Ten Habs Notes
Before I get into my notes, I was scouring the net this morning when I came across one of the more truthful and open evaluations of the Habs training camp thus far. CTV's Brian Wilde has become a must-read for me, as he's always willing to take a strong stance-- even if people don't agree with him. He brings up some
great points in this one, but see if you agree with him regarding Lars Eller.
-Training camp's been live for over two weeks and there's been scant mention of Ryan O'Byrne and whether or not he'll be given any responsibility with the Canadiens this season. O'Byrne was the only Canadien defenseman in last night's game against the Wild to have played more than 10 games in the NHL last year. But if Markov's healthy, and the rest of the D remains healthy, it's possible O'Byrne won't make it into 10 NHL games this year. If the Canadiens aren't considering moving him I wonder how patient he'll be before asking for a trade. O'Byrne is a great team-guy, but eventually he'll have to do what's best for himself.
-A guy who would be plenty content to hold the 7th-D position is Alex Picard. A veteran who hasn't been able to make a lasting impact anywhere in the league, Picard has a well rounded game and the potential to fill in if injuries occur. I'm pretty sure he'd do anything to stay in the NHL as opposed to riding busses in the A for another season.
-Speaking of 7th defensemen, I don't believe Yannick Weber is going to receive very strong consideration. Despite excellent experience since leaving the OHL (including the Olympics), Weber just hasn't improved enough in his own zone to compete at this level. That he hasn't done anything offensively since the beginning of the pre-season is just another indication that his time has yet to come in the NHL.
-Mathieu Carle would have to clear waivers if the Canadiens decided to send him back to Hamilton in the coming days. Carle is more NHL-ready than Weber is, but it would be hard to place him above Picard in the depth chart. Carle has the ability to play powerplay and penalty kill, and can be used at 5-on-5 as well. There's no question he's got a versatile game, but his injury history's been brutal over the last few years, and he lacks the size/physicality/speed to play regularly at this level.
-Generally, if you're a small player you need to to be a physical specimen. You need to be beyond strong, and you need to be beyond fast. Those are the prerequisites. You're hockey sense and ability to navigate the ice smartly are the keys to your survival in the NHL. David Desharnais is small, but strong, fast and very very smart on the ice. As colleague Bill Beacon of the Canadian Press put it to me last night: "He's certainly passed his AHL test, as a more than point/game guy". Bill and I both agree, Desharnais will play in the NHL soon and he'll be good.
-Dustin Boyd will be as loved in Montreal as Tom Kostopolous and Steve Begin were a couple of years ago. He plays straight away, he digs pucks out of corners, he's tenacious on the forecheck, he hits, he takes big hits to make plays and most importantly he's got some scoring touch to go with that grit. He's going to be a great addition to the Canadiens third line.
-If injuries occur in the bottom 6 forwards, Ryan White will take a spot. If I were coaching this team he'd have Mathieu Darche's already. Nothing against Darche, but White is ready for NHL action. He was the Canadiens best player against the Wild and a big reason linemate Dustin Boyd was named the first star of the game. He was also a big help to Max Pacioretty who showed his best of training camp in last night's game.
-For the first time in a long time Pacioretty made a statement in an NHL game, even if it was pre-season. When he plays with grit and determination his speed and skill becomes much more apparent. Does the kid have an NHL frame? No question about it. Can his confidence allow him to use it? If he plays the way he did last night, 20 goals/season at this level is hardly a stretch.
-With everyone willing to laugh off the pre-season and consider it fine tuning for NHL veterans, I bet Canadiens fans are holding their breath, hoping Carey Price and Alex Auld gradually improve before the puck drops on the regular season. If they don't, we won't need to wait for the playoffs for the crazies to start burning down cars and looting stores in the vicinity of the Bell Centre.
-Three more games of pre-season hockey, then it's a small layover to opening night in Toronto. Expect Jacques Martin to announce cuts today, or tomorrow at the latest. Time to see what the real team looks like as we edge closer to some hockey that matters.
Will check in again soon. If you haven't had a chance to read my game story for CP last night,
here it is.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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