It’s still difficult to fathom that 21 games in, these are your Montreal Canadiens.
After the Habs latest lopsided loss to the Washington Capitals 6-3, it’s time to accept the inevitable.
This team is far more likely to draft in the top five of the NHL draft which they will host than even sniff the playoffs.
Who will be the general manager? The director of scouting? How about the head coach?
Those are all questions for another day. Let’s focus on the here and now.
The Montreal Canadiens are 5-14-2. They have allowed 76 goals against, the most in the NHL. They have allowed four or more goals in a game 11 times. Five or more goals nine times.
Here are your individual player ratings for the Montreal Canadiens goaltenders and defencemen over the first quarter of their season
Goalies
Jake Allen – 7/10
His game has taken a dip of late including last night against the Capitals. But he’s far down the list of culprits for the Habs disastrous start.
Samuel Montembeault – 4/10
He’s a classic AHL/NHL tweener goaltender. His last two starts have been encouraging for his future in the NHL. But Montembeault loses his net far too often and his movement has been chaotic at best. Laval-bound whenever Carey Price returns.
Defencemen
Jeff Petry – 3/10
If you’re looking for a man to shoulder the majority of the blame for the Habs start, unfortunately that would be Petry. It has been a truly shocking start to his season. No goals and two assists. The most used defenceman by quite a margin. His first five minutes against the Capitals were emblematic of his year to date. Turnovers and panicked play. There have been rumours that he is attempting to play through injury. He shouldn’t anymore. He is not helping his teammates but in fact is hurting them.
Ben Chiarot – 5/10
He is somehow tied for the NHL’s lead in goals by defencemen with four. Which is almost as shocking as Petry’s poor play to start the year. Looked extremely lost to start the year but has somewhat rounded into form. The goal the rest of the way for the organization should be to trade him for assets ahead of the deadline.
David Savard – 4/10
When paired with Chiarot he looked as though he was destined to be Karl Alzner 2.0. Has better offensive instincts than previously advertised. But his skating is a serious problem Was brought in to help fill in for the injured Shea Weber on the power-play. It’s been an abomination. His game appears to be turning a corner of late.
Alexander Romanov – 6/10
It’s been an up and down season for the Tsar so far. He started brightly with the game on the road in San Jose standing out in particular. Lost his confidence for a week or so and was made a healthy scratch. In the nine games since sitting in the stands he has arguably been the team’s best defenceman. Hits like a mack truck. Passing has improved. Still needs to work on the offensive side of his game. But his recent progress has been encouraging.
Brett Kulak – 5/10
His puck management skills are still erratic. As is his defensive positioning at times. But he does what several players on the blueline can’t which is skate the puck out of trouble. Has to continue to be aggressive as a puck carrier which is when he’s at his best. He has filled in admirably in a miscast role on the second pairing.
Chris Wideman – 6/10
Gets bullied in front of his net and struggles in one-on-one battles. But that’s not what he was brought in from the KHL to do. Makes solid breakout passes and has some offensive swagger bringing the puck through the neutral zone. Has impressed on the power-play. Keeps the puck moving on the man advantage by simply keeping the puck moving. Excels at getting his shot through from the point. Eight points in 16 games is far better than was expected of him.
N/A
Sami Niku
Has only played six games so far. But he is a high-risk blueliner with little reward to date. Smooth skater who can make a solid first pass and even has some flair. Has to play on the power-play when he is in the lineup. Like Montembeault a classic minor league/big league tweener.
Mattias Norlinder
Hard to comprehend why he was left out of the lineup last night in favour of Niku. As assured and confident as he looked in his first game, his second was shaky at best. He is destined to return to Frolunda within the next week or so. But will be an exciting puck-moving blueliner to watch with the Laval Rocket next season.
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The … More about Marc Dumont