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Expectations for 2015-16


zumpano21

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I have the intention to let this thread stand apart from the annual regular season prediction contest.

Given the current state of the Montreal Canadiens (roster, prospects, trades, free agent signings, management and coaching) - where do you think the Montreal Canadiens will end up at the end of the coming year?

For me, I see this is as the first year where we might truly contend for a Cup. In other words, we have to win within the next couple of years, or the finite length of our window will shut. Our core is as good, as seasoned, and as youthful as it's going to get.

That being said, my expectations are to finish top 3 in the conference and get us to the Eastern Conference Final. If the stars align in our favour, a Stanley Cup berth.

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My hopes are that the team is solidify as a bonafide contender, a team everyone are truly afraid to play. For this to happen, only one very small difference has to happen, and that's more goal scoring. If Price is his usual scary self, and the Habs manage to score about 15-20 more goals this season, we will be scary. I expect we'll fall slightly short of that unless the powerplay does a better job.

Of course, I hope for a great playoffs as well

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Montreal expectations are to get to the finals. Tampa Bay is the main competition to stop us. I believe you need a little luck because the top teams are so closely bunched. Even the top teams are flawed in certain areas. Price stays healthy were as good as any other team in this league as long as the rest of the team stays fairly healthy. For us to win it all one of the guys that gets injured needs an up and coming rookie to produce beyond his expectations and Semin can once again become a threat I believe were in business to win it all. Bergevin can smell how close we are I think the next 3 years he will be more aggressive at the trading deadline. He may roll the dice this year since he hasnt really taking a major gamble. Those are my thoughts

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The Conference leaders seem to be us, the Rags, and TB. One could argue that it's 'our turn' to get to the Finals. On the other hand, we have been defeated by both of those other two in the last two playoffs, so maybe they're just better than us.

IF we straighten out the power play, and all else stays the same, we contend. And if we go further and get impact performances from Kassian and/or Semin, we become truly dangerous.

Rationally speaking, there is no reason for our PP to be as pathetic as last season, so my expectation is a Conference Final appearance. Less than that is unacceptable to a team whose core players are in or entering their primes. If MT cannot straighten out the power play, and we consequently fail to attain this, he deserves to be fired.

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Guest Stogey24

The team has too much talent to struggle as badly as they did on the PP.

Heard an interview With Carboneau and he was saying how ridiculous and frustrating it is to watch the power play.

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The weird thing is that Anaheim and Minnesota were atrocious on the PP in the regular season but turned it around in the playoffs. Meanwhile the Capitals, the best PP team in the regular season, was the third worst in the playoffs.

Our penalty kill in the playoffs dropped by 13%. That had a big effect on us too. Second worst in the playoffs. Our special teams completely failed us.

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The team has too much talent to struggle as badly as they did on the PP.

Heard an interview With Carboneau and he was saying how ridiculous and frustrating it is to watch the power play.

When he was coach they had the best power play in the league and it was feared. Not too bad for a supposedly "bad coach".

The Conference leaders seem to be us, the Rags, and TB. One could argue that it's 'our turn' to get to the Finals. On the other hand, we have been defeated by both of those other two in the last two playoffs, so maybe they're just better than us.

IF we straighten out the power play, and all else stays the same, we contend. And if we go further and get impact performances from Kassian and/or Semin, we become truly dangerous.

Rationally speaking, there is no reason for our PP to be as pathetic as last season, so my expectation is a Conference Final appearance. Less than that is unacceptable to a team whose core players are in or entering their primes. If MT cannot straighten out the power play, and we consequently fail to attain this, he deserves to be fired.

Amen to that.

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I expect a better team when healthy, but yet expect it to be less healthy. Last year seemed like a Hab anomaly in the sense that they actually didn't have many injuries. They should contend for the division title yet again and their best players should be their best players. The playoff loss two years ago against the Rangers actually felt like a loss, they were outplayed. Could Price have made the difference? We'll never know. The loss against Tampa didn't quite seem like a loss. It was a battle that I thought the Habs got quite unlucky in some of the defining bounces or lack thereof. So if the biggest threat are the defending conference champion Bolts, and the declining (IMO) Rangers, then I think that the Habs can beat them. Pittsburgh and Washington will be tough to beat though, as is in the NHL, there are never any easy games.

