Is it possible that everything Marc Bergevin's touched has turned to gold? P.K. Subban's sweater included.
In the aftermath of an otherwise unspeakable season without Carey Price, the outwardly impulsive, even vengeful decisions that challenged the competence and character of an entire organization look as though they've paid off.
That is, through six games.
We don't really have to rack our memories to recognize that for the Montreal Canadiens, magic in October by no means precludes misery for the remaining six months. And as they're currently constructed, they might not be any less frail without Price - because he's that exceptional. But in this smallest of samples, following a summer that incensed a large chunk of their fan base, there are signs to suggest this club could be quite good. Perhaps better.
Montreal has five wins - each in regulation and two without Price - and has taken 11 of a possible 12 points with a league-best plus-13 goal differential. The Canadiens have outscored the competition by double digits at even strength, clamped down on the penalty kill, and supported Price with the majority share of total shots since he returned from illness.
This is all wonderful. But it was wonderful last season, too. Twelve months back, Montreal reeled off nine consecutive wins from the jump, and scored at a higher rate then it has through six games this year. It was a middling possession team then too, but thanks to a superb save rate from Price and then-backup Mike Condon, Montreal built up the league's best even-strength goal differential.
Understanding just how fleeting the current situation can be, all we can evaluate are the changes Bergevin and coach Michel Therrien made this summer. That, of course, begins with Shea Weber.
Weber has come exactly as advertised. He's made life miserable for attacking players, used his offensive weapon - a cannoning shot - to great effect, and clearly commands the respect and admiration of teammates. He's limited in the transition game, and often needlessly gives up possession, but there's no denying the success in his presence - even if it belies other raw data. Montreal is outscoring the competition 13-2 with Weber on the ice, and has allowed one goal at even strength.
Montreal won't be bulletproof forever, and potentially problematic underlying numbers illustrate that. But because Weber's providing such tremendous results while being precisely the player the Canadiens said he was when they acquired him, their rationale is, at the very least, evident. Perhaps on the path to being validated.
Likewise, Alexander Radulov has been more than an upgrade on the hired gun they hoped they had in Alex Semin. He's quickly adjusted to changes since his last stint, displaying proficiency in all three zones and recently having the production that made him a star in Russia translate in the NHL. Fans at Bell Centre are already chanting his name.
Along with Artturi Lehkonen, Radulov offers completeness to a previously disorganized top six, knocking other players - namely Andrew Shaw - down the pecking order and into more suitable roles, creating balance.
We'll pound this drum again: Six games means nothing more than a head start in the Atlantic Division race. A torn muscle here, snapped ligament there, or dips in performance across the board could instead suggest trading Subban was wildly misguided, and the style the Therriens and Prices have recommended is, in fact, antiquated in this high-skilled, last-shot-wins NHL.
But by acquiring the parts compatible with their machinery of choice, no matter how old or outdated that technology, the Canadiens may be better equipped to carry out the operation they've committed to.
How that machinery really compares to other teams, even when running optimally, still remains to be seen.
The Ten
10) Juuse Saros - With the Stanley Cup champions in town Saturday night, Saros stopped 34-of-35 shots in a win, anchoring the illness-depleted Preds in his second NHL start.
9) Los Angeles Kings - It's going to be a major challenge surviving life without Jonathan Quick, given their cap constraints. But the Kings may have at least survived October, collecting three consecutive wins this week to return to the .500 mark.
8) Cam Talbot - Edmonton hasn't been as sound as its Western Conference-leading 5-1 record indicates, and owes thanks to the netminder. Talbot nabbed his league-leading fifth win of the season with a shutout of Winnipeg in the Heritage Classic.
7) That Matthews line - Six goals, seven assists, and nine power-play points for Auston Matthews and William Nylander this week.
7) Detroit Red Wings - Extending their win streak to five games with 14 goals for and six against in four victories this week, everything seems to be clicking for the Red Wings. This includes Dylan Larkin, who scored his first two goals of the season in Game No. 7.
5) Patrik Laine - His overtime goal to complete the hat trick and comeback versus Matthews and the Maple Leafs stands as an indelible moment in the franchise's return.
4) Taylor Hall - Seems to be extending one select finger with each and every highlight-worthy moment.
4) Steven Stamkos - The hometown kid proved the Maple Leafs aren't better off without him on the payroll, scoring twice and racking up four points while being booed at the touch of the puck in a drubbing at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday.
3) Brian Elliott - One struggling netminder in a high-pressure environment was able to rebound this week, and it wasn't Frederik Andersen. Elliott was just sensational late in Calgary's win in Chicago, then made 23 saves to beat his old team the next night in St. Louis.
2) Sidney Crosby - The NHL is in an amazing spot with its influx of young talent, but without the Pittsburgh Penguins' captain it simply cannot be at its best. Crosby scored the game-winner in his return from a concussion Tuesday.
1) Jaromir Jagr - Scored his 750th career goal in a league now dominated by players half his age. Amazing.
More Takes
1) You can have the look of a Stanley Cup champion, but can you sound like one too? The dramatic shift in Tampa Bay's overall discourse since the Lightning's last trip to Toronto, which seemed fraught with apprehension, might make you think so after hearing players from Stamkos to Drouin commending management and waxing on about how it all turned out.
2) Staying in that vein, with the hoopla about Subban's trade out of Montreal, it's impossible to not consider every innocent quote from Bergevin, Therrien, Pacioretty, and Price as a subtweet-level dig.
3) Interesting: The free-agent defenders targeted by progressive organizations, Alex Goligoski and Keith Yandle, have had truly disappointing starts with their new clubs by the numbers. Goligoski has a goals-for rate of 30 percent for an Arizona team off to its worst start in franchise history, while Yandle is the only Panther with a negative possession rate.
4) The guy on Saturday night is right about the Leafs' goaltending, but not so much about Matt Martin's hair.
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