Could You Manage The Montreal Canadiens? Take This 60-Second Quiz!
- by Tim Frederick
- – on
- in Sports
What has gone wrong for the Montreal Canadiens this year? Well, a number of things. Carey Price has not been the best goalie in the world for starters, which the team will be paying him to be as of next season (and for the following 7 seasons after that). Max Pacioretty has too often been silent, newcomer Jonathan Drouin has just 5 goals, and Alex Galchenyuk has been relegated to the 4th line for much of the year. The defense has also been shaky, with Jeff Petry's -17 ranking tied for 3rd worst in the league, and Shea Weber now out indefinitely with a foot injury.
Is there any hope in Montreal for this team, or is it time for the Habs to pack it in and think rebuild? In this quiz, we want to see what moves you would make (and which past moves you would or wouldn't have) in an effort to try and turn around the iconic franchise. Think you could manage the Montreal Canadiens to glory? Take the quiz and find out!
Would You Have Offered Carey Price His 8-Year, $84-Million Extension?
This is a tough one. Hindsight is 20/20 and Price's play this year (including a 3.04 GAA and .904 Sv%) certainly makes this extension look rather dreadful. But on the other hand, it's not like the team could really risk losing him in free agency after this year by not extending him; such a move would've been met with outrage at the time. Montreal must pray that the Price of old returns in the second-half and has many years of superb goaltending left in him.
Would You Sign John Tavares in the Offseason?
Tavares is likely to command a massive contract next summer should he not get extended by the New York Islanders, and the Canadiens are one of the teams that's considered a potential landing spot for him. TSN's Darren Dreger recently added more fuel to those flames, claiming the belief that Tavares wants to play for Montreal, though he admittedly had no direct reason to think so. Montreal will have the cap space to take a run at Tavares, but should they?
Would You Have Signed Karl Alzner to a 5-Year, $23.125-Million Deal?
After eventually parting ways with several defensemen in the offseason, including Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin, and Mikhail Sergachev, the Habs had a clear need for some stability on the blueline. They attempted to address that need by giving a 5-year deal to Karl Alzner. While Alzner does provide some stability, he also hasn't done anything to help Montreal's offense, which was forced to turn to 19-year-old Victor Mete to help get the puck onto the sticks of the team's forwards.
What Would You Do With Tomas Plekanec?
Once one of the most reliable and underrated two-way centers in the league, Plekanec's offensive game has fallen apart over the last two years, including a dreadful 28-point showing last season. While he's been slightly better this year, his production is still nowhere near what Montreal was hoping for. Thankfully, he's on the last year of his contract and could even generate some interest from a contender come the Trade Deadline, given that he's still a solid defensive player and having a good year in the faceoff dot. Would you trade Plekanec before the Deadline?
Would You Have Given a 5-Year Deal to Alexander Radulov?
Radulov was reportedly down to choosing between Dallas and Montreal this summer, before accepting a 5-year, $31.25-million deal from the Stars. The main sticking point in negotiations between Montreal and its former winger appears to have been the team's unwillingness to offer Radulov a fifth year. With 29 points, Radulov is easily leading every Canadiens player in scoring this year. Would you have offered him a 5-year deal like Dallas did?
Would You Make A Trade Offer for Kris Letang that Included Alex Galchenyuk as the Centerpiece?
It was recently revealed that the sluggish Pittsburgh Penguins might be considering trading star defenseman Kris Letang, in an effort to spark the defending champs and shed some salary commitments (Letang has another 4 years and $30 million left on his contract after this year). Pittsburgh was rumored to be interested in Galchenyuk earlier this year; would you move him (along with other, lesser pieces) in a deal for Letang?
Would You Keep Claude Julien?
Montreal pounced on Claude Julien with reckless abandon, firing former head coach Michel Therrien and hiring Julien in his place just days after the latter was fired by Boston. The move was lauded as a coup and a slap in the face to the rival Bruins at the time, but hasn't exactly generated exceptional results. Montreal was bounced in the first round of the playoffs last season, while Boston has rebounded to jump over the Habs this season. Would you keep Julien upon taking the reins in Montreal, or get rid of him?
Would You Have Re-signed Andrei Markov for 2 Years?
Despite plenty of cap space, the Canadiens balked at bringing back franchise defenseman Andrei Markov, who refused to play for any other NHL team and thus retired from the league instead. While Markov was no longer the elite player he once was, he was still a steady puck-moving defenseman with great vision. However, he reportedly wanted a 2-year deal, which was one year too many for Montreal's liking. Would you have given him a 2-year contract?
What Would You Do With Alex Galchenyuk?
After a 30-goal season in 2015/16, Galchenyuk appeared to have cemented his status as one of the game's most exciting young stars. However, the past two seasons have been a challenge, and the Canadiens appear to have soured on Galchenyuk, openly shopping the winger/center during this past offseason. Though they eventually re-signed him, he's spent much of the season on the 4th line, though he does still get plenty of PP time.
Should Charlie Lindgren Be Made the Backup?
Lindgren helped stabilize the Canadiens shortly after Carey Price went down to injury earlier this year, giving them some of their most reliable goaltending of the season. However, he's now back in the minors for further development, with veteran Antti Niemi (who's played some brutal hockey over the past two years) serving as Price's backup instead. Should Lindgren be the backup in Montreal?
Would You Have Traded Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin?
