Montreal Canadiens Revelations

Hi All,

The first quarter of the season flew by and it’s time to analyze the Habs great start to the 2007-2008 season. In my opinion, the are 5 revelations so far this season.

#1: Alex Kovalev – 10 goals 9 assists in 20 games. I’ve always liked Kovy but this year he’s involved in every game. So far… he controls the puck well and makes good decisions with it. He regularly makes a 2nd and even 3rd effort which he didn’t do in previous year’s in Montreal. If he can stay at roughly a point a game, Montreal will likely make the playoffs.

#2: Roman Hamrlik – Roman has the best +/- on the team… +8. This stat says alot considering almost half of the team is on the minus side. He stabilized the Habs defence core and along with Patrice Brisebois, form a very capable defense pairing. I not afraid to see these guys up against any teams 1st line while Markov and Komisarek wait to come on.

#3: Mathieu Dandenault – At the beginning of the season, he was my favorite throw-in in Montreal trade speculation. I didn’t see him finishing the season in Montreal but now with the switch from defense to the wing he’s become quite valuable. He’s fast, hits, creates scoring chances and is a great forechecker. I find he’s a better forward than defenseman. At 1.7 million a year it was time for him to be visible on the ice. Let’s hope he continues to play with such intensity.

#4: Kyle Chipchura – Does anyone reading this post who have seen this rookie play think he’s not going to finish the season in Montreal? He looks like a seasoned veteran at times. He rarely makes mistakes that put his team in jeapordy and has great hockey sense. Nothing fancy… just darn effective in his role. If he could just be a little quicker he’d be absolutely amazing. This guy might just be a future Selke candidate.

#5: Cristobal Huet – With most of the focus being on him losing the starting goalie position to Carey Price (this year or the next), he a has quietly been dominant. Always giving credit to his teamates, he is a real team player. Goals Against : 2.27 with a .927 save percentage. Being an UFA at seasons end, if he keeps playing like this, what should the Habs do with him? Price is the future but is he the present? Should they take a gamble and trade Huet for the highest bidder before the trade deadline?

I’ll let you guys know next week where Montreal is weak.

Thanks for reading this post.
Andre.