The Montreal Canadiens head into their NHL All-Star break with a 10-day break between games, giving them a chance to recover from the bumps and bruises that come with playing at that level. The Canadiens have put together a better showing to this point than they had the previous season, and while the players can rest, there is no time off for General Manager (GM) Kent Hughes and Head Coach Martin St. Louis.
Canadiens Still Seeking Consistency
Consistency is the hallmark of a great team, and the Canadiens aren’t there yet. They are more of a “Jekyll and Hyde” team, as they are consistently inconsistent. In some games, they look like world beaters, like in their overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Nov. 11, where they finished every check, battled for every loose puck, and went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the NHL.
Then there’s periods when they simply look like they don’t belong, as they did the week they lost two games to the Ottawa Senators sandwiched between a 9-4 loss to the Bruins.
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Seeing a rebuilding team have inconsistent outcomes is expected. Consistency doesn’t imply a rigid conformity to a system or style. It provides a foundation, one where players can adapt to their environment and provide the most effective nightly competition. What should be expected at this stage should be a consistent effort and output individually, and some players are finding that rhythm.
“When you have A-games a lot in a row, I think it’s a sign that a lot of guys are finding consistency, not just your team. It starts with individuals, and I feel we’ve improved in that department. And even when you’re good in that department, I still think you’re continually chasing that consistency from players. And Sam’s (Montembeault) found that.”
-Head coach Martin St. Louis (from ‘Canadiens’ chase for consistency shown by 3 players solidifying their future, Arpon Basu’, The Athletic, Jan. 7, 2024)
For the Canadiens young core, being consistent means showing up every day with the same mindset and intensity. Which includes continuously working to improve skills, strength, and speed. But it’s not only about physical training; it’s about training your mindset and your ability to focus your desires into action. Consistency is about building routines and sticking to them. This is the stage the Canadiens are at right now, and they are learning how to do this. They say you’ve got to lose before you can win, which was true of every championship team in the NHL. They are learning to walk before running to their ultimate goal.
Canadiens Fans Reminder: This is a Rebuild
The Canadiens final game before the break was a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that has been seen as a contender for 15 years but now is in the twilight of the core that brought them so much success. Pittsburgh is in desperation mode, trying to claw into the playoffs to give Sidney Crosby and company one more shot at winning, and it is a long shot at this point. Montreal is headed in a completely different direction; they are just starting rebuilding as the Penguins did between 2002 and 2006. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some fans showing discontent, but they need to consider the path the team is on.
For years, there was a demand by fans to do a full rebuild, and for the first time in nearly 50 years, this team will pick in the top 10 in three consecutive drafts. The last time they did was back in the ’60s and ’70s when they held one or more top-10 picks in each year between 1963 and 1975, which added names like Bob Gainey and Guy Lafleur, fueled a dynasty and possibly the greatest team ever assembled. I can understand the frustration being felt after a month of on again off again performances including some games where the Habs got beat down by their rivals, but the expectation set at the beginning of the season was that this would happen, but for the goal of developing players and ensuring a high draft pick.
It’s not like the Canadiens’ management never communicated their plans to the fanbase before; they’ve been clear about their intentions since day one. When they arrived, Montreal lacked the assets needed to truly be a contender in many areas. They lacked size, speed, and skill. Now, almost two years later, they have added those to the roster and the system, but not enough to fill all the holes that needed to be filled.
Reality is Canadiens are Selling
Because the rebuild is ongoing, of course, they will be selling assets, and by assets, I mean veteran players. We all need to be realistic; this is not a playoff team. That means that at least some veterans like David Savard, Sean Monahan, and Tanner Pearson will be shipped out soon, and the rest of the NHL knows it. This will mean that the losses will begin to add up as they will be less competitive in the short term.
The tradeoff will be that younger players will get larger roles, and prospects will be called up and tested to see where they are in their development. Before long, fans could also look forward to seeing the arrivals of Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher, and maybe even Luke Tuch. While any GM’s goal is to move out veterans whose play is beginning to deteriorate as age has caught up with them, it can’t be done in a full “fire-sale” mode, as even rebuilding teams need veterans to help mentor your young core. One look at teams who are lacking that resource (ex: Ottawa), and it is clear why keeping some veterans, like Montreal native Mike Matheson, can be beneficial.
Because they are rebuilding, they need to focus on future assets, ones that will be ready and at their peak when the team is supposed to be contending. That’s why Monahan is an important trade asset. Many teams, contending or just playoff-bound, are looking for a center like him, a player who can play several positions, win faceoffs, and produce offensively while playing a strong defensive game. While some think his value would only fetch a second-round pick, the fact that many teams will be searching for a player like him means that a bidding war only raises his value. Hughes can get a first-round pick or equivalent prospect for him, meaning Montreal got a first to take him on and a first to move him out for the price of “future considerations.”
Gallagher is Sadly on the Decline
He gives everything he’s got on every shift, every night. He is the epitome of perseverance and hard work and the definition of a “heart and soul” player. But what happens when his best is no longer good enough? At the moment, it is obvious that he is frustrated; it’s visible in his post-game comments.
“It’s frustrating, obviously,” Gallagher said after the game in the team’s return to the Bell Centre following a five-game road trip. “I really don’t know what to say. You (can) get into trouble. They (officials) hear it and treat you differently, but (I’m) obviously frustrated.”
– Brendan Gallagher (from ‘Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher frustrated by NHL’s inconsistent officiating, Herb Zurkowsky’, Montreal Gazette, Dec 1, 2023)
Now that frustration is bleeding into his on-ice performances, too. In the match against the New York Islanders on Jan. 25, 2024, Gallagher clearly ran interference on Adam Pelech and, while doing so, landed an elbow directly to his opponent’s head. The play led to a five-minute major and match penalty for Gallagher. NHL Department of Player Safety followed that up with a five-game suspension.
It seems like a steep price for a first-time offender, but this was a hit to the head, and the NHL says they want them out of the game. So, we’ll see if this standard is maintained or if Gallagher’s concerns about inconsistency are warranted, and as of now, his concerns hold merit. As for an answer to the $6.5 million question, with three more years left of his contract remaining, the time is fast approaching when Hughes will need to decide Gallagher’s future with the club.
The Canadiens will benefit from this rest period. It gives them time to rest but also offers Hughes a window to begin making any moves he thinks will benefit the team in the long term, allowing players time to acclimatize to any changes and not impact their performances as much as it could. For St. Louis, it will give him time to regroup and prepare his plans on helping to find consistency as a team and instilling it individually. As they regroup after the break, the goal is to remain focused on the process as a team and as individuals, something they will need to accomplish for the team to shift from rebuild to contender.
