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10 Takeaways From The 1st Week Of Training Camp |
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With the Montreal Canadiens first couple of preseason games in the books, here are my takeaways from the 1st week of training camp.
1) Nathan Beaulieu has displayed that he is ready for a bigger role on and off the ice. In Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals, Beaulieu exploded with a goal and 3 assists while playing over 25 minutes. He made positive contributions in all situations, from the powerplay to even strength to the penalty kill. He was calm with the puck and acted like a leader on the ice. He said he wanted to improve his offensive game and 6 shots on net certainly helped. On his powerplay goal, you could see the play quickly unfolding as Radulov was waiting for a player to get open and Beaulieu saw the free lane. The pass and one timer happened so quickly and with such precision that the Capitals had zero time to react. Yes, the opponent was clearly outmatched. However, Beaulieu stepped up and it will be expected of him to continue to play with such confidence and to the utmost of his abilities once the competition gets tougher.
2) Zach Redmond made a strong case for jumping up the defensive depth chart with his performance against the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. Greg Pateryn raised the stakes even further with his game against the Devils. He led all players with 26 minutes of ice time and added 3 assists to go with 4 blocked shots and 2 hits. The 6th spot on defence is Pateryn’s to lose and he gave every indication that he is ready to play night in and night out.
3) During head coach Michel Therrien’s postgame press conference when asked to comment about Beaulieu’s performance, he went one further and specifically mentioned the strength of the pair, meaning Beaulieu and Pateryn together. This is perhaps a clue as to the Canadiens plans for the 3rd defence pairing to start the season. Pateryn mentioned that it is easy to play with Beaulieu as they have been paired together off and on since they began their professional careers together five years ago.
4) At practice on Wednesday morning, Jeff Petry took some reps on the left side to gage his comfort level playing on his off side.
The problem with pairing Weber with Petry is the negative ripple down effect that it will have on the rest of the pairings. As witnessed at the World Cup of Hockey, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin should not play together for an extended amount of time. The odd game here or there is fine but their lack of speed gets exposed against faster teams. Playing Petry with Weber might be a stop gap if neither Markov or Beaulieu are up to the task but it is not a long term solution. Neither is trading for Jacob Trouba. While he is a young defenceman with plenty of upside, he would sit behind Weber and Petry on the depth chart, forcing one of them to play their offside. There is also Noah Juulsen in the pipeline on the right. I like the young man but I just do not see how Montreal is the right fit for him at this moment.
5) Alexander Radulov fully delivered in his Canadiens preseason debut. He had a goal and an assist and likely would have had more if he was not playing with Brian Flynn as his centerman. Radulov took charge when he was on the ice and was oozing skill and smarts. He backchecked, was strong on the forecheck, went to the dirty areas and displayed his vision and hands with his goal and assist. In fact, he was almost too good for some of his own teammates who did not seem to be able to handle or anticipate his passes. The players sounded downright giddy when they were asked about him in the locker room after the game.
6) The 4th line appears to be set with Torrey Mitchell centering Philip Danault and Paul Byron. I for one do not have a problem with that to start the season. The trio are fast, defend well and can contribute offensively as well.
7) Andrew Shaw will have a hearing for his hit on Connor Hobbs:
It was an unnecessary and late hit. Hobbs was in a vulnerable position and Shaw more than had enough time to let up. He is a player that straddles the line and made the wrong decision when wanting to exhibit his toughness. The Canadiens acquired Shaw because of his grit and character. He is still a welcome addition but he must learn from his mistakes. He has to learn to be aggressive in a responsible manner. The biggest loss from Shaw’s likely extra discipline is that he will not have the opportunity to play and work on chemistry with Plekanec and Radulov. In effect, he might have just lost his spot on the second line. Look for Artturi Lehkonen to be given a chance to play with them as Pacioretty has reclaimed his position on the Canadiens top line.
8) Al Montoya didn’t really face any tough shots in the 30 minutes that he played last night. He did let in a weak goal that I am sure he would like back. I still think he has the inside track on becoming Carey Price’s backup though and Mike Condon will likely start the season in St. John’s or will get traded.
9) Coming into camp I expected Charles Hudon to compete for a position on the Canadiens. So far he has not displayed enough to warrant a roster spot. He was invisible for much of the game against the Capitals and only woke up in the third period. If he wants to be a part of the Canadiens future, he needs to start grabbing the horn and making the most of any and all opportunities.
10) The powerplay looked much improved in the Canadiens second preseason game and you could see Kirk Muller’s influence as they mostly employed a 1-3-1 strategy. On one powerplay Michael McCarron replaced Brian Flynn and his presence in front of the net made quite the difference. One thing is certain, Radulov on the powerplay is going to be a joy to watch this season.
What are your takeaways thus far?
Cheers & follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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