The Canadiens just missed out on the Stanley Cup last season but are one of the worst teams in the league this year. What has gone wrong with the Habs?

What Has Happened to the Canadiens This Season? And Can They Recover?

 

Just seven months on from being beaten in the Stanley Cup finals by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens now sit at the very bottom of the NHL with the worst record in the entire league.

 There are not many hockey fans – Habs or otherwise – that would bet on the Canadiens doing anything of note this season. But can they recover to save some face at least, before the end of the regular season? And what exactly has gone wrong in Montreal?

 Stanley Cup Finals Defeat

It could be argued that everything started going wrong for the Habs after game one of the Stanley Cup finals last season. Tampa Bay steamrolled the Canadiens 5-1 that night and set the tone for the rest of the series. A 3-2 win in game four only prolonged the misery and put off the inevitable temporarily.

Even Montreal fans must realize that making it to the finals in the first place was something of a fluke. There was a perfect storm of factors that could have only come together last season, including an all-Canadian division to begin with. The Canadiens had luck on their side last season – and it has disappeared this year.

 Player Absences and Injuries

Part of the bad luck has been who the Habs have been able to put out on the ice. The offseason was a disaster for Montreal, reacting to making the finals by missing out on key targets for the year as well as losing players such as Philip Danault to free agency.

These capsules have the mixture of herbs that have been known for years to improve ordering viagra immune response in people. Losing weight, eating well, exercising, cialis wholesale prices limiting alcohol, quitting smoking and not abuse alcohol. Regardless of the type and its characteristics, female strap on available in the market are hollow while others are commander levitra respitecaresa.org solid. You have a range of selections viagra generika once deciding between impotency medications, however far and away the simplest choice is Kamagra.

Shea Weber might not ever play again after missing the entire season through injury and the return of netminder Carey Price still seems a long way off. He was still recovering from offseason surgery when he entered a 30-day players’ assistance program. There seems to be no rush to get him back on the ice. He may be a controversial figure, but he was a major reason why the Canadiens went so far in the playoffs last year.

 

Failure a Long Time Coming

 There should also be a recognition that last season’s performance and record should be seen as an overachievement – an anomaly really. The Habs are the most successful organization in the NHL but the glory days are firmly in the past. Before last year Montreal had not made it to the Conference finals since 2014 – and didn’t even make the postseason in three of the years since.

 A failure to develop young talent has been a major problem for Montreal for quite a while now. Former players have not been involved as they once were – and the Canadiens have not been able to attract the top free agents like they once could. The fans are not expecting back-to-back titles like the old days. But players with spirit and belief, backed by a decisive front office would help things change.

 Hopes for the Future

 So, is there any hope for the future? There would seem to be precious little of it to go around at the moment. But letting Marc Bergevin go at the end of November was a bold move. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes can now stamp their own authority on the franchise and attempt to make it competitive again in the next few years.

We may well see a lot more departures from Montreal at the end of this season – and that will be welcomed if the draft goes to plan. Embracing the tank may not be acceptable for Habs fans but it could allow the Canadiens to come out the other side. A focus on youth development and positive trades might make next season a better prospect. Let’s face it, it couldn’t get much worse.