If the recent play of the Hamilton Bulldogs (Calder cup bound) is a glimpse of the future for the Canadiens, then team management and fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future.
You have to be impressed with the young talent that Bob Gainey, Andre Savard and Trevor Timmins have assembled in the last 3-5 years.
The Habs were chasing a playoff spot until the last game due in large part to players such as Maxim Lapierre, Chris Higgins, Jaroslav Halak, Andrei Kostitsyn, Mike Komisarek, Tomas Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse. That’s seven players who were drafted by the Canadiens (between 2001 and 2005) and are starting to pay dividends to the teams’ success. When was the last time the Habs had that many homegrown prospects in their lineup? You would have to go back to the 70’s (6 Stanley cups) or maybe the early 80’s to make that comparison.
The recent playoff success of the Hamilton Bulldogs will greatly assist the development of players like Matt D’Agostini, Kyle Chipchura, Mikhail Grabovski, Carey Price and Ryan O’Bryne (see http://www.habprospects.com/ for further prospect details)
Needless to say, the future looks very bright for the Habs with the afore mentioned players gaining valuable NHL and AHL playing experience. I think Montreal Canadien fans will be attending a Stanley cup parade sooner rather than later thanks to the development and play of their young prospects.