A NEW HOPE: THE 2014-15 HABS SEASON

Much like when spring comes, every new NHL season is filled with hope and with aspirations. With the Habs, this is also true and it sometimes takes on slightly exaggerated tones. 

The fact the Habs made it to within ONE WIN of the Stanley Cup Finals will fuel this hope to new heights. However before discussing the season that is going to begin on October 8th, let us identify and dismiss certain unavoidable truths about what Habs fans will say. After getting those out of the way, we can perhaps discuss the season a tad more rationally.

So here are the few Habs Nation unavoidable truths (HNUT for short)

HNUT1: Therrien sucks, he is holding PK back and he is a bad coach

HNUT2:  Desharnais is only playing on the Habs because he is a franco

HNUT3: Habs are icing INSERT PLAYER THAT IS YEARLY TARGET OF TORMENT the WORST player in the league INSERT GIVEN LINE UP POSITION OF GRIEF

HNUT4: Habs disrespect Subban, he will leave (yes this is still heard, even after he signed his 8 year deal)

HNUT5: Habs do not respect francos, they should ice more francophone players

HNUT6: Bergevin sucks (for whatever reason is popular today)

Now this was not an exhaustive list by any means, just a brief glimpse. Now that this is tossed in the recycling bin, because frankly you can never actually get rid of these things, lets discuss the season that is ahead.

Habs: improved? Same? Worse?

I will come out and boldly say the Habs are improved and Bergevin put them in a good spot in terms of depth, added players and cap. 

The defense is more balanced, giving the Habs a chance to really know what they have on the blue line (ex: Emelin playing his natural side). The D is more mobile than before (Gilbert) and a very healthy competition is there for the 3 young d-men coming up. Beaulieu seems to be ahead of Tinordi and Pateryn for now. 

Between the pipes, the Habs have a healthy competition for the backup position and that is a good thing. 

On offense, the Habs still have needs but again, camp has shown that some of the younger forwards can compete (see Thomas for example). 

Habs are no powerhouse but they are on the upswing and will compete for top spot in the Atlantic in my opinion. 

There some issues to be determined:

1- Who will be the backup goaltender?

My opinion is that Tokarski gets the nod and that Budaj is waived or moved.

2- Who wins out the 5th-6th D spot and the 7th D spot?

My opinion is that Beaulieu earns a regular spot on the bottom pair and that one of Pateryn or Tinordi gets 7th spot. Bouillon could be signed (2 way contract being ideal) as depth and for veteran presence but he would see very little action (much like last season by the way).

3- What are the offensive lines going to be....

Tough one but right now my take is as follows:

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Parenteau

Eller - Galchenyuk - Gallagher

Bourque - Plekanec - Sekac

Prust - Malhotra - Weise / Bournival

Spare F: Bournival or Moen (until traded)

I can hear the moaning and crying about Eller already but if you look at it this way, it makes sense (I think): Eller on the W with Chucky means two centremen on the line, so if Chucky struggles with face offs on a given night, Eller can slot in. This insulates Chucky, if he shines at C, then Habs have trade options at C but depth at this position is GOLD in the NHL so trade with caution (hello Rangers after Stephan injury for example).

 The D

Emelin - Subban

Markov - Gilbert

Beaulieu - Weaver

Tinordi/Pateryn

In the net

Price

Tokarski

Habs have trade chips, some cap space and some needs so I fully expect Bergevin to tinker with this team as the season unfolds.

Habs needs are (IMO):

1- A big scoring top 6 winger (much like most NHL teams by the way)

2- A physical bottom 6 player to help out Prust because Habs will need some added toughness as the year progresses.

Trade chips:

Budaj, Moen, Plekanec/Desharnais, some of the young D in Hamilton.

My prediction:

Barring catastrophic injuries, the Habs will battle for top spot in the division. They are, in my opinion a playoff lock. Bergevin will make a few moves to improve the team but will stick to his youth movement plan (yes this still requires some veterans....unless you wish to become the Oilers).

In the playoffs, the Habs can do some damage if they add a bit of grit to the lineup.

If Chucky performs well at C, Bergevin may consider trading a centreman. The decision will depend on what he wants back and on trade value. 

There are 2 potential scenarios in my opinion:

Trade Plekanec  if Habs think Eller can take over Pleks duties as a 2-way player. Plek has the most value in terms of return, has a higher cap hit and is older. I would be sad to see this happen. This means:

Desharnais

Galchenyuk

Eller

Malhotra

Trade Desharnais if Habs feel Eller cannot take over no 14 duties. Desharnais has a decent contract considering his production. His value is less than Plekanec but he is tradeable. This means:

Plekanec

Galchenyuk

Eller

Malhotra

Time will tell!