Montreal Canadiens: A Better Andrew Shaw For Next Season
By Omar L
Andrew Shaw may want to make better on-ice decisions next year after an eventful debut season with the Montreal Canadiens.
The Montreal Canadiens knew what they were getting when they traded for Andrew Shaw. Coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Chicago Blackhawks, Shaw would be another depth piece to a line-up that was lacking in grit. There have been other times however when the 26-year-old could be considered reckless.
There’s no denying that the agitating nature of Shaw’s game is an asset. It’s always good to have a player in your line-up that can throw another team off of their game. Unfortunately for Shaw, that aggression went up to the next level this past season.
To begin, the Belleville-native set a career high in penalty minutes with 110. That’s not really a problem, but it’s something to take note of. He started his time with the Habs by serving a three-game suspension in the preseason. It’s one thing to be aggressive, and another thing to be dangerous. Shaw’s hit on Connor Hobbs was dangerous.
In the first game back from that suspension, Shaw scored a goal in a 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres. He didn’t finish the game though having received a game-misconduct for slew-footing Johan Larsson. Not too bad considering it was the final minutes of the game, but definitely not the smartest decision.
It doesn’t stop there. Shaw received another game misconduct after a questionable hit on Jesper Fast of the New York Rangers. The hit didn’t result in a suspension, but there were those who thought it should have.
Andrew Shaw is a good player, and the best place for him to be is in the line-up. He’s a versatile winger that is a great asset to the team’s power play as the net-front presence. Despite being on the third line, Shaw was also responsible for generating quality scoring chances. Again, that’s all while he is in the line-up.
The Habs wouldn’t want Shaw to change the nature of his game. With that being said, I’m sure they would want him to re-evaluate his decision-making. Like it or not, Shaw is on record now, and will continue to lose the benefit of the doubt from the league if he continues his rash play. Don’t change your game Shaw, just calm it down a little.
Next: Offence to Defence on the Blue-line
What do you think of Shaw’s game? Does his decision-making concern you at times? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!