Montreal Canadiens: Back to the drawing board
By Omar L
It’s time for the Montreal Canadiens to get back to business after taking the last two days off, the season isn’t over yet, and there’s plenty of hockey left.
This four-day break couldn’t have come at a better point in the season for the Montreal Canadiens. Did they deserve the time off? You could argue for and against that question. However, taking a few days to step away from the game will hopefully help their mentality moving forward.
Tuesday against the Blues was bad, Thursday against the Flames was frustrating, and Saturday doesn’t need to be talked about again. Montreal will have another chance to make things right when they take on the New Jersey Devils this week before staying on the road for a long time.
Fortunately, their road trip starts with the NHL 100 Classic against the Ottawa Senators. Considering how big of a stage that will be, the Habs won’t want to lose.
Claude Julien and the rest of the coaching staff need to take a long hard look at what they have. With Victor Mete being loaned to Team Canada, there shouldn’t be many changes on the blueline when it comes to personnel.
The Habs could have a chance to have a puck-mover on every pair if Julien decides to do it. Jakub Jerabek has played extremely well in his seven games with the Montreal Canadiens. Trying him on the top pair with Shea Weber couldn’t be a crazy idea. It worked for Mete at first, and Jerabek has more experience playing professional hockey to handle the grind. If not, Julien could try David Schlemko there.
When it comes to the forwards, changes are warranted everywhere, except for the fourth line. Daniel Carr has done wonders since being called up and is helping Nicolas Deslauriers and Byron Froese finding another gear. However, just because they’re playing well, doesn’t mean they should see more time than the top six.
That has to be Julien’s priority in finding a way to get more out of the rest of the forwards on the team.
We’ll have to see what happens at practice, for now, here are some reads to start your day off.
Morning Links
Canadiens still looking within to solve their problems
Marc Bergevin said the answer was in the room, and for a little, it looked like the team found it. However seeing as how the Habs are in another slump, perhaps it isn’t after all.
Canadiens GM Bergevin’s Plan Is Backfiring
Maybe the plan is still waiting to play out…or there could be a backup one.
Rocket vs. Marlies recap: It is a dark time for Laval
The Montreal Canadiens aren’t the only team having a bad time at the moment. Whether it’s losing some of their best players to trades and call-ups, or a stretch of bad luck, but the Laval Rocket isn’t looking good at all.