A better 2010-11 for Sergei K? Nyet!

en·ig·mat·ic/ˌenigˈmatik/

Adjective: Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious. See Kostitsyn, Sergei

There hasn’t been a lot since he was traded, but this past week I did manage to come across a bit of news/chatter on Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Martin’s favorite whipping boy of 2009-10.

Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton talked, to the Nashville Tennessean, last week on the troubled forward that he acquired in a trade for Dan Ellis and Dustin Boyd on June 29.

“He was under the microscope a little bit in the Montreal system,” Fenton said. “I think a new start at a new place like ours where it's a concept of everyone working together is something he will accept.”

“This kid is a really solid, two-way player and he always has been,” Fenton said. “He's very responsible on both sides of the puck. His two-way game is very attractive to me.”

Fenton’s roll with the Predators involves player acquisitions and overseeing the team’s pro and amateur scouting, Suffice to say Kostitsyn and Fenton are well known to each other, as the winger has been on Fenton’s radar since he has been in his mid-teens.

From a blogger point of view, “Guy Lapylon” of Faceoff.com tags Kostitsyn as a bounce-back player this season.

“I think his move to Nashville was a blessing for the Belarusian. Kostitsyn has talent and I think he will get the playing time he was looking for in Montreal.”

Now whether or not this happens may not fall just on Kostitsyn’s work ethic, or change of scenery, but rather with the scoring talent surrounding him.

The Belarusian has always been considered a playmaker, but the 2010-11 Predators roster has no players with over 60 points last season. Without any true finisher to feed pucks to, a turnaround season has to be seriously questioned for the 23-year-old winger.

He’ll likely get the playing time he feels he deserves, but with little offensive depth in Nashville that is to be expected.

Unless a move is made for a top-level shooter, don’t expect that “come back to bite the Habs in the ass” season out if him. I wouldn’t be surprised though to see a offensive spurt around the time he faces his former team on November 18, in Montreal.

Another interesting observation is that there has been little comment from Camp Kostitsyn on the trade, or his one-year $550,000 signing with the Predators.

In fact, a noted Predators blog site doesn’t even list Kostitsyn in their poll of who will lead the team in scoring in 2010-11.

Given Paul Fenton’s long relationship with him, and the fact the Predators are kicking off their season promotional campaigns, you’d think that he would be more up front and centre for the club by now.

On the other hand, Fenton also knows that Kostitsyn isn’t exactly a great orator either, so a press engagement would be rather redundant. Fans and media in Montreal had enough difficulty understanding him, so imagine the backwoods Tennesseans out of the Smokey Mountains trying to figure it out.

In Montreal, we already know which number Dustin Boyd will wear, and he’s already made a brief media appearance for the club.

Then again Kostitsyn is now playing in Nashville, where hockey isn’t exactly big talk on any day of the week. For all we know, he could be drunk and riding the mechanical bull at The Wildhorse Saloon yelling, “Look at me, I’m cowboy!” and everyone will think he’s just one of the crowd.

The Canadiens at The First Quarter Mark: Call 911 !!

Is it just a coincidence that the Montreal Canadiens record at the quarter season mark is 9-11? I don't think so.

Saturday night's embarassing loss to the Nashville Predators put an exclamation point on the start to the Habs 2009-10 season.

Playing one of the worst offences in the NHL, the Canadiens allowed 55 Predator shots to get at Carey Price. 55!

Leave it to the typical Price bashers who pounced on him during "live blogs" that the first one he let in was a softie. Jacques Plante could have let in a soft one last night, it wouldn't have mattered, ditto for Dryden, Roy, Vezina, etc.

Price was again hung out to dry by his team much like he was the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season. Only difference is, these were the Nashvile Predators shooting the pucks.

Number 31 kept his team in the game for 60 minutes and the offense never had one seriously decent scoring opportunity.

The Canadiens have now been shutout twice in three games and have six goals in their last five games in regulation play. One of those was an empty net goal Thursday against Phoenix.

The loss of Brian Gionta, prior to Saturday night's game, pretty much nullified the Canadiens top scoring line, not to mention losing their best two-way forward.

So what did the the remaining dozen forwards do out there, step it up? No, instead they just let the Predators do what they wished with the puck. You would have thought that the "Gui" who was to be scratched that night would have been an over-acheivers Saturday, right?

Just imagine what teams like Carolina, Washington and Detroit would do in these situations. I guess we'll find out this week.

You have to wonder if Steve Sullivan gets 11 shots and scores twice, then what could real snipers like Ovechkin or Datsyuk do if given the same number of attempts.

Many of the Canadiens problems lie in their defensive injuries as Jaroslav Spacek, Paul Mara and Roman Hamrlik are becoming workhorses out there. That will only hold up for so long, and Saturday's game could be a sign they are wearing down.

After that, with the exception of Josh Gorges, the defense corps is ECHL quality at the best of times.

In all likelihood, coach Martin will be bag-skating his boys later Sunday morning in an effort to wake them up.

Barring a therapy day, Carey Price will be forced to be right in there with them.

Maybe coach Martin should give them all (except Price) a glass of milk after the skate. That way they'll know how he and his goalie felt after Saturday night.

With his contract going into RFA status at the end of the season, you really have to wonder if Price even wants to remain in Montreal after what he has endured so far this season.

Perhaps the next 20 games will give us some answers.

Photo: Getty Images

Canadiens enter Music City: Enjoy the Hot Dogs Gui!

Coach Jacques Martin has finally had enough of Guillaume Latendresse's woeful start to the 2009-10 season.

The Canadiens second-round pick in 2005 will view Saturday's game against Nashville, from the press box, as a healthy scratch.

The 22-year-old winger has just two goals and an assist in nineteen games with a minus four rating this season.

Coach Martin has given Latendresse numerous chances to prove himself, on different lines, and a recent third period benching was a sign of things to come.

Kyle Chipchura will take his place in the lineup. Gregory Stewart is the other healthy scratch.

Carey Price will get his second straight start, against Pekka Rinne, after Thursday's 4-2 win over Phoenix.

Defenseman Jaroslav Spacek says he will be able to play Saturday night, after suffering a leg injury Thursday, but could be a game-time decision by Martin.

If fans thought Montreal's offense has been struggling out the gate, Nashville's is far worse.

The Predators rank 29th in goals much in part to their last-place power play which sits at 11.1%.

My True Nashville Hockey Experience: I was in Nashville to see the Canadiens play one of their first games ever in Music City back in 1998 during the Predators inaugural year.

Keep in mind now that this was when Fox had a contract with the NHL. Those who remember those days will recall some certain special effects used by FOX to try to explain the game and make it easier for them to understand and follow along.

Well about five minutes in, a lady in the seat behind me asks her husband, "Hey hu'cum I don't see the red light go across the ice when they shoot the puck?".......