Toronto Maple Leafs: Atlantic Division Power Rankings November
By Alex Hobson
Wilbert: The Montreal Canadiens are a difficult team to place, they’re not great, but they make up a lot by playing hard every night.
They fight for every inch on the ice and grind for every puck in the corners. This spirit is perhaps perfectly embodied by Max Domi.
The Canadiens have been plagued with injuries in November, losing star forward Jonathan Drouin (8 weeks), Paul Byron (4 weeks), and Victor Mete (2 weeks).
The Canadiens have been struggling with their goaltending the whole season, Carey Price is having a difficult start to the season with a 0.899 save percentage and has never been his old self after signing his 84 million dollar contract.
Backup goaltender Kinkaid wasn’t delivering as well and was replaced by prospect Cayden Primeau just a few days ago.
What do you think, Alex, that the Montreal Canadiens are missing right now that could make them serious contenders to battle for a playoff spot?
Alex: “The first and most obvious answer here is a new coach.
You said it perfectly Wil, they don’t ooze talent, but they make up for it by playing hard each and every night.
But if you play hard every night and lose nine games in a row, then the problems likely stem deeper than the players.
In terms of the team, however, the Habs need a good left-handed defenseman as well as a true elite player to push them over the top. Max Domi and Brendan Gallagher are great, but you don’t want those guys to be your best players.
The Habs simply lack somebody like a Connor McDavid, or an Auston Matthews, or an Alex Ovechkin who lead by example. They’re close, but not there yet.”