Jan 04 Canadiens - Mid Season Report Cards

Yes, it's that time of the year already. Having played 40 games, the Montreal Canadiens are just about at the half way mark, and with a few days before the next game, I decided to help pass the time by giving out my grades on your Habs so far this season. The format is a simple A-B-C-D-F with A being a bonafide star player for his team and F being the way Jacques Martin felt about Ryan O'Byrne.

Goaltenders: The easiest place to start for the simple reason that only 1 player has been getting the lion's share of the work. (Overall - B+)

Carey Price (A) -  While he may be coming off his worst series of performances, Carey Price has still been the Molson Cup winner every month this season. Even his strongest supporters would not have dared to go on record to think that by this point in the season, Price would be tied for 2nd in wins in the NHL, 6th in the league in GAA (20 or more starts), or already have the most shut outs in a season.

Alex Auld (C) - He has done the job he was asked to do, winning 2 of his 4 starts, but not never played even near good enough to threaten Price's position as number 1 goaltender, even if for a very limited run during a cold spell or injury to Price.

Defence: On a team who struggles to get goals, this group of players seems to be the target of much criticism this year. Andrei Markov is out, and may have played his last game as a Canadiens. We will focus on the players who are currently playing for the team. (Overall - C+)

Jaroslav Spacek (C) - Critics may wonder why I am giving him such a high grade, but the fact of the matter is, Spacek is being used in a capacity way above his pay grade. If you keep his minutes low, and give him some time on the 2nd unit of the power play, he is a very serviceable defence man. He may have been signed for 1 year too long, but he still has an affordable price tag that you can give him the support he needs.

Roman Hamrlik (B) - Hamrlik seems to know when to pinch in offensively and get shots on net, or be the big body the Canadiens need to stand in front of the net when no one else will. He will occasionally make mistakes in his own zone, but he is still one of their more reliable d-man .

Josh Gorges (B-) - Recovering from an injury at the moment, Gorges is a very versatile defence man who can be used on a variety of assignments. While not a true 1st pairing on defence, he can be used there in limited spurts and play hard against some of the best players in the league. However, he can't play at the level for too long, or you will see a decline in his play, or injuries as you have now.

Hal Gill (B-) - The Canadiens cannot start running and gunning with teams when Hal Gill is on the ice. As long as they focus on puck possession, and setting up either in the offensive zone, or the forwards pinching in and following their defensive assignments in the defensive zone, Hal Gill can be very effective. Defensively, he can simply erase the opposition out of the play, and provides that big body presence when the Canadiens' small forwards are picked on.

James Wisniewski (B) - With only a few games under his belt, he really should be "to be determined" (TBD), but he has fit in with the team so well, and has gained such a ground swell of support so quickly, I'm forced to give him a favorable grade immediately. That being said, teams have not learned yet how to play against him in this system, so it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop with the Canadiens.

PK Subban (C+) - I had the toughest time grading Subban, for the simple reason of trying to eliminate the bias I have towards him and the hatred I have for how the coaching staff is using him. Yes, PK Subban makes mistakes, and continues to make some of the same mistakes over and over again, but there are so many great plays and so many facets to his game that he brings with him on every shift. I am also seeing his gifts being stifled by a coach he wants things his way or the highway. Because of his mistakes, he should be a B, but because of the bridles being placed on him by Jacques Martin, I feel his play is only deserving of a C+.

Yannick Weber (C) - He has not played a lot of games, and while he did start off very well, he's had some up and down games of late. Still, he does not look out of place in the NHL, and definitely looks more at home in the defensive role than I felt he did during the pre-season.

Alexandre Picard (C+) - Captain Picard has been a reliable defenseman for the Canadiens. He would get schooled if he went against  with the other teams top lines on even a semi-regular basis, and he can be beaten fairly easily to the outside, but he does what he needs to do on the 3rd pairing.

Forwards: What grade do you give a team who has scored less goals than everyone is who currently sits in a playoff position? Who has scored less goals than the Bruins, the Panthers or even the Sabres? (Overall - C). Just note that this grade is more a reflection on the system than on the players themselves.

Tomas Plekanec (A) - It's scary to think how many points this guy could score if he played for a coach he didn't mind his team actually trying to be offensive unless they were down by 2 goals. Plekanec seems to play like he has 3 or even 4 gears out there, has great vision across the ice, and will even make sure his defensive assignments are picked up. A star 2 way player who would be getting league wide recognition if he played for almost any other coach.

