Every coach has a player who they focus on to bring out their hidden potential, and when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens, that may be Joe Morrow.
The Montreal Canadiens had a bunch of free agent signings over the summer, but Joe Morrow was the most intriguing. Being a former first-round pick, a lot of people had high expectations for him. Unfortunately, he hasn’t panned out the way you’d expect most first rounders to and didn’t get a chance to play in the NHL until he was part of the Boston Bruins organization.
Claude Julien saw what Morrow could do for stretches of games between 2014 and 2017, and it could speak to how he uses him now. The 25-year-old was far from being one of the best defencemen in training camp but still managed to make the team. However, we’ve seen a lot of good things from Morrow in his 18 games with the Montreal Canadiens this season.
It’s not just the goals he’s been able to score. When Morrow is going, he reads the play well, can make decent plays out of the zone, and can find forwards for a first pass. On the other hand, there are the times where things aren’t going well for him. A recent example was this past game against the Vancouver Canucks where Morrow had a handful of turnovers.
Another thing that’s hurt him is his tendency to take the untimely penalty. We saw this again in that same Vancouver game after Morrow’s high stick put the Canucks on the power-play which they scored on.
We had a poll on Wednesday asking Habs fans what they thought of the defencemen’s play so far this season, and the majority of those who voted didn’t necessarily have an answer.
Morrow seems to be Julien’s project for the season. What do you make of his play so far? Vote and retweet! #Habs #GoHabs
— A Winning Habit (@FSAWinningHabit) December 20, 2017
Similarly to most young players, consistency is Morrow’s issue. It’s that reason that makes him the easy option to take out of the lineup. However, Julien isn’t reluctant to give him a chance to improve. Playing Morrow mostly in the offensive zone (59.4% of his starts are there) puts him in the best position to succeed, he just has to have the confidence to play well and continue to be receptive to Julien’s teachings.
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Morrow only signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, so he has another 48 games to prove he’s worth keeping around. Additionally, the margin of error is a little bit smaller with Brett Lernout being called up.
Some think that Julien is being stubborn when it comes to Morrow, but considering he’s one of the best coaches in the league, his evaluation of talent has to be high. The ball is in his court to be in the lineup on a nightly basis. Jakub Jerabek has adjusted well to the NHL level and is getting better every game he plays in. David Schlemko had a few rough spells in his first few outings for the Habs but has stabilized himself well since then. Can Morrow do the same?
Do you think Julien can grow Morrow’s game? How has he been so far in your eyes? Let us know in the comments down below.