Ask Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien what he thinks the biggest difference is between this year’s edition of his team and last year’s, he’ll surely point to the intangibles of attitude and leadership — just as he did on Friday.
Here’s what the coach said regarding his team’s attitude:
“The thing I like about the group is that we still understand it’s early in the season and we want to get better every game. When we have a practice there’s purpose, because we want to be better. There’s still things to improve, we all know. But I like the business mentality of our group, the team chemistry is great, and it’s a fun group to work with.
“They’re [all] business. They like being around each other, the atmosphere is great, and when it’s time to work we work.”
And on Montreal’s leadership, Therrien had this to say:
“This year is different from our standpoint. We added important pieces of the puzzle regarding leadership, and those guys are doing a great, great job.”
It seemed like Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty was alone on an island last season, leading what turned out to be the NHL’s youngest roster for a fair portion of the calendar as the team was ravaged by injuries. It wasn’t all that surprising when they finished with the NHL’s 22nd-best record.
This year Pacioretty has help.
Defenceman Shea Weber came to Montreal this off-season with the reputation of being one the game’s greatest leaders. He has lived up to the billing with five points in his first five games as a Canadien.
Weber’s partner, Nathan Beaulieu, said after Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes that the 6-foot-4 behemoth has had a massive presence in the team’s locker room; that his business-like approach is having a trickle-down effect.
Forward Andrew Shaw has a presence, too. The feisty winger brought Stanley Cup-winning pedigree to the Canadiens when he was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks last June.
Shaw too has done his job to help Montreal to a 4-0-1 start to this NHL season.
And here’s what Therrien thinks of forward Alexander Radulov, who signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens as a free agent in July:
“He’s a guy that loves the game, he’s got passion. He’s all in all the time, that’s what I like about him. In practice he’s all in, pre-game warmup he’s all in, and when he plays the game he’s all in.
“He’s got a lot of passion, and I really believe that players always feed off from passionate people.”
It was in Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins that Radulov came storming out of his zone, rushed up the ice, and made a perfect pass to set fourth-liner up Phillip Danault for his first goal of the season.
The Russian winger now has a goal and an assist and has had an obvious effect on keeping the energy level high on Montreal’s bench.
It’s hard to argue with what Therrien sees. The Canadiens have wins over Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Boston so far, and they picked up a point in their only loss of the season. As of this moment, they currently lead the NHL standings.
Another NHL coach was recently asked for his assessment of this year’s Canadiens.
“My initial reaction is that I think they’re deeper,” said 2016 Stanley Cup champ Mike Sullivan on Tuesday, just ahead of his Pittsburgh Penguins losing 4-0 to the Canadiens. “I think they’ve improved their team over the course of the off-season.
“We know this team, they’re quick; they have threats on most lines,” Sullivan continued. “I just think the biggest thing they’ve done to improve their team is their overall depth.”
Start in net, where backup Al Montoya — who signed a one-year deal with Montreal in July — delivered five out of six points available to the Canadiens while starter Carey Price sat out the first three games with a severe case of the flu.
That’s just a sample of the depth shining through.
On Saturday, Danault, linemate Torrey Mitchell and third-liner Paul Byron scored three of Montreal’s goals. The three of them have combined for 10 points in the early part of this year.
On Friday, top-line centre Alex Galchenyuk said that the team’s multi-pronged attack is making life easier for himself and linemates Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher. Case in point, it was Gallagher who opened the scoring in Saturday’s game by finishing off a tic-tac-toe play from Pacioretty and Galchenyuk to give all three players five points in five games this season.
Can the Canadiens sustain their level of play? It’s too early to say.
But it’s undeniable that this group doesn’t resemble the one that couldn’t pick itself up off the floor in the wake of Price’s 70-game absence last season.
And both Therrien and Sullivan are right so far. Leadership, attitude and depth are the elements that have changed the Canadiens’ complexion.
