Alex Belzile was in the middle of what was shaping up to be another strong year before a shoulder injury ended his season early. He still did enough to impress the Habs though as they signed him to a one-year extension on Friday.
This extended break in the NHL calendar allows us plenty of time to think of new, creative ideas to improve the game. With that in mind, here is a three-tiered proposal to try to help improve the competitive balance of the league and reduce the amount of rebuilding years in the process.
With the playoffs seemingly out of reach, the Canadiens continued to fight hard despite the odds, but with the recent pause to the schedule and Montreal’s recent struggles, it’s likely time to plan for an important offseason. This is reflected in the Three Stars, with both youth and veterans represented.
Laval had a rare week with a weak opponent on the schedule and they took advantage of it, beating Cleveland twice but the victories came at a cost.
It was all Nashville for the first 40 minutes of play and only Carey Price kept it from being an embarrassing loss. When the playoff-hopeful Predators let up with a 4-0 lead, the kids on the Canadiens pushed back to make it interesting, but a game that was never really in doubt ended with a 4-2 win for Nashville on Tuesday night.
While the week started off on a high note for the Habs, they got worse as it went on and didn’t provide much of a fight over their two-game set in Florida.
A tribute to Canadiens legend Henri Richard who passed away on Friday after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
The Habs were looking to get back on track after a rough game on Thursday as they took on the Panthers in Sunrise on Saturday. The shorthanded Habs couldn’t salvage anything from the trip to Florida though, dropping a 4-1 decision.
With most of the regular Laval lineup now in Montreal, what’s left of the Canadiens faced one of the league’s best in the Lightning. The result was therefore no surprise as Tampa Bay never really appeared threatened by the Habs as they breezed to a 4-0 victory
The Canadiens were looking to build off their win on Saturday by visiting the Islanders for one last time at Barclays Center. After a slow start in the first ten minutes, the Habs poured on the offence and walked away with a 6-2 win.