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New coach shakes things up, by Andrew Saadalla

February 20, 2017, 10:01 AM ET [3 Comments]
Habs Talk
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Heading into a matchup versus the New York Rangers at the infamous Madison Square Garden tomorrow night, the Montreal Canadiens' organization held its traditional open practice at the Bell Centre yesterday. While the absence of the beloved Carey Price (maintenance day) might have caused less fans to show up than in previous years, many continue to be excited about the return of head coach Claude Julien.

Simply listening to him speak during press conferences can be enough to convince one that he will indeed right the sinking ship that he inherited, as his confidence and unfailing optimism come as a much-needed breath of fresh air. The Habs must surely benefit from that, and it will take the players a few games to get adjusted to a new but relatively familiar defensive system. A defensive system that, mind you, already showed signs of improvement in the team's own zone against the Winnipeg Jets last Saturday but can certainly tighten up if every individual is in the appropriate chair.

Julien is therefore not wasting any time in shaking up his lineup in order to fully acknowledge what he has to work with. Although the Habs practice at 11:00am ET today, here are glimpses into what to potentially expect out of the roster tomorrow night.


Forwards




Phillip Danault finds himself once again centering Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov on the first line, while Alex Galchenyuk was alongside his friend Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron. I would expect the bottom nine combinations to change regularly, as I just don't see a lasting chemistry between Byron and Galchenyuk.


Defensemen




Julien placed Andrei Markov and Shea Weber on the same defensive pairing last Saturday after the latter started the game with his usual partner Alexei Emelin. As Markov has been steadily the best defenseman since his return from injury, it makes sense to give him top-pairing duties although the coach will have to be wary of his ice-time.

Say what you will about Michel Therrien, but he lived up to his offseason promise of keeping Markov's minutes at around the 20-minute mark. His average ice-time in 2016-2017 is 21:31, and he played a shade over 22 minutes last game. Against the blazing Rangers, I would expect this unit to be broken up as neither have the foot speed to keep up with Alain Vigneault's troops.

The real question mark looms over Nathan Beaulieu and whether he can truly be effective once and for all. There's no doubt that the young blue-liner is highly talented, but year after year, he struggles to find his consistency. He tends to hold onto the puck for far too long and causes turnovers that, as evidenced on Saturday against the Jets, lead to goals-against in an untimely fashion.

Julien has specifically said that he will exercise patience and show his players that they will earn second chances if the effort levels are satisfactory. You can put Beaulieu's name at the top of the list, as the team will need to count on him to be an important part of their defensive core for the remainder of the season if they hope to to make it into the playoffs.

More to come following today's practice.
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