On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being excellent, where are the Canadiens right now?
Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
I’d give them an 8 after getting off to a 6-3 start, which had them sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division following Thursday night’s 6-5 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton.
Some very questionable officiating by referees Garrett Rank and Chris Schlenker — especially on the same day as a big NBA gambling scandal — definitely helped the Oilers, who scored two power-play goals in the third period to tie the game 5-5. The Oilers had five power plays during the game, while the Canadiens had only one.
After the game, the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher said the referees admitted to him they made a mistake when they called Juraj Slafkovsky for boarding early in the third period. The Oilers didn’t score on the ensuing power play, but Leon Draisaitl did score at 11:19 of the third period with Mike Matheson in the box for tripping. Immediately after Draisaitl scored, Josh Anderson was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, putting the Oilers right back on the power play. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored less than a minute later to tie the game before Vasily Podkolzin scored the winner at even strength with 1:09 left on the clock.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said he received no explanation from the referees about what Anderson did to get penalized.
“The refs kind of took over the game there, and kudos to them for winning it,” the Canadiens’ Cole Caufield said after scoring twice against the Oilers, tying him for the NHL lead with seven goals on the season.
While the referees definitely helped the Oilers, Canadiens goalie Samuel Montembeault continues to struggle and failed to make big saves when his team really needed them. The Oilers scored six goals on 29 shots against Montembeault, who saw his record fall to 2-3 with a 3.82 GAA and a .842 save percentage.
Thankfully for the Canadiens, goalie Jakub Dobes has been outstanding, with a 4-0 record, a 1.47 GAA and a .950 save percentage. Expect Dobes to get the start Saturday in Vancouver against the Canucks (7 p.m., CBC, TVA Sports).
Dobes looks like the No. 1 goalie now.
When was the last time you were this optimistic about a Canadiens team and their future?
Edward Radler, Boston
Good question.
I’d have to go back to the start of the 2015-16 season, when the Canadiens won their first nine games — all in regulation time.
Carey Price made 49 saves in a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 24 that season as the Canadiens improved their record to 9-0. The previous season they had a 50-22-10 record and finished second in the overall NHL standings, making the playoffs for the third consecutive season before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. Price won the Hart Trophy in 2014-15 as the NHL’s most valuable player and the Vézina Trophy as the top goalie after posting a 44-16-6 record with a 1.96 GAA, a .933 save percentage and nine shutouts.
But after the strong start to the 2015-16 season, things fell apart for the Canadiens when Price strained the MCL ligament in his right knee during a 5-1 win over the Rangers in New York on Nov. 25, ending his season with a 10-2 record, a 2.06 GAA and a .934 save percentage. Without Price, the Canadiens (38-38-6) ended up missing the playoffs.
With Oliver Kapanen looking good at centre with Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov, do you think Kirby Dach ever gets a chance to prove he can be the second-line centre again (other than in an injury situation) or is that experiment over?
StephenWLee on BlueSky
It’s early in the season, but Kapanen is looking like the centre the Canadiens were hoping Dach would become when they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks three years ago. Kapanen picked up two assists in Thursday’s loss to the Oilers, giving him 4-2-6 totals through nine games to go along with a plus-2 rating. His four goals were the most by any NHL rookie through Thursday’s games. Kapanen — like Dach — has struggled in the faceoff circle, winning only 46.3 per cent of his faceoffs, which isn’t surprising for a rookie.
The second-line centre job is Kapanen’s to lose and he has been very effective with his two linemates. Demidov has 1-5-6 totals and Newhook has 3-4-7 totals. Newhook is the oldest member of the line at 24. Kapanen is 22 and Demidov will turn 20 on Dec. 10.
Canadiens’ Oliver Kapanen, left, and Alex Newhook celebrate a goal against the Oilers during the first period in Edmonton on Thursday night.
Do you think Kent Hughes is continuing to look for a legitimate No. 2 centre and is he willing to overspend?
darryl4habs.bsky.social on BlueSky
As Hughes has said often, he’s always looking to improve the team, so I’m sure he’s still looking for a proven No. 2 centre.
Kapanen’s play this season has to give Hughes hope that he can grow into that role and make the GM less likely to rush into a trade for a No. 2 centre. But if one did become available, Hughes would likely be willing to overspend — like he did to acquire right-shot defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders this summer, giving up Emil Heineman and two first-round draft picks while also agreeing to an eight-year, US$76-million contract with Dobson. Dobson is the highest-paid player on the Canadiens with an annual salary-cap hit of US$9.5 million.
Just wondering your thoughts on what the thinking in the front office is on Patrik Laine. He doesn’t seem tailor-made for Martin St. Louis’s system and is in the last year of his contract. Does he re-up on a new deal for less or do they get the phone lines working on this early?
T-Fish on BlueSky
I saw Laine chatting with Jeff Gorton, the president of hockey operations, and general manager Kent Hughes outside the Canadiens’ locker room after Monday night’s 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre. Laine was limping noticeably afterward while walking to the parking lot and the next day it was announced he wouldn’t go on the Canadiens’ four-game road trip. It was also reported that Laine was seeking a second opinion on a lower-body injury that sidelined him after playing five games and picking up one assist to go along with a minus-3 rating.
Laine worked hard all summer to get ready for this season and his effort level has been very good. But he has trouble keeping up with the fast-paced system St. Louis has put in place, including a hard forecheck and aggressive play in the neutral zone, to make it hard for the opposition to even get in the offensive zone.
You have to wonder how much the sprained left knee Laine suffered during a pre-season game last year has affected his speed and whether that injury is bothering him again. Laine decided not to have knee surgery last season after getting a second opinion, opting for rehab instead. He missed the first 24 games and then scored eight goals in his first nine games, with the Canadiens going 6-3 during that span. As Hughes said after the season, the Canadiens wouldn’t have made the playoffs without Laine, who finished the season with 20-13-33 totals in 52 games, with 15 of his goals coming on the power play.
This is indeed the final season of Laine’s contract with a US$8.5 million salary-cap hit, which makes him the second highest-paid player on the Canadiens behind Dobson. I can’t see the Canadiens re-signing Laine and the 27-year-old’s contract will be very difficult to trade.
If he can regain his health and start scoring again, the Canadiens might be able to move Laine at the NHL trade deadline when most of his contract will have already been paid. If not, I expect him to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
If you have a question you’d like to ask for the weekly Habs Mailbag, you can email it to montrealcanadiens@postmedia.com
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