As one of the most famous franchises in all of sports the bar is set pretty high in Montreal for their hockey team. The fans are some of the most knowledgeable and appreciative, as long as their beloved Habitants are winning that is. Owning the most Stanley Cup titles in NHL history (24) the Canadiens are in the midst of one of the longest title droughts in franchise history.
The signature of the successful Montreal teams has always been a strong defensive presence, particularly in goal. Names like Jaques Plante, Gump Worsley, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy are legendary figures in Montreal lore. The blue liners who played in front of them share an equally impressive status in Montreal history. Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, Doug Harvey, Serge Savard and Chris Chelios won almost as many individual trophies for superior play as they did Stanley Cups.
This year’s edition of the fabled franchise boasts a star in goal with Carey Price and a star on the rise with defenseman P.K. Subban. The Canadiens missed the playoffs last season with a dismal overall performance. The bright spots on the roster were solid individual efforts from Price, Subban, Erik Cole and a couple of breakout performances from David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty.
The defensive end is where we’ll focus on your fantasy options. Obviously, Subban is a must have. His offensive upside is limitless and he loves to hit. His decision-making will get better as he matures, and he has all the tools to be a Norris Trophy candidate.
The drop off after Subban is pretty significant. Alexei Emelin emerged last year as one of the better young physical defensemen in the league. His offense was pedestrian, but the 26-year old rookie had some highlight reel checks in his first NHL action.
Your true wild card for legitimate Montreal defensemen is Andrei Markov. He was limited to only 13 games last year due to injury. When healthy, Markov is a top-flight performer in almost every conceivable category. At 33, Markov has some miles on the tires, but still plenty of tread. In his last two full seasons Markov put up 122 points, offense that Montreal has sorely missed, particularly on the power play.
Tomas Kaberle was the only other Montreal blueliner to post over 20 points last season, but at 34, there is more risk than reward. Josh Gorges can help you in the hits, plus/minus and blocked shots categories, but don’t count on much offense (16 points).
Francois Boullion, Yannick Weber and Raphael Diaz round out the defensive unit. None of the three excel in any particular area.