Now that the All-Star Break is over, the Montreal Canadiens have decisions they’ll need to make outside of trades when it comes to the lines and pairings.
Player movement around the Montreal Canadiens may have to happen sooner rather than later now that the All-Star Break is over. It was common knowledge before that Shea Weber, who has missed the past 16 games, and Andrew Shaw, who has missed the last 6, would return after the All-Star events were over with.
Ales Hemsky is still around as well and continues to skate with the team at practice. Once any or all come off injured reserve, the Habs will need to make transitions. Not necessarily trades considering the full lineup, in this case, could just be fixed with waivers, assuming management doesn’t have any long-term plans for the other players involved.
Defence Arrangements
The Habs have 26 players up with the team right now including the ones on IR. The defence corps will most likely be left alone as they started the season with eight defencemen anyway. Additionally, Claude Julien doesn’t seem to want to give up on Joseph Morrow yet even though he’s had a very rollercoaster type of season.
Who gets the second ticket to the press box once Weber returns? I wouldn’t be surprised if it were David Schlemko he’s been on the wrong side of turnovers and ill-advised plays that have put the Habs in bad spots. However, if we’re using that as the measuring stick, then Jordie Benn may deserve consideration as well.
Forward Arrangements
This is where things get interesting. It starts with Logan Shaw and the reason for his claim by the team in the first place. He’s touted as being an effective penalty killer and has been alright for the Habs in that department as well as support during zone breakouts. He also came close to scoring his first goal with the team not too long ago however I’m not that much of a believer of the, “L. Shaw has offensive upside” narrative.
It may be possible that management sees L. Shaw as a short-term replacement for Tomas Plekanec if/when he is traded. The 34-year-old remains on the majority of trade bait lists out there, and the odds of him being moved are high. If Montreal retains salary on Plekanec’s contract, a contending team could see value in having him aboard.
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Otherwise, I could see both L. Shaw and possibly Byron Froese being placed on waivers to make room for A. Shaw. If they clear, the Laval Rocket gets their captain back and a possible mid-season boost to their rankings.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee playing time for Daniel Carr. Perhaps he can get back into some kind of rotation with Jacob de La Rose, but that’ll be up to Julien. Another spot could be made free if the Habs deal Max Pacioretty unless returning pieces are better options to have in the lineup.
It’ll be interesting to see how the coaching staff handles the lines and pairings for the rest of the season. You’d hope that they’d prioritize the growing pieces such as Victor Mete, Jakub Jerabek, and Charles Hudon, but those are decisions we’ll have to wait for.
Next: Questions From the Other Side
What do you think the Habs will do? Does L. Shaw finish the season in the NHL? Is Schlemko the other defenceman taken out of the lineup? Let us know in the comments.