2012 Projections: Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens were not a great team on the scoresheet, but their goaltending was absolutely stellar, which lifted them to the heights that they reached in the 2011 season.

With scoring being a slight issue last season, one would have assumed that the management for the Habs would have possibly overhauled the offense, but sadly, they really didn't.  There was one significant addition to the club up front and that's not what you would consider an overhaul.

Looking at the team going forward, there will be a lot of emphasis placed on the blueline, with a couple of key players returning, a small addition being made in the off-season, which will try and give their star goaltender a better chance to win every night.

With all of that being said, what am I expecting from the Canadiens this year?

Forwards		Defense		Goalies
Tomas Plekanec	65	P.K. Subban	45	Carey Price	90
Mike Cammalleri	60	Andrei Markov	45	Peter Budaj	15
Erik Cole	55	Jaroslav Spacek	20
Brian Gionta	50	Yannick Weber	15
Andrei Kostitsyn	45	Josh Gorges	15
Scott Gomez	40	Jeff Woywitka	10
Max Pacioretty	40	Hal Gill	5
Mathieu Darche	35
David Desharnais	35
Lars Eller	25
Travis Moen	15
Louis Leblanc	30
Ryan White	20
Aaron Palushaj	10
Brian Willsie	5

Pool Worthy Forwards (Inside the top 160, 35 points)
The Canadiens forwards aren't going to be leading the league in scoring, but they should have a fairly solid effort throughout their line-up, which should work just as well in the win column.

I think there is a certain possibility that the top three forwards (Plekanec, Cammalleri and Cole) could exceed the projections I have given them, but there is a general health concern, which gives them a discount for the entire season.  I don't think I could pick those three any higher than the projections given them, thinking they could be more of a bargain than a bust this year.

Scott Gomez looks set for a really disappointing season, which gives a little bit more traction to the rumours that he could be dealt this season, freeing up some much needed cap space.  Gomez could use another change of scenery in his career, which could very well lift his numbers up later on in the season.

Depth will be key for Montreal, Pacioretty, Darche and Desharnais could be good additions as your last forward down the line, as they all showed some real promise late last season and into the playoffs, which could end up as good sleepers.

Pool Worthy Defensemen (Inside the top 80, 20 points)
The return of Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges from major injuries will be huge for the Canadiens' depth on defense, which should make everyone a little bit better.  Markov will bring his big bomb back to the blueline, which should be good for over 40 points, while Gorges will bring a stability that will make the goalie's job that much easier.

If there was going to be a young player that would avoid the jinx, it would be a kid like P.K. Subban, a brash player that just wouldn't let the jinx get to him.  With Markov around, I think Subban's effectiveness will only get better, having some lesser defenders work on him.  Look for Subban to increase production in 2012.

Pool Worthy Goalies (Inside the top 40, 25 points)
If the Canadiens are able to stay healthy in 2012, there is no reason why Carey Price shouldn't win 40 games.  Price will be the workhorse and he'll take on most of the minutes, as he should, so look for another big season from him.

Pool Worthy Rookies
Last season, I thought Louis Leblanc may have been a bit of a surprise jumper into the line-up and it sounded like he was close.  This year, with a couple of open spots up front, I think we might see something from him this year and if it isn't him, they could go into using a kid like Aaron Palushaj.

Key Injuries
None.