Will Jarred Tinordi, Darren Dietz or Francis Bouillon Be the Montreal Canadiens 7th Defender?

The Montreal Canadiens preseason is winding down, with their exhibition finale going tonight against the Ottawa Senators. They still have a few tough decisions to make when it comes to their final roster, and one of the most difficult choices will be who is the seventh defender?

It looks quite obvious, to me at least, that the pairings of Alexei Emelin with P.K. Subban, Tom Gilbert and Andrei Markov as well as Mike Weaver alongside Nathan Beaulieu will stick together as the top six when the season beings on Wednesday.

However, with 23 players named to a final roster, teams typically carry one extra defenceman who practices with the team and plays sparingly, waiting for an injury to occur before he gets his chance.

Oct 3, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jarred Tinordi (24) skates with the puck in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Right now the Canadiens have three more defencemen left in camp battling for the final roster spot. Jarred Tinordi, Darren Dietz and Francis Bouillon appear to be in a fight to make the team.

Tinordi is a former first round pick, and bring s a physical presence that is lacking on the Canadiens team. At 6’6” and 245 pounds, Tinordi has been playing a physical role throughout the preseason, but has not had a great camp overall.

His defensive lapses in exhibition games has me wondering whether it makes sense to keep him around as the seventh defender, or if he should play on the top pairing for the Hamilton Bulldogs to begin the season.

Darren Dietz is the surprise holdover at this part in camp, as it was expected he would be one of the first players sent to the American Hockey League when the Bulldogs camp opened last Tuesday.

The 21 year old Dietz was a fifth round pick of the Habs in 2011, and had five points in 34 games with the Bulldogs last season. I assumed he needed much more seasoning in the minors, and his play in camp has not impressed me to the point that he should still be in the Habs camp.

I fully expect Dietz to find himself in Hamilton when the season starts.

Apr 12, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers left wing Carl Hagelin (62) is checked by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon (55) during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

That leaves Francis Bouillon battling with Tinordi for the final roster spot. Bouillon is a veteran of 776 NHL games, but at the age of 38 is rapidly declining. There was a time not long ago when Bouillon was a decent option at the bottom of your lineup. However, he showed over the past two seasons he can no longer defend at the NHL level, and his camp should not inspire confidence in the Habs management that he suddenly rediscovered his game.

The question then becomes, do you want a 22 year old Tinordi as your extra skater, or a 38 year old Bouillon? Ideally you would want someone in the middle who is a dependable defender. A 30 year old who has NHL experience would be a great option to carry as your seventh guy and use sparingly.

Tinordi, at 22 may be wasting a pivotal development year if he sits in the press box and only dresses for every fourth or fifth contest, while Bouillon may not be good enough to even play every now and again.

So, what should the Habs do, and what will they do? Unfortunately, the answer is likely not the same for both questions.

They should not sign Bouillon and release him from his tryout agreement. At 38 he is just not the 28 year old version of himself who played a physical role and could skate well. Keeping him around because of circumstances such as not wanting to keep a young defenceman in the press box doesn’t make sense.

They should keep Tinordi around, and when the inevitable injuries do happen, the enormous, physical defender could step into the lineup and form a shutdown duo with Weaver. Beaulieu would be moved into a top four role, but his skating and hockey sense would ensure that is not too much of the 21 year old to handle.

Sep 26, 2014; Quebec City, Quebec, CAN; Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) falls after being checked by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jarred Tinordi (24) during the second period at Colisee Pepsi. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

But will the Canadiens do this? I highly doubt it. Michel Therrien has forged a bond with Bouillon that go back to his Junior days with the Laval Titan and Granby Predateurs, where the pair won a QMJHL Championship together in 1996.

Therrien trusts Bouillon in a way that no other coach in the league would, because they are not blinded by loyalty, and can clearly see that Bouillon has declined drastically in the past few years.

My guess is the Habs sign Bouillon to a one year deal and keep him on the team for another year too long. This wouldn’t even bother me if Bouillon was just the extra player all season in case of emergency where a defenceman gets injured in warmup, or falls ill on a lengthy road trip.

However, is the Habs do sign Bouillon, they will end up using him far more than they should, and young defencemen like Tinordi and Beaulieu will be forced to stay in the minors longer, and be healthy scratches more often than they should be.

I’m not going to like it, and neither should you, but don’t be surprised when Francis Bouillon gets signed to a minimum NHL-wage deal in the coming days, and Tinordi starts the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs.