Montreal Canadiens: Centre experiments and playing with speed
By Omar L
An Interesting Line
Drouin – Domi – Armia
Byron – Suzuki – Scherbak
Agostino – Peca – Grenier
Addison – McCarron – Alain
Audette – Vejdemo – Waked
Benn – Petry
Reilly – Lernout
Ouellet – Brook
Moravcik – Fleury
Plant
This is where things got interesting. For starters, a line of Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, and Joel Armia could be very effective given each of their playing styles.
Drouin is excellent when the puck is on his stick and uses his skating to evade and side-step players. His vision is another asset that makes him a very reliable playmaker.
Domi is in a similar role, and we’ve seen him transition from being a speedy scorer to a playmaker, especially in being able to make passes from behind the net which has proved to be one of the better ways to set up a play.
Must Read. Domi's Playmaking Skill. light
Armia has size but can move as well. He gets a lot of shots across from the slot which could do wonders if he ends up having Domi and Drouin as linemates.
Must Read. Getting to Know Armia. light
The initial line combination had Drouin as the centre, but then it changed to Domi. Both were working on their faceoffs which could imply the Montreal Canadiens are going to look at either avenue and decide what will work better long-term.
Domi saw time at centre for portions of the 2017-18 season and was praised by his coach Rick Tocchet for his play away from the puck. Defensive play is something Julien looks for in his centres, and the 23-year-old already has that working in his favour.
Whoever ends up getting the job, the Habs have a very versatile line in their ranks.