Montreal Canadiens Roundtable: The state and future of the defence

In this week’s Montreal Canadiens roundtable, we discuss Shea Weber and his return, as well as the futures of Karl Alzner, David Schlemko, and Jordie Benn.

There’s been a lot going on with the Montreal Canadiens this week. Shea Weber returned after missing nearly a month of action, Karl Alzner and Victor Mete were placed on waivers, and more moves could come as the likes of Paul Byron and company begin to return.

How did Weber play? What can fans expect to see from Alzner in the AHL with the Laval Rocket? And will David Schlemko or Jordie Benn find themselves on waivers as the roster crunch on the Montreal Canadiens continues? Check out what the writers at A Winning Habit had to say about it in the latest edition of the Roundtable.

1) What did you make of Shea Weber’s first game?

Zack Cook: It was the exact same Shea Weber that fans across the National Hockey League have grown accustomed to seeing. Steady, solid in transition and a physical force of nature on the back-end. There just seems to be a different feeling of safety when Weber is on the ice, and the whole team seemed to play more comfortable because of it. It was interesting to see how the powerplay adjusted with Weber back on the first unit. Additionally, it was evident that there were more open opportunities down low for Jesperi Kotkaniemi as the focus shifted to defenders trying to cover Weber’s point shot.

Mark Darling: If I had to give a report card grade on Weber’s return debut, I’d give him an A+ on his performance. The fact that Montreal lost has no effect on my grade, nor was Weber in any way responsible for the outcome. In fact, it could have been worse without him in the lineup, as Weber had a hand in Montreal’s only tally of the night, earning an assist on Phillip Danault‘s goal in the third period.

Although there were occasional signs of rust, I thought he looked great, considering the lengthy layoff. He made some nice plays with the puck, lowered the boom on a few helpless Hurricanes and let everyone know that the howitzer is out of storage and back on the firing range. Incoming!

All in all, I thought he delivered on everything that was promised, and maybe even a little more.
The ice time and the stats are one thing, but what I noticed was how hard everyone else was trying. Perhaps it was the desperate play of a team in a slump, but to me, it appeared the rest of the team was playing hard to impress their new captain, like kids seeking the approval of their father. The glow on Gallagher and Kotkaniemi’s faces during the post-game scrum said it all. Dad’s home!

Too bad Curtis McElhinney‘s heroics ruined what could have been a great family reunion for the Habs.

Kamal Rehman: I liked what I saw. He logged big minutes, got some Weber bombs away, and picked up an assist. I’m sure he was running on adrenaline and probably felt his timing was a bit off, but that’s completely normal for being away for almost a year. It should be a couple more weeks before he starts to feel closer to where he wants to be. All good news for the Montreal Canadiens though. I do wonder though how Weber feels about his revolving D partners though. Ah well, all the more fun for Habs fans to speculate and debate who it should be.

Omar White: What stood out the most to me was the feeling around the Montreal Canadiens that game. They had more than enough reason to come out strong against Carolina having lost their last four games in a row, but knowing they would have their captain in the lineup turned the dial-up to another scale. You couldn’t help but smile seeing Weber get the rocket ready from the point, and it was fitting that his first point of the season would be from it.

I thought Weber handled himself fairly well at even strength and on special teams. Additionally, the opposition wasn’t as comfortable with heading down the middle of the ice with the veteran staring down at them.

I’m interested to see how his impact on the team continues, especially when it comes to clearing bodies from in front of the net. The Hurricane’s first goal of the game could’ve used Weber out there to move Jaccob Slavin out of a position to deflect the shot, or at the very least, tie up his stick. With Weber getting his game out of the way, Claude Julien is likely going to rely on him even more for those key defensive situations, and that can do nothing but good for the Montreal Canadiens moving forward.

2) What do you expect to see from Karl Alzner as he begins his stint in the AHL with the Laval Rocket?

ZC: I think you’re going to see a very motivated player who is going to try and work his way back to the National Hockey League, one way or another. Alzner needs to get back to playing to his strengths, which are keeping forwards to the outside and breaking up shooting lanes. His declining speed in today’s game obviously hinders him, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Alzner at the NHL level, even if that isn’t with Montreal.

MD: I’m predicting an extended goal-scoring streak of least ten, maybe twenty games.

Just kidding, but it was great to see Alzner pot one in his first game on Wednesday night.
In my opinion, he won’t be in Laval long. I think they’ll get a deal done sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, though, his presence on Laval had an immediate positive impact, as the Rocket responded with a hard-fought win to snap a five-game losing streak. Not only did he chip in a goal, but more importantly, he played a strong defensive game, enabling Rocket starting goalie Charlie Lindgren to post one of his best performances of the year to date.

