Kevin Bieksa Publicly Bashes The Entire Canadiens Team On Live Television
Former NHL player turned analyst Kevin Bieksa didn't hold back with his comments last night on how poorly the Montreal Canadiens have been playing so far.
Lately, former NHLer Kevin Bieksa laid some fairly heavy criticisms at the feet of the Montreal Canadiens, and he's likely not a voice crying in the wilderness. The Canadiens have had an absolutely brutal start to the season, and Bieksa did not mince words on 'Hockey Night in Canada'. Speaking candidly during an intermission segment, Bieksa outlined frustrations with a lack of progress he feels the Canadiens are making compared to last year.
Bieksa was just about across the board with his assessment. He really was disappointed in the entire Canadiens roster down to one player whom he thought was performing to expectation. It's quite a stern critique as everyone around the hockey world is questioning the team's overall direction and the performances of the players individually. According to Bieksa, though the Canadiens did show promise those past few years, this year's rendition looks to him like it's going in reverse.
It seems like there is a lot of regression right now, the only guy I can think about who is progressing is Cole Caufield," said Bieksa giving Caufield his flowers.
In fact, Bieksa called out some of the more renowned players on the Canadiens roster in his different comments. His words seemed an appeal to those individuals for their recent play and more importantly, a lack of leadership on the ice. Without necessarily calling them out directly, he somewhat insinuated that some players, those the team would look towards setting the tone, have not pulled their weight in the early part of the season.
And then there's Arber Xhekaj," began Bieksa. "A guy that I love the way he plays but he's had a really tough season... there's too many mistakes on the ice, there's too many mistakes in the game within the game."
Of course, the one player receiving a great deal of criticism from Bieksa and others is none other than enforcer Arber Xhekaj. There has been much debate tossed around about Xhekaj's role and how effective he is, with many feeling that he really adds nothing to the lineup. Comments from Bieksa reflected those critiques almost to the tee, suggesting that what Xhekaj's bringing right now isn't good enough for what this team needs on a consistent and physical basis.
With the team currently last in the division and a record of 4-6-1 with a -15 goal differential, with a start to the season as lousy as that, with a roster as poor as theirs, it's pretty hard to argue Kevin Bieksa's points. Whether they can manage a turnaround for this season or not, one thing is for sure, the Montreal Canadiens will have to make huge adjustments if they want to shut up their haters and change the tides.
