[caption id="attachment_24" align="alignright" width="620" caption="Photograph by: Pierre Obendrauf, THE GAZETTE"]
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It was a near perfect introduction for Erik Cole, the Montreal Canadiens biggest offseason acquisition.
Tour the facilities and skate at the Canadiens Youth Hockey School - Check
Photo op with jersey and new number 72 – Check
Praise the fans, city and organization - Check
Holding his own with the toughest Hockey media on the planet - Check
A solid attempt at speaking French – Check
Taking questions from about 25 local and national media, Cole’s excitement was on full display "It's a big day for me and my family, and hopefully it's a big day and a good day for the Montreal Canadiens."
Is this a slight against the Carolina Hurricanes, their fans, his NHL home for 9 years and 1 Stanley Cup? No of course not, it’s the honest sentiment of a player who just signed a 4 year $18 million deal (including no-trade clause) to play for his favourite team.
Standing on a wooden box to ensure that the hoard of assembled media had a good look at him, Cole beamed with excitement “The passion here is unbelievable," When asked why he plays so well in Montreal, he says “It's because of them, (the fans) because of the passion that's here. It was probably the one arena where you'd never want the door closed to the locker room before the game while you're waiting to go on the ice. You want to feel that energy."
Niceties and photo ops aside, how Cole fits into the lineup and what he brings to the team is the real story.
With his 2006 US Olympic Teammates Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez joined at the hip, its most likely that Cole will skate with Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri on the first line.
“The PPC Line” - sounds familiar doesn’t it?
Erik Cole has played the majority of his career with elite Centers like Rob Brind’Amor (on the BBC line) and most recently Eric Staal. Night after night he battled against the opponent’s top defensive pairings. With Plekanec and Camallari he can expect more of the same. His size, toughness and abilities in front of the net should be a perfect complement to a finesse first group of core forwards . He should also provide a solid boost to the Habs oft-anemic offense (2.60 GPG last season 22nd overall)
The trickle-down effect from Cole’s arrival and the return of emerging star Max Pacioretty from injury opens up some intriguing possibilities for a third scoring line.
Andrei Kostysyn is the obvious casualty and will likely be bumped to the 3rd line to play alongside Darche and Desharnais or Eller. Hungry for more ice-time, this is a potentially explosive 3rd scoring line that would often play against opponent's weaker defensive pairs.
On paper, the Habs have 3 legitimate scoring lines, improved size, toughness and a resurgent defence. Factor in the continued development of PK Subban, the return of Markov and (hopefully) Gorges, this team has to be considered a preseason favourite to hoist the cup next June.
Cole said it best "When you look at what the guys in this lineup are capable of, top to bottom, there's a lot of talent in this room."
Bienvenue à Montreal Erik, or should I say Érik.
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