The
Montreal Canadiens recently touched the division lead once again, and will
likely be fighting for that position for a good while longer with things very
tight in the East. An offseason that was definitely more about subtraction
thanks to salary cap realities left many wondering if the perennial powerhouse
in the northeast would take a slip backward.
And while the fact that they were also recently 10
in the
conference is there, they also have the #1 offense in the conference thanks to
stellar starts from the entire high paid core, as well as decent sophomore starts
for Oskar Olausson and Tyce Thompson.
But team defense has surely taken a step back, with one of the lowest
shots-against teams in recent years having suddenly become one of the highest.
Starting goaltender Garret Sparks has never seen the kind of workload he’s been
thrown in to in Montreal since joining the club, and now with the #1 job
clearly his, he has struggled with inconsistency. A recent break thanks to an injury
hopefully will be the key in getting some better games out of him going
forward.
As we approach the midway point of the season, clubs will begin to prepare
themselves for the craze of trades that hit in the league’s second half. Unlike
the last few seasons, expect the club to try and get busy. No names were given,
but a source from inside the club led us to believe there’s over $7 million in “dead
cap” currently sitting on the team.Players
that management already do not plan on being on the roster come deadline time.
Current placements of a couple players on waivers, unsuccessfully, indicate
they’re trying to make some moves as we speak.
9/14/2024 - 263 words
