Save for Jeff Petry and Victor Mete, there hasn’t been much to like from the Montreal Canadiens defence, but it won’t be long before Jakub Jerabek is back.
It doesn’t matter how well Carey Price plays; the Montreal Canadiens will find a way to cough up the lead and lose. Whether it’s a turnover, a self-screen in combination with a deflection, or an ill-advised pinch – which happens way too often – the team defence isn’t solid enough to keep a game going. Except maybe for Victor Mete, no player on the Habs’ defence is safe from this criticism.
Even Jeff Petry, who set a career high in goals after playing centre deflecting Karl Alzner‘s point shot in front, had a few mistakes. One, in particular, left Claude Giroux and Jakub Vorachek all alone in the final seconds of the second period. If Price doesn’t go legendary mode, it’s a 2-1 hockey game for the Flyers. However, Petry isn’t the only culprit. Karl Alzner and Joseph Morrow joined in on the ‘screening Price’ campaign while Jordie Benn and David Schlemko are continuing to struggle.
Claude Julien‘s stretch of trying to implement internal competition or accountability into the lineup is long gone. If that were still the case, one of the bottom four (except for Mete) would’ve been made a healthy scratch. Jakub Jerabek, the KHL free agent and defenceman who was going to need time to adjust to the North American game and has done just that, has missed eight games so far.
Besides the points that Julien already mention, Jerabek’s own play was another reason for him to be left out of the lineup. The 26-year-old has had his mistakes from time to time. But can anyone say that he’s been worse than Benn, Schlemko, or Morrow?! It’s obvious that the Habs are showcasing the rest of the blueline for the rest of the league. Unfortunately, none of them are doing themselves any favours, and it may be tough for another team to give up assets for them.
There hasn’t been any word on what Petry’s status is going into the trade deadline, but I doubt that’s a move Marc Bergevin goes for.
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Similarly to Nikita Scherbak, the Habs may not have Jerabek on the ice until after that 3:00 PM deadline. Hopefully, by then, one of those three are gone, and there is room to play. That probably shouldn’t even be a matter of discussion, but those are the decisions Julien, and most likely Bergevin are agreeing on.
It seems like the Habs want Jerabek to remain in Montreal for a number of years. If that’s the case, he should be playing over the other defencemen either way. You can’t improve by watching in the press box. Sure, it’s a bird’s eye view over the entire rink, and he’d get a full sight of the team’s ‘coverage,’ but there’s nothing better than being out there.
If the deadline passes, none of those defencemen and Jerabek still isn’t playing; then all fans can put their hands up in shock. He is still a UFA at the end of the season and could choose to sign elsewhere if there’s interest. Management has probably already talked to him about how things will go until next Monday, but it has to be frustrating for Jerabek seeing as how he wants to improve but isn’t given the chance.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Habs use him afterwards. If he is indeed a part of the future, then it should be an easy answer.
Next: Decisions for the Future
Do you think Benn, Morrow, or Schlemko will be moved? When will Jerabek get his shot again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.