Montreal Canadiens: The best spot for Noah Juulsen
By Omar L
Noah Juulsen getting the call to the Montreal Canadiens is one thing, now it’s time to see where the young defenceman fits on this roster.
Over the offseason, there was a portion of the fanbase hoping Noah Juulsen would make the Montreal Canadiens out of training camp. It started at the Rookie Tournament where he was named captain and looked very steady and efficient along the blueline. The ‘Juulsen-for-NHL-roster’ movement was unfortunately put to rest after the defencemen broke his foot during training camp. Fast forward five months and the movement go it’s wish, Noah Juulsen is on the team.
The debate of whether the 2015 first-round should be in the NHL is over for the time being. Now it’s about finding a fit for him on the Habs’ blueline.
I think it’s more than a random assumption to say he will probably make his debut this week. There would be no point in calling up Juulsen and making use of the Goaltender Exception in the CBA to bring Charle Lindgren along as well if the Habs weren’t going to play him.
Claude Julien put a lot of trust in Victor Mete at the beginning of the season by pairing him up with Shea Weber. Yes that didn’t last too long, and he’s since spent most of his time on the third pairing with David Schlemko, but there’s a chance the coaching staff gives Juulsen an actual opportunity.
The 20-year-old can do it all offensively and defensively as his style can quickly grab the trust of a head coach. Juulsen got it in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, and it didn’t take long before Sylvain Lefebvre had him on the ice for key situations in the AHL.
However, knowing Julien, he’ll want to pair him with a steady partner who can keep him grounded and allow him to use his skill when the opportunity arises. Similarly to what Weber did for Mete when they were paired together.
Right now, it looks like having Juulsen with Jordie Benn is the best option leaving Joseph Morrow as a healthy scratch. Benn has his defensive miscues more often than not, but if he keeps the pinching and turnovers to a minimum, it could allow Juulsen to spread his wings a little bit.
Another option could be Karl Alzner if the Habs choose to move him away from Jeff Petry. The two did combine for a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers, but there have been moments where they haven’t looked good. The onus there is more on Alzner’s end.
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The 29-year-old is, or at least was expected to be, a shutdown player for the Habs. If he can get to that consistently, then playing Juulsen with him could work as well. The only downside of that is Alzner is generally used against the team’s best players so that would expose the rookie if he had to go up against top lines and pairings continuously.
Keep in mind; this all depends on whether Julien would be okay with having two rookie defencemen on the roster at the same time. I could see him choosing to scratch Mete for Juulsen if he has that flash of doubt. Again, it should be about the youth movement and getting the best out of them. Having Juulsen may make the Habs blueline look better on paper, but it’ll be up to him to use his skill set and hockey IQ to his advantage.
This is Juulsen’s first shot at showing what he can do at the NHL. We all know what the famous cliche is when it comes to prospects. He did enough to get the Habs to call him up; now he has to prove that he belongs where he is.
Where do you think Juulsen will play? Let us know your thoughts down below.