Age: 20
NHL experience: 5 games
Potential: Unlimited
Value to this franchise: Priceless

And would you trade the Canadiens’ young talent base for anyone’s … except MAYBE Pittsburgh’s …. and only if you could keep the defencemen and have Price instead of Fleury.

• Fearless prediction: Barring injury, Tomas Plekanec will centre Alex Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn for the rest of the season.

• Each successive game underscores the value of Tom the Bomb Non-stopolis.
Need a big hit to wake up the bench and the crowd: Tom the Bomb.
Need some high-energy ang good skating on the PK? Tom the Bomb
Need a defensive forward on the top line late in a one-goal game? Tom the Bomb
Need someone to dance with the other team’s thug? Tom the Bomb
What a great acquisition.

• How about Pierre McGuire singing the praises of Guy Carbonneau late in the game? And as usual, McGuire was bang-on. The kindly old coach (whom I was happily firing a couple weeks ago) is a very quick study. Carbo learns from his mistakes, and he’s making all the right moves – including astute in-game adjustments.

• They didn’t score last night, but the Koivu line was buzzing. Christopher Higgins had six shots, the Captain might have scored iif he hadn’t been wiped out (no penalty!) in the slot, and Michael Ryder is working his butt off.

• The defence corps has become a team strength. Contrast Andrei Markov and Co. to the D in Boston or Toronto. Roman Hamrlik is a rock, Mike Komisarek is a monster, Mark Streit is as reliable as a Japanese watch, Francis Bouillon is hitting, Patrice Brisebois is a revelation and Markov is earning every cent of his team-high salary.

• Extra practice on faceoffs today for Plekanec and Kyle Chipchura, who were 3-8 and 3-9 respectively. Bruins had a 29-42 edge.

• That Ward injury was scary, coming on the day of Patrice Bergeron’s press conference. And RDS ran a post-game interview with Normand Leveillé. Too painful to watch.

And the Flyers’ feared physicality fizzled.
The Canadiens outhit the visitors 32-25. And they dished out the more punishing, board-rattling and crowd-pleasing checks.

Mike Komisarek set the tone early. The game was barely six minutes old when the big defenceman pounded the snot out of Scott Hartnell behind the Canadiens’ net.
Then on the first faceoff following the Guillaume Latendresse goal that made it 4-1, Philadelphia thug Ben Eager predictably pounced on Tom Kostopoulos, who held his own through a tugging match.
And when Mike Richards threw a late-game elbow at Alex Kovalev, there was a cavalry charge of red-shirted avengers, including diminutive Josh Gorges.
Their goon-free lineup notwithstanding, Canadiens give every sign they won’t be intimidated.
If the Canadiens skate and hit that way tomorrow, it could be a long evening for the Leafs and their Hockey Night in Canada cheerleaders.

• • •

Alex Kovalev has seven goals in 12 games.
Last season, he needed 22 games to reach that level. And Kovy didn’t get his eighth until the Canadiens’ 31st game.
It’s early and I don’t want to inflict the Boone Jinx on the big guy, but I’ll go out on a limb here and predict that Kovalev will score more than 18 goals this season.
And as goes Kovy …

• • •

If Christopher Higgins and Michael Ryder start cashing their chances, maybe we’ll hear fewer suggestions that Saku Koivu is not a first-line centre.

• • •

The power play just isn’t the same without Sheldon Souray.

• • •

Is there a GM in the league who made more astute free-agent acquisitions than Bob Gainey?
Glen Sather, maybe? How about Kevin Lowe?
It’s early for Christmas bonuses, but if Uncle George Gillett should be writing a nice cheque to the pro scout who recommended Roman Hamrlik (with the caveat that he’s maybe not your guy for a Shootout).
Bryan Smolinski, Tom the Bomb Non-stopoulos, Patrice Brisebois … from where I’m sitting, Gainey went four-for-four, with a Hamrlik HR.
More props to the GM on the Souray dossier: Gainey never had the slightest intention of re-signing him.

• • •

And while I’m spending Gillett’s money, how about a nice botle of 25-year-old Macallan for whoever said “Hey, maybe we should try Mathieu Dandenault at forward?”

• • •

So Mikhail Grabovski has been told to get himself an apartment in Montreal.
What does this tell Maxim Lapierre?

• • •

But I still like Andrei Kostitsyn more than Grabovski.
Almost as fast, better touch around the net, bigger and way more physical.
Kostitsyn deserves to be in the lineup against Toronto.

• • •

Josh Gorges played 15 pretty good minutes, including a minute on the PP and 2:23 on the PK.
My man from Kelowna was paired with Mark Streit, and one might have feared the Flyers would bash them around a bit.
Didn’t happen.
Streit and Gorges handled the puck adroitly, made smart decisions and exemplified a Canadiens’ transition game that is one of the team’s MAJOR improvements from last season.

• • •

I don’t want Mike Komisarek to do a lot of fighting.
A five-minute trade usually benefits the other team. And it would be a monumental drag if Komsarek were to bust his hand on some fool’s helmet.

• • •

One more sleep, then Toronnah in town on a Saturday night:
It just doesn’t get any better than this.