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Michel Therrien

Snapshots: Therrien, Enstrom, Lazar, Varlamov

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Following his sudden firing from the Canadiens earlier this week, former head coach Michel Therrien released a statement (via the Montreal Gazette):

I would first like to thank the Montreal Canadiens organization, especially Geoff Molson and Marc Bergevin, for the experience of five remarkable years. The Montreal Canadiens have always been a great organization, and recent events in no way change my perception of the team and its management.

Being an NHL coach is a tough job: it is gratifying on many levels but it can also quickly become a thankless task. When a team is experiencing difficulties, any head coach knows his job is on the line. I understand and accept this reality.

I would like to thank fans in Montreal and across Quebec, as well as members of the media. I also salute the coaches and staff I have worked with over the years and, above all, the many players whom I had the privilege of coaching.

I leave with my head held high: I am very proud of the work accomplished over the past five years. The current team can aspire to great honours, and I wish my colleague Claude Julien every success in the future.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Jets announced (via Twitter) that defenseman Toby Enstrom had surgery yesterday on “an existing lower body injury.” The 32-year-old is expected to be sidelined for two-to-three weeks. In 55 games this season, the 10-year veteran has collected one goal and 13 assists.
  • Curtis Lazar is set to return to the Senators lineup tonight, and Mike Halford of Pro Hockey Talk writes that the return could help boost the forward’s trade value. The 22-year-old’s agent is set to meet with the team’s front office, and Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen believes the player could ask for a trade. In 29 games this season, the former first-round pick has compiled a single assist.
  • Following reports that Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov was set to miss the rest of the season, general manager Joe Sakic said the organization is hoping the 28-year-old will return to full strength for next season. “I expect him to be fully healthy next year,” Sakic said (via Terry Frei of the Denver Post). “He’s had the problems with his groin the last couple of years, and this year, but he’s a worker, he cares, he’s a guy who puts a lot of pressure on that area the way he plays.” In 24 games (23 starts) this season, Varlamov has gone 6-17 with a .898 save percentage.

Canadiens Fire Michel Therrien, Hire Claude Julien

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Following a recent stretch that saw the team drop 10 of their past 13 games, the Canadiens have decided to make a coaching change. The team announced that they have relieved head coach Michel Therrien of his duties and have hired Claude Julien as his replacement. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that the rest of the coaching staff will be retained for the time being.

“I would like to sincerely thank Michel for his relentless work with the Montreal Canadiens over his eight seasons behind the bench, including the last five seasons when we worked together,” said general manager Marc Bergevin. “The decision to remove Michel from his coaching duties was a difficult one because I have lots of respect for him. I came to the conclusion that our team needed a new energy, a new voice, a new direction. Claude Julien is an experienced and well respected coach with a good knowledge of the Montreal market. Claude has been very successful as an NHL coach and he won the Stanley Cup. Today we hired the best available coach, and one of the league’s best. I am convinced that he has the capabilities to get our team back on the winning track.”

Therrien re-joined the organization back in 2012, and he led the team to the playoffs during his first three seasons. However, the team struggled last year, finishing with a .500 record for the first time since the 2011-2012 campaign. Bergevin made several bold moves this past offseason, and the team seemed to have regained their form, starting the campaign with a dominant 13-1-1 record. However, the squad has struggled recently, and despite sitting atop the Atlantic Division, their lead is quickly fading.

There were plenty of whispers that Therrien could find himself on the hot seat, as our own Mike Furland wrote yesterday. A number of teams recently saw an uptick in production following a coaching change, which perhaps added some fuel to the fire in Montreal.

This will be a reunion of sorts for Julien, who coached the Canadiens for 159 games in the early 2000s. The 56-year-old spent much of the past decade in Boston, where he led the team to seven playoff births and a Stanley Cup Championship. However, the Bruins failed to make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and their 26-23 record this season led to Julien’s firing earlier this month. ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that the Canadiens asked the Bruins for permission to interview Julien on Sunday. In a subsequent tweet, LeBrun reports that multiple teams reached out to Boston in hopes that they could secure an interview with their former coach.

Ironically, this is the second time the organization has replaced Therrien with Julien, as the former head coach was replaced by the future Bruins head coach during the 2002-2003 season. Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec are the lone holdovers from Julien’s previous stint with the organization.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Canadiens

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For the Maple Leafs, the past calendar year has been one of wild swings. In the last 12 months (and a few days) the team dealt team captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa for cap relief, finished last in the NHL, drafted the future face of the franchise and vaulted themselves into playoff contention. In the last few weeks though the team has held on tight as the roller-coaster has tilted up on two wheels.

