November is behind us now and unfortunately for Montreal Canadiens it is the same old; same old. The team has really struggled this year. It was easy to blame Carey Price out of the gate for the early season problems but it has become evident to everyone in the NHL that the issues in Montreal have nothing to do with the play of their star goalie.
A quick look at team stats gives you a good indication in terms of what is ailing the Habs. If you looks at the NHL leaders in plus/minus; you can't find a Hab until you hit 15th with Josh Georges at +12. On top of that there are no Habs in the top 30 for league scoring. The soft hockey in front of Price has to be playing with Carey's head. Every time Carey Price goes to the rink he knows that he is going to be under the gun. If you watch the Habs in action; Price is often out of the net playing the de facto third defenseman. This unneeded play leads to bad goals which saps everyone's confidence on the ice and in the stands.
Habs fans have blind faith in their team but the screams for change will start to be heard before the end of the year. The Habs have made some very bad decisions in the last few years. They signed Markov to a massive contract despite his history with injuries and they failed to make a splash in terms of trades. It is incumbent on management to shake things to at least remain even in the newly competitive NHL. Montreal's GM has backed the team into a corner. They are saddled with the Gomez and Markov contracts and it would not surprise us to see Price ask to be traded. Price would be a big asset to any team making an end of year run for the Cup. It could be fire sale time in Montreal if the Habs don't make the playoffs. Everyone loves the boys in red, blue and white but even but you have to feel sorry for them a little bit. They are bending under the pressure of playing in Montreal and it doesn't look like it will get any better soon.
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