The 2018-2019 season has finally arrived! First off, huge congrats to Shea Weber on becoming the 30th captain in Canadiens history, no one better to wear the C on the jersey than him. Gallagher and Byron as assistant captains is perfect. Now, so much positive excitement and buzz for this season, especially around the Montreal Canadiens. So many things have gone abysmal in the past, with Subban, Galchenyuk, Pacioretty, you name it. For the past 6 years, we haven’t really felt the Canadiens could do much. They kept coming in every year with some sort of weakness(Centre ice position) that was promised it would be addressed, but never was. Now, we can finally say different, as Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin put set in motion an attitude change, got younger and a lot faster, and addressed the centre ice position by drafting now 18 year old Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Now, the big question is, Where will they finish this year? Will they surprise people and make the playoffs? Tank the season and 100% be in rebuild mode, even though the Canadiens brass does not want to admit it, especially in a market like Montreal. The Canadiens open their season tonight in Toronto, and the lineup already looks set in stone.
First line will feature Tomas Tatar, Philip Danault and Brendan Gallgher, a solid gritty line that can score and never give up on any play. Second line is Jonathan Drouin, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Artturi Lekhonen, a Finnish line with a French duck. Third line will be Paul Byron, Max Domi and Joel Armia, some nice scoring depth and speed. Fourth and final line is Matthew Peca, Tomas Plekanec and Andrew Shaw, a hard working line. Now for the Defense, Mike Reilly and Noah Juulsen, Victor Mete and Jeff Petry, and Xavier Ouellet and Karl Alzner. And last but not least: Goaltender Carey Price! My guess for this year is they finish almost last, but they could surprise people, everyone has already counted them out so who knows. It’ll be a fun year, that’s for sure.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi came into camp, not knowing what to expect just like any other rookie who was just drafted. Coming into Montreal, there’s always a certain expectation on a rookie, especially if they a play a position that has been an important need for the past decade, since Saku Koivu. So far, he’s answered every call the team have given him, and he earned the right to be on the opening night roster. Now, depending on he plays will determine whether he still past the 9 games. If that is case, it burns a year off of his entry level contract. If he plays well, and he fits with the team, then keeping him won’t be such a bad thing. Sending him to the World Juniors would be in his best interest for sure, and management is probably considering it. We’ll have to wait and see for that. I say he does stay past the 9 nine games, maybe even the whole season.
If the Canadiens do in fact end up finishing last or close to last, the 2 prospects they should be looking at in my opinion are American phenom Jack Hughes, a franchise type centre that can stick handle his way out of anything, comparable to fellow American Patrick Kane. The other prospect is Philip Broberg, a smooth skating left handed defenseman who commands the game in every aspect, and who I personally think the Canadiens should draft given the chance and I’ll tell you why. A franchise defenseman who’s comparable to fellow Swede Victor Hedman is exactly what this team needs. Don’t get me wrong, Jack Hughes would be an amazing addition to the team, but Broberg is 6’3, 190 pounds, can skate with the best of them, our #1 need is a left handed top 2 defenseman to play with Shea Weber, and that would be a perfect pairing that can shut down the opposition’s best lines night in and night out. Now this could change from now until the draft, but just looking at it now. The team is stacked on centres, with Kotkaniemi, Ryan Poehling, Nick Suzuki and Jacob Olofsson, they now need defenseman, and I’ll take a Victor Hedman on my team any day of the week.
So much to look forward to this year and beyond, and Montreal’s future is looking very bright, and I can’t wait to see what comes next, but first, season starts tonight, against the rival Maple Leafs. Kotkaniemi’s first game in the NHL, let’s see how the kid handles himself with the big boys. Good luck to them and GO HABS GO!!
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