The team currently sits tied with Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, but has had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net in recent weeks. After two back-to-back shutouts over Calgary and Detroit in late January, the team has allowed 30 goals in eight games and gone 2-4-2. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports on their mediocrity and where the team’s mindset is as they try to turn things around. One of the positive notes has been the play of William Nylander, who after an early season demotion to the fourth line has recharged his defensive tanks and become a leader on a shutdown line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov.

The team has no time to settle in though, with a condensed schedule and eight games in the fifteen nights remaining in February. They’ll take on the New York Islanders tomorrow on home ice.

  • The Boston Bruins are 3-0 with their new head coach, getting a boost from the new voice of Bruce Cassidy behind the bench. They tore apart their rival Montreal Canadiens last night 4-0 and have put some space between them and the struggling Maple Leafs. Perhaps the coaching move was the right choice, but they’re in for a tough road trip when they come back off their mandated bye-week. The team will hit the road on the west coast with matchups against San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas out of the break—a tough schedule for anyone.
  • Montreal could do with a little of that coaching magic, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post. While the Bruins surge, the Canadiens flounder at the top of the Atlantic Division, now only six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators despite having played five more games. For what at one point looked like a lock for the top see in the division, Montreal now faces a tough final stretch of games. Traikos opines that Michel Therrien should be fired like his Boston counterpart, despite still holding onto that top seed. For now he remains with the team an they’ll come out of their break against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
  • Hopefully they will return with some help, says Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. In his latest column, Campbell examines the Canadiens need for some secondary scoring help behind the top duo of Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. After Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and AGM Chris McFarland were seen in attendance at the Bruins-Habs matchup on Sunday, hope sprung in Montreal about a possible addition of one of the two young players on the Avalanche trade-block. Both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog would provide a nice punch to the second line for the Habs, though the asking price remains as high as ever.

Is Michel Therrien On The Hotseat?

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Fresh off a 4-0 loss to longtime rivals the Boston Bruins last night, questions swirl about whether Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien is the right man for the job. And with the Canadiens entering their bye week, the focus will be entirely on management to address the current state of the Canadiens.

After starting the season 13-1-1, the Canadians have slowly let their Atlantic Division lead slip away. That slow decline hastened in February, where the Canadiens have not yet won a game in regulation. They are 1-5-1, with that sole win coming in overtime against the 29th overall Arizona Coyotes. They still sit atop the Atlantic, but the Ottawa Senators—currently 3rd in the Atlantic—actually have a better win percentage due to playing less games.

GM Marc Bergevin made bold moves this summer to realign his team for a playoff run. He traded away P.K. Subban for Shea Weber, and acquired Andrew Shaw and Alexander Radulov. With that level of investment, Bergevin will not be happy with a first-round exit. And if the playoffs started today, the Canadiens would face the New York Rangers (due to the crossover rule), a team with three more points than the Canadiens in the standings.

Further complicating things for coach Therrien is that the three most recent NHL teams to fire their coach are experiencing a drastic improvement. The New York Islanders are 8-2-2 after firing Jack Capuano. The St. Louis Blues are 5-1 after Ken Hitchcock was let go. Closest to home, though, is that the Boston Bruins are 3-0 since firing Claude Julien. Montreal management may feel the need to cut bait with enough time to install a new head coach that can lead the Canadiens to the promised land. Sometimes hastily firing your coach is a short-sighted move, but then again, the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup after firing Therrien right around this time that season.

Canadiens Eyeing Alex Burrows

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With a loss earlier today to the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks are falling further and further out of postseason contention. The Canucks sit six points behind the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings for a wild card berth in the Western Conference. They also have just one win in their last six games face powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks in their upcoming games leading to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 1st. Though in many ways Vancouver has exceeded expectations in 2016-17, they are trending more toward being sellers at the deadline than buyers.

One of Vancouver’s top trade pieces is none other than career-Canuck Alexandre Burrows. The agitating forward is still a strong two-way contributor, but his offensive production has been tailing off for years. A rebuilding Canucks squad seems unlikely to re-sign Burrows yet again, and would be especially willing to move on if they can get something in return. A destination may already be in mind: the Montreal Canadiens. As The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes, Burrows and teammate Jannik Hansen could command a good return for Vancouver if the GM Jim Benning only asks them to waive their no-trade clauses.

