BERNE – The French returned to the elite division in 2008 after an absence of four years, and were obviously very comfortable playing in front of pro-French crowds in historic Quebec City. Unlike their previous new-millennium stints in the top 16 (2000, 2004), they managed not to flop in the Relegation Round. Instead, they won a two-game series versus Italy and sent the Azzurri packing. This year, the challenge is for France to find a way to survive in Group B, which includes such geographic rivals as Switzerland and Germany, plus the defending champions from Russia.

Goal

If the Chicago Blackhawks advance in the NHL playoffs and Cristobal Huet is unavailable due to backing up Nikolai Khabibulin, that will clearly be a major blow to France's 2009 hopes. Last year, veteran Italian forward Mario Chitaroni candidly admitted that Huet was the difference in their relegation series: “We ran into a goaltender that's a little above our level. [Huet] did what he was supposed to do.” This season, Huet recorded a 2.53 GAA and 90.9 save percentage in 41 games in the Windy City.

Minus the services of the NHL's only Frenchman, Les Bleus will likely look to 36-year-old Fabrice Lhenry, who has spent the past four seasons with Esbjerg IK in the Danish League. Lhenry recorded 26 saves in a 2-1 OT win over Denmark in a February Olympic qualification tournament, and although France failed to advance to Vancouver 2010, he also kept the score close in a 3-2 loss to Norway. France's other goalie, Eddy Ferhi, won a French championship this year with Grenoble's Brûleurs de Loups, but was ventilated for eight goals on 27 shots versus Kazakhstan in the aforementioned qualification tournament.

Defence

Veterans Baptiste Amar and Vincent Bachet are expected to anchor the French blueline, as usual. At age 21, Grenoble's Antonin Manavian brings some much-needed youth and size: he's among France's biggest players at 191 cm and 100 kg. Generating offence may be a problem for this group: in Canada 2008, apart from Amar's five points, no French rearguard managed more than a single assist. Also, expect the French to struggle with Russia's speed and finesse in Preliminary Round play; even containing the top Swiss and German attackers may prove arduous.

Forward

The French mustered a paltry two goals in Preliminary Round play last year, and without a true game-breaker at the international level, it may be difficult for them to do much better this year. Captain Laurent Meunier was blanked in Canada 2008, and is coming off his weakest offensive season yet in Switzerland with 18 points in 38 games. Another notable veteran, Yorick Treille, mustered just four goals and three assists with Vitkovice in the Czech Extraleague this year. And right wing François Rozenthal, who used to challenge for the French League scoring title, needs to prove he can still be productive on the world stage at age 33. Physically, the French are outmatched by all three of their Group B opponents.

A significant omission from this year's roster is Sébastien Bordeleau, who led the French in scoring at last year's Worlds with six points. The 34-year-old former NHLer won't get the chance to strut his stuff on his Berne home ice, where he's spent the last seven seasons in the Swiss NLA. It appears Bordeleau will not re-sign with Berne after having a poor season, and with the forward's situation up in the air, coach Dave Henderson decided to go a different direction, bringing in another Swiss-based forward in 26-year-old Anthoine Lussier of second-tier team HC La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Coaching

France's coaching staff from 2008 remains intact with a pair of former Amiens forwards. Montreal-born head coach Dave Henderson and assistant Pierre Pousse will aim to maintain a disciplined, simple style with good positioning in the defensive zone, because France cannot afford to take too many penalties at this level. The Top-10 finishes of the mid-1990's are now an unattainable target; mere survival will call upon all of France's meagre resources.

Projected Results

France's best chance for a victory that could save them from the horrors of relegation play will come on April 28 in their Preliminary Round closer versus Germany. But will the French have the right mindset to outwork the Germans? They'll likely be coming off a lopsided loss to the Russians two days earlier. The most realistic scenario for Les Bleus sees them battling it out in the Relegation Round versus the likes of Austria or Hungary, hoping not to say “au revoir” again.

LUCAS AYKROYD