By Jordan Long
The Montreal Canadians are 9-5-4 for a total of 22 points, 4th in the North Division. If the playoffs were to start right now, they would be in since the NHL is going to take the top 4 teams from each division. Montreal has lost 5 out of their last 6 games. They have decided to let go of Head Coach Claude Julien after 5 years. This was his second stint with the franchise.
Julien was hired as Canadians’ Head Coach on February 14, 2017. Montreal let go of Head Coach Michel Therrien 58 games into the season. At the time the Canadians stood at 31-19-8. Julien coached them to a 16-7-1 finish. The Canadians made the playoffs but lost in the 1st-round to the New York Rangers in 6 games.
Julien coached them to a 31-31-9 record last year. They beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round before falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1st-round in 6 games. This year expectations were higher for the Canadians. They wanted to advance further in the playoffs.
Montreal’s offense is carrying this team. On 5 on 5 situations they are one of the top teams at lighting the lamp scoring 3.39 goals per game, 8th in the NHL.
Defense and special teams is where they are struggling. On defense, they give up 2.78 goals per game 14th in the NHL. On the power play kill, they permit teams to keep the puck in the zone for scoring chances. When they try to move the puck out of the zone, opponents keep it in. They kill off 76.4% of the penalties they take, 22nd in the NHL. When it comes to the power play, the Canadians score 18.2% of the time with the man advantage, 20th in the NHL.
Despite these areas, the Canadians are still in a playoff hunt and are 3 points ahead of Calgary for 4th place. It makes no sense to fire Julien now. This feels like a panic move. They still have a chance to climb in the standings and be in a better playoff position.
Montreal’s front office must feel the season is slipping away. According to ESPN, Montreal Canadians’ General Manager Marc Bergevin said, “I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years during which we worked together. I have great respect for these two men whom I hold in high regard. In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and new energy to our group. We feel that our team can achieve high standards and the time had come for a change. “
Julien ends his second stint with the Canadians with a record of 129 wins, 133 losses, and 35 overtime losses. They advanced to the playoffs twice even though it was 1st-round exits.
Dominique Ducharme is the Interim Head Coach. They are taking a gamble with Ducharme. He has never been a Head Coach at the NHL level. Ducharme needs to coach Montreal to the postseason. If he fails, Ducharme may not be back next year. The firing of Julien could be the turning point of the year for them to either make a playoff run or miss the playoffs altogether.
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