We here at PHR have already connected Hansen to Montreal, but according to Kuzma, the Canadiens have been heavily scouting the Canucks and may have interest in Burrows as well, if not more. While the first item on Montreal’s wish list is a top-six center, they have also made it known that they are in the market for other forward help. In fact, many expect the Canadiens to be one of the biggest players in what otherwise could be a quiet deadline market. In Burrows, Montreal would receive a gritty forward who is able to win battles along the boards, make his presence felt around the net, and, more than anything, help out on the penalty kill and in improving the team defense. The Quebec native seems like a suitable fit for a team whose GM and coach, Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, have emphasized two-way play from their forward corps in recent years, so look for the Canucks to pull the trigger on a deal if it develops.

Snapshots: Pacioretty, Deadline Sellers, CWHL All-Star Game

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Montreal fans can breathe a sigh of relief as reports of Max Pacioretty’s absence from the morning skate is a result of the flu according to the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan. TSN has a video report of Pacioretty’s impact this season, highlighting the captain’s recent strong performance. Leading the Habs in both goals and points (27-21-48), he was lauded by bench boss Michel Therrien in Montreal’s 5-4 victory over Arizona Thursday night. Suffice it to say, the Habs–and their fans–are relieved to hear that the flu, and not injury, is keeping Pacioretty out.

  • The Hockey News has hedged their bets for the trade deadline sellers. Lyle Richardson lists the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings as potential sellers, indicating their sub-par seasons gives them the incentive to start selling off pieces for a brighter future. He quotes Elliotte Friedman as saying that Thomas Vanek may go to Chicago, while the Lightning could go shopping out West, trying to pry a defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks. General manager Steve Yzerman isn’t short assets, having a number of players to deal away with another cap crunch on its way in Tampa. As for Jim Nill’s Stars, Richardson sees Patrick Sharp, and Patrick Eaves as targets to be moved. But he also adds that should Marc-Andre Fleury waive his no-trade clause, he might just be what the Stars need to get back into the playoff hunt.
  • Speaking of buyers and sellers, be sure to check out PHR’s  takes on the Devils, Blackhawks, Blues, and Blue Jackets as the deadline approaches.
  • The CWHL is set for the All-Star game in Toronto this afternoon at the Air Canada Center. Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets has a writeup on some of the players to watch while the CWHL’s official site has even more, including the rosters of both teams following yesterday’s fantasy draft.

Canadiens Notes: Nesterov, Pateryn, Desharnais, Markov

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Just before the All-Star break, the Montreal Canadiens pulled off a trade to add needed defensive depth, acquiring Nikita Nesterov for a prospect and late draft choice in 2017. It won’t take long for the team to see what they have in the 23-year-old blue liner as it appears as if he is set to make his Habs debut tomorrow night, tweets Amanda Stein of TSN 690. His new teammate, Andrei Markov, offered a brief scouting report (H/T to the Candiens Twitter account) on Nesterov, saying the latter will be a good fit for the Canadiens and calling him a good skater with a good first pass.

Nesterov contributed 12 points in 35 games for Tampa and recorded solid possession numbers, with the Lighting controlling better than 54% of the shot attempts while he was on the ice. Given his usage – he averaged just 16:35 a night mostly as a third-pair defender – those numbers look even better. If Markov is right, the Canadiens may have added a solid depth piece on the cheap.

In other Canadiens-related news:

  • TSN’s John Lu, via Twitter, updates the injury situations of David Desharnais and Markov. Habs bench boss Michel Therrien indicated both players will be evaluated Tuesday but “both look good” as it pertains to returning to the lineup. Stein adds in another tweet that Therrien wants to sit down with each before making a decision on their availability.
  • Therrien also says Greg Pateryn, who has been out since early December with a fractured ankle, needs more time according to yet an another tweet from Stein. Pateryn’s pending return, with the assumption that Markov will be back this week, creates a bit of a log jam on the blue line and that may well have played a role in the team placing Zach Redmond on waivers earlier today. Even without Redmond the Habs will have eight healthy defensemen for six regular spots.

Early Returns On Summer Blockbusters

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Typically, free agency items dominate hockey headlines in the latter days of June. However, the events of June 29th changed that dynamic in the 2016 offseason. First, the marquee name available in free agency, Steven Stamkos, agreed to remain with the Tampa Bay Lightning, inking an eight-year extension with the team and effectively ruining the offseason plans of several other NHL clubs. Second, a pair of rare, player-for-player blockbuster trades were completed, shocking all who follow and cover the league.

Desperately searching to upgrade the team’s blue line, Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli agreed to ship top-line left wing Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson. Not long after that deal was announced, the Nashville Predators dealt team captain and four-time Norris Trophy finalist Shea Weber to Montreal for the electric P.K. Subban.

While it’s too early to make any definitive judgments as to which teams may have come out ahead in their respective exchanges, it is possible to analyze the early returns and see how much each club has benefited from the transactions.

