This is it. Tonight is the last helping of fake hockey we'll get until the Habs kick off their season in Carolina on October 3rd. This morning, there was an optional skate in Brossard and the line-up for tonight was released. Can you spot who amongst the regulars is missing:
La formation du #CH ce soir :
— Patrick Friolet (@PFrioletRDS) September 28, 2019
Tatar-Danault-Gallagher
Lehkonen-Domi-Suzuki
Byron-Kotkaniemi-Weal
Cousins-Poehling-Armia
Mete-Weber
Chiarot-Petry
Kulak-Fleury
Price devant le filet pendant 60 minutes
Kinkaid
Laissés de côté : Drouin, Hudon, Thompson, Reilly, Folin, Lindgren
Yup, that's right Jonathan Drouin is nowhere to be found. That's all it took for social media to light up with trade rumours once more but before we freak out, let's try and be rational about this. The Canadiens will play their 7th preseason game tonight and Drouin has already played in 4 of those. Meanwhile, Petry, Weber, Danault, Domi, Armia, Tatar, Chiarot have all played in 3 games to name a few and Gallagher has only seen some action in 2. Could it perhaps make sense then for Drouin to sit out and let Paul Byron back in the line-up when he only took part in one game? Wouldn't it be logical for the Habs brass to want to take one more look at Ryan Poehling who was injured in his sole game? It's it time to evaluate Nick Suzuki one more time before making a final decision? Isn't it logical to put Cousins back in the fold, a player who's not been in the organization for years and who isn't as known as Drouin consequently? Here's what Claude Julien had to say on the topic:
Huge game for the kids tonight.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Gibhwy3DwO
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 28, 2019
He even mentions that he's seen enough of Hudon over the years and that's why he's not in the line-up tonight. It will be interesting to see how things play out tomorrow morning once the curtain has fallen on the preseason. Will Julien decide to keep more D-men around or more forwards? We all know that Lindgren will be cut in the next few days but will Poehling stick around? Will Suzuki succeed in his last audition and start the year on the top 6? Will Charles Hudon finally by put on waivers? And what about Cale Fleury, could his staying up mean that one of Folin or Reilly lands on waivers?
There are 23 spots available on an NHL roster, so far these for me are the safe bets: Tatar-Danault-Gallagher Lehkonen-Domi Drouin-Kotkaniemi-Weal Byron-Thompson-Armia
Mete-Weber Chiarot-Petry Kulak
Price Kinkaid
That's 18 of them, meaning 5 more can stay. If I had to bet, my 5 would be:
Suzuki: I believe he has earn his opening night roster spot in the top 6. Fleury: From the first preseason game he has looked ready out there and I do believe that spot on the 3rd pairing is his. Cousin: There's a reason they went to get him as a free agent and it is believed he could provide some of the grit that went to Chicago when Shaw was sent back. Reilly and Folin: The blue line is more of a question mark, I believe Julien will want to keep his options open to have a bit of a rotation going if need be. Plus, these guys are not young prospects, there's no harm in having them be the practice crew so to speak.
So yes, that means I see Poehling starting in Laval. Why? Well, he's not seen much action in the preseason and I want him to munch some minutes. While Suzuki would have that opportunity in the top 6, Poehling wouldn't with the current centre line. So I say give him some time to get some seasoning in Laval.
And that also means I see Hudon landing on waivers. Well, I'm not sure if I see it happening or if I'm just really hopeful that it happens but to me, it made no sense to sign him again this summer. There is no room for him on the Habs top 9 forwards and he's not made for the 4th line. Let the poor guy go, I don't care if we lose him for nothing on waivers, he's surplus to requirement...Let him have a chance elsewhere.
What do you think? Would you make the same calls? We've all got one last game to take in to solidify our position and arguments, enjoy this last bit of meaningless hockey!