The Montreal Canadiens biggest need has been on left defence. They signed prospect Alexander Romanov to a contract, but does that fix the team’s biggest need?
The Montreal Canadiens biggest weakness on roster this season was on left defence. Last summer, they attempted to address this issue when Jordie Benn left as a free agent by signing Ben Chiarot to a three-year contract worth $3.5 million per year.
Chiarot joined Victor Mete and Brett Kulak on the left side of the team’s depth defensive depth chart. On paper, especially before Chiarot stepped onto the ice, it looked like a huge weakness. There was no guarantee that Mete was ready to play on the top pairing with Shea Weber full time, we knew Kulak was not a prototypical first pairing defender and we didn’t really know what to expect from Chiarot.
There were not really any left defencemen with the Laval Rocket that had much of a chance to steal a roster spot from any of those three either. Xavier Ouellet, Otto Leskinen and Karl Alzner provided reliable depth for the Rocket, but it was unlikely any of them would suddenly turn into a top four defenceman at the NHL level.
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Now that the 2019-20 is mostly over, we can see that what we predicted was mostly true. Mete was not a consistent top pairing defender, Kulak struggled a little more than we anticipated but Chiarot was a huge surprise. He played on the top pairing with Weber most nights and provided excellent defensive play and chipped in a little more offensively than we thought he would.
Still, even with Chiarot playing better than expected, left defence was far from a strength for the Habs. With the news late last week that Romanov had agreed to the terms of his entry-level contract, the Canadiens have another option on left defence next season. But, is that going to be enough?
Right now, Chiarot remains at the top of the left defence depth chart. Romanov will battle Mete for a second pairing role and Kulak looks to be the odd man out of the rotation at this point. That is an upgrade, but is it enough to make left defence a strength for the Habs?
Unless Romanov steps in on day one and proves to be able to handle 22 minutes per night and contribute at both ends of the ice, Ben Chiarot is still the best left defenceman on the team. As long as that remains true, the Habs left defence will not be considered a major strength.
Chiarot is a reliable, defensive, veteran defenceman and there is a spot for a player like that on any team. However, he was relied on too heavily this season and if the Habs don’t add anyone else, that will be the case again next season.
Asking a rookie lie Romanov to consistently play in the top four might be asking too much. Hoping a 21 year old Mete will suddenly blossom into an every day first pairing defenceman is also asking too much. Bringing in Romanov adds depth and gives the team more options at their weakest position, but it doesn’t cure everything that ailed the Habs this season.
There is a chance that Mete’s defensive game comes together and his excellent skating leads to him creating more offence next season and Romanov immediately gets used to playing at the NHL level and can play big minutes right away and the Habs left defence is fantastic next season. It is not likely that both of those players elevate their game to an elite level, at least not that quickly.
So, don’t be surprised if you see the Canadiens looking to upgrade this position again this summer. I don’t think they will spend huge money on a player like Torey Krug, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canadiens try to find some insurance by signing another veteran like Andy Greene, Brendan Dillon or Joel Edmundson.
Now, if the Tampa Bay Lightning are in cap trouble and can’t afford Mikhail Sergachev, we could see Marc Bergevin try to use the offer sheet method again. It is more likely we see him add a reliable veteran like he did last summer with Chiarot, but I don’t think he is done upgrading the team’s worst position just yet.