One of the newest and least talked about additions to the Montreal Canadiens blue-line is David Schlemk who could have a more important role than we think.
If you read discussions on the Montreal Canadiens, their mostly about the blue-line. In particular, who they lost. The only addition who is talked about the most is Karl Alzner. Mostly because of his previous role on the Washington Capitals and how much he’ll be making in Montreal next season.
A name that is sometimes forgotten is David Schlemko. The Canadiens acquired the Schlemko from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2019 5th round pick after they selected him from the San Jose Sharks at the Expansion Draft. Ever since, fans have been married to the idea that he’ll be on the team’s bottom pairing.
It’s not an unfair assumption to make. Schlemko was on the bottom-pair back with the Sharks and excelled at that position. Additionally, the 30-year-old was given time on the second power play unit.
With all that, are we underestimating what Schlemko can bring to the Montreal Canadiens next season?
Related Story: TPT: Who Plays on the Top-Pair?
Schlemko as a Dark-Horse
Regular voice of TSN 690 Dan Robertson joined Sean Campbell to discuss the changes the team has made this offseason. Campbell asked Robertson who he was the most excited to see who will be new on the Canadiens. Robertson responded saying:
"I don’t know if excited is the word, but intrigued a little bit about David Schelmko. I know he’s a pretty good skater, but he’s still sort of anonymous to me. Where’s he going to fit? Is he going to play more minutes than they would like because there’s some weakness over on that left-side…I’m not expecting great things out of him, but looking around online and listening to other people’s opinions he might have something to offer."
Is Robertson right? Can Schlemko surprise people next season? As it stands now, he and Mark Streit are the only proven NHLers on the left-side that can handle the puck. There’s also Jakub Jerabek, but we’ve yet to see what he can do.
Related Story: Jerabek Should Make the Team
Schlemko has averaged around 17 minutes of ice time over his career. However, he can play more if needed. With the way he skates and his commitment to both ends of the ice, it’s possible Shclemko could play higher in the line-up. The top-pair with Shea Weber may be too much of a jump, but the second with Jeff Petry should be a good fit.
Additionally, Schlemko could get power play time if Claude Julien doesn’t use the 1-4 model on both units.
We’ll have to wait until training camp to see who matches up with who. There’s a large wave of people who thought Streit would replace Andrei Markov. Perhaps Schlemko will surprise us and do for the Habs next season what Markov did.
Next: Trading For Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
What do you think Schlemko could do next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!