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Tinordi and Bournival Stick, Preseason Done

September 27, 2013, 10:34 AM ET [1398 Comments]
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1) Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien have stayed true to their word in promoting Michael Bournival and Jarred Tinordi to the NHL. They said they'd make room for players that can surprise them out of camp, and two of them did remarkable work to turn that into a reality.

As of right now, Bergevin doesn't have to really do anything to ensure these players are integrated into the lineup.

Even with George Parros and Douglas Murray slated for returns on Tuesday, Tinordi and Bournival help complete the 23-man roster.

When Davis Drewiske returns to health, he's likely to get waived and sent down to the minors.

It'll get interesting when Alexei Emelin's cleared to play. That's when Bergevin may be forced to make a move.

2) We've spent a lot of time talking about Tinordi (all of us have), but let's talk about Bournival for a minute.

Therrien said the ultimate test was to see what the kid's comfort level was at centre. Clearly, he passed with flying colors.

Bournival's versatility is an asset. It's consistent with what Therrien and Bergevin seem to like about a lot of their players, in the sense that they have so many different option to work with when things aren't going their way.

For what it's worth, I think Bournival fared better on Ryan White's wing, which is contradictory to my long-held opinion that White is better at wing than he is at centre.

One thing is certain; the Canadiens haven't had a scoring threat like Bournival on their fourth line since Scott Gomez was on the team (obviously, he'll be a better option there than Gomez ever was).

Bournival's competition level is through the roof, and I don't expect that to die down very much. His skills are refined, his decisions with and without the puck are made with confidence, but the most attractive part of his game is his speed. This kid can skate with the best of them, and that's a huge part of the reason he's still here.

If I had to guess, it won't be until October 10th--the Canadiens' fourth game of the season--that Bournival gets into the lineup. I would think the Canadiens will opt for size against Toronto, Philly and Calgary, but Edmonton will be the perfect time to inject Bournival's speed. Hard to imagine the kid not sticking in the lineup, if he plays anything like the way he did throughout preseason.

Obvious question: What becomes of Travis Moen?

I don't expect him to be traded. I think Bergevin values the depth he's got at the bottom of the lineup as much as he does the depth he's created on the back end, not to mention implications of trying to move that contract. However it works out between the interchangeable parts, the competition on the fourth line is going to stimulate a lot more production from the bottom half of the lineup.

3) I didn't want to bust up the mood at last night's press conference, but part of me wanted to inquire about Brandon Prust's health, and whether or not it's at all a factor in Bournival's promotion. I don't think that it is, but it is a little curious that Prust didn't practice after the New Jersey game, and then didn't play in either of the Canadiens' final two preseason games. And given that the opponent was Ottawa, you'd imagine he would've wanted to have played in at least one of those games.

Maybe Therrien knows he's a little dinged up from the two fights he's already had in preseason and didn't want to expose him any further against a team Prust wouldn't restrain himself against.

The Habs have the day off today. We won't have to talk about this again if Prust is in his regular spot at practice tomorrow.

4) Therrien was asked about whether or not Lars Eller needs to exert himself physically the way he did last night, and he went out of his way to talk about the fact that he pulled Eller, Galchenyuk and Gallagher aside before last night's game to extract a better performance out of them.

He labelled it their best game of the preseason. We won't read too far into the ice-time allotment, with Galchenyuk and Gallagher hovering around 12:00 each, and Eller at about 14:00. Last night was Brian Gionta's first game back, and I think Therrien wanted to get that line on the ice as much as he could.

5) The reporters that have spent countless hours in Brossard know that Tomas Plekanec practices that shot all the time.

Why does it work so well for him?

Plekanec uses a taller stick than most players his size generally do, and he keeps his bottom hand higher up on the shaft. With that kind of positioning, he creates a lot of torque, and that's why he doesn't need a full windup to let one loose.

Plekanec--master of the half-clapper.

6) Obviously, the Canadiens weren't facing very stiff competition last night, but that shouldn't diminish the worth of Carey Price's final performance of the preseason.

Some would suggest Price had a very easy night. He certainly made it look that way. When it does look that way, that's a sign that he's at his best.

7) Can't envision a scenario that has Tinordi on the sidelines on October 1st.

If Murray is in fact ready, will he get the call against Toronto, or will Raphael Diaz?

Listening to TSN690 earlier this week, someone called Tony Marinaro and Chris Nilan to suggest that Tinordi was the optimal partner for Andrei Markov. I like the logic behind that, but it would mean shifting Markov to the right side, because putting Tinordi there wouldn't bring out the best he has to offer.

Tinordi's likely to play with Francis Bouillon, if Murray remains as the guy on the sidelines. But, if the Canadiens opt to pull Raphael Diaz--and that's entirely possible based on what Diaz has shown thus far--I'd expect to see Tinordi play with P.K. Subban.

Either way, Therrien's got a challenge to find the best combination of players on the backend. It's a good problem to have, but one he needs to solve quickly for the Canadiens to have the proper cohesion they require.

8) I don't think there's any question about the fact that Max Pacioretty has been the team's best player through exhibition, but Pacioretty, ever-loyal to his centreman, singled out Desharnais last night:

"He's been unbelievable. He's by far our best player on the team, so far in the preseason. I don't know if you guys have been watching him closely, but his change of speed, his puck possession down low; he's knocking guys off the puck and he's really on a mission right now."

It's the kind of support Desharnais needs, and Pacioretty's not the only one lending it. Here's what Danny Briere said of his new centreman:

"He's explosive. He's always on the puck. On the third goal we scored (Max's goal) it all started with him creating a turnover. I can't count how many times he's done that since start of the camp. He's always on pucks."

Starting the season with the kind of confidence Desharnais has built in camp can't be undervalued. The team has put Desharnais in a very important position, and he seems prepared to prove that they're making the right decision.

Pacioretty and Briere might be hyperbolic in describing what they're seeing from Desharnais, but there's no denying he's serving as the catalyst to their success. That's something he did two years ago when Pacioretty and Cole had career years.

We'll wait for the regular season to see if Desharnais can keep his competition level in the same place, but if he does, I like the chances of my prediction of him scoring at least 55 points coming true.

9) Briere popped a couple of beautiful assists last night to give him four in four preseason games.

It's kind of special that he didn't score any goals in exhibition. That first one in a Canadiens uniform is going to come when it matters, and that patented fist-pump is going to stimulate some electricity, if luck bounces his way at the Bell Centre.

10) Like I wrote, earlier this week, Brendan Gallagher's getting all the misses out now. He's hit four posts, and whiffed on at least three open nets. When this kid finally reaches the back of the net, he's going to be so relieved.
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