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When Michael McCarron made the temporary jump to the NHL last season, expectations regarding what the 21-year-old could bring to the table differed. The 25th overall pick at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft is certainly not touted to be a scoring machine, but his 6’6” and 231-lbs frame should have been sufficient in convincing head coach Michel Therrien that he ought to have finished 2016 with the Montreal Canadiens. Instead, he was fed to the wolves during the forgettable collapse that will forever be etched into the franchise’s history books, playing in a mere 20 games and putting up only 2 points.
Initially drafted as a right wing, he eventually emerged as a capable two-way center thanks especially to his defensive play and ability to win faceoffs at the AHL level. Unfortunately, his skating abilities have always been his biggest fault as a player. He continued to lack in speed and in overall technique, although he has vowed that he’s working on improving everything including his body. He told Sean Farrell of NHL.com:
I just know what it takes to play in the NHL, I was there for 20 games and I saw how hard those guys worked and how well maintained their bodies are. And I was there at the end of the year and their bodies were still well maintained. Those guys are machines and that’s what I needed to look like to play in the NHL, and I’ve just got to continue to work on my body and continue to get better.
There’s no doubt that the young adult is hungry for the opportunity to prove himself. When he was sent back to St. John’s in the beginning of last April, many were left scratching their heads in disbelief. I personally wondered what the organization had to lose at that point by not allowing him to close off the season with the big boys. I’m sure he could’ve benefitted from listening to end-of-season speeches by the head coach, general manager, and the leaders in the locker room. Those types of discussions are invaluable and offer a player perspective and experience that he might not have otherwise acquired playing in Newfoundland.
Reportedly, Therrien was not satisfied with McCarron’s effort or compete level in early April. I couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders: what did Therrien expect? If a young player seeks to earn himself a permanent spot on a roster (that’s oversaturated with bottom-6 players), being thrust into the midst of a team whose morale is at the weakest it has possibly ever been is certainly not the solution.
I’m not saying that I had any issues with the experiment at the NHL level. I question the timing and consistency behind the decision, considering that general manager Marc Bergevin also acquired Stefan Matteau and Phillip Danault at the trade deadline, both of whom can play at the center position. Not to mention Torrey Mitchell, David Desharnais, Brian Flynn, Jacob De La Rose, etc…
Perhaps placing McCarron into a high-pressure situation – on top of the stress on his shoulders as a first-round pick – was viewed as a beneficial and important experience for him. I wonder, however, if he would not have been better off building on a very impressive season with the Ice Caps:
17 goals and 38 points in 58 games for a player who supposedly has no real offensive upside is hardly anything to scoff at. Surely he would’ve reached the 25-goal mark had he prolonged his stay in St. John’s, thus potentially boosting his confidence in knowing that he could chip in with the occasional goal in the big leagues. However, witnessing the fragility within the Habs’ locker room leadership could have affected him in two different ways; he could have been completely discouraged by what awaited him or highly motivated to learn from his peers’ mistakes and lead by example with his teammates in St. John’s.
Whether he would have benefited from playing significantly more than 20 games at the NHL level or laced up his skates in all of the Ice Caps’ games is anybody’s guess. What’s even harder to predict is just where he’ll fit within the organization’s plans next season. I don’t see him being anything more than a 3rd-line player, whether that’s at the right wing or the center position. I doubt he’ll ever score 20 goals a year in the National Hockey League, but I expect him to stay true to his word and come crashing out of the gates when training camp begins.
You can bet he wants to play in the NHL – a three-year wait after being drafted seems long enough for somebody who could grow from completely immersing himself within the sometimes overwhelming speed of the big boys’ league.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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