Montreal Canadiens Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin Battle To Be Paired With P.K. Subban

The Montreal Canadiens training camp is well underway with three preseason games in the books. The Habs have already began to narrow the list of players who have a shot at making the NHL roster when the regular season begins in 11 days.

Though the battles for roster spots are fairly predictable, the battle for ice time among veterans on the roster is going to be heated all season. One such battle that is already taking place, is between longtime defence partners Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin.

Sep 25, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban (76) celebrates his goal against Colorado Avalanche with teammate defenseman Greg Pateryn (64) during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

With Emelin moving to the left side, Markov and Emelin will no longer play together, but will wrestle each other for ice time at even strength. After Josh Gorges was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres this summer, the coveted position of playing alongside P.K. Subban opened up, and it is either Emelin or Markov’s job to take over.

It was widely believed that the Habs top pairing this season would be Subban and Markov, two offensive minded defencemen who played very well when briefly used together last season. However, when camp began it was Emelin who was playing on the top pairing, and he has remained there throughout camp thus far.

Markov is a great offensive defenceman who has very underrated abilities to defend his own zone as well. His tremendous work on the Habs shorthanded unit goes mostly unnoticed, but Markov is still a solid two way defender at the age of 35.

Emelin is a heavy hitting defender who battled consistency last season after returning from offseason knee surgery. He earned his 4 million dollar contract by bringing a physical presence to the Habs blue line, but in a complimentary role on the second pairing. He has a heavy shot, but his offensive game is very limited, and he could accurately be described as a defensive defenceman.

It appears that Emelin has the inside track on the comfortable job of being Subban’s partner, but I disagree with the Habs thinking on this one.

May 25, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) battles for the puck with Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin (74) during the third period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Emelin is a physical defenceman who will play an increased role on the penalty kill this season with Gorges gone, but he is not a top pairing defender at the NHL level. His advanced stats from last season paint a picture of a player who was carried by Markov most of the year, and it does not make sense to promote him to top line duties after struggling for prolonged stretches.

When Emelin was on the ice with Markov last season, which was most of his ice time, the pair had a Corsi For percentage of 47.1. When Emelin was apart from Markov, his CF% was 40.0.

I think a combination of moving Emelin to the left side of the ice, and him being fully recovered from his knee injuries will make him a much improved player this season. However, I just don’t think he is a good enough defenceman to be playing on the top pairing with P.K. Subban.

May 9, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K.Subban (76) celebrates his goal against Ottawa Senators with teammate defenseman Andrei Markov (79) during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Markov is a perfect fit on the top pairing with Subban, and this was proven when they played together last season. The two played just over 600 minutes of 5 on 5 ice time together last season, and produced a CF% of 51.9 in that time. It may not seem overly dominant, but when you play that many minutes, every percentage point represents a huge chunk of possession time for your team over the course of a season.

The reason Markov and Subban were split apart last season, and again at camp this year, was an effort to balance out the rest of the defence pairings. When they played together last season, the bottom four of Gorges-Emelin and Murray-Bouillon struggled mightily.

However, with Tom Gilbert signed this summer, Emelin recovered and playing his natural side of the ice, Nathan Beaulieu likely cracking the roster full time and Mike Weaver providing stability that Murray and Bouillon could not, the Habs don’t need to worry about the bottom four anymore.

Nothing is set in stone just yet, but it looks like the Habs will try to balance the pairing again this year by placing Emelin with Subban, even though having Markov there would give the Habs one of the best pairing in the Eastern Conference.

It makes no sense to me that the Canadiens would not want the best pairing in the East, so it will be interesting to watch the next 10 days of camp to see if Markov can knock Emelin off that top pairing.