Montreal –  While there is no question P.K. Subban is a supremely skilled player, as the 2015-16 season played out it appeared as if head coach Michel Therrien and GM Marc Bergevin had grown weary of the defender’s high-risk, high-reward playing style. In Weber they get a veteran blue liner who boasts the league’s hardest shot and one who has long been a stalwart for Team Canada in numerous international events. Weber has also had a productive start to his Habs career, with eight goals and 18 points through 27 games.

Nashville – The team may have lost the longtime face of their franchise but they did add a dynamic talent who is four years Weber’s junior and has perhaps a more favorable contractual situation. While Subban’s cap hit is more than $1M higher annually through the 2021-22 campaign, his contract expires four years earlier than Weber’s and does not come with the likelihood of a cap recapture penalty. Subban is slowly growing more comfortable in his new home and has produced nearly identical numbers to his counterpart, tallying seven goals and 17 points through 26 contests.

Verdict – With Montreal currently sitting in the top spot in the Eastern Conference it’s hard to argue the trade hasn’t paid off exactly as Bergevin hoped. Weber plays a more conservative style of hockey which Therrien clearly prefers and he is still an impact player at both ends of the ice. On the flip side Subban gives the Nashville market a huge personality and a bankable star. He has quickly endeared himself to the Predators fans off the ice and is still producing on the ice. This deal has worked out for both clubs about as well as could have been hoped.

New Jersey – After ranking dead last in goals scored in 2015-16, the Devils desperately needed an infusion of skill and that’s exactly what they got in Hall. In 19 games this season, Hall is averaging better than a point-per-game for his new team and gives the Devils a legitimate, goal-scoring threat they haven’t had since Zach Parise resided in Jersey.

Edmonton – Larsson doesn’t contribute much in the offensive end of the ice – just six points in 30 contests this season – but has at least provided steady play on the back end for Edmonton. Chiarelli perhaps could have pursued a more dynamic player to address his team’s dire need on the blue line but Larsson came with the cost-certainty that RFA options like Mathew Dumba and Jacob Trouba did not. The Oilers will soon have to consider extensions for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – neither of which will come cheap – and getting Larsson in the midst of a long-term deal with a manageable cap hit carries additional value.

Verdict – Hall is clearly the better and more valuable player, both today and into the future. But to Chiarelli’s credit, he knew his team needed to improve on the back end and was willing to lose the trade to make his team better. It’s probable the Oilers GM simply was not content maintaining the status quo and made the best deal available to upgrade the blue line. With the Oilers at the top of the Pacific Division standings, Chiarelli is likely pleased with how this deal has worked out for Edmonton.

Beaulieu Out Of Hospital After Taking Puck To The Throat

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Montreal Canadiens blue liner Nathan Beaulieu was released from the hospital Wednesday after taking a puck to the throat area during the Habs 4 – 3 loss to Ottawa Tuesday, according to Arpon Basu of LHN.com. It’s unclear at this point how much time he will miss but Montreal head coach Michel Therrien did rule him out for Thursday’s home tilt against Carolina. Therrien also indicated it was unlikely Beaulieu would be in the lineup Saturday night.

Beaulieu has recorded six points – one goal and five assists – through 20 games to start the season while averaging better than 17 minutes per game. Now in his third full NHL campaign, Beaulieu has seen action in 171 games and tallied 38 points. He was Montreal’s first-round pick, selected 17th overall in 2011.

To take his spot, the Habs have called up Mark Barberio from St. John’s of the AHL. Barberio has yet to suit up in the NHL this season but has 14 points in 18 AHL contests so far this season. He also finished with 10 points in 30 games for the Habs last season.

The Canadiens are set to receive further blue line reinforcements in the form of Zach Redmond, who has been cleared to practice with the team. A broken foot has kept Redmond out of action all season. Redmond inked a two-year free agent contract with Montreal after spending the two previous seasons as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

Canadiens To Scratch David Desharnais

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The Canadiens may have won two in a row since their 10-0 blowout loss, but they’re still making lineup changes.

Coach Michel Therrien confirmed that center David Desharnais will be among the scratches for Thursday night’s game versus the Los Angeles Kings. Greg Pateryn will also be up in the press box while Sven Andrighetto and Joel Hanley draw in.

While the other three men have all missed time as healthy scratches, this is the first time Desharnais has found himself healthy scratched in a while. He’s in the final year of a four-year, $14MM contract. The 5’7, 171 lbs center has bounced around the lineup since the Canadiens moved Alex Galchenyuk to center last season.

The 30-year-old Desharnais has just four points in 13 games so far this season. His point totals have been up and down since coming into the NHL, scoring 22, 60, 28, 52, 48, and 29 points.

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