What if the Montreal Canadiens plan to rely on rookies and sophomores?
By Omar L
The Habs were sellers and yet were able to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, two teams with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations. As much as it was Price, it was also the place of young players Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who put the team on their back upfront. That’s not to mitigate what the top-four was able to do as Shea Weber, Ben Chiarot and especially Jeff Petry and Brett Kulak were stellar. However, when the Habs needed a big moment, it was usually off the sticks of Suzuki and Kotkaniemi.
Perhaps the organization sees that as well as the other prospects in the cupboards and feels the fruits of the retool can help get it done. Bergevin will and should do his due diligence as a general manager and test the trade and free-agent market, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see another relatively quiet offseason where the following campaign will be down to the rookies and the sophomores.
When it comes to rookies, the first name that comes up is Alexander Romanov. There is a lot of hype around the young defenceman, and the expectations are high because of what he’s done and what hockey minds hope he can become. Romanov is a dynamic player to have on the backend who isn’t afraid to throw his weight around and make a play.
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That said, we should be careful of how he is perceived in that rookie year, even if the Montreal Canadiens want to grow the future of the team’s defence around him. It’s unfair to expect him to be the next Andrei Markov right off the bat. Romanov is going to need time to adjust the increased speed of the NHL.
Going from a larger rink to a smaller rink can be difficult, and it may impact Romanov’s defensive reads. Those first few weeks may see him get caught in a pinch, miss a check or just lose sight of an assignment, and that’s all to be expected. He should start off on the bottom pair and be slowly given more responsibilities as he continues to grow. And thankfully, it helps that the top-four, for the time being, look alright.
Alex Belzile is another option along with Jake Evans, who would both be rookies next season. Evans proved he can pick up the pace, and he, along with Belzile, were solid options to have on the fourth line. Additionally, having enough structure to be trusted with killing penalties is another good sign. There is talk of Nate Thompson possibly returning to the Montreal Canadiens, but if he didn’t, Evans is more than ready to fit the bill.