|
With the AHL move to Laval, it's time for the Habs to make changes |
|
|
|
|
|
The Montreal Canadiens association with the St. John’s Ice Caps came to a close when the Syracuse Crunch defeated them in the first round of the AHL playoffs over a week ago. For the city of St. John’s, their latest chapter of professional hockey in their fine city has ended but hopefully the book is not over and a new chapter will be written in their near future. St. John’s and Newfoundland have supported each and every team that they have been fortunate to host and any NHL team would be lucky to move their AHL franchise there.
With all eyes on Canadiens new AHL affiliate the Laval Rocket, the pressure will be on to succeed as there will be far more attention to the Rocket than more recent Canadiens AHL teams such as the Ice Caps or Hamilton Bulldogs due to the proximity of the new club. The team will surely garner more attention in various Montreal media outlets compared to when the team was in St. John’s are even Hamilton. For the Rocket to succeed though, they will need results on the ice to draw crowds as the novelty will last only so long. As a sports city, Montreal has a history of supporting winners. If the Rocket fail to make the playoffs, will they still attract fans in the stands?
When Marc Bergevin became general manager of the Canadiens five years ago, he also decided to become their AHL general manager rather than pass off the responsibility to another in the organization. In that time Bergevin preferred to focus on attempting to develop his prospects rather than have success at the AHL level by bringing in veterans. While that approach is somewhat understandable, it is hard to justify it when so few players have successfully graduated from the minors to the NHL under the tutelage of head coach Sylvain Lefebvre who has been the Canadiens AHL head coach for five years under Bergevin.
Brendan Gallagher and Nathan Beaulieu are the only Canadiens draft picks to have made it to the NHL full-time after starting in the AHL. Let’s be honest, Gallagher was going to make the NHL eventually regardless who he had as a coach. He started in the AHL because of the NHL lockout of 2012. Once he made the NHL out of the abbreviated training camp that year he never looked back. It could also be argued that Beaulieu made it despite playing for Lefebvre rather than because of it. Beaulieu bounced up and down between Hamilton and Montreal for the better part of his entry level contract. He credits former teammate and defense partner Sergei Gonchar for finally getting him to be an everyday NHL defenseman.
Other players have briefly had success with the Canadiens but then found themselves back in the AHL, unable to make the jump permanent. 2010 first round draft pick Jarred Tinordi’s fall from grace was somewhat spectacular. His future seemed so bright after a solid showing in the 2013 playoffs but he continually took steps backwards with the Bulldogs and seemingly asked to play the role of enforcer much too often. Michael Bournival played well as a rookie but injuries took a toll. Jacob De La Rose impressed as a 19 year old but then lost his confidence, only regained this past Spring which hopefully bodes well for his future. 2014 first round draft pick Michael McCarron has earned lots of Aeroplan mileage between St. John’s and Montreal. Their most successful offensive forward Charles Hudon has had just a sip of tea in the NHL despite being their most consistent point producer over the course of three season.
Not once has a player exclaimed that Lefebvre and his staff are the reason why they made it to the NHL. Or have gotten to where they are because of them. Max Pacioretty praised Randy Cunneyworth to the moon and back. P.K. Subban spoke glowingly of Guy Boucher. The Canadiens used to be known for developing future coaches. It was only a matter of time until one graduated to the NHL. That is far from the case with Lefebvre. Sure the Ice Caps were an improved team this season. However, that could be directly correlated to the play of goaltender Charles Lindgren who led them to the playoffs. Without him in net the story would have been much different…
The move to Laval presents the perfect opportunity for Bergevin to hit the reset button for the Canadiens new AHL affiliate team. The contracts of Lefebvre and his coaching staff are all expiring. As of yet, word has been very quiet on the street as to if they will be rehired or not. After the Canadiens season ended, Bergevin took head coach Claude Julien as well as Associate Coach Kirk Muller to view the Ice Caps final games. It was a chance for Julien to briefly familiarize himself with the team’s prospects and the coaching staff there. Beforehand Lefebvre would do his best to emulate the Canadiens style of play with his team so that the system would be easier on players that were called up. Will this change now that Julien is behind the bench in Montreal?
With the QMJHL playoffs still in progress, the perhaps most natural replacement for Lefebvre is still quite busy. Former NHL defenseman Joel Bouchard would be a very logical choice. He is the part-owner, president, general manager and head coach of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In his three seasons behind the bench Bouchard has had a winning record each year, enjoying a total of 110 wins, 69 losses, 12 overtime losses and 4 ties, despite never having a true superstar on any of his teams until he traded midseason for Pierre-Luc Dubois, the NHL 2016 third overall draft pick. The Armada are currently down 3-0 in the Q’s President Cup final to the heavily favored Saint John Sea Dogs. Could an announcement be coming sooner rather than later?
Bouchard is thought to have one of the brightest young minds in coaching but also as a general manager. On top of his duties with the Armada, since 2013 he has also been part of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence management group, previously involved with the Under 17 program and more recently with the Silver medal under 20 team. Should Bouchard join the Laval Rocket, it also opens up the possibility of getting involved with management as he certainly has the experience and wherewithal to do so.
One thing is clear though, the Canadiens need to do a better job in developing their prospects and must be proactive to making the necessary changes, be it Joel Bouchard or another candidate. Five years has been more than enough time for Lefebvre to prove himself. Unfortunately it did not work out. Bergevin realized when it was time to make the right change behind the bench in Montreal this past season. Now it is time to focus on Laval. The Canadiens will want to start their new franchise off on the right foot. That needs to be with a new coach.
Cheers and follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»