It's no secret that the Montreal Canadiens gambled trading Johnathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils in June.
Kent Hughes didn't anticipate that Justin Barron would continue to stumble, and David Reinbacher would suffer a season-ending injury early on. He also likely felt that Logan Mailloux might be a bit closer, but that is not the case. Montreal tried to get by with David Savard as the only bona fide right-shot NHL defender.
No offense to the left-shot guys, but playing on their natural side has more benefits than having to switch sides. The importance of having balance throughout the defence core gives the Habs the best chance at defending against the opposition. Playing on your weak side comes with challenges, and demands much more out of said player.
Alex Carrier will quickly become a fan favourite in Montreal!@grantmccagg: "He competes really hard, he's a good defender... He was 21 years old when he first got an A put on his sweater in the AHL. That doesn't happen that often"#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @GaumondShayne pic.twitter.com/ZykTvpze3B
— The Sick Podcast - Recrutes Draftcast (@sickpodnhldraft) December 21, 2024
Bringing in the services of a proven defender in Alexandre Carrier says two things. Hughes knew he had to cut ties with the Barron trade, moving on from one of his earliest decisions. He took a risk, which you need to do sometimes in that position; however, he was able to get some value, before the asset plummets, potentially.
Carrier is five years older than Barron, and his style is completely different than Barron's. To me, Barron had some tools - smooth skating, good passer and strong shot - but the lack of physicality and poor decisions were adding up. Carrier plays hard and has proven that he can play 20 minutes a night.
In Carrier, the Habs have a solid top-four defenseman, and I believe that he gives the Habs an option to move on from David Savard. I like Savard a lot, but his speed isn't going to improve and I think the Canadiens should stick to a mobile blueline. If Hughes can move Savard in an NHL trade, I think that Hughes should do that.
I know this would likely mean the Habs need to bring in another guy if Mailloux isn't ready to make the jump. In the interest of not rushing Mailloux, I think that moving Savard out would mean two things could happen. Jayden Struble fills in on the third pair with Arber Xhekaj, and the top four is short one right-shot defender.
Or Hughes gets his hands on another right shot defender, which in my opinion should be considered. With Guhle developing I think he needs to be playing big minutes on his natural side
If the top four stays the same - Kaiden Guhle and Carrier, and Lane Hutson with Mike Matheson will be the pairings. I think if Struble and Xhekaj round out the group of six, the Canadiens can rotate guys and work with this. I expect that any trade for a right-shot defender would come at the Trade Deadline, this would give Hughes some time to see where the team is in the standings.
Cole Caufield needs to reinvent his game, with Patrik Laine is his spot
With Patrik Laine on the team, not having him lined up in his office, the place where he, Alex Ovechkin and Tampa Bay prime Steven Stamkos make their money is nonsense. One problem that poses is Cole Caufield needs to move from the spot where he is most comfortable. But, an idea that I heard from the Basu & Godin Notebook, was the prospect of Caufield playing in the bumper position on the power play.
Ovechkin, as Arpon Basu mentioned, has TJ Oshie in the bumper spot, and Stamkos had Brayden Point. Montreal doesn't currently have a guy in the lineup, who can play the bumper role on the power play. But Caufield would open up space for Laine, and the threat of Laine's shot would open up space for Caufield in the slot.
Caufield doesn't have the power that Laine does, and that's just a matter of fact - he can still score from far out. But his shot and creativity could work particularly well in a bumper spot, where he can open up for passes and create play while being a shooting threat also. Laine and Caufield need to coexist and when they do, the power play will become more dynamic.
Caufield is most effective when he moves around and creates confusion, pairing that ability with his quick-attack style will cause headaches for opposing goaltenders. If the Canadiens power play can start to show significant improvement beyond just Laine, the balance will be big for their production. An improved power play will also go a long way in determining whether the Habs are contenders or playoff pretenders.