The Montreal Canadiens must find a way to win with Shea Weber and Carey Price
By Omar L
The downside of this all is that the playoffs look out of reach, so let’s look beyond. Montreal’s youth looks mighty exciting, considering how impressive Nick Suzuki has been so far. Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t had the most ideal year as injuries have gotten in the way while Ryan Poehling is trying to find some consistency. That said, those three are building pieces.
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The same goes for the players who aren’t in the NHL yet. Alexander Romanov is going to be in Montreal next season, and who knows where Jake Evans and Josh Brook end up. Another name is Cole Caufield and the amount of hype he’s generated for himself since being selected 15th overall.
The Wisconsin Freshman is at a point-per-game with 13 goals and 9 assists in 22 games. He wasn’t the flashiest name on the US roster at the World Juniors this year, but that doesn’t change the offensive impact he’ll have once he’s up here.
Let’s not forget Max Domi, Victor Mete, and Jonathan Drouin, to name a few who are likely long-term options for the Montreal Canadiens.
The difficulty is figuring out a way to make all of these pieces fit, both young and “old.” As Price gets older, the reliance on his play can’t be as significant, which means Marc Bergevin needs to find a backup who can be more of a 1B. Someone who can play in random games during the week so much so that Price is used but not overworked. That way, once the playoffs start, Price will be energized and ready to steal a series or two if need be.