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Habs post training camp mailbag

October 11, 2016, 8:47 AM ET [42 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Monday’s mailbag had to unfortunately be delayed until today. Thanks for your understanding. As in the past, questions remain anonymous as per a couple of requests… Enjoy and if you have any more, please feel free to post in the comments and I will reply.

1) I would love to see the following combination for the top six, thoughts?

Lehkonen-Galchenyuk-Radulov
Pacioretty-Plekanec-Gallagher

I think that having Lehkonen on the top line is putting too much pressure on the young man from Finland playing in his first year of hockey in North America. I understand your thought process of reuniting Pacioretty-Plekanec-Gallagher as they have enjoyed some success in the past but for at least the time being, Pacioretty has to stay on the top line. Also, with the suggested combinations I believe that it would actually be a detriment to Galchenyuk’s minutes as the temptation to overplay the Plekanec line might be too great for head coach Michel Therrien. However, I would not be adverse to seeing Galchenyuk and Radulov together on the powerplay.

2) Who or what surprised you the most at the Habs training camp?

I would have to say a few defencemen were the most pleasant surprises at camp. I expected Mikhail Sergachev to be very good but he took it to another level and really impressed with his offensive acumen and poise for an 18 year old. There was already a lot of talk and hype surrounding him and I was a little hesitant about him living up to some very high expectations.

Zach Redmond stood out and while he has been an analytics darling, I was not overly familiar with him. He made the most of every opportunity is certainly deserving of a roster spot.

I was already a fan of Greg Pateryn but he matched Nathan Beaulieu minute for minute in the early preseason. He is already solid in the defensive zone and has shown a penchant for playing physical. I thought that he gained an extra gear in the offseason as he appeared faster and displayed more offensive instincts than in previous seasons.

Sergachev complicates the bottom six, seventh and eighth defensive spots for the Canadiens but if he gives the team the best chance at winning then he has to play. This nine game tryout will have a domino effect on a number of players on the depth chart.

3) Nikita Scherbak disappointed me the most at training camp. Who was your biggest disappointment?

Scherbak had a great rookie camp but I did not expect him to push for a roster spot to start the season. However, I did expect Charles Hudon to come in with a lot more to prove and he made very little of his opportunities. I thought he played better last year in his limited three NHL games than this training camp. He looked like a player that felt that he was on the outside looking in and did not bother to try to change management’s eyes. By contrast, everyone knew it would be difficult for Michael McCarron to crack the opening roster but he still elevated his game and made it as hard as possible to be sent down to St. John’s. He knows he left everything on the table and will be the first forward called up when an injury eventually happens or general manager Marc Bergevin is able to make room for McCarron via a trade.

Mark Barberio was also a disappointment as he came into camp playing it safe with his contract in his back pocket. I did not have in my top six coming into camp but many felt that he would compete for a spot with Nathan Beaulieu. While he stepped up and played admirably throughout the many injuries on defence in 2015-2016, he should have come into camp ready to build off of that rather than be leapfrogged by an 18 year old and Redmond.

4) Now that training camp is over, how do you feel about the Habs heading into the season?

I would say that I am cautiously optimistic. The Canadiens are a better team today than they were a year ago. Alexander Radulov, Andrew Shaw, Arturri Lehkonen, Daniel Carr and Paul Byron are most certainly upgrades over Lars Eller, Alex Semin, Tomas Fleischmann, Dale Weise and Devante Smith-Pelly. Without rehashing the P.K. Subban/Shea Weber trade, the Canadiens defence is physically stronger and should make Carey Price’s job that much easier. Speaking of which, as long as Price can remain relatively healthy the Canadiens always have a chance at winning.

5) Will a Habs player win any hardware this season?

Carey Price is the most likely candidate to take home hardware at the end of season NHL awards and his play thus far through the World Cup and training camp leaves no reason to think that he has not returned to form. I believe that Shea Weber will be nominated for the Norris trophy but he may not record enough points to win it. Playing in the Eastern Conference should benefit Weber as he will not have to play as many grueling games against Western opponents. He will quarterback the Canadiens powerplay and a season of 55 points is absolutely achievable. If he is a big reason for the Canadiens turnaround this season, then I believe he might just have the inside track and will be rewarded come June.

Thanks for the great questions!

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