Jan 08 Without Gorges, the Habs Could be Screwed

As currently constructed, the Montreal Canadiens are in very deep trouble, dare I say screwed. At the start of the season, if you had to name two defenseman the team just couldn't do without for any extended period of time, Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges should have been the first to come to mind. Now both are out for the season with knee injuries and the team is left with a very thin defensive corps.

Coming out of the training camp, the unit had several question marks surrounding them to begin with. How would Markov look when he returned from a devastating knee injury? How much of a roller coaster ride would P.K. Subban's rookie season be? How, especially after a long playoff run in the spring and thus a shortened summer, would the aging trio of Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill and Roman Hamrlik hold up? Would a journeyman defenseman like Alex Picard be able to be relied on to fill a regular role in the lineup? The only defenseman who didn't really have a question surrounding him was Josh Gorges.

For the last few seasons, Gorges has been the glue that has held the unit together. With good reason, Gorges has been credited with being a key part of the team's elite penalty killing ability in recent years. He has the brain to know which lane to take when blocking shots and the guts to stay in that lane. With good reason, Gorges, along with Gill, were credited with being the team's most effective defensive pairing during the aforementioned playoff run last spring. With good reason, there was a ground swell of support for Gorges to be named the Canadiens' next captain prior to the season. If fans are able to see his understated value to the team, that value is abundantly clear in the locker room.

After having missed only a single game during the prior two seasons, the Habs haven't had to know what life would be like on and off the ice without Gorges. His toughness has become legendary. It started last season when he took a wicked Mike Green slap shot in the head, a shot that left a distinct puck imprint on his poor helmet. Sure enough, he was the first one on of the ice at practice the next day. When word came out yesterday that Gorges has played the last seven years without an ACL, it was eye-opening but not all that shocking. The clout he carried in the room that comes with being such an example of a reliable workhorse will be missed. The "he does all the little things right" reputation he brought on the ice will be missed.

In end the, the team moves on. They have to. Last season, the Habs were dealt a hand that saw Markov, Brian Gionta and Michael Cammalleri, among others, out for extended periods of time. They saw that hand and raised a playoff run that took them to the Eastern Conference finals. It will be up to the team to return to that mindset that they can't feel sorry for themselves and find ways to win games with regularity, as dirty as those wins might be. Thursday's win over Pittsburgh was a good start.

The questions I mentioned above that faced the team coming out of camp are still there. The aging trio of defensemen now being relied on for 20+ minutes a game are showing signs that they're having trouble holding up. Subban is enduring the typical difficulties a lot of rookies face. Picard is showing why having him as a lineup regular is a risky proposition. James Wisniewski is a solid addition but doesn't come close to replacing the impact of Markov and Gorges. Another move will almost surely need to be made regardless of the grit and tenacity the team shows in the second half.

A team's success ultimately relies on the strength of their defensive unit. Carey Price will only bail out poor defensive zone play so much. The forwards need to rely on the defensemen to play responsibly so that they can freewheel in the offensive zone and not have to worry that a turnover will lead to an opposition goal at the other end. A hockey team is a pyramid and the defensemen are the base. Right now, the base has some devastating cracks in it.

(photo credit: THEGAZETTE/Tyrel Featherstone)

About Will Martinez

Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill

Tags: Alexandre Picard \ Andrei Markov \ habs \ Hal Gill \ James Wisniewski \ Jaroslav Spacek \ Josh Gorges \ Montreal Canadiens \ PK Subban \ Roman Hamrlik \ Yannick Weber

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