In the past, when the Canadiens finished their season, there was a buzz in the air. And this, win or lose. This year, we felt none of that, or very little. Because expectations were non-existent, the season went by in relative comfort for managers and players.
Kent Hughes would have liked us to believe that his team had the potential to surprise us, that it looked like he lived on another planet. Bladders should not be mistaken for lanterns.
Remember that famous statement from Marc Bergevin when he picked up Karl Alzner, David Schlemko, Mark Streit and Joe Morrow in the summer of 2017. He said his defensive squad was superior to that of the previous season, which included including Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin.
Bergevin had emptied the Russian channel by also letting Alexander Radulov, who had conquered the Montreal crowd during his one-year stay in Montreal, go.
The ensuing landing had been dizzying. The Canadiens had had a 71-point season, down 32 points from the previous season.
The city was upside down. Bergevin’s statement stuck with him for a long time. Telling it like it is, as Kent Hughes did this year, is fine. Amateurs become more accommodating.
The supporters of the Canadiens have let this season pass without climbing the curtains. But that doesn’t mean they’ll stay silent for long.
There’s an expiration date for that. Even in the context of a reorganization of the workforce.
Fans will be less forgiving next season. Jeff Gorton, if he’s still around, Kent Hughes and Martin Saint-Louis can expect to navigate rougher waters.
Injuries didn’t help
We will not talk about Connor Bedard or Pierre-Luc Dubois because they are not part of the equation as we speak.
Let’s say that if they landed in Montreal, the expectations would blow sports betting sites. Fans would start dreaming of the Stanley Cup.
To achieve better results next season, all players will have to do more.
It will also be imperative that the team be in better health. It may be said that injuries are no excuse, no team can survive the absence of 11 players.
Three of these players were rookies who had earned a position with the big club, namely Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj on the blue line and Juraj Slafkovsky on offense.
Cole Caufield had 26 goals in 46 games when injured. Nick Suzuki felt his absence until Rafaël Harvey-Pinard took advantage of the chance to play alongside him to have fun on the offensive.
Hatching Harvey-Pinard
Speaking of a transformed player, Harvey-Pinard is in this category. He earned his spot for next year.
Samuel Montembeault, Jordan Harris, Mike Matheson and Alex Belzile earned a lot of points. At 31, Belzile has shown that time is not a factor for a player who is getting high for a place.
On the veteran side, Brendan Gallagher and David Savard are the type of veteran that all teams are looking for. You know you can count on them at all times and that they are inspirations to their teammates.
Still a long way
This portrait should not, however, make us forget that there is still a long way to go.
The Bruins, Leafs, Lightning, Hurricanes, Devils and Rangers are destined to remain in the playoff draw for quite some time.
The Sabers, Senators and Red Wings are ahead of the Canadiens in their recovery plan.
Participation in the series does not appear possible before 2026, at the earliest. All the better if it happens before. But when it does, the effect will have to last.
Fans no longer want a team that is treading water. Their wish is to see a Canadian who will be competitive for several years.
Remains the Cup…
Statistics can tell you a lot. Take the record of the Bruins this season and think of the 1976-1977 edition of the Canadiens who had amassed 132 points in an 80-game schedule. The Bruins beat the Habs in their 81st meeting, say CH fans.
Should we put an asterisk next to the number of points obtained by the Bruins? No.
Does that make them a superior team to the Canadiens of the time? We don’t have to ask ourselves that question.
Great teams, there have always been and there always will be. All teams that have record seasons have merit.
So, hats off to the Bruins!
Nothing acquired
Let’s not forget that they started the season without Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk. But they had the depth to survive this period.
The proof: they won 17 of their first 20 games under new coach Jim Montgomery. They’ve maintained that pace all season.
In today’s hockey, that’s great!
But the Bruins season will not be a real success without the Stanley Cup.
Yes, there is always a danger that the team will stumble along the way. We saw it with the Lightning, who after a season of 128 points in 2018-2019, were swept in four games in the first round by the Blue Jackets.
In 1996, after amassing 131 points, the Detroit Red Wings lost their flag in six games to the Colorado Avalanche in the conference final.
Will we see Bergeron again?
Both of these examples should serve the Bruins. The Boston formation is on a mission.
This is particularly the case of their captain Patrice Bergeron, who could have played his last game in Montreal last night.
A second Stanley Cup conquest would be a great way for him to end his career.