Montreal Canadiens third defence pairing could wind up being dicey
By Tyler Kotila
The Montreal Canadiens are working through training camp as the 2022-23 season inches closer. An injury to defenceman Joel Edmundson is going to cause some trouble as the team tries to start formulating an opening night roster.
The team’s defence core is already thin, but the Montreal Canadiens will have to make do without Edmundson. The thought was that Edmundson would be able to play a significant role in the team’s defence units.
Instead, an injury may linger and become a longer issue than it initially seemed. Co-Expert Ken MacMillan recently wrote that the Edmundson injury could force the Habs’ hand. He talked about having to put prospects in positions they may not be all that ready for.
Montreal Canadiens’ third pairing this year is going to be thin.
This is exactly the case when it comes to building out the team’s third pairing for the 2022-23 season. Things will be a bit dicey and possibly force the Habs to put prospects in some uncomfortable spots.
However, as I wrote when talking about the 2022-23 season being about development, sometimes this can work out well. But, the Edmundson injury will deviate the Habs away from their initial plans with an already thin defence core.
That said, it feels like the third pairing could wind up being Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj. While the two have come to enjoy playing alongside each other in training camp, that would be a very raw and inexperienced pair of defencemen back there.
Harris is coming off the 2021-22 season, where he played in 10 games for the Habs, tallying one lone goal for his first NHL point. A lack of experience could lead to issues as Harris tries to settle in and adjust to the NHL.
One could say something similar to Xhekaj. While he looks like he will bring plenty of physicality and an enforcer-type look to the defence core, he’s still working towards being NHL-ready.
Training camp has been a good taste of the speed the game moves at in the NHL, but throwing two young guys together on the team’s third pairing is going to lead to some issues. While it’s expected on a team that will be focused on rebuilding, it’s still a tough situation to stomach.
Can the Montreal Canadiens youngsters tough it out?
For the Habs, being able to call upon Harris to step up is a must. It was a given coming into camp and this whole summer that Harris is going to be asked to step up and start to find his footing in the NHL as a part of the Habs defence core.
For Xhekaj, there may have been some expectation he could be slowly worked into the team’s defence core. But inexperience and youth could be an issue. There was a belief that he could get a chance to see time with the Habs in 2022-23, but I am not sure many thought he would be slated as an NHL name to start the year.
But, with an incredibly thin defence core, taking those players who stick out in camp is going to be the plan. With Edmundson out and the team needing bodies, Xhekaj may be making his debut sooner than initially thought.
Want your voice heard? Join the A Winning Habit team!
The bottom line is that the team’s third pairing could get dicey to start 2022-23, or at least until Edmundson can get back on the ice and be healthy.