Brian Gionta to Become 28th Captain in Team History
Just a quick late-night update as word starts to fly around that the Canadiens will be announcing Gionta as their new captain tomorrow at the annual golf tournament.
Although this has yet to be confirmed, the logic is quite solid and honestly, did we really think anyone else was going to get it? (I mean, other than Markov, of course ;) )
I have to admit that I was always a big fan of handing Andrei a new contract extension and the "C", but deep down you had to realize that he just never had the personality to take on the task of being the public face of this franchise.
Now, just because Markov won't be getting the "C" doesn't give anyone license to start rumours that the Habs are interested in moving him. Quite the contrary. If anything, this should start to settle down all the rampant speculation.
Markov will likely get his extension sometime during the season, but there are more pressing matters with Andrei at the moment, such as his health, that must be addressed before term and length are finalized. Markov will undoubtedly retain his "A" and will likely be pleased as punch that he won't have to deal with two sets of media that deal in two languages he simply isn't proficient in.
Markov rant aside, Brian is an absolutely perfect pick. To be quite honest, he is the only choice that the Canadiens couldn't go wrong with. Every other candidate had some sort of caveat that people would point out that would take away from their role as possible captain(Markov=language, Gorges=youth, Gomez=expectations, Cammy=simply not ready yet, Gill=age, etc, etc...the list goes on...), all except Gionta.
From Day 1, Brian's role on the team has been nothing but to lead the Canadiens.
I realize that a strong personality isn't always a just cause for giving someone the "C", but Gionta has the talent and work ethic in spades to go along with his maturity and leadership. He is a choice that embodies what the legacy of Canadiens captains stand for and will do the team and its fanbase proud.
Habs fans should be happy, and management and writers should breathe a sigh of relief as this is another Habs summer-time issue that can now be laid to rest.
Congrats Gio, looking forward to a very interesting year in Montreal.
From Earlier Today...
The Rookies to Watch
The Habs wrapped up their final day of rookie camp today and I ventured over to the practice facility in Brossard to have a look-see.
Upon arrival it was interesting to note that Lars Eller and Andrei Markov were both on the ice doing a drill with Graham Rynbend, the Canadiens strength and conditioning coach.
The rookie has been held out of drills and scrimmages this week as a result of a pulled muscle in his abdomen while the vet was testing out his recently healed knee, but both looked pretty good to me.
First off, Lars Eller has size and reach on his size as well as very fluid skating stride. He may not have been able to push himself this afternoon, but it was easy to see that his size and ability to skate will allow him to cover alot of ground quickly. He seems to possess "delicate" hands, mainly due to the fact that he seemed to make the puck tip toe around his blade. It was a nice sight to behold as it's clear this kid definitely has the size but also the skill that the team has been looking for in a prospect. Of course we need to see Lars healthy and in action, but I believe that there are good things in this young man's future.
The only knock I would have against how Eller looked this afternoon was that he appeared a tad wiry for his size. After expecting a wider bodied physique, I was surprised to note how slender he is. Obviously Lars is going to have to add muscle, that's only natural when you're that age and looking to crack a league of men, but he was happy out on the ice with Markov and Rynbend and I think he is going to fit in with the team quite nicely.
Onto Andrei; the possible/probable future captain of the Montreal Canadiens was all smiles while he talked and passed the puck around with Eller. He showed no signs of pain when he chose to hit full-throttle, yet you could see that Andrei is behind on his conditioning...but that should be of no worry as the overwhelming positive sign was that he was out there.
The one thing I will say, to provide you with an idea of how Markov was looking out on the ice; if the Habs were playing a playoff game tonight, I would have assumed that he was playing.
He doesn't have a long way until he will be at a point where playing a full game will be no problem and I would say that by November, at the latest, Andrei will be back to 100%.
One other always interesting note about Andrei is how strong and professional he looks. His smile, as rare as it is, never lends himself to being as amicable as he truly is, and his work ethic always sets an example for others.
After the injured Habs stepped off the ice, the rookies to the rink and spent an hour working with Perry Pearn and Kirk Muller on breakouts, one on ones and transition drills.
I won't go on and on about the drills or the players but will make mention of those who I thought stood out.
PK Subban.
Man oh man is this kid good. I will preface this by saying that I watched Game 2 of the ECF from last spring when PK was left to defend against the Flyers without an Andrei Markov in sight and, despite the fact that Montreal lost the game 3-0, Subban looked phenomenal.