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Yes, Pittsburgh is going to have offense coming out their assholes. They are also going to be incapable of stopping anyone else from scoring at will.

That's the weak link for sure - the back end. Especially with Fleury as the last line of defence. However, they will certainly be an entertaining team.

Good point about Washington. Sooner or later, they've got the break through, don't they - ?

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That's the weak link for sure - the back end. Especially with Fleury as the last line of defence. However, they will certainly be an entertaining team.

Good point about Washington. Sooner or later, they've got the break through, don't they - ?

I love their goalie and most of their top nine. The defence... Niskanen and Carlson are good. Don't care for the rest. Washington, Pittsburgh, San Jose, all these teams continue to be held back by an incomplete defence. The year Pittsburgh won the Cup, if it weren't for Carolina it'd be the worst Stanley Cup winning D in the past 20 years.

But yeah, if it wasn't for Price? Holtby would be my favourite goalie in the East.

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But; Bruins, Sabres and Leafs "should" be easy wins and Ottawa, Florida and Detroit shouldn't be powerhouses neither. Which leaves the one sunshine state team to mainly battle with in their division.

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The Conference leaders seem to be us, the Rags, and TB. One could argue that it's 'our turn' to get to the Finals. On the other hand, we have been defeated by both of those other two in the last two playoffs, so maybe they're just better than us.

IF we straighten out the power play, and all else stays the same, we contend. And if we go further and get impact performances from Kassian and/or Semin, we become truly dangerous.

Rationally speaking, there is no reason for our PP to be as pathetic as last season, so my expectation is a Conference Final appearance. Less than that is unacceptable to a team whose core players are in or entering their primes. If MT cannot straighten out the power play, and we consequently fail to attain this, he deserves to be fired.

Yup. Me too ChiCuke.. what the hell is it with our PP? Made no sense to me. I was super confident that it would kick up pretty easily. THen look at Crosby.. the player, not the dead maritime politico... and his PP experience.

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Yup. Me too ChiCuke.. what the hell is it with our PP? Made no sense to me. I was super confident that it would kick up pretty easily. THen look at Crosby.. the player, not the dead maritime politico... and his PP experience.

A lot of the PP is psychological. If the players are truly confident in it, they go out there and move the puck like crazy, they take high-per centage shots, it all looks easy. You can have the best players in the world, though, and if they do not go out there truly believing in the PP, it all goes to pot. I remember this dynamic well from the Pat Burns years, where a team that seemed perfectly fine offensively 5-on-5 suddenly reverted to timidity and confusion once the PP started. No reason for it, other than failure being in the players' heads.

None of this should let the coaches off the hook, however. MT made a decision not to fire the assistant coach responsible for the PP. This puts the onus for this year's results strictly on MT's shoulders. He has doubled down on an unacceptable status quo and he had BETTER deliver. Another playoff loss in which a few PP goals here or there would make the difference = Therrien being out on his ass as far as I'm concerned.

Machine, Holtby is indeed an excellent goalie. What interests me about him is that he's apparently modeled his game on Carey Price. It's sort of fun to see, after all these years of watching Price evolve from a 'young' goalie to a superstar, that he is now the Master other goalies are seeking to emulate. Very satisfying.

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I expect a better team when healthy, but yet expect it to be less healthy. Last year seemed like a Hab anomaly in the sense that they actually didn't have many injuries. They should contend for the division title yet again and their best players should be their best players. The playoff loss two years ago against the Rangers actually felt like a loss, they were outplayed. Could Price have made the difference? We'll never know. The loss against Tampa didn't quite seem like a loss. It was a battle that I thought the Habs got quite unlucky in some of the defining bounces or lack thereof. So if the biggest threat are the defending conference champion Bolts, and the declining (IMO) Rangers, then I think that the Habs can beat them. Pittsburgh and Washington will be tough to beat though, as is in the NHL, there are never any easy games.

Good points IllWilly. We definitely didn't get the fruits of our labor at times.. which drives me bananas and makes my face apple red. Sour grapes.. I know. :blush:

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