The Habs decade in a nutshell

Well the decade is closing on the resetting er rebuilding habs. The habs did not go to a Stanley cup final during the last decade, but did make it technically to two conference finals. Technically because one was in the 2009-2010 year. We can say that the Habs Gms left us frustrated, confused, or exhilarated at times but there were very few dull moments. So here is a year-by-year recap of the decade.

2009-2010

I mention this year because the habs made it to a conference final even though the season spanned two decades. This was the first season of what I refer to as the Gainey experiment. Before the season started, Bob Gainey unloaded Saku Koivu, who he once referred to as a champion in waiting, and Alexei Kovalev who had actually won a cup with the Rangers and had quantums of talent. Koivu had been the hab’s captain for almost as long as Jean Beliveau. He had a courageous bout beating cancer. However, his tenure led to no cups and no playoff success. The reality was Koivu was a second line center who was surrounded by third line wingers. Gainey’s experiment was to add stanley cup winners Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta and sniper Mike Camalleri. Ultimately, the experiment failed but in the first year after a so-so season the habs made it to the conference final in 2010.

The habs pulled off two upsets in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They defeated the Ovechkin led Capitals in 7 games in the first round, and in the second round they defeated the stanley cup champions Penguins led by Sidney Crosby. They were led by the heroics of Jaroslav Halak, who had outplayed Carey Price all season, and played like rookie legends Dryden and Roy those first two series. During the first round, Markov had a season-ending injury and the habs call-up PK Subban, who had been tearing up the AHL, played a prominent role for the rest of the playoffs. The raw Subban played remarkably well in his first playoffs. Subban joined an underrated defence that included the likes of Hamrlik, Spacek, Gill, and Gorges

2010-2011

Gainey made another stunning move at the end of the season by trading playoff hero Halak and handing the starting goalie position to Carey Price who had underwhelmed the previous season. Lars Eller and James Wisniewski added some spark and Max Pacioretty playing in his first full season was showing signs of being the sniper the Habs were praying for. The Gainey experiment was working as the habs fought tooth and nail with the Bruins for first place. The hab’s season may have been decided when Chara slung Pacioretty into the stanchion and broke his neck. The habs were also unfortunate to meet the bruins in the first round. Even without Pacioretty, the series went to a full seven games and game seven went into overtime after a last minute goal by Subban. Unfortunately, the bruins got a fluky overtime goal and they went on to win the cup.

2011-2012

What else can one say the season was a disaster. Other than Subban, the habs defence was decimated. Wisniewski and Hamrlik were gone, Markov was injured and only played 7 games, Gill and Spacek were traded during the year. Their replacements were names like Kaberle, Emelin, Yannick Weber, and Diaz. Carey Price was very average that year as well. Scott Gomez had lost his legs and became totally ineffective, Camalleri and Kostitsyn for varying reasons were traded. The Gainey experiment was now failing. One spark was the line of Desharnais, Cole, and Pacioretty. The lack of size at center was becoming apparent. The habs fired Jacques Martin and replaced him with Randy Cunneyworth. 

2012-2013

After the disastrous season, habs cleaned house. Gone were Gainey and Gauthier, and the Habs hired francophone and assistant Hawks GM Marc Bergevin. Bergevin in turn brought back Michel Therrien ex-habs and Penguins coach. It was a short lock-out season. Alex Galchenyuk was chosen as the third pick over-all and was hailed as the big center saviour the habs had needed since the Koivu era.  The habs also added some muscle with Brandon Prust and brought back sniper Michael Ryder. The habs did have a decent season with Subban winning the Norris. Peter Budaj was amazing as a back-up goalie and only lost once. Carey Price had an average season and by the end of the season was in a funk. The habs were eliminated in the first round by the Senators as Lars Eller was knocked out when he had his head down.

2013-2014

This was the season of what could have been. The habs signed the aging Daniel Briere at the beginning of the season and added unknowns Dale Weise and Mike Weaver and sniper Thomas Vanek during the season. The habs had had another decent season led  by Pacioretty’s goal scoring, the defensive duo of Subban and Markov, and Carey Price gradually regaining his confidence. The habs shocked Tampa Bay by sweeping them in the first round led by Dutch Gretzky.  In the second round they had a rematch with the Boston Bruins. In an emotional series that went the distance, the habs eliminated the bruins in Boston. A frustrated Lucic threatened habs players during the handshaking ritual at the end of the game. For the second time in the decade with a very different team led by Pacioretty, Subban, and Price the habs were going to the conference final. The habs competed against the Rangers even though it was apparent the Bruins series had sapped their energy. A key moment in the series was when Chris Kreider collided with Carey Price and knocked him out of the series. Tokarski, who replaced Price, actually played very well and few remember lost the final game 1-0.

