Montreal Canadiens: Three Reasons To Watch a Dead Team Skating in April

Interested Debuts to Watch

The Montreal Canadiens have used an incredible number of players this season. Injuries and illnesses piled up and the Habs had to ice a roster that looked more like a Laval Rocket playoff lineup and not a Montreal Canadiens regular season squad.

To date, they have used 44 different players this season. That means they iced a 20-man lineup on opening night, and since then have used even more players than that just to fill in the gaps for injured players.

That number is going to keep climbing and that is something to watch for this month.

First of all, Jordan Harris will make his NHL debut tonight. Nothing like getting thrown into the fire against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Harris was the team’s third round pick in 2018 and just finished his college career at Northeastern. He signed with the Canadiens last week and joined the team for practice and off-ice activities this week. He will be the 45th person to wear a Canadiens sweater on the ice this season.

The 21 year old was a minute munching two-way threat for Northeastern for the past four years. He captained the team while playing top pairing minutes, running the team’s power play and being the first guy turned to when a penalty needed to be killed.

It will be interesting to see how he translates his simple, yet effective defensive style to the NHL level. We will get a chance to see that firsthand tonight.

We could also still witness the season debut of Carey Price. The direction of this team going forward could be dramatically changed if Price can return and look like his old self. He has been skating with the team, and still wants to play this season. That is definitely something worth watching for this month.