A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the reasons why Canada missed out on a gold medal in hockey.
The main reason identified boiled down to a lack of boldness on the part of the decision-makers, who foolishly passed over dominant (but younger) players like Schaefer, Bedard, and Dobson.
They'll have to remember (as we also said in 2006) that it sometimes comes at a high cost to “show respect” to certain individuals like, say, Doughty, Parayko, and Marchand… But, what can you do? The sacrosanct hierarchy is important at Hockey Canada…
That's why, Habs fans, this week I want to tell you: REJOICE! The management of your favorite club has WAY more cojones than that of Team Canada!
Mind you, we already suspected as much, ever since the Slafkovsky draft pick, followed by the Romanov trade just minutes later…
And they've just confirmed it once again with the 2nd call-up this season of Jacob Fowler, just 21 years old, one of only three goalies under 23 in the entire NHL alongside Askarov and Wallstedt.
Habemus cerberus vol. 2!
So, earlier this week, Martin St-Louis probably didn't have much fun meeting with Samuel Montembeault to tell him that his dog had died.
It certainly couldn't have been fun, indeed.
But certain realities had to be faced regarding the Quebec goalie, and St-Louis made the necessary decision—one that was undoubtedly endorsed by his bosses.
A “difficult” human decision, but a relatively easy hockey decision.
Exactly the kind of decision Hockey Canada didn't dare to make regarding many “divided” players..
In that sense, the Canadiens' win with Fowler in net Wednesday night in Ottawa had the makings of an “organizational” victory.
You can feel that another step has been taken in the rebuild. Another cornerstone has been laid.
Whether Fowler will become the starting goaltender heading into the playoffs remains to be seen. That's a debate for another day. Only time will tell.
But the fact that he has surpassed Montembeault in Montreal is already a huge step forward for the entire organization. As big as when Hutson or Demidov arrived?
We know that Fowler has and will continue to enjoy justified favoritism within the organization: he is by far the best technically, his personality is inspiring and reassuring, and his track record, wherever he has played, speaks for itself.
Fowler tends to win a lot of hockey games, and often makes the difference. We're dealing here with a true “winner.”
That said, his impact may be a little less immediate and decisive than Hutson's, without whom the Habs wouldn't have made the playoffs in his rookie season.
He may be a bit less spectacular than Demidov, who propelled the Habs into the top 5 offensive teams in the NHL.
But even if his contribution may be slightly less noticeable in the short term as he shares the workload with Dobes—or even serves as his backup—sooner or later, Fowler is likely to supplant the Czech and help the Canadiens win more games during the regular season and in the playoffs.
A great goaltender, a star netminder, is the one who, more often than not, makes the difference by making one more save than his opponent when it matters most, as was the case against Ullmark this week.
So, let's give him time, but in his case, with a dominant team in front of him over the next few seasons, his ultimate impact could very well be felt late in the Stanley Cup Finals one day… Dobes is good, but everything points to Fowler being better.
To wrap up with Xhekaj… move on to Reinbacher and finish with Gallagher!
Another “difficult” decision—in the sense that it will be unpopular with a segment of the population (!)—will sooner or later be whether to trade Arber Xhekaj or keep him solely as the 7th defenseman.
One of the “big” questions of the week in the sports media—besides whether you'd trade Kaiden Guhle for Matthew Knies (yes, if that were actually a real option!) – was to figure out WHY ON EARTH did they decide to play Xhekaj against the Leafs (not good, soft, and pretty slow) and Struble against the Senators (better, tougher, and faster)?
Well, astute readers will have noticed that the answer was in the question!
Once we admit, in all honesty, that the other teams won't hold back at all even if the Sheriff is in the lineup, we come to the conclusion that Xhekaj is simply a worse hockey player than Struble and will therefore play against… the weaker teams (brain explosion sound)!
That's it!
Next!
Personally, as I hinted at last week, I'd give Reinbacher a few games soon, if only to see where he stands in his development and give him a better idea of what he needs to work on for next season.
But, even more simply than that, because he's already clearly a better hockey player than the current 6th and 7th defensemen, just as Fowler is already better than Montembeault.
“The Eagle” Reinbacher covers the ice much better than his competitors; his hockey IQ is in a league of its own, and at 6'3”, 210 lbs, he's certainly no lightweight incapable of imposing himself physically.
In fact, despite his choirboy looks, those who watch him play regularly know that good old David doesn't mind a bit of rough-and-tumble action.
Add to that the fact that he'd naturally play on the right side (of Hutson?) and that he'd allow Guhle to be placed on a third pairing with Carrier, and you FINALLY put an end to the nonsense of playing a lefty on the right and the risks that come with it.
So, if the past is any indication of the future, I expect another “bold” decision from the Habs on this front, let's say, at the latest, once certain injured players return from Laval (Engström, Paquette-Bisson, Didier)?
And why not one last one (which has just been announced)…
Note that I originally wrote this section on Thursday afternoon. So I had to tweak it a bit following this morning's announcement that Gallagher would be sitting out tonight's game. We can be grateful for and admire Gallagher's entire body of work, but with all due respect to Renaud Lavoie and his “shepherd's pie recipe”, it was time for Gallagher to sit this one out.
Spare me the “sweat, blood, the CH tattooed on his heart, the example he sets, and the respect we owe him”: at $6.5 million a year for a measly 58 goals scored since 2021–2022, the Canadiens OWE Gallagher ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! They've been paying him for several years now mainly for “services rendered,” since he “overdelivered” during his previous contract.
His hash browns are just starting to get past their expiration date, Renaud. Or, as St. Louis said, “the wheel turns.” Or, as they say: Life is Life, Lalalalala.
Will it take 100 points to secure a playoff spot?
In 2019, the Habs, in the midst of a “reset on the fly” with 96 points on the board, missed the playoffs by a hair, edged out by the Columbus Blue Jackets (98 points). It therefore took 97 points to make the playoffs that year in the East. In the West, the Avalanche's 90 points were enough…
However, if the trend continues, with a team like Boston boasting a .600 winning percentage, it will take at least a 98-point season this year in the East to make the playoffs—so possibly 100 points!
That would be a first!
With a .641 winning percentage, the Habs aren't quite there yet, but they're still on track for a 105-point season.
A 93.6% chance of making the playoffs…
Imagine them “even better at hockey” with Fowler, Reinbacher, and Hage in the lineup…
The exact order and combinations don't matter:
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Hage-Kapanen-Demidov
Bolduc-Evans-Dach
Newhook-Danault-Anderson
(Texier-Gallagher) Matheson-Dobson
Hutson-Reinbacher
Guhle-Carrier
(Xhekaj-Struble) Dobes-Fowler
(Montembeault) The spring shuffle could be dizzying…
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