What, Melanson worry?

I'd like to offer some analysis on what's REALLY going on in Montreal. For those of you who are wondering what the hell is wrong with Carey Price, I will offer this observation: Carey Price is, simply put, confused. This sort of thing happened earlier in the season. Price started really struggling and was sent down to Hamilton to get his game back. When he returned, he was sharper and smarter. The issue now is, why is it happening again? To figure that out, we have to look at why he was struggling, and what made him come back better.

Roland Melanson has been Montreal's goaltending coach for several years now. He made Jose Theodore and Cristobal Huet into all-stars. He emphasizes a strict Butterfly technique, with no allowance for variation. This works well for goalies of Theodore and Huet's stature. In essence, Huet and Theodore are the same goalie. Melanson relies on a combination of covering the bottom half of the net, strong lateral slides, and keeping the torso tall and upright while still playing on one's knees. Whether Melanson's teaching has merit beyond the regular season has yet to be determined--Huet and Theodore were both traded, and neither got past the second round. One strong criticism of Huet and Theodore has been that they are far too quick to go down into the butterfly, and they have trouble stopping high shots. This criticism is a direct result of Melanson's coaching.

Carey Price's regular season trouble began when he started playing more of a butterfly style. Carey Price had relied on an interesting Hybrid style of goaltending up to that point. It gave him success in Juniors, the WJC (where was the MVP), and last year's AHL championship (where he once again was MVP). He plays best when he stays upright, making his large frame fill the net, not only horizontally, but vertically as well. (An example of another goalie who plays a hybrid technique, *somewhat* effectively, is Martin Brodeur.) Carey Price has a much different body type than Huet or Theodore. Whereas Montreal's previous two all-stars were small by NHL standards, Price is a veritable giant. Price got into the NHL with a combination of sheer size advantage, combined with a cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor, and excellent positioning. Price's problem is that Rollie Melanson is trying to make him into a pure butterfly goalie. One could plainly see Price struggle when he tried to change his style this season. He started giving up weak goals, and had to go down to Hamilton to "get his game back." The real reason he go that game back was because he did not have to deal with Melanson's coaching. He started playing HIS game, and when he came back, he once again had his hybrid technique. And with that, Bob Gainey traded Huet to Washington. And Price dominated.

Now, Price is once again struggling. And the reason is DIRECTLY a result of the style he has been playing. I have been watching him play more butterfly technique, going down early on shots, and he is once again letting in weak goals. What I am seeing is Melanson breaking Price's style down completely, trying to rebuild the 20 year-old into a pure butterfly goalie. Of course, Price does not NEED to be rebuilt. His technique may need refining to compete with NHL-caliber shooters, but to completely dismantle Price's style is foolhardy and, ultimately, counterproductive.

The question is, what happens now? For starters, Price must ignore Melanson. If I were Bob Gainey, I would consider firing Melanson in the off-season. Not because Melanson is a bad coach, but because he is not the right coach for Price.
Other goalies may need to be re-trained in order to compete in the NHL, but Price already has the tools. Roland Melanson has only succeeded in confusing a potential all-star, and the damage may be irreparable before long.