Canadiens: 3 Players That Have Something to Prove in Final Weeks

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The Montreal Canadiens have 12 games left in the 2021-22 season.

They sit at the bottom of the NHL standings so they won’t be chasing down a playoff spot over the final month of the season.

However, that doesn’t mean there is nothing at all to play for in the final few weeks of the season.

There are many players on the ice that will still be trying to prove something over the last dozen games. Some young players will be trying to show they should be penciled into next season’s lineup.

There are veterans who may be trying to show they are deserving of a fresh, new contract with the organization for next season.

While the only race in the standings for the Canadiens is a race for the bottom, there are still players trying to make an impression in the waning weeks of the season.

Let’s take a look at the three players who have the most to prove over the Canadiens final 12 games of this non=playoff season.

Corey Schueneman

The Montreal Canadiens defence is in a major transition period right now. At the end of last season, the top pairing was Ben Chiarot and Shea Weber, while Jeff Petry and Joel Edmundson played the second pairing role.

Well, Chiarot and Weber are gone and Petry is likely to be traded before next season. The blue line is becoming much younger as Alexander Romanov has taken on a bigger role while Justin Barron and Jordan Harris have stepped into the lineup after the trade deadline.

Schueneman is somewhere between the again veterans like Weber and the younger, future core that includes Kaiden Guhle and Logan Mailloux.

While he is a rookie NHL player, Schueneman will be 27 years old when next season begins. The free agent signing out of Western Michigan is in danger of being passed over by younger players before he gets a real chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.

He has played well in 20 NHL games this season, scoring five points but also using his speed and smarts to break up plays defensively and move the puck towards the opposing goaltender. He can start the rush with a burst of speed or move the puck up ice with a pinpoint pass.

The Canadiens already have Romanov, Edmundson and Harris signed on the left side of the blue line for next season. They also have to make room for players like Mattias Norlinder, Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and possibly Jayden Struble on the Laval Rocket blue line.

Schueneman is a restricted free agent at season’s end, and is going to have to continue to show he can play well at the NHL level. If he takes a step back in the next couple of weeks, he could be cut loose to make room for younger defencemen in the organization.

Jesse Ylonen

The Montreal Canadiens are paying an incredible amount of money to their wingers this season. Especially their depth wingers.

Right now, Cole Caufield and Rem Pitlick are playing the wing on the first line. Both of those players are on entry level contracts and earning less than a million against the salary cap this season.

Beyond them, Brendan Gallager makes $6.5 million, Josh Anderson and Jonathan Drouin earn $5.5 million, Mike Hoffman takes up $4.5 million in cap space and Paul Byron and Joel Armia eat up $3.4 million each. That’s $28.8 million combined for six wingers, none of whom are playing on the team’s top line.

The Canadiens could use a cheaper option on the second or third line to save some cap space in the future.

Jesse Ylonen is going to have a chance to show he can be that guy. He has played 12 games with the Canadiens this season and scored two goals and five points. He has been playing the left side lately on a line with Gallagher and Ryan Poehling and has looked like he is ready to play at the NHL level.

If the 22 year old can continue to play well for another dozen games, the Canadiens will be looking to ship out a high priced winger this offseason to make room for Ylonen in the top nine next season.

Rem Pitlick

Talk about a huge opportunity. Rem Pitlick was plucked off waivers earlier this season when the Minnesota Wild couldn’t find room for him in their lineup.

Now? He is playing on the Canadiens top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Pitlick has scored 21 points in 34 games this season with the Canadiens, including 16 points in 25 games since Martin St. Louis took over behind the Habs bench in February. He has gone from the scrap heap to an enviable role with the Canadiens due to his incredible linemates.

Can Pitlick prove capable of being a first line forward heading into next season? At the very least, can he prove to be a valuable middle six, scoring forward? He probably already has, but a strong finish to the season is going to cement his role on this team for next season.

Pitlick is a pending restricted free agent, and there is a lot of money already committed to wingers for next season. If Pitlick struggles to score over the final 12 games, the organization may think twice before signing him to a contract extension and using up even more cap space on wingers.

If he continues to play well and looks good alongside Suzuki and Caufield, he may just earn himself a prominent role on the team for next season.

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