Montreal Canadiens: Candidates to make the All-Star Team
Voting for the NHL All-Star Team captains have already started, but it makes you think who will be representing the Montreal Canadiens for the entire event.
Besides actual games played, there are a few other things to look forward to in an NHL season. The Trade Deadline is the clear attention grabber from most fans, but the All-Star Weekend is something we always have fun watching. It’s always a sight to see the best players from all over the league come together for the Skills Competition and the eventual game the next day. The days that lead up to it have some buzz as well as people try to predict who’s going to be on each team.
Preparation for the All-Star weekend has already started, and the polls to vote for a team captain from each division have been open for a few days. It’s a nice way to get the fans involved in the event, even though you’re limited to who you can vote for (we have the John Scott event to thank for that).
However, the rest of the players named to each team is still up for debate. It makes you wonder who from the Montreal Canadiens will get the consideration. The Habs season has had its ups and downs, but there have been several players who have stood out and are well deserving of being an All-Star.
Assuming the format is going to stay the same from last year, 11 players will be on each divisional team including the voted captain. There isn’t much wiggle room there, but at very least, we’re guaranteed at least one Montreal Canadiens player. Who is it?
His Name is Price, and He’s Right
There were red flags and panic around Carey Price and how he was playing for the Montreal Canadiens early in the season. It seemed like the lower-body injury he sustained was a blessing in disguise.
The mental aspect of the game is just as important as what a player actually does. Price never vocalized this, but it has to be tough not playing at the level he knew he could be at. At the same time, Charlie Lindgren‘s performance with the Habs made the decision to stay out longer easier.
Then he came back, and he was beyond good. Price was Price. Even though Montreal seemed to fall into the same tropes of relying on him to save games for them, you could see that his play was seeping through the rest of the lineup and allowing them to play with more confidence.
Price has a 5-1-0 record, and a .946 save percentage. In that time frame, he’s made some spectacular saves. For example:
I'm running out of ways to describe how good Carey Price is pic.twitter.com/bzk5ke9erP
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) December 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/shaynepasquino/status/936401709320036352
Save of the night HAS to go to Carey Price... WHAT A STOP! pic.twitter.com/fvLkB8wjOh
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 28, 2017
His early struggles may keep Price out of the All-Star weekend, but his recent play should trigger some thought. If he made it this year, it would be his sixth appearance going in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017. It would be nice to see Price there. We don’t get to see him let loose often.
— Bill The Thrill (@Pricer31) December 1, 2017
Wheels
Not many appreciate how great of a find Paul Byron was. His career-high 22-goal season last year came with mixed feelings. The majority of Habs fans were ecstatic that a player the team claimed off waivers the year before could be so effective offensively. On the other hand, many claimed it was just a “lucky hot year” and that Byron wouldn’t be able to do it again. His 22.9% shooting percentage was a big part of that argument.
That’s a pretty high percentage to shoot at. Byron is currently shooting at 19.6%, so it’s lower but still high. However, the 28-year-old has nine goals on the season and is coming off scoring his first career hat-trick over the weekend.
On top of that, Byron kills penalties and is one of the hardest forecheckers on the team. There is rarely a game when you don’t notice him as he’s either getting a scoring chance or a shorthanded breakaway, and Habs fans will tell you the latter happens more often than you think. Add in the fact that Byron is only making $1.167 million and you can see how good the Montreal Canadiens have it with him on the team.
Considering there is still another 53 games left to play in the regular season, Byron potting in 11 more goals is a strong possibility.
Byron is an All-Star on the Habs; we’ll just have to see if the league thinks of him in the same light. If he does make it, it will be the first time in his eight-year career. If not, they’ll be more opportunities to do so, as long as he continues what he’s been doing in Montreal for the last three.
Winger Turned Center
There was nothing else that made this season more exciting than Jonathan Drouin. Marc Bergevin surprised the league again when he made the trade for the 23-year-old giving up prospect Mikhail Sergachev in the process. The hype around him increased further when fans learned of the plan to have him play center.
The middle of the ice has always been a weakness for the Habs. Tomas Plekanec has been a center for the team for years, and Phillip Danault has settled in as a good number two, but they didn’t have that top-line center that other organizations have.
Many were skeptical towards the idea of Drouin playing center acknowledging his offensive skill but doubting his ability to play the 200ft game that we knew Claude Julien prides himself in. Fast forward three months later, and Drouin is the team’s top line center, and he’s good.
Sure there are some moments where he misses an assignment here or there, but overall, his play away from the puck and especially his backchecking, have been impressive. The main critique for him has been the same one all season. The Quebec-native isn’t getting the wins in the faceoff circle, and that’s an aspect of his performance that is holding back from reaching the next level as a center.
Drouin is currently in second place on the Montreal Canadiens in scoring with 5 goals and 12 assists. He’s been away from the team for the past three games, but once he returns, he’ll be ready to create some more magic with Alex Galchenyuk.
The Hardest Shot in the NHL
Similarly to Price, it wouldn’t be the first rodeo for Shea Weber at an All-Star Weekend. The 32-year-old has appeared in six of them, including the last three. In those three years, Weber was dubbed the player with the hardest shot.
That’s not surprising. Many have fallen victim to it, including that poor net at the 2010 Olympic qualifying match against Germany.
The simplest reason to send Weber to the this year’s All-Star Weekend would be that you have to give the guy a chance to defend his title. However, there’s more to it than that.
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Weber has continued to be a force on the Montreal Canadiens blueline. Although some are waiting for him to take a step back, he’s still playing in all situations for the Habs, both normal and critical. Additionally, goal scoring hasn’t left his arsenal as he as six on the season including his 500th point on that curve shot on Tuesday.
He’s spent a few games out of the lineup, but you can see what kind of impact it has. Sure, Jeff Petry was great in his absence and took on the bulk of his minutes, yet there were things he did that Weber would never do.
You can also attribute Victor Mete‘s growth as an NHL defenceman to Weber’s guidance.
If the NHL selects more than one player from the Habs, Weber will be there. However, there is another individual on the team who deserves it more than anyone.
The Spark of the Team
“What an effort from Brendan Gallagher.” How many times have we heard that this season? Gallagher has been the best player for the Montreal Canadiens, and it’s not even close. Every single game we see him doing something. There’s a reason why his line is usually the best one each night as he’s either getting into a heavy battle in front of the net or generating a scoring chance with Charles Hudon.
Gallagher has been and still is leading the team in goals with 13. Not too long ago, he got his 200th career point from scoring his 10th goal of the season against the Columbus Blue Jackets becoming the 11th player from the 2010 draft to do that. During the Saturday game, Gallagher put the Habs up 7-0 in the third period, getting his 100th career goal in the process.
If anyone on the Montreal Canadiens deserves to go, it’s Gallagher. Take a look at the Poll for Twitter Poll Thursday, and you can tell Habs fans feel the same way.
Who should make the All-Star Team this season? (Vote and Retweet) #Habs #GoHabs
— A Winning Habit (@FSAWinningHabit) December 6, 2017
It’s impossible to see what he’s done for the Habs all season and what he means to the team’s success and say he shouldn’t be an All-Star. Personally, it would be great to see him down in Tampa with the other NHL stars.
Gallagher probably isn’t phased by it at all, but seeing that smile in the skills competition and the eventual game would put one on all Habs fans’ faces.
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Who do you think should make the All-Star Team from the Montreal Canadiens? Do you agree that Gallagher should be there? How many Habs players will make it? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.