The Montreal Canadiens made only a single trade deadline
week deal after considering a flurry of them, instead settling on solidifying
the most crucial of positions, goaltending. Seeing that 39 year old Leland
Irving may be the only expiring starting goaltender that may have found his way
to the trade market, Montreal chose so strike right away with their first round
pick.
Garret Sparks has performed well this season, but with noticeable diminishing
returns if played in a streak of games. Come the playoffs, the club knew they
would be in a two-goaltender situation, and had to upgrade the position if they
were serious about supporting their current best offense in a decade. Montreal
currently has 4 of the league’s top 9 point leaders.
Irving is showing early returns with a .925 save percentage across six starts,
clearly energized by what be a final run based on his age.
Montreal briefly touched first place in the eastern conference before slipping
back, currently three behind division leading Boston.
Even this late in the season the team hasn’t stopped tinkering internally with
any contract flexibility they had. A planned late season injection of defensive
specialists Hugo Has and Noel Acciari has taken place, with both leading a full
scale rework of a penalty kill ranked near the very bottom of the league.
Montreal is at the start of a rare three day break after a streak of three wins
that included a convincing 6-2 victory over the Kraken, considered a measuring
stick game for the team ahead of the playoffs.
11/27/2024 - 249 words
