner on defence. They have at least three NHL calibre goaltenders.
And as the Ottawa Senators found out the hard way, with the Xhekaj brothers in the lineup, they can whip your butt in the alley if they have to.
A serious run at that elusive 25th Stanley Cup? Not this season, perhaps — but soon.
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