Montreal Canadiens: Working With the David Schlemko Situation
By Omar L
David Schlemko is set to miss more time from the Montreal Canadiens after undergoing surgery for his hand, but this could open up a spot for another call up.
Montreal Canadiens fans have been patiently waiting for the regular season debut of David Schlemko. It looked like it could come last weekend after he was sent to the Laval Rocket for a conditioning stint and recalled the next day. He didn’t play that night against the Toronto Maple Leafs as Claude Julien told media that he wasn’t 100%.
The potential of Schlemko’s debut took another hit after he didn’t travel with the team to California. Now we know why. The team announced on Wednesday that the 30-year-old will be undergoing surgery to remove a bone fragment from his hand.
It will be another 3-4 weeks before Schlemko can get back to work. As bad as it sounds, the Montreal Canadiens could benefit from this. The team has a chance to call someone up from the Laval Rocket now that they have an extra spot available.
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The Habs need to find a way to score more and make less defensive errors. It would be nice to think that the team could just come together on its own and figure it out, but the state of things warrant some kind of change in the lineup. Inserting a young player could be the trick considering they would know that the opportunity wouldn’t last forever and fight to prove themselves.
Take a look at Victor Mete and Charles Hudon. They’ve been two of the most impressive players on the team despite being rookies. That drive to impress takes you a long way.
If the Montreal Canadiens decide to take this avenue, who should get the call?
Call up Options
Nikita Scherbak
The first name that comes to mind is Nikita Scherbak. He’s been involved in a lot of Laval’s offence with a goal and five assists. The only snag is that Scherbak may have sustained an injury in Sunday’s game against the Binghamton Devils.
He was skating at practice on Monday so it is possible it was just a tweak. We’ll have to see whether Scherbak plays in their next game. He’s earned a call up if healthy and would be a big improvement over someone like Ales Hemsky.
Daniel Carr
The 25-year-old had an explosive debut to his AHL regular season scoring a hat trick. Daniel Carr isn’t new to the NHL scene having spent time with the Montreal Canadiens over the last two years.
Jim Carr passed away Oct. 2. His son Daniel had quite the return to the lineup last night.#BNGvsLAV rematch today at 3 ET on #RDS2 pic.twitter.com/TJSvb9JhA7
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) October 14, 2017
Carr may not be able to snipe goalies out of the net on a nightly basis, but he has the drive and the work ethic to be a good addition to the Habs. He could be the spark the team needs even if it’s on the fourth line.
Brett Lernout
Considering the state of Montreal’s bottom pairing, it wouldn’t be surprising if this is the call up (assuming there is one). Brett Lernout was outstanding in the preseason. He was steady in the defensive zone, made hits that that caused turnovers, and set up forwards for scoring chances.
Jordie Benn and Joseph Morrow are struggling while Brandon Davidson hasn’t looked as bad. It would be interesting to see what Lernout could do with the Habs considering it would give them another heavy shot from the blueline.
Chris Terry or Matt Taormina
These two are in the same boat. Both are leading the team in points for forwards and defencemen respectively. Chris Terry has three goals and four assists while Matt Taormina has put up a goal and six assists. Based on those totals, one of them could be the best option to bring up to play on the Canadiens.
Unfortunately, Terry and Taormina have been prolific scorers at the AHL level who have struggled in the NHL. Terry would have a better chance since he played 14 games for the Montreal Canadiens last season.
Who knows what the Habs will do in response to this free spot. They could very well do nothing and leave it to the players on the team.