Post by habsgm on Aug 17, 2011 9:43:27 GMT -5
MONTREAL -- The question being asked around the city of Montreal is whether a good offense is truly the best defense. The Montreal Canadiens truly hope that this is the case.
It should come as no surprise that the Canadiens are putting all their eggs into the basket of their offense this season. And why shouldn't they? When they bolster a top line consisting of three of the best pure scorers in the league, they have a legitimate claim to doing that. The problem with the Canadiens this year seems to be the lack of the assets they traded to get this team. Franchise goaltender Carey Price is gone and replaced with an unproven duo of Sergei Bobrovsky and Dustin Tokarski.
Bobrovsky managed to post decent stats on a terrible Minnesota team last season and was stellar in the post season, stopping 40 shots twice in four games. He will be looked upon as the starter, but can he really manage upwards of sixty games a season? Dustin Tokarski, a former gold medal winner as a member of Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, will be the backup in his first NHL season. Tokarski has proven he has the skills to thrive under pressure, but there's no pressure like the NHL.
Ryan Suter and Tomas Kaberle are the big anchors on the backend, a defense which no longer boasts premier two way defender PK Subban's skills. The Canadiens signed veteran Nick Boynton to add some sand paper and picked up 25 year old Brendan Mikkelson. But even with these changes, the Canadiens' defense is lacking outside of their top three. It's no surprise that Bobrovsky will be under fire alot this season.
It boils down to a type of game that the Canadiens may actually be comfortable playing. A game where you match firepower with firepower. With an offense that bolsters names such as Thomas Vanek, Marian Hossa and Danny Briere being supported by rookie sensation David Desharnais, former 40 goal scorer Brad Boyes, the shifty Kristian Huselius, last year's team leader in goals Rene Bourque, David Bolland and Clarke MacArthur, the team may be able to thrive in that type of environment. David Desharnais' team leading rookie season was an eye opener for many to the skills of the younger, and he'll be relied upon even more this season.
Is a good offense truly the best defense? I guess we'll find out when the puck drops on Thursday.
It should come as no surprise that the Canadiens are putting all their eggs into the basket of their offense this season. And why shouldn't they? When they bolster a top line consisting of three of the best pure scorers in the league, they have a legitimate claim to doing that. The problem with the Canadiens this year seems to be the lack of the assets they traded to get this team. Franchise goaltender Carey Price is gone and replaced with an unproven duo of Sergei Bobrovsky and Dustin Tokarski.
Bobrovsky managed to post decent stats on a terrible Minnesota team last season and was stellar in the post season, stopping 40 shots twice in four games. He will be looked upon as the starter, but can he really manage upwards of sixty games a season? Dustin Tokarski, a former gold medal winner as a member of Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, will be the backup in his first NHL season. Tokarski has proven he has the skills to thrive under pressure, but there's no pressure like the NHL.
Ryan Suter and Tomas Kaberle are the big anchors on the backend, a defense which no longer boasts premier two way defender PK Subban's skills. The Canadiens signed veteran Nick Boynton to add some sand paper and picked up 25 year old Brendan Mikkelson. But even with these changes, the Canadiens' defense is lacking outside of their top three. It's no surprise that Bobrovsky will be under fire alot this season.
It boils down to a type of game that the Canadiens may actually be comfortable playing. A game where you match firepower with firepower. With an offense that bolsters names such as Thomas Vanek, Marian Hossa and Danny Briere being supported by rookie sensation David Desharnais, former 40 goal scorer Brad Boyes, the shifty Kristian Huselius, last year's team leader in goals Rene Bourque, David Bolland and Clarke MacArthur, the team may be able to thrive in that type of environment. David Desharnais' team leading rookie season was an eye opener for many to the skills of the younger, and he'll be relied upon even more this season.
Is a good offense truly the best defense? I guess we'll find out when the puck drops on Thursday.