Michael Cammalleri: (B) - He has Alex Kovalev level hands when he is near the net, but needs to find the open ice in order to score. He has tons of heart, yet can get carried away at times and take stupid penalties. Should have been on pace for 30 goals, but may be slowed to a constant juggle of line mates.

Scott Gomez (C+) - Let's forget about his salary for a minute. Gomez brings leadership, a winning faceoff percentage, and has an ability to find the open man. The fact that he is a C+ player for most of his career, especially since signing that ridiculous contract, is not a reflection of what his grade should be for his performance this season. As a GM, if you have a player like Gomez, you should be looking for other players like, Iginla, who could benefit from having a center like Gomez.

Brian Gionta (B+) - A true leader both on and off the ice. He leads the team in shots by far, and has the most goals on the team. He also has the least penalty minutes of any player who has played significant time on the Canadiens.

Max Pacioretty (C+) - He made headlines when he said that he did not want to be called up unless it was to be a top 6 forward. He tore things up in Hamilton, but now only has 2 goals in 10 games with the Canadiens. He has provided his line mates with the big body presence they needed, and as long as the Canadiens are patient with him, he should develop into an offensive force.

Andrei Kostitsyn (C+) - It looked like he was going to have the breakout season that Nick Murdocco had predicted he would have. And then November happened, and while he did get 8points (3G, 5A) in that month, he has continued to get colder and colder. getting only 1 G in 4 assists in Decembers. The fans have already started giving up on him, asking for Andrei to be offered as part of a trade to bring in more reliable talent.

Mathieu Darche (C) - An energy player who can get some garbage goals by taking his lumps in front of the net. He could be considered a "B" level player for his role.

Benoit Pouliot (C-) - Last season Pouliot citing conditioning as a major factor in his slowing down at the end of the season. Not sure what his excuse is right now. Pouliot has shown signs of improvement offensively compared to what he was able to bring to the ice last season. He is a better passer now, and even a potential threat in open ice. But as of right now, he is a -4 with no points in his last 8 games.

Jeff Halpern (B-) - He may even have been a B or B+ player had he not gone pointless in his last 11 games and been a -9. But Halpern was not brought in to score goals, despite being the team leader early in the season. He was brought in to win face-offs and help generate offense on the 3rd, or even 4th lines, and he did an outstanding job of getting that done.

Travis Moen (C-) - A big physical player who we all wish just had better hands, otherwise he may have found a home as a top 6 forward. It became painful for me to watch Gomez and Gionta simply ignore him when he was on their line. But, he has shown that the best use for his hands is to be the team's "middleweight" enforcer, something that he really has not done much of recently either.

Lars Eller (D) - People kept waiting for Lars Eller to do something, and just when he looked like he was about to break out of his shell....well, nothing happened. You can't even say it was due to high expectations after being traded for Jaroslav Halak, since all eyes were on Carey Price, who's play was so sensational, critics even gave Eller the benefit of the doubt. For now, it remains to be seen if his spot hasn't already been taken by David Desharnais.

Tom Pyatt (D-) - He could be the faster player on the Canadiens roster, and if he had any hands whatsoever, he could lead the league in shorthanded goals. Jacques Martin inexplicably loves Tom Pyatt, despite the fact that this one dimensional player showed no other facets of his game.

Now, I realize that many people who read these rankings are probably like me, and simply want to pick out the ones where we felt that the author was simply out of his mind. Especially when it comes to teams with fanatical fans, I fully expect that to happen here, but at least try and bring some legitimate points to your discussion.

For our POLL QUESTION, you need to actually click on the question in order to choose the player you want to vote as the best Canadien so far this season

• Carey Price
• Tomas Plekanec
• Brian Gionta
• Michael Cammalleri
• None of the Above (write your choice in comments)

Created on Jan 4, 2011

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

Tags: Alex Auld \ Benoit Pouliot \ Carey price \ defense \ forwards \ goaltenders \ habs \ hockey \ James Wisniewski \ Jaroslav Spacek \ Mathieu Darche \ Michael Cammalleri \ Montreal Canadiens \ PK Subban \ Rankings \ Ratings \ Roman Hamrlik \ Scott Gomez \ Tomas Plekanec