Hockey Teams

I have loved watching sports since I was little and have always loved talking about this great part of my life. So I begin my journey on vocal by reporting on the strengths and weaknesses of each team in the league, starting with my favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens. I never wrote a text on the Internet before. Even less an article, but here I go and I hope my text will catch your attention.

Let's start with additions and departures. Josh Anderson hits Montreal in return for Max Domi. This trade looks good as Anderson has what very few Canadiens players have, which is natural scoring talent. We already know that Montreal has to score more goals this season and the addition of the big right winger is a good step in that direction. Although Domi managed to bring the attack from his arrival in the metropolis, last year Max disappointed by his inconstancy and his lack of enthusiasm which was at the origin of his excellent season of 72 points in 2018-2019. All in all, this transaction is somewhat risky given the question mark hanging over the health of the American, but I think Bergevin did good trying to bring a natural marker on Montéal's side. With the emergence of two young centers, Suzuki and Kotkaniemi, this will give Claude Julien more options to find the right combinations. Speaking of giving Claude more options, Tyler Toffoli's signature offers more depth to the blue white and red. Able to play as much on the right as on the left, the winger who collected 300 points in 525 games in the NHL stands out for his versatility. A handyman who brings more offensive than the last who had this title with the CH will do good to Julien's group. At the defensive level, the general manager of the Canadiens brought two players. Joel Edmundson, a left-handed defender to come deepen this defense which has been more than efficient in the most recent series. Edmundson will be able to support Jeff Petry who plays well defensively and who has brought a lot offensively especially when paired with a defensive partner. In addition to the Canadian defender, the GM has finally found a good auxiliary to Carey Price. Jake Allen, acquired from the Saint-Louis Blues last September, will have to do better than his predecessors if the Quebec team wants to carve out a place in the playoffs.

Let's continue with the players who will be back with the big club. As mentioned above, Suzuki and Kotkaniemi showed marked improvement upon returning to play on August 1. If the two young folks continue their work, they will be the anchor of a new era in Montreal. Drouin showed great things when paired with Suzuki, we'll see if the chemistry between these two players can bring stability and a certain consistency in the game of the Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts native winger. The “oldest” trio of the Canadian formed by Tatar-Danault-Gallagher will have to offer us the same type of performance they have accustomed us in recent years. Difficult to determine wich line these three players will compose (first,second or third), but still each of the Montreal Canadiens trios must be effective if the team want to progress compared to last year. Armia will likely have a more stable role than the past few years. He will occupy a position on the second or third line depending on the opponent and the healthiness of the other players. A role that certainly suits him better than first line winger. For the remaining attackers, Paul Byron, Artturi Lehkonen and Jordan Weal, they should find a role a little more adapted to their capacity or on a 4th line. A fourth line which can be explosive and who knows could surprise us. To bring more physical strength Armia can go for some presence on this trio while Byron, if he is not injured, could help the Canadian attack with his great speed. Also, a Ryan Poehling or a Jake Evans could just as easily carve out a place with the team depending on their performance over the next few months. Defensively, the pair composed of Weber and Chiarot must continue to offer stability and power to the blue white and red. We saw it against the Penguins, these two defensemen can disturb the opponent by applying solid body checks far into the defensive territory and being relentless to recover the puck down the ramps. Jeff Petry must continue to offer quality hockey, both in attack and in his territory. The third defender duo is more mysterious than the other two. Indeed, it will be necessary to wait to see how the young Russian, Alexander Romanov, behaves at the training camp to determine if he has the aptitude to replace Victor Mete to the left of Kulak. The latter has been able to elevate his game to become an excellent asset to complet Petry in the most recent playoffs. Kulak can play on the right and it's probably at this position that he will start next season with too few right-handed defenders. However, do not neglect the defensemen who played for Laval in the last few campaigns who could prove to be closer to the national league than you might think. I have the names of Josh Brook, Otto Leskinen, Cale Fleury, and Noah Juulsen that come to mind. For Leskinen I'm more skeptical of whether he's ready to make the jump to the NHL for his lack of experience, but his good vision and ability to make a good first pass could allow him to cause a surprise. Honorable mention to Cole Caufield who could find a place in the lineup of the Canadiens sooner rather than later.

Let's finish by addressing the most important question in a review after the offseason, is the Montreal Canadiens an improved team? My answer is yes and I even believe that this team is much better than the one that started the 2019-2020 season. The reason is simple, Marc Bergevin upgraded each of the components of his team. In attack, he added a natural marker, a “sniper” in good Quebecois and a good handyman for more depth. The defense is stronger and has now more tools to counter powerful enemy attacks. Finally, the problem that persisted for a few years in front of the net when the coach wanted to give his number one goalkeeper rest has now been resolved with the arrival of Allen. For all these reasons, I argue that Montreal has an excellent chance of making the playoffs in 2020-2021. And with the rumors of a 100% canadian conference everything is possible for a team with one of the youngest core in the National Hockey League.

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