After starting the 2016-17 nhl free picks consensus season with an incredible 13-1-1 record, the Canadiens have dropped back to the earth, posting an 18-18-7 album as. The 4-0 loss to Boston on February 12 was their sixth in seven matches and it had been the straw that broke the camel’s back for former Habs head coach Michel Therrien. The Canadiens announced two days later, on Valentine’s Day, that they would be moving on from Therrien and bringing Claude Julien back to the fold after his recent death from Boston.
It became evident that players had grown tired of Therrien, and from many accounts from former players, that is not a big surprise. Julien will bring a much-needed personality change behind the bench in Montreal and ought to instantly command the respect in a somewhat shattered locker area. This is a move that can, if nothing else, calm the temptations of jaded fans but should be a fantastic long-term movement for the historic franchise.
BetOnline has set up several props related specifically to the Habs and also how the rest of their 2016-17 will perform for them. It is possible to bet on the OVER/UNDER for the number of points they will finish with, where they will endure when the final whistle blows on the regular season and how their 2016-17 will end.
Now, it looks like it would take an utter collapse for anyone to overtake the Canadiens for first place in the Atlantic. Despite their awful run, they nevertheless sit up six points on the Senators and Bruins to the top spot and as we have seen from each trainer firing/hiring this seasonwe should observe an immediate boost from the Canadiens’ play. For this writing, the Canadiens were on rate for 99 points and it’s unlikely they get worse under Julien. I enjoy them for OVER who 97.5-point total that’s been set to them and if they do, they will easily win their division.
There’s some dispute among pundits on if the Canadiens possess the ability required to make a deep run in the playoffs and when this coach swap was a desperate move. The one issue with this debate is that the Habs still possess Carey Price, the consensus greatest goalie in the NHL/world. No. 31 had obviously become disgruntled with the head trainer in Montreal and it showed in his play. Julien should be able to get Price’s head screwed back and if he does, there’s no limit to what this group can do.
Even though the talent levels of both teams cannot really be compared, this move feels much like the one the Penguins produced in the midst of last year’s Stanley Cup-winning season. Mike Johnston had lost the respect of the Penguins locker room along with his tactics had grown stale. You may just tell the identical motivational speech so many times before you get tagged as a blowhard and I think that is precisely how Max Pacioretty and the remainder of the Habs felt roughly Therrien.
With the depth of competition coming in the Metropolitan, it’s going to be tough for the Canadiens to create it out of the East and I’m not at all suggesting they move deep in the postseason. What I am saying is that using a highly respected coach in Julien now behind the bench, they have a lot better shot.
Montreal’s first game with Julien at the helm will come Saturday if the Canadiens host the Jets in the Bell Centre. This will be must-watch television and based on the small sample size that has witnessed the Islanders, Blues and Bruins go a joint 16-5 up in games to date under new leadership, the Habs should be a good bet.