This trade may end up being a tough one for Habs fans to swallow. While Drouin is an extremely talented young forward with star potential, the younger and cheaper Sergachev has proven that he was fully capable of stepping into a full-time role this season and replacing Andrei Markov as the team's offensive catalyst from the blueline. Given that the Drouin deal may have contributed to the Habs not going all-out to re-sign Alexander Radulov and losing him to the Stars as a result, this move looks doubly painful in hindsight.
What Would You Do With Max Pacioretty?
Montreal's captain needs a very strong second-half of the season to hit the 30-goal plateau for the 6th-straight full season, as he's not even a third of the way there through Montreal's first 36 games. With just one year left on his contract, trade rumors will likely swirl around Pacioretty come the Trade Deadline should Montreal be out of contention.
What Would You Do With Brendan Gallagher?
A healthier Gallagher is putting up better numbers this season, leading Montreal in scoring with 14 goals. Gallagher has a reasonable contract with 3 more years left on it, which makes him an unlikely trade candidate from Montreal's perspective, though he also has more trade value because of it. Would you trade Gallagher if given the opportunity, or keep him as a long-term piece?
What Would You Do With Victor Mete?
Mete is currently starring for Canada at the World Junior Championships and was expected to be sent back to the London Knights after the tournament. However, with Shea Weber now out indefinitely, the Habs may need to put Mete back into their lineup after the tournament's completion. Should they, or would he be better served by getting more seasoning in the major junior ranks instead?
Buffalo Offers You Evander Kane. What Would You Give Up in Return?
With Buffalo failing to show signs of improvement in the standings, the team is expected to consider moving anyone not named Jack Eichel before this year's deadline as it continues to try and build a young contender. That means Evander Kane, who's slated to become an unrestricted free agent at year's end, will likely be moved. Would you trade for the talented forward?
What Would You Do With Paul Byron?
While Byron's offensive numbers are down slightly from last year, his blinding speed has again lead to numerous breakaways and some highlight reel goals, and his production largely comes from even-strength play, as he isn't the recipient of much powerplay time (just 4 of his 58 points from the last 2 seasons have come on the PP). Should Montreal try to turn Byron into a younger asset, or keep the cheap, productive forward?
Would You Have Traded P.K. Subban for Shea Weber?
This move met with a lot of criticism from pundits and fans, who felt like at the very least, the younger Subban, who also had a much friendlier contract, should've delivered a bigger return than just being moved straight-up for Weber. While Weber did have a better season than Subban last year (playoffs notwithstanding), the same can't be said this year, and that trend may continue from here on out. Would you have made that fateful trade?
Would You Trade Andrew Shaw?
Shaw is owed $15.6 million over the next 4 years, an amount that is hardly a disaster for what he brings to the table, but which also doesn't leave much room for any added value. With Shaw having a better offensive season than last year, the Canadiens may be able to find a suitor for him at the deadline. Would you look to move him at that time?
Who Would You Hire As Coach to Replace Claude Julien?
We asked you whether you would fire Claude Julien, now let's assume you have indeed done just that. The question now becomes, who do you replace him with? Some of the top current options include former Colorado Avalanche coach and Hall of Fame netminder Patrick Roy, former Habs player and current assistant coach Kirk Muller, former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, and Jack Adams winner Bob Hartley.
What Would You Do With Phillip Danault?
Danault has proven himself to be a capable center in a 2nd/3rd line role, scoring better than half-a-point per game over the past two seasons and being a solid possession player. While Danault is probably being used in a more prominent role than is ideal (getting 17 minutes of ice time per night this year), it's not exactly his fault that the Habs are so thin up the middle.
Would You Have Traded Sven Andrighetto for Andreas Martinsen?
This trade doesn't look particularly good in hindsight, with Andrighetto posting 33 points in 53 games since being sent to the Avalanche, while Martinsen played a pointless 9 games for the Habs last year and was not brought back. Did this trade appear to be a good one at the time though, or was it destined for failure?
You Make Charles Hudon Available in a Trade. Which Offer Do You Accept?
With the Canadiens' 4th-line playing so well and Artturi Lehkonen back in the lineup after missing 16 games, Charles Hudon has found himself the odd-man out, being a healthy scratch for the team's final two games before the Christmas break. With Hudon showing some offensive upside this year with 14 points in 33 games (while playing less than 14 minutes per game), should the Habs look to cash in on him now, and if so, for what?
Would You Extend Jakub Jerabek?
Jerabek was signed to a 1-year entry-level contract in the offseason and only recently made the jump to Montreal after becoming more acclimated with the North American game in Laval. Jerabek has looked solid, with a +14 rating in just 27 games between Montreal and Laval, though he's yet to record a point in 10 NHL games.
What Would You Do With Daniel Carr?
Carr has had great success in a small sample at the NHL level this year, featuring on a new 4th-line that also includes Byron Froese and Nicolas Deslauriers, one which has taken the league by surprise in the last month. Carr now has 10 points in 10 games and is a +6, despite averaging just 12-and-a-half minutes of ice time per game. Should the Habs try to trade high on Carr, or keep him around?
Who Would You Name Team Captain?
Current Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty was voted to the post by his fellow teammates back in 2015, but doubts about his leadership ability have dogged him since and raised the specter that a change in captaincy may or even should be made. If you were tasked with naming the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens, who would it be?
