Montreal Canadiens Embracing Youth Movement This Season
The Montreal Canadiens have been rumoured to be interested in several veteran free agents this summer. General Manager Marc Bergevin said yesterday that the team is excited to let the youth take on bigger roles.
The Montreal Canadiens held their annual golf tournament yesterday in what has became known as the unofficially kick-off to their season. Training camp doesn’t actually begin until Thursday, but with all of the players back in town doing media interviews, it feels like hockey is back.
There was some golf played yesterday, but the interesting things for the fans of the Canadiens came out in the many interviews done by people from all levels of the Habs organization. From the players, to the general manager, to the head coach, to the owner himself, everyone found themselves in front of a microphone at some point yesterday.
The most interesting tidbits came from Marc Bergevin. He spoke about several topics that fans have been curious about all summer. He mentioned they wouldn’t be intending any more offer sheets, mostly due to cap constraints. Perhaps most interesting, were his comments about the young players who have a chance to make the team.
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Bergevin addressed the rumours over the past few weeks that there could be a few more veterans added to the roster before training camp officially begins. He felt out denied that the team would be bringing anyone in on a professional tryout, squashing any chance that Jason Pominville would be joining the team later this week.
Also, he had some nice things to say about former Canadiens defender Andrei Markov, but is not going to offer him a contract. He mentioned that things have changed since Markov was last a Habs two years ago and the Canadiens want to go in a different direction now, allowing more room for the young players in the organization to take on bigger roles.
This is great news for a plethora of young players who will be looking to carve out a role with the Habs this season. Signing a veteran like Pominville would have added a little depth to the team, but would also take up a roster spot that could otherwise go to Ryan Poehling or Nick Suzuki.
Passing on Markov is also going to ensure a bigger role, especially on the power play, for a younger player like Victor Mete. The Habs already have Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak on new three-year deals in addition to Mete. Signing Markov would have stolen a regular spot from a more effective player like Kulak.
Or, it would have moved Kulak to the right side of the ice where he is less comfortable. This also would have created a logjam as there are a number of exciting options nearly ready for a role there as well.
Noah Juulsen could very well make the team out of training camp, but will be battling with Christian Folin for the last roster spot. Cale Fleury played well for the Laval Rocket last season and Josh Brook was excellent for the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. He’s probably not ready for an NHL role yet, but if he is dominating the American Hockey League in the new year, a role can be found easier without a 41 year old Markov suiting up in a third pairing role.
Bergevin announcing that the team is not looking to add any veterans at the moment is great news for a number of young Habs. Poehling has a really good chance of making the team as a center and could even force Max Domi back to the wing if he can take on a top nine role.
With Andrew Shaw in Chicago and no one signed to take on that role, it is possible that Nick Suzuki slides over to the right side and earns a role with the Habs. He has all the skills and ability of a top six forward, it just needs to be sorted out if he is ready for the role already.
Jake Evans played well at the Rookie Showcase and could find himself on the fourth line if he can beat out a couple of players with more NHL experience like Nate Thompson and Nick Cousins.
Combine Poehling, Suzuki and Evans with defensemen Juulsen, Fleury, Brook and even Otto Leskinen who has an outside chance of stealing a role in the team’s top six and you have over half of a dozen rookies.
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Not all of them are going to make the team initially, but I’d suspect they will all see some time with the Montreal Canadiens this season. The youth movement is on in Montreal and it is just starting to bear fruit. Allowing the younger players a chance to make the team is going to pay dividends in the near future.