Montreal Canadiens Should Recall Michael McCarron to Fill Center Void
The Montreal Canadiens recent injury woes at Center have left them without their top scorer. The Habs should recall Michael McCarron and give their Top prospect a chance to fill the void.
The Montreal Canadiens have recently gotten some bad news on the injury front, and it has cost the Habs two Centers. Yesterday the Canadiens announced that Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais would both be out for 6-8 weeks with lower body injuries. Desharnais has struggled over the first quarter of the season, but Galchenyuk had emerged as the Habs number one Center.
In 25 games Galchenyuk had scored 23 points and had formed a wonderful duo with Alexander Radulov. Recently, the Canadiens have been struggling to find offense from forwards that were expected to produce, and this makes Galchenyuk’s injury even more costly. The Canadiens will have to make a roster move in the near future to help fill the void left by Galchenyuk.
Habs Center Depth
The Canadiens do have a lot of depth at Center to help replace Desharnais and Galchenyuk. Here are the following current Habs players that are natural Center’s:
It’s clear that the Habs have many bodies who could step in and replace Galchenyuk’s minutes. However, none of these players Centers been able to produce like Galchenyuk has this season. Plekanec has been the Habs most dependable Center for years but has struggled mightily this season.
In 26 games Plekanec has only scored twice and has totaled just nine points. The Habs need Pleky to step up and also need to find an insurance policy in case any more bodies go down to injury.
Habs Have McCaron
However, the Canadiens do have some talent in St Johns that they should recall. Center Michael McCarron was a former first round pick who has flashed a ton of upside. McCarron is a big physical power forward who could bring the Canadiens something they have lacked for years.
Michael McCarron stands at 6’6″ and weighs 231 pounds. McCarron is also not afraid to throw his weight around and he likes to bring the puck right to the net. He plays a simple and effective style.
This season with the St. Johns Ice Caps McCarron hasn’t been as consistent but that may be because his line mates have been recalled so often. Players like Sven Andrighetto and Charles Hudon, have been recalled throughout the season. This may have thrown of the Chemistry with Ice Caps lines and as a result effected McCarron’s performance.
Last Season, McCarron thrived for the Ice Caps as he scored 17 goals and totaled 38 points in 58 games. McCarron was also recalled to the Canadiens last season. However, during his time with the Habs, McCarron was used on the bottom six lines and wasn’t given much responsibility.
McCarron Should Be Recalled
McCarron was recently injured but the injury isn’t believed to be to serious as he is listed as day to day. Once McCarron is cleared for contact the Canadiens should recall him to see if he can make an impact in their top six. The Canadiens need to know what they have in McCarron if they intend on using him in the future.
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A good line combination for McCarron to be on would be placing him in between Forwards Andrew Shaw and Brendan Gallagher. All three of these Forwards bring a ton of energy and like to get under their opponents skin. Also they all play a very simple style and it would be easy for McCarron to immediately step in and produce.