MONTREAL - Washington, Philadelphia, Montreal, Los Angeles, Detroit, Vancouver-- What do these teams have in common?
They are the top teams in the league standings right now.
What sets Montreal apart?
How about the fact that no one chose them to contend for a Stanley Cup this season? In fact, anyone who chose the Canadiens to finish as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference was probably cursed and called an idiot.
And you know what else?
Anyone who had the confidence to put them in the playoffs believed that Carey Price would rebound to a certain extent; that he would recapture some of the allure he burst into the league with.
Anyone who suggested the Canadiens would marginally make or miss the playoffs was handicapping the team's success solely on their preconception of just how well Price would fare in this make-or-break season.
Consensus was that even if Price played great (no one could've imagined he'd be beyond great) that the Canadiens were just good enough to slip into the final playoff spot.
So it seems pertinent to ask at this juncture, a mere 18 games into a season that has already seen these Canadiens take on most the load without Andrei Markov, are they better than everyone imagined?
Are they good enough to be considered (dare I say it) a contender?
Top goaltending-- check!
Top penalty killing--check!
An improving powerplay--check!
Even-strength scoring--check!
Offensive balance--check!
Defensive prowess (Habs are the only team in the league to have not allowed more than 3 goals against in regulation, in any of their games)--check!
Coaching--check!
Chemistry--check!
Consistently beating weaker opponents--check!
Consistently beating stronger opponents--check!
Cap space--check!
Battling against teams that are supposed to be physically dominant--mise en echec!
The Canadiens may be deficient in certain areas, but their deficiencies have yet to rise to the surface this season.
Will they lose games? Absolutely.
Will they go on a major losing skid at one point, or another? Absolutely.
But this team has the character, chemistry, experience and ability to make it through those times. This team has the structure and stability to fight through the adversity of another lost season for Andrei Markov. This team has the money to improve in the areas in which they could be considered deficient. For all these reasons, I'm comfortable asserting, regardless of the fact that it's based on an 18-game sample: the Montreal Canadiens are a Stanley Cup contender.
