What made the Montreal Canadiens playoff run so successful last year? Two players come to mind. Michael Cammalleri and Jaroslav Halak. Without those two, the Montreal Canadiens wouldn’t have beaten the Caps in the first round. However, I think (dramatists cover your ears) that those two were overrated.

Jaro said it himself. Over and over and over again. Yes, he was very, very good. But his team, especially his defence, played phenomenal in front of him. I am well aware that he faced over 30 shots a game. However, I am well aware that Halak said he is best as a busy goaltender. The Canadiens adjusted their game to fit their best and most important player. Makes sense, doesn’t it. Thank you Jacques Martin.

With the Canadiens adjusted game, their offense had to be very opportunistic. And they were. They were led by the best instinctive goal scorer in the NHL, in Cammalleri. Mind you, I say instinctive in the he-always-knows-where-to-be kind of instinct. Then his skill buried the puck. However, he wasn’t alone. Plekanec got the ball rolling in Game 1 in Washington, and Gomez and Gionta put up good, solid playoff numbers. That along with the well-timed goals by the likes of Maxim Lapierre, Tom Pyatt, and Dominic Moore mixed to become a decent offense, or at least decent enough.

What a shame, however. Nobody even cares about the 2009-2010 Habs anymore. We lost. What matters now is 2010-2011. Once again, its all good news if the playoff run last year wasn’t a fluke. Why? Well, because our team didn’t really change that much.

Yes, I know. We lost Jaroslav Halak. Boo-hoo, stop crying. Carey Price is a very capable goalie (just look at his credentials), and that’s all that I care about.

I am mainly talking about our offense. Our two biggest losses were Glen Metropolit, who stepped up as an all-situation kind of guy, and Dominic Moore, who was a playoff factor. We replaced Metropolit, down to the number, with Jeff Halpern. He can be that same guy, and so far has been great on the penalty kill and faceoffs, which he is better at than Metro. To replace Dominic Moore, we acquired Dustin Boyd. The only real difference is that Boyd plays a more physical, rugged game and will stand up for his teammates more often. That is something the Habs need, and something I will gladly welcome. We also added two shining young prospects, the skillful Dane called Lars Eller and the tough and somewhat skilled Ryan White.

On defence, we should have Markov dressed for more games than we saw him dress for last season. Of course, that is if me saying we will doesn’t curse it. We lost Marc-Andre Bergeron. His replacement? Rookie hot-shot PK Subban. Need I say more on the matter? I think not.

Overall, this is a team with another year to gel after an injury-plagued 2009-2010 season. What happened when we were less injured? We made the Conference finals. But what does that really mean? It means look out, because the Canadiens are back and here to stay. Finally.

That is, of course, assuming that last year’s run wasn’t a fluke. What if it was? Well, to be honest, I’d rather not think about that. But with a 6-2-1 record so far, I may not have to.

Author Bio: This article was written by Benjamin Twain. Find up to the minute Canadiens news updates, trade rumors, pregames, post games, articles, lineup, player profiles, videos and much more at CanadiensZone.com.

Category: Sports
Keywords: montreal canadiens, canadiens, canadiens de montreal, habs, playoffs 2010, 2010, 2011, season