2014-2015

The previous season’s positive energy continued. Carey Price finally played up to his reputation and had an outstanding season. He won the Vezina and the Hart very much like Jose Theodore had done over a decade earlier. Subban consistent as ever aided by his partner Markov was nominated for the Norris. Pacioretty and Plekanec both had productive seasons and Gallagher, Galchenyuk, and Eller were steadily improving to becoming above-average players. The habs added Jeff Petry for their playoff run. In the first round the habs were stretched to six games by an inferior senators team. In the second round, Tampa got its revenge on the habs and beat them in six as Ben Bishop outplaying Carey Price stymied the habs.

2015-2016

For the second time in the decade disaster struck. The season started controversially as PK Subban was taken to arbitration as the Habs seemed to be trying to lowball their Norris winning number one defenceman. After a fans outcry, rumours were that Molson had to intercede and Subban was signed to a long term contract at a record habs salary of 9 million. However, it became clear that Subban was not held in high regard by either Bergevin or Therrien. Max Pacioretty was voted in as captain. Unfortunately for the habs after only playing 12 games, Price had a season ending injury. AHLer Mike Condon became the first string goalie, after Ben Scrivens traded for Zach Kassian to replace Price, did not meet expectations. Habs did not make the playoffs and Bergevin traded away some veterans for Phil Danault. In another bizarre move Bergevin traded for John Scott.

2016-2017

In a shocking and splitting the fan base move Bergevin traded fan favorite PK Subban for another older star defenceman Shea Weber.  Subban supporters thought it was unfair he had been made the scapegoat for the previous season disaster. Lars Eller was also traded away for draft picks. The habs drafted highly regarded Sergachev in the first round. Other additions included the talented Alexander Radulov and gritty Andrew Shaw. In another bizarre move during the season, Bergevin fired Michel Therrien when the habs were still in first place, and replaced him with the recently fired bruins coach Claude Julien. Few remember that the habs actually finished in first place that year. This amnesia was due to their anemic  performance in the first round as they were once again eliminated by the Rangers as Lundquist outduelled Price. Even worse for the fans Subban and the Predators went to the Stanley Cup final.

2017-2018

In what seemed par for the course, Bergevin signed a star player to a long term contract right before another disastrous season. This time it was veteran Carey Price signing long term for a record breaking habs salary of 10.5 million. Bergevin made another splash before the season started trading Sergachev for underperforming junior phenom Jonathan Drouin. Unfortunately Radulov signed with Dallas and Markov signed in the KHL. Bergevin tried to replace Markov by signing UFA veteran Karl Alzner. The habs also added Hemsky and Streit who were both a bust.

Price proceeded to have a terrible season. Adding to the habs woes, Shea Weber was injured long term and missed most of the year. Alzner did not meet expectations and the defensive woes led many players to register ridiculous minus years. Max Pacioretty also had a poor year right before he was to renegotiate his contract. A bright spot was the emergence of young defencemen Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen.

2018-2019

Unfazed with the previous year, Bergevin made more drastic moves. He traded away the offensively productive but defensively inept Alex Galchenyuk for underperforming Max Domi. He also decided to trade away the habs captain Max Pacioretty for Tomas Tatar, junior sensation Nick Suzuki and a second round pick. In a cap cutting trade Joel Armia was acquired for virtually nothing. Finally, in a surprise pick the habs chose in the first round Jesperi Kotkaniemi. 

The habs and Price had a slow start to the season but made a run for the playoffs. They came up short because of some inconsistent goaltending and defensive play even though many players showed improvement over the previous season. Domi, Tatar and Armia all had very good if not outstanding first seasons with the habs. Kotkaniemi and Mete showed promise in their first full year.

2019-2020

Bergevin was at it again by trading Andrew Shaw at the beginning of the year for draft picks. Cole Caufield, the pint sized sniper in American hockey and Cayden Primeau the American college standout and son of Keith Primeau, are giving habs fans some hope for the future. Up to now, the habs are cloning what they did last year as they have played above expectations in spite of inconsistent goaltending. Nick Suzuki is showing a lot of promise and Ryan Poehling is beginning to make some noise.

So some final comments on the habs decade. The Gainey reset experiment worked for a few years before it ultimately collapsed. The Bergevin-Therrien combo had its moments initially but they always exhibited a lack of respect and maybe even contempt for the talent on the team left behind by Gainey. Ultimately Bergevin insisted on molding the team to his image and there was no room for Subban, Pacioretty, or Galchenyuk in this bubble. Bergevin has been GM for 7 years in this decade and his revamped line-up can be described  as competitive at times but missing in talent and that franchise superstar. Aging Price and Weber could be cogs in a winning team like Chara and Rask are with the bruins but they need more. Their drafting has been as inconsistent as their goaltending. Gone are first round picks Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi, Nikita Scherbak, and Alex Galchenyuk. The 2015 draft  may turn out to be tough on the habs long term for the next decade. Franchise players like Mcdavid, Eichel, Marner, Werenski, Rantanen, Barzal, and Aho were chosen and the habs settled for Noah Juulsen. One can count three disastrous years in this decade and unlike other teams no total rebuild plan was put into effect. As a habs fan there is always hope and wishful thinking...happy new decade