A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens Send Down Nikita Scherbak, Bobby Farnham

By Ken MacMillan

Oct 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Nikita Scherbak (38) skates with the puck as Toronto Maple Leafs center William Nylander (29) puts pressure on him during a preseason hockey game at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Nikita Scherbak (38) skates with the puck as Toronto Maple Leafs center William Nylander (29) puts pressure on him during a preseason hockey game at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Montreal Canadiens have sent down Nikita Scherbak and Bobby Farnham to the St. John’s Ice Caps.

The Montreal Canadiens made a few roster moves shortly after losing 7-1 to the Minnesota Wild. Both wingers Nikita Scherbak and Bobby Farnham were sent down to the St. John’s Ice Caps of the American Hockey League.

Both players started the year in the AHL and have played most of the season with the Ice Caps. With a rash of injuries throughout the Canadiens lineup, reinforcements were needed in the form of Scherbak and Farnham.

Scherbak suited up for three Habs contests. He made his National Hockey League debut on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs and scored a big goal with one second left in the opening period.

More from Habs News

The Russian winger played two more contests this week against the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. He didn’t register any more points but showed he has plenty of offensive capabilities, though his defensive game may be a little bit raw just yet.

The 21 year old winger was the Habs first round pick in 2014. He has scored ten goals and 20 points in 27 games for the Ice Caps this season. He certainly has a bright future with the Canadiens, but needs a bit more seasoning before becoming a full-time NHL winger.

Farnham was a depth signing in the summer. He was brought in to provide leadership and play a depth role for the Ice Caps. The 27 year old winger is a speedy, feisty player but has limited offensive potential.

Bad news for the pair of wingers, but points to Habs forwards getting healthy

In 31 games with the Ice Caps this season, he has five goals and nine points. Farnham also played three games with the Habs but did not register a point. He can skate at the NHL level, but is quite far down the Habs depth chart.

NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens /

The two wingers were healthy scratches as the Canadiens lost 7-1 to the Minnesota Wild tonight. The fact they are being sent down is not good news for them, but is positive news on the Habs injury report.

This means there must be two players being activated in time for the Canadiens next game. The Habs face the New York Rangers Saturday night, looking to make up for an embarrassing loss to the Wild.

The closest players to returning were speculated to be Alex Galchenyuk, Andrew Shaw and Andrei Markov. With two forwards being sent down, it seems likely that Galchenyuk and Shaw will be suiting up on Saturday night.

Next: 8 Rentals On The Habs Radar

It’s about time, as the Canadiens have battled the injury bug without relief since the first of December. Getting Galchenyuk and Shaw back would be a huge boost to the lineup, but we will have to wait until Saturday to see anything official.

Home/Habs News