Montreal Canadiens: Analyzing Julien’s Fourth Line Combinations at Training Camp

Montreal Canadiens options for the fourth line.

With the Montreal Canadiens opening training camp Monday, there were a lot of new and old faces on the ice at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. GM Marc Bergevin made several changes to the team’s lineup over the course of the off-season These changes and additions were made to each facet of the team.

One thing that Bergevin made clear this fall was the team needed to be harder to play against. Early on, he made the acquisitions of skilled, power forwards Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli. With both players expected to be integral parts to the team’s forward line, it will force some top nine regulars to play further down the lineup.

In December, the NHL announced that the season will begin on January 13 and the league will be split into four separate divisions of 7 to 8 teams. They had also made it clear that teams must respect league-and governmental safety protocols and procedures regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Players will need to undergo regular COVID testing. In the event a player is diagnosed with the virus, they must quarantine. This will require a team to resort to its player depth for answers. With the AHL season standing without a clear start date, teams must travel with a taxi squad to be able to call up non-roster players on the go.

With that in mind, Bergevin made two key depth signings by bringing in veterans Michael Frolik and Corey Perry. They bring in some skill, size, and experience while also being players Julien will be able to rely on in case of injury or a player being out due to COVID.

It will be interesting to see how Claude Julien decides to juggle his lines this season given the current circumstances. He has a lot of options for his bottom three with a good mix of skill, grit, and experience at his disposal.