Seven games into the season, our first controversies are emerging. The experts warned all summer: “If things don’t go according to plan in the first ten games, don’t panic, this chemistry experiment will take some time…if they’re struggling after 20, start worrying…if they get to 30 and nothing’s changed, then it’s panic time.” Yet, plenty of people in Montreal are more than willing to hit the button, and the gun is loaded and pointed at Bob Gainey.

Caller-after-caller flooded the post-game show lines on Saturday, all hollering for Gainey’s dismissal; blaming him for what could be considered a brutal start by the Canadiens to their 101st season. And if those same people are hoping Gainey will come out and reassure that his plan won’t go to waste, they’re going to be doubly-disappointed.

Seven losses in seven games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, have seen Brian Burke pledge full support to his coaching staff, call out his players, and do an appearance on Off The Record (despite his obvious hatred for Michael Landsberg). Toronto fans will tire of hearing Burke’s excuses before Bob Gainey stands before the media in Montreal to offer his for a start to the season that’s been less than commendable.

Why you may ask? Because right now, is not the time to panic. Right now, is not the time for excuses, but for action. And as your parents undoubtedly told you many times throughout your youth: “Actions speak louder than words.”

We can all agree that despite Gainey’s active summer, he still has much to do to put this team on the right and winning path. I think everyone would be much happier to see him act before saying anything in a reflective tone regarding the shortcomings of this year’s Canadiens.

So long as he stays silent, Gainey can continue to shoulder the blame, thus deflecting it from a newly assembled group in Montreal that lost its best player just 40 minutes into the season.

And if you aren’t pointing the gun at Bob Gainey, easy targets appear to be Hal Gill, Paul Mara, Roman Hamrlik, and Jaroslav Spacek. Carey Price is never short on detractors.

But reality indicates that after winning two games they hardly deserved, to start the season, three of the five they’ve lost since were theirs to be had. And none of the players mentioned above were ultimately responsible for results that should’ve, but didn’t come.

Anemic would be a kind way to describe the offense in Montreal, because Anemic would imply that their woes are the product of some natural deficiency. But the issues here are self-inflicted, and if they aren’t dealt with soon, we won’t be talking about some early-season trend, but a long-lasting disaster for these Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens are tied with Anaheim and Minnesota with the third worst goals-for average in the game. They’ve managed 15 goals in 7 games, for a measly 2.14 goals/game. Most of their nights have been spent trying to keep the puck from their net, and at times when they’ve created a flurry of chances, they’ve completely failed to convert.

Tomas Plekanec has been excellent through 7 games, but doesn’t have a linemate to regularly depend on. Andrei Kostitsyn has played three good periods all season. The more Max Pacioretty plays, the more he convinces Canadiens fans that he’s unfit to fill a role in the top 6, for the time being.

Scott Gomez has a 1G, 3A, Brian Gionta has a 3G, 0A, and Mike Cammalleri has 1G, 4A, but they haven’t capitalized on nearly enough of the chances they’ve created.

Goals aren’t expected from Maxim Lapierre, but he’s failed to create any kind of positive energy for his team, through 7 games. Guillaume Latendresse has been beyond unimpressive. And though they’ve had a revolving door on their wing, these players have one job on this team: sustain pressure in the offensive zone, allowing for some positive momentum for the other scoring lines. They’ve managed to keep a cycle going in the offensive zone for a total of 40 seconds this season.

It’s a rarity for the fourth line to have a shift without giving up a quality scoring chance, but they were among Montreal’s best offensive weapons in a 3-1 loss to Ottawa on Saturday. You know things aren’t going well on offense when Georges Laraque is among your best forwards on the night.

And if you think Sergei Kostitsyn will come up from the farm, and be the solution to all these problems, you’re dreaming in Technicolor.

It’s quite obvious that Bob Gainey needs to get creative and find a solution to the Canadiens offensive woes. The Minnesota Wild aren’t waiting. They suffered injuries to Havlat and Sykora, and yesterday they traded for Chuck Kobasew.

Montreal doesn’t have a lot of cap space to play with, but they have tradeable assets to create some, and one would have to think that at the very least: Gainey’s contemplating parting ways with certain players that he knows don’t play into the future plans for the team. I believe Gainey would sooner act than utter a useless word of contemplation about a start to the season that was almost anticipated given their opening-schedule.

So, with that we sit and wait for a response from management. Hopefully it coincides with new resolve from Montreal’s current roster, to work harder for the goals they so desperately need. There’s no secret to the formula here, and we’re guaranteed to hear the following words after practice today (cliché but true): “We gotta get back to basics, and we need to go to the net to score those dirty goals.”

The Canadiens must embark on the road to redemption, starting against the Atlanta Thrashers—Tuesday at the Bell Centre.

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