Tonight the Montreal Canadiens will try to put a week’s worth of distractions behind them as they get ready to face the St. Louis Blues on the road. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin sent the Twitterverse into a spin yesterday with the news of the Jarred Tinordi trade to the Arizona Coyotes. Coming to the Canadiens, John Scott received the bulk of attention if for no other reason than how the trade will affect his all-star presence. However, it seems that the key piece for the Canadiens in this deal was actually Nashville’s defenceman Victor Bartley. I already commented on my initial reaction to the trade
Tinordi Traded, Habs Fall to Hawks 2-1 yesterday afternoon.
After a night’s reflection, I still cannot see the logic behind the trade. In his press release yesterday, Bergevin said:
“Victor Bartley, 27, is a defenseman with good size with over 100 games played at the NHL level. He adds depth to the group of defencemen of our organization. Steady on the blue line he has shown at the junior and the AHL levels that he can also contribute offensively.”
And then on Tinordi commented that:
“We are fortunate to have a lot of depth on the blue line and for that reason it became difficult for Jarred to earn a regular spot on our roster. He showed great professionalism and kept a positive attitude. We wish him the best of luck with his new organization.”
And so Bergevin seemingly contradicted himself by being pleased to acquire a depth defensemen all while acknowledging the Canadiens depth and how difficult it was for Tinordi to crack the lineup on a consistent basis. Strange… Tinordi started off as being such a promising prospect for the Canadiens. His size and ability to skate were huge pluses at the time and character was considered off the chart. Tinordi stepped up in the 2012-2013 playoffs to play with Andrei Markov against the Ottawa Senators in the first round and it seemed like he was just scratching the surface. Unfortunately over the next couple of seasons his play and confidence seemed to deteriorate as he was passed on the depth chart by Nathan Beaulieu and Greg Pateryn, not to mention the addition of Mark Barberio. Perhaps he never got a full and fair shake in Montreal, but Therrien and Bergevin have proven that they will make room for you if you prove yourself. Unfortunately Tinordi was never able to do that on a consistent basis with the Canadiens.
Bartley has now joined the Canadiens in St. Louis while Scott was assigned to the St. John’s Ice Caps in the AHL. The question remains on whether or not Scott will be eligible to play in the NHL All-Star game and what happens to his spot. This is on the NHL to figure out a solution that can appease the player himself and fans. Perhaps Bergevin did the Coyotes a favour by taking back Scott, but it is not for the Canadiens to decide Scott’s fate at the game.
The greater question though that is still being asked is if this is a prelude to a greater deal that Bergevin is working on? The Canadiens are still quite interested in Jonathan Drouin, as evidenced by their attendance at Syracuse’s game last night:
There was some great debate on Twitter last night on what it would take to land Drouin and who the Canadiens would be ready to give up on. This would be such a tough deal to make as while the Canadiens have plenty of depth when it comes to 3rd/4th line players and 5/6/7 defencemen. However, as I’ve said The Canadiens cannot afford to give up on Galchenyuk to get Drouin, they need to be complementary players on the same line. Nathan Beaulieu’s name has popped up frequently but the Canadiens do not have another defensive prospect who is ready to step up and fill his void. Beaulieu can play on any of the pairings and brings intangibles that Mark Barberio does not have. Noah Juulsen, the Canadiens 2015 first round draft pick has potential but it will be a good few years until he is NHL ready. Beaulieu is ready to step up and be there when Markov or Emelin are struggling. So who does that leave the Canadiens ready to trade? Lars Eller’s name will come up for the umpteenth time. Prospects like Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak have been thrown around as well as draft picks. It all depends on what kind of roster player and prospect Steve Yzerman is coveting and the Canadiens may not have the right pieces to make that deal. Could Bartley be viewed as someone who can step up if a current defenceman on the roster gets traded? An interesting comment from Therrien after practice today:
In English “There are a people in this (Canadiens) organization that really like Victor Bartley”.
As for the actual game tonight, the Canadiens will once again feature new lines:
It is no surprise following Michel Therrien’s comments yesterday that Galchenyuk will start the game on the left wing of David Desharnais with Dale Weise back in the lineup on the right side for the first time since the Winter Classic. Earlier in the year this line was actually the Canadiens 2nd power play unit and they had some success. I would rather that Galchenyuk be positioned at center over Desharnais and it will be interesting to see who ends up carrying the puck more often tonight. The 3rd and 4th lines are now more tradition checking lines with Lars Eller back at center, this should help take some of the defensive zone pressure away from Galchenyuk and Desharnais. All eyes will be on Jacob De La Rose as he makes his 2015-2016 season debut.
Following his rough game against the Blackhawks, Beaulieu finds himself back on the 3rd pairing for the first time in awhile. Emelin has played better as of late and I imagine that Therrien wants to see his physical side against bigger opponents such as the Blues. Emelin must seize the opportunity though and not stop doing the things that have earned him the promotion. His hits have been well-timed and effective. It is when he gets away from playing the simple game that he gets into trouble. With the Canadiens playing back to back tonight against the Blues and then Blackhawks tomorrow night, we’ll see if Therrien can back up his words and properly manage Markov’s minutes.
For their part, St. Louis has somewhat mirrored the Canadiens in the West as they have had more than their share of injuries. Alexander Steen left the Blues last game with an injury and is not expected to play tonight. Jay Bouwmeester has been out day-to-day and skated this morning but is doubtful for tonight. Other players on the injured reserve include Jake Allen, Jaden Schwartz, Carl Gunnarsson, Steve Ott and Magnus Paajarvi. Despite a record of 3-4-3 in their last 10 games, the Blues have 57 points in the Central division and sit 3rd. Their lineup tonight should look like:
Meanwhile, the Canadiens have now fallen to 5th in the Atlantic division as Boston and Tampa Bay each won last night. The Canadiens currently hold the 2nd wild card spot in the Eastern conference standings.
5 Questions For Tonight’s Game:
1) Will Galchenyuk finish the game playing on the left wing or center?
2) Markov minutes watch: Will he play less than 23 minutes in the first of back-to-backs?
3) Will the Canadiens top line rebound from a difficult game against the Blackhawks?
4) Can the Canadiens support Mike Condon with at least 2 goals?
5) Does Bergevin have another trade up his sleeve that will help make sense of the Tinordi deal?
Finally, I would like to wish Dave Stubbs a heartfelt congratulations as he leaves the Montreal Gazette to take on a new position as a columnist and historian for the NHL.com. Dave has an exceptional talent that bridges the past to the present. He will surely be missed at the Gazette. On the other hand, as the NHL prepares to celebrate their 100th season, they could not have picked a better writer to help honour the past. I've written in the past how writers and journalists such as Dave Stubbs and Red Fisher have influenced my interest in writing and love of hockey. While these are tough times for print, getting a writer such as Dave Stubbs is a real coup for the NHL.com. Best of luck Dave!
Puck drops at 7pm.
Cheers & Enjoy The Game!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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