MONTREAL – So, what do you do for a team that had 110 points during the regular season, had the NHL’s top rated defense, ranked 4th in face-offs, and the league’s 7th ranked penalty killing unit? Well, you add more firepower to a team that ranked 20th on offense, improve the NHL’s 23rd ranked power play unit, and pray the team decides to shoot more to get the team past the second round of the playoffs. The Montreal Canadians looked poised to get back to the top of the NHL Mountain but this time around it wasn’t mean to be.
Needless to say the Habs head into next season ready to take the next step in their evolution towards greatness once again. The big question is how to get over the hump. The goaltending situation is anchored by MVP candidate Carey Price and the offense is led by Max Pacioretty who was just shy of 40 goals with 37. PK Subban and Andrei Markov are a solid 1-2 punch on the blueline.
RFA Alex Galchenyuk had 20 goals and needs to be back in the fold given the Canadians lack of scoring. That said the Habs have two top-flight right wing prospects in Nikita Scherbak and Micheal McCarron so look for a least one of their top prospects to get a good look at training camp. There seems to be no rush to promote defenseman Jarrod Tinordi given the Habs knack for defense.
Adding offense will be a priority, not just at the draft but via trades and free agency as well. Still, Montreal can take a risk or two with the 26th overall pick in the draft. Despite some quality forwards still on our board, the Habs can take a risk on an offensive minded defensemen who looks worth the risk in next week’s draft.
“With the 26th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadians select, from the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Juniors, Jeremy Roy.”
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