Habs hit the halfway point.. Where do we stand?

Through the first 42 games on the season the Habs are sitting 5th place in the eastern conference with 50 points. The first half of the season had it's ups and downs, but right now the Canadiens are in good position and have the potential for a huge second half. I believe that the Habs can finish fourth or fifth in the conference this season, which would be a nice change from battling for that 8th spot through the last game of the season.

Here are some of the big stories so far this season:

The Goaltending Situation: Carey Price has recently been sent down to the minors after a couple of weak performances. Jaroslav Halak has been called up to replace him as the back-up to Cristobal Huet. I wouldn't worry about Carey Price as management simply sent him down because he can play alot more games down there. I expect Price to play about 10 games for Hamilton and then be re-called for the drive to the playoffs. It's certainly a smart move by Canadiens management, and when it matters Carey Price will be back up with the big team. For now, it's up to Cristo-Wall to carry the load and I think that he can...

Alex Kovalev's Resurgence: Kovalev has been a beast out there this season and it really seems like he is happy and comfortable playing in Montreal. Kovy has been scoring, hitting, playing defense and helping his linemates this season. Kovalev should be commended for his new found work ethic and commitment to winning. Comming into the season he was one of the X-factors for the Canadiens, though he has proven to all of us that he is a big reason for the success of the team thus far.

The Kostitsyn Brothers: They may not be the Sedin twins just yet, but Andrei and Sergei have proven to be very valuable players to the Habs this season. Andrei has been thriving along side Kovalev and Plekanec collecting 23 points so far, and it looks like he is starting to blossom into the talented scoring threat that we all believe he can be. Sergei Kostitsyn has also been playing very well since being called up from Hamilton. Sergei is showing a lot of potential and I believe that he will become a real scoring threat on one of the top two lines.

The Presence of Roman Hamrlik: Losing Sheldon Souray and replacing him with Roman Hamrlik in the off season is a huge reason for the Habs success. Despite his booming shot, Souray was holding our team back. He did score a lot of goals for us last season, but he's simply a brutal defenseman. I think that the loss of Souray is a huge reason for the success of Alex Kovalev because now Kovy has become the real scoring threat on the PP and I think that makes him a much happier and more effective hockey player. Kovalev has a big ego and has to feel like he's the big star. All that being said, Roman Hamrlik is a great defensive defenseman. He has lots of experience, never makes mistakes and leads by example. Kudos to Bob Gainey for letting Souray go, and picking up the Hammer!

Despite what you may think, Bob Gainey knows what he's doing: I never used to understand why Gainey always sat back and never seemed to make any big moves or trades. Well, now I completely understand. The reason is that he's been rebuilding this team right before our eyes. Those deadline deals and free agent signings he never made are the reason why we have such a great core of young players. While teams like the Maple Leafs have traded away all their draft picks and signed expensive free-agents, Bob Gainey has been staying the course and building a great young team. You want proof? How about Price, Plekanec, Higgins, Komisarek, Markov, Streit, Kostitsyn (x2), Chipchura, O'Byrne, Lapierre.....


GO HABS GO!!