Montreal Canadiens Will Be Well Represented at World Championships – If They Happen
The Montreal Canadiens season is not going to include playoffs. However, we could see many Habs players play for their country at the World Championships, assuming the tournament happens.
The Montreal Canadiens are in the midst of a disappointing season. After missing the playoffs for two straight years, it was hoped they would get back into contention this year. It became clear about halfway through their schedule that their playoff absence would stretch to three years.
The NHL is on “pause” right now, but if they get back to action soon enough and the regular season is over before the World Championships get into full gear, the Canadiens will have several players that would be good fits for their country at this year’s event.
The event is currently scheduled to begin on Friday, May 8th and continue until May 24th. The Canadiens last scheduled game was set for April 4th, but with the league on hiatus that could be pushed back a few weeks. Still, with no postseason action in the cards, even if the Habs season is moved back a full month, they will be able to send players to Switzerland to represent their courtly to potentially end their disappointing season on a higher note.
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It is always a fun event for players and fans of teams that do not qualify for the postseason. Instead of going out on a sour note, players can suit up for their country and try to win a gold medal in a beautiful country like Switzerland. Fans get to watch some of their favourite players in a different setting and get to see how they play with other players.
Jonathan Drouin is a perfect candidate to play in this event. He is a highly skilled player and has missed significant time with injuries this season. He was recently asked about possibly suiting up in the tournament and responded that he would be ecstatic to go to Europe and finish his season with a Canada sweater on.
Jonathan Drouin said today that if the World Championships of Hockey weren't canceled because of COVID-19, he'd be happy to attend and represent Canada. Said some extra hockey would be good for him given the injuries that have cut into much of his season.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 11, 2020
After dealing with a few injuries himself, Brendan Gallagher would be ideal candidate to play for Canada at the event. He brings a gritty style every game and you know he would bring it every game while playing for his country. He played once before, in 2016, and scored five points in ten games.
Shea Weber hasn’t played in this event since 2009, but had 12 points in nine games when he did. He has also represented Canada in a couple of Olympic Games and a World Cup since then as well. Max Domi has played in one before and would be another candidate but if he is in contract talks, I doubt he would risk getting injured. Carey Price would be asked, but after playing so many games already, I think he would decline as well.
The Americans would love to have Jeff Petry on their blue line. He has already played in this event three times, but hasn’t been there since 2014 when he had four points in eight games.
Team Finland would receive a big boost from the Habs with Joel Armia and Artturi Lehkonen great candidates to play for Suomi. Both are skilled two-way wingers who would surely have a big role for Finland.
Tomas Tatar would be one of the first players asked to play for Slovakia. He is dealing with an injury right now, but this tournament doesn’t start for six more weeks so he should be good to go by then. Instead of finishing his season sitting out NHL games due to injury, he could look to join Team Slovakia.
When the event is held in Switzerland, it usually draws a lot of NHL players. It is an amazing country and there is lots for players to do on their off days in the surrounding area. Of course, with everything going on in the world right now, we could see players hesitant to travel, or not be allowed to travel, or the event could be cancelled altogether.
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We will have to wait and see, but if the World Championships go on as originally planned, there will be a lot of Montreal Canadiens heading over to Switzerland to take part.