After re-watching that performance earlier in the day, it was nice to get to see PK in person and to watch him in action. He has gotten bigger, smoother and even more excited than he was last season.
He jumps around the ice, through-over-and-under opponents to get the job done. It's really quite remarkable.
I mentioned on Twitter the other day that I feel that PK will enter the NHL as the fastest backwards skater in the league and, following today's performance at rookie camp, my opinion has not changed.
He is dynamic and his energy is contagious as was evident when PK's White squad decided to absolutely demolish Alex Avtsin's Red squad by a score of 7-1(at least).
End to end rushes, sweet dekes and good hustle to always get back in his position were constants when it came to his game this afternoon and there is still absolutely no doubt that he is by far the best Habs prospect the team has since in an extremely long time.
Alex Avtsin
Did not look out place.
On first glance you get the impression that he is already a professional hockey player. His hockey sense, on-ice intelligence, is quite high, yet you can tell he is absolutely geared towards being an offensive machine.
He had 3 breakaways/penalty shots in the rookie game today for the Red Squad, but could not finish any of them.
By the looks of things, he appeared to be pretty tired by the end of the scrimmage and, although he is a well-built player with good weight and size, his endurance levels need a serious boost.
Despite the rough edges that need to be worked out, I really like the potential he brings to the franchise and am excited to see how quickly he develops in Hamilton. I wouldn't be surprised if he popped onto the team's radar by January.
Brendan Gallagher
What a steal. A mix of Cammy and Gionta. Hands, speed and determination.
He is very quick, feet and hands. He went to the front of the net and the corners with absolutely no remorse and he also took a stick to the mouth(that would most certainly hurt) yet did not miss a beat.
I realize that he is still very young and that he is quite small, a project that many teams saw fit to pass on, but he has an exciting upside.
It was easy to see how he scored 41 goals with the Vancouver Giants in the WHL last and why Team Canada is interested in his services this Christmas.
He needs to put on weight and adjust to an ever greater level of contact and physicality, but judging from the small forwards already on Montreal's roster, he will a great deal of inspiration and mentoring in his future.
Louis Leblanc
Louis was slightly under the radar during the drills and scrimmage today, but it's easy to see how and why he went in the 1st round.
It's all there, but instead of trying to out-do everyone else on the ice like some of the other aspiring rookies who were in need of making an impression, Louis looked like he was learning out there. He seemed to be soaking in a lot of the instructions, drills and advice he was getting during the day, a good sign to say the least. He also demonstrated good positional hockey but, as everyone else likes to point out, still needs to work on his skating.
Jarred Tinordi.
Again, just like everyone else is saying, this kid sure can skate well for someone of his size.
It already appears that playing on a regular basis is helping Jarred's game. He is smooth and has a great reach. He still needs to work on his awareness while he is on the ice, but I also noted that there is definitely some offensive ability in the young defenseman's game. It may be under the radar at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if Dale Hunter and the gang in London figure out how to tap his offensive potential. It's tough to gauge how quickly Tinordi will mature, but he already appears to be taking strides.
Yannick Weber
Quiet and shy, the kid's talent seems to be hiding behind his lack of confidence. Granted his size plays against him in certain ways, he still needs to become a more assertive defender. The incredible offensive potential is visible, but he has to want it and that is where he must develop the most.
Max Pacioretty.
Like Leblanc, Patches wasn't so much noticeable as he was just there. He wasn't out of place, but he was also not going out of his way to make a big impression. I expect that effort will come when Max starts training camp on Friday. Expect more time in Hamilton for Max this season, but there is no reason to write him off as he still has what it takes to make it in the NHL.
Aaron Palushaj
Aaron was one of the guys out there today who was making a serious impression. What a pair of hands on this kid!
He scored 4 or 5 goals during the scrimmage for the White Squad and just seemed to be the most prepared player on the ice, among the forwards at least.
He, like Pacioretty, will likely head back to Hamilton for some more development but also has serious NHL potential. Hopefully, the two former Michigan State linemates can put their chemistry back together with the Bulldogs and one day transfer it to Montreal.
Outside of the players I mentioned above, only Andreas Enqvist stood out as someone who has more talent than meets the eye. Enqvist will be joining the Bulldogs this season and there is a lot of talk behind the scenes that he may also develop into quite a gem. Time will tell, but I can see how people can imagine the large Swede becoming a factor for the team in the future.
That's about all I've got from this afternoon. I'll be back with more thoughts on the team and training camp tomorrow as the Canadiens head off to their annual golf tournament before really kicking the season off on Friday with the first day of training camp.
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