Canadiens Need Koivu To Finish Off The Bruins

[Habsfan84]

Sometime between games two and three of the Canadiens Bruins series, the question of whether the Habs still needed captain Saku Koivu was brought up. The Canadiens had won their final regular season games without Koivu, and seemed to be doing just fine in the playoffs as his injury kept him on the sidelines.

Now, just how quickly some hockey fans can jump to conclusions in regards to a player is rather amazing. Equally amazing is how fast that opinion can change given a shift of perspectives and situations.

One loss, now two, and the question is no longer whether the Canadiens can live without the usefulness of Koivu, but how much he is missed, and when is he coming back.

To be fair, the question of Koivu's pertinence to the Canadiens hasn't only been brought up with recent events. It has been an ongoing discussion that seemed to gain points as the season has progressed.

It's long been a knock on Koivu that for all he is worth, he has never been, and likely will never be a true top line centerman. That argument has had a certain merit, but in fairness, Koivu had a career season in 2006-07, wherein he tallied 22 goals, 53 assists, and 75 points, all career benchmarks. To put that season in perspective, only 12 other NHL centerman bested those totals.

Read the reast at: Eyes On The Prize: Canadiens Need Koivu To Finish Off The Bruins