MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin believes his team had an 'invaluable experience' participating in whatever we're calling the 2020 NHL postseason this week.
The Habs 3-2 loss in Game 6 to the Philadelphia Flyers ended the team's unexpected playoff run Friday night.
Experienced gained, it's time to level up.
Now that everyone knows the professional hockey players representing the city of Montreal are decent at their profession, and that "experience" is coursing through the team's veins, it is wise to ask what more is needed to attain the more invaluable Stanley Cup.
After all, the Edmonton Oilers have been gaining experience (and draft picks) since they drafted Taylor Hall in 2010, and no one in Edmonton is setting up their lawn chairs waiting for the parade.
The Habs did, however, what no one thought they could.
On March 12, the Canadiens were 24th. On August 21, they had beaten the heavily-favoured Pittsburgh Penguins and were a goal from forcing overtime against the number-one seed team in the east.
Rather than watching a historic third-straight playoffs without their beloved bleu-blanc-rouge, Habs fans got a chance to watch and hope.
How did that happen?
HAB-LETS EMERGE
Few players gave fans that "something might happen" feeling more than the young and eager summer birthday boys: Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Kotkaniemi (four goals and a +4 in the playoffs) turned 20 on July 6 and Suzuki (four goals, three assists) turned 21 on Aug. 10, and there can be few doubters that they are the pieces to build around.
The one-two punch centremen entered the playoffs Hab-lets and can now consider themselves forged steal Habs.
There were actually few Hab-lets on the team, who didn't put in a solid 60 minutes in each game.
The roster is young and looks set for the next half-decade at least.
Artturi Lehkonen (his birthday is two days before his Finnish teammate on July 4), Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi are all 25, Jake Evans is 24, and Victor Mete is 22.
Aside from Carely Price (33), Shea Weber (35), Jeff Petry (32), and a few others, the rest of the roster is under 30.
The Habs pick 16th in a deep draft as well and have whopping 14 picks. Fun fact: Armia was picked 16th in 2011.
It might be worth considering trading for a bonifide star or poaching one from a team that may have trouble retaining the current talent on its roster, come free agency.
That said, Montreal's chemistry is in place, and there is no need to go crazy and blow a fortune on a star that may not fit the system.
A bandaid is useful unless you drop it into a pot of pasta sauce; then it ruins everything.
OH, ABOUT THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Montreal needs to learn the lessons of Leafs lore and not overpay or overextend contracts.
No player on the team should think themselves worth less than the market, particularly after the quality postseason, but there is no one who knows exactly how next season (the next few seasons?) will play out.
All sports are going to have to face the very real pandemic sporting world with less (or no) fans, who may have other priorities than spending $80 to sit spitting distance from the roof and watch the Habs play the Carolina Hurricanes in the middle of a cold snap in January.
The numbers were a touch less than last year's playoffs and, who knows what the regular season will bring.
Count on teams having less money to spend.
SOMETHING ABOUT SUOMI
Habs management should continue to shop in Finland (Suomi in their language).
Since Jyrki Lumme made his debut for the Habs in 1988, the small country on the Baltic Sea has produced a quality collection of Canadien skaters and this playoffs, the Suomi skaters shone.
Joel Armia (three goals, two assists, +5) and Kotkaniemi (see above) are both from Pori, and Lehkonen (one goal, three assists, +4) is from Piikkio (two hours south), and all of them came up big at times.
2020 prospects from the land of Saku Koivu, Moomin, saunas and reindeer include centreman Anton Lundell (considered a top-10 pick), centreman Roni Hirvonen (thought to go in the to 30) and right winger Kasper Simontaival.
Learn to spell their names.
PROS ARE PROS
"Never tell me the odds," said Han Solo to C-3PO in Empire Strikes Back.
Any team in the NHL can beat any other team in the NHL if the stars align, moons are in their place, oh, and the professional hockey players on one team play better than those on the other.
Cue Shea Weber quote:
“Everybody doubted us as soon as they announced what the playoff format would be. Everyone kind of just axed us off like we weren’t gonna be here. Everybody showed up … I think it just shows that maybe we’re closer than people think.”
Paper is paper and ice is ice. Listen to Weber and Solo, not 3PO and The Bleacher Report (they picked the Penguins to win in three).
Just because a few pundits decided one team is better than the other, it doesn't mean the team is required to lose. Just ask last year's Columbus Blue Jackets or Buster Douglas or Leicester City.
COULD'A WOULD'A SHOULD'A
It felt like Philly was just begging the Habs to tie or win Game 6. The Flyers weren't pressing, weren't shooting and were letting the Habs camp in their zone for the last two periods.
The Habs may have missed a big opportunity.
Like the Oilers in 2017, the Canadiens could have beat the low-scoring, Gritty-backed, defence first Flyers, but came up a touch short.
So it goes.
Everyone on the team should watch games 3, 4, and 6 before next season begins as motivation. Or just watch Matt Niskanen break Brendan Gallagher's jaw over and over. That'll inspire anyone to come out blasting.
The Habs did better than anyone expected, but could have done even more.
Level up, move on.