Alzner obviously won’t continue his offensive pace but should continue to provide a strong defensive game and a veteran presence for a young, struggling team in need of more on-ice leadership.

Undeniably, the Laval Rocket is a better team with Alzner in the lineup, but don’t expect him to be there long. He has been a good sport and a true professional throughout this whole ordeal and has accepted his fate with dignity and class, but if in a month from now he’s still riding the Charterways between Schenectady and Sheboygan, cracks may start to appear in his upbeat facade. I figure he’ll be down on the farm just long enough to get back in game shape for his new team.

KR: I expect everything that Alzner has been throughout this whole process, and that is being a complete professional. Alzner never complained about being a healthy scratch and just wanted to make sure he continued to be a good teammate. I expect him to be the exact same in Laval…except he will actually be playing games. Do I expect him to score like he did in his debut? No. But I sure was happy for him when scored in his Rocket debut.

I see Alzner continuing to work hard and show what it likes to be a professional. Everything shows he’s a good guy to have around a team and if the Montreal Canadiens are willing to eat some of that contract, I can see a team willing to take on Alzner.

OW: I’m of the belief, as are many others, that Alzner’s stint with the Laval Rocket will be a short-lived one. However, it was good for him to score in his first game and on his first shot in Laval getting the team off to a strong start to eventually end their losing streak. I do expect Alzner to come out hard every single night to ensure it’s a strong performance for the team as well as those in the stands. And I don’t only mean the stands.

Let’s make no mistake. Alzner has been in the NHL for a long time, and even though he isn’t as fast as some of the top players, I find it hard to believe that he will accept his fate and remain in the minors. The 30-year-old understands that how well he plays dictates where he ends up and I wouldn’t be surprised if teams around the league have already started to send scouts to Laval.

I expect to see a motivated Alzner driven to prove himself once again, whether that means playing hard enough to earn a call-up in the event of an injury or for another team to see value in his capabilities and make a trade.

MD: Personally, I see little similarity between Alzner’s predicament and that of Benn and Schlemko.

Karl Alzner was waived because his play was poor and his deal was rich, pure and simple.
Neither Benn nor Schlemko fits that description, either in terms of obsolescence or compensation.
In fact, Alzner was sacrificed to spare Benn and Schlemko, who would never have cleared the wire.
FYI……Schlemko is signed only through next season and at $2.1 million per year, while Benn is a virtual steal, being in the final year of a team-friendly deal at the bargain basement price of only $1.1 million, with no future commitment beyond this season.

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A buy-out for Alzner is still a very real possibility, but that option is not even under consideration for Benn, while cutting Schlemko loose a year early would only net Montreal $600,000 in savings.

There’s a real chance none of these three are with the Montreal Canadiens next season, but that’s where the similarities end in terms of their market values and exit strategies. To put it simply, Alzner’s going to be a tough sell, Schlemko will need a little hype but should garner interest and Benn literally sells himself.

How about this one from the “What have you been smoking” files: Montreal includes Benn in the Alzner deal to soften the blow for the potential buyer. Alzner at $4.625 million sounds pretty steep, but Alzner and Benn for $5.75 million sounds a lot more appetizing. And even with those two gone, Montreal would still have eight defencemen on the roster, if you include Brett Kulak and Victor Mete in that grouping.

OW: Let’s start with Benn. His fate on the Montreal Canadiens depends on where the team is in the new year. If they’re in a playoff spot, he stays. If they’re close to a playoff spot and need a late-season push to make it, he stays. However, Bergevin would be remiss not to move Benn for a draft pick, or maybe more, if the Habs are clearly out of contention.

Benn is a strong option to have on a bottom-pair and brings more value by having the ability to kill penalties. A team who is right against the cap with a need to improve on defence would be in on him whole-heartedly, and Bergevin could use that to get the best return. So waivers are completely out of the question here.

Schlemko, on the other hand, is a different story. The Montreal Canadiens initially acquired him after the Expansion Draft from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick. The 31-year-old has struggled with staying healthy ever since, and now that he’s found his way into the lineup on a more regular basis, his overall play is doing more harm to the success of the team despite the shining rays of positivity at times.

I could definitely see Schlemko on waivers once Noah Juulsen is ready to return as Julien has grown to love his ACD fourth line of Kenny Agostino, Michael Chaput, and Nicolas Deslauriers. A trade could be difficult given the cap hit and the Montreal Canadiens may not have the means to retain salary if an Alzer deal takes place.