Montreal Canadiens: Scherbak Should be on the 2nd Line

The Montreal Canadiens need to give their talented young winger a chance to produce in his first game.

Today, the Montreal Canadiens released what their lines will look like Saturday night when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs. The lineup looks very thin at forward, because of the players currently hurry. In fact the roster looks like a half and half, between the St Johns Ice Caps, and Canadiens.

As a result, the Habs depth players, and young players, will have to step up their game over the next few weeks. The Habs have recalled two Forwards that will try and fill the void, and they are Sven Andrighetto and Nikita Scherbak. Andrighetto has had numerous chances to stick with the Canadiens, but hasn’t been able to earn a roster spot.

Nikita Scherbak will be playing his first game with the Canadiens on Saturday night, against the Maple Leafs. Scherbak is a talented offensive winger, and was the Canadiens first round pick, in the 2014 NHL Draft. However it doesn’t look like he will be able to get on the ice much, according to the new lines.

The New Lines

Here are what the new look lines, the Canadiens announced today:

Max Pacioretty – Phillip Danault – Alexander Radulov
Sven Andrighetto –  Tomas Plekanec – Artturi Lehkonen
Daniel Carr – Torrey Mitchell – Brian Flynn
Nikita Scherbak – Michael McCarron – Bobby Farnham

Obviously, the lines have a few glaring holes because of all the injuries. However, what’s really annoying, is that Scherbak will be playing his first career game, on the Habs fourth line. Scherbak probably won’t get much ice time, and may not play much in offensive situations, like the Power Play.

Here is a sample of just how talented Scherbak is:

Also, the Canadiens are going to give top six minutes to Sven Andrighetto, who has never been consistent. In 64 career games, Andrighetto has only scored nine goals, and totaled 22 points. Often Andrighetto seems to be unnoticeable, or seems to be floating around the ice.

Final Thoughts

The Canadiens need to give their young players a chance to produce, and should be putting them in situations where they can be effective. Scherbak’s skill set is much better suited to be on the Canadiens second line, next to Plekanec and Lehkonen.

Next: Canadiens Should Give Radulov a Contract Extension

Scherbak may be more comfortable playing with his team mates from the St Johns Ice Caps. However, Scherbak playing in a top six role could allow him to build more confidence in his ability.