MONTREAL CANADIENS
Much fuss and reminiscence attended Bob Gainey’s June appointment as general manager. A Habs’ legend and successful GM, bilingual and familiar with the suffocating pressure that attends every move of la Sainte Flanelle, Gainey was both the popular and proper choice.
But the new boss has been quiet. Unlike his predecessors, perhaps Gainey sees no quick fixes for this team. He isn’t about to sign a handful of fading veterans or busted prospects just to prove he’s trying. Saku Koivu and Richard Zednik had career years last season, and it still wasn't enough.
How many Montreal players are in or just entering their prime hockey playing years?
Koivu is 28 years old, Zednik, 27. Jan Bulis, 25, scored a promising 16 goals last year. Andrei Markov, 24, looks like a potential All Star defenseman. Jose Theordore is 26, still young for a goaltender.
That’s about it, really. The other Canadiens are either past it or not there yet. Or simply not very good: every fall we hear that guys like Chad Kilger and Craig Rivet can do more. But they never do.
All hope rests in the future. Montreal has drafted high and well lately; names like Perezhogin, Higgins, Komisarek, and Kastsitsyn could be tripping joyfully from the tongues of Habs’ fans by the end of the decade. A couple of kids – perhaps winger Marcel Hossa and defenseman Ron Hainsey – might be able to help now. Jason Ward, the American League MVP, is 24 and has the size and strength the tiny Canadiens desperately need.
Trouble: Even with Markov growing up fast and a decent veteran like Sheldon Souray returning from injury, this blue line does not scare anyone.
On the Spot: Theodore made $5-million last season, played lousy, endured a summer worthy of the tawdriest tabloids, and returns to a team that can't promise him any better protection than he got last year. This is what hockey coaches like to call "a great opportunity."
The Forecast: Maybe Gainey will start moving bodies after he sees his team in action. But barring a major overhaul, the Habs’ hopes rest, as usual, with Theodore. If he recovers his form of two years ago, they can stay within sniffing distance of the playoffs.
The Call: 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Who's In: Goaltender Jean-Francois Damphousse (free agent from Calgary)
Forward Pierre Dagenais (free agent from Florida)
General Manager Bob Gainey
Who's Out: Left winger Bill Lindsay (free agent to Atlanta)
Right winger Mariusz Czerkawski (free agent to New York Islanders)
Right winger Randy McKay (contract bought out)
2002-03 Regular Season Numbers:
Payroll:
$48,647,360, 10th overall
(Hockey News, November 15/02. Bonuses not included.)
- Record: 30-35-8-9 for 77 points.
- At home: 16-16-5-4.
- On the road: 14-19-3-5.
- Finish: 21st overall, 10th in the Eastern Conference, 4th in the Northeast Division.
- Goals for: 206 (2.51 per game), 20th overall.
- Goals against: 234 (2.85 per game), 23rd overall.
- Goal differential: Minus-28, 23rd overall.
- Power play: 14 percent, 25th overall.
- Penalty kill: 81.7 percent, tied for 22nd overall.
Goaltending:
- Jose Theodore, 57-20-31-6, 2.90 GAA, .908 SV PCT, 2 SO.
- Jeff Hackett, 18-7-8-2, 2.54 GAA, .926 SV PCT, 0 SO.
- Mathieu Garon, 8-3-5-0, 2.00 GAA, .940 SV PCT, 2 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Center Saku Koivu, 82-21-50-71.
- Power play points: Saku Koivu, 82-5-17-22.
- Game-winning goals: Saku Koivu, 5.
- Ice time: Defenseman Patrice Brisebois, 23:23 per game.
- Plus/minus: Defenseman Andre Markov, plus-13.
