So.... now what?

I'm not sure whether I should be excited or scared about the Habs future right now. Maybe I should be both.

I should be excited because a big shake up like leaving Kovalev behind could be what these Habs need to get back on track. Sure they won't suddenly be Stanley Cup contenders now anymore than they weren't at the beginning of the year. But maybe this is the jolt that they need to get their heart working again. There's every reason to think that they'll wake up now and work hard. There's also reason to believe that Kovy could come back after this and perform better and the whole team will be the better for it.

Then again... this could all go to hell and the Habs could miss the playoffs altogether.

Look. Anyone who believes that Kovalev is the sole reason why this team is tanking needs to remember that being part of a team means EVERYONE needs to stand up and do their work. Yeah, I know he hasn't done anything productive recently, yeah I know that he doesn't done anything near what we all hoped he would be doing this year. Yes, I know that his up and down behavior and seemingly unwillingness to put in a good effort on a lot of nights is painful to watch.

But we've already seen what the Habs have done - excuse me, haven't done - without Lang and Plekanec in the lineup. Could you imagine the potential for disaster without having Kovalev on the ice? I think there have been nights when Kovalev has looked disinterested. I think there have been nights when he's tried really hard and gotten results. There's also been far too many nights when he's put up a good effort and has seen zippo in return for said efforts. What I'm trying to say is that it remains to be seen just how much or little an impact Kovy actually had on the ice. We won't know until the Habs take the ice against Ovechkin and Co and even then, Ovechkin may just obliterate the Habs anyway. Kovalev's absence could be fantastic for the team or he could leave a huge gaping hole that no one can fix and they'll skate around floundering like a bunch of fish on a the deck of a boat that are about to suffocate to death.

What really saddens me though, is the possibility that I just saw Kovalev as a Habs for the last time on Sunday without even realizing that this was it. There's every reason to believe that he's not coming back. If he's as proud as people - including Gainey - keep saying, then I could see him not returning. How do you face your team after this? I would be sad not to see Kovalev come back because he's been such a big part of this team but right now, I have to think that he's not coming back.

The depressing bit is, with or without Kovalev, these guys have given me zero reason to believe that they're motivated enough to play better. I honestly believe that this whole mini crisis could have and should have been prevented. Recently, I think their whole problem is all in their heads. And they just seem to unwilling to snap out of it no matter what comes their way.

This move could be the move that wakes up the Habs and sends them roaring into the playoffs.... Or it could be the move that sends them as far down the ranks as is mathematically possible. Oh and do I really need to say that Gainey's job probably rests on the outcome of what just happened today?

For everyone's sake, I hope this turns out to be a good thing.


And Roger Federer going MIA is not improving my sense of panic........