With the recent substitutions on defence for the Montreal Canadiens, it looks like the internal competition on the blueline is bringing out the team’s best.
You may have noticed my ongoing usage of the ‘Montreal Canadiens Carousel,’ over the last few weeks. It started with Jordie Benn, then went to David Schlemko, and now it’s fallen to Jakub Jerabek. This hasn’t been too much of a surprise considering Claude Julien‘s comments before the first scratch on the blueline.
Benn was the first to get the hook, but he wasn’t the only defenceman to have a few bad nights. However, instead of it just being a ‘mess up and you’re out’ mentality, it could be something more positive. Despite where the Habs are in the standings, Julien is still trying to make the team better. Besides a move, the best way to do that is to implement a little internal competition.
Eric Engels included some of the coach’s thought process in his latest article for Sportsnet. Julien said that it’s Jerabek’s struggles defensively that have kept him out, but also to make playing a battle between the other defencemen. Right now, it looks like said battle is between him, Benn, Schlemko, and Joe Morrow.
Karl Alzner still appears to be a player who Julien can’t scratch even though he’s been on the wrong side of goals a fair bit this season. Call it optics or the fact that the Habs aren’t in a position to be picking and choosing out of the top pair, but he looks safe. Additionally, Alzner has been paired with Jeff Petry for his latest emergence and Julien may not want to mess with what he considers a good thing.
Now that Shea Weber has been on the ice and skating, that competition that Julien is looking for is going to be taken to the next level. Someone else is going to be joining Jerabek, assuming it’s still him in the pressbox (and if that happens…actually, don’t let that happen).
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It may be confusing to see Julien still willing to work with these guys but think about it. All of them except for Morrow are guaranteed to be back next season. Benn and Schlemko have one and two years left on their contracts respectively, and Jerabek is most likely going to get resigned. The Habs could try to unload some of them if that’s something they want to do, but for now, Julien is going to continue to work with what he has.
This was a disappointing season but not one that needs to be repeated. If the Habs can’t sign or trade for a new defenceman, they’ll have to coach the other ones up. Benn, Schlemko, Jerabek, and Morrow have proven that they can be capable blueliners. Their main issues are that it comes and goes.
However, the top coaches bring out the best in their struggling players. Let’s see if this internal competition can work for the Habs’ blueline.
Do you think the internal competition will help? Let us know in the comments below.