Montreal Canadiens: What the Recent Trades Mean for Michael McCarron
The Montreal Canadiens made two trades Wednesday at the AHL level and there’s a chance they could impact Michael McCarron’s role on the team.
It’s hard to say that Montreal Canadiens fans expected anything big from the team on Wednesday. The NHL kicked itself into gear but unfortunately the team wasn’t set to make their debut until the next day. That didn’t stop Marc Bergevin from making some moves.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that these are massive trades. Both were deals to improve and round out the Laval Rocket’s line-up. Kyle Baun or Nicolas Deslauriers seeing time with the Habs this season is pretty unlikely, but you never know what happens or who stands out. To be honest seeing Deslauriers play will be special since he’s another home town kid. How many is that so far? Seven?
Anyway, what’s interesting about these deals is how they can impact the dynamic of the team. In particular with Michael McCarron.
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Role Change
Fans can all agree that the 2013 1st round pick hasn’t progressed as quickly as they would’ve hoped. It would’ve been nice to see him compete for a spot on the team instead of starting another season in the AHL. Jacob de La Rose was able to find a new gear and force Claude Julien‘s hand and it was a little disappointing to see a lack of urgency from McCarron.
It’s not over yet though. If there’s some kind of injury or a player underperforms, he’ll probably be one of the first players to get the call. For now, McCarron is set to start his third season with the Habs’ AHL affiliate.
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Similar to last season, the 22-year-old will be the team’s top line center. He only managed to put up seven goals and 12 assists last year, but that was because of limited time spent on the team. With the amount of talent throughout the line-up, there’s no reason why those totals shouldn’t increase.
A frequent part of McCarron’s game is his willingness to drop the gloves. Looking at his records (via dropyourgloves.com), fighting has been something he’s done a lot. Interestingly enough, Deslauriers has also fought with a lot of players in the AHL. Between him as well as David Broll, Jèrèmy Gregoire, and Yannick Veilleux, Laval will have no shortage of fighters.
Although Deslauriers brings aspects other than five-minute majors, perhaps this is a tactic to get McCarron to play instead of worrying about fighting all the time. There’s value in a player like the Michigan native, and I’m sure the Habs would rather see him showing how good of a center he can be than how well he can fight.
This will be a big season for McCarron. There could be another spot open on the Montreal Canadiens next year depending on what happens with Tomas Plekanec. Hopefully he’s focused and willing to be a force for the Rocket. With how close they are to the Habs (distance-wise) Bergevin and Julien will definitely have an eye on him.
Next: The Laval Rocket's Roster
Do you think fighting was part of the reason for the trades? What do you expect from McCarron this season? Let us know your thoughts down below.