I’ve had almost 24 hours to digest the trade between Arizona and Montreal and I still don’t understand it. As far as I’m concerned, I’m part of the majority that is left scratching their heads, and I speculated that perhaps Marc Bergevin has something significantly bigger in store in the upcoming weeks. The problem is I find it extremely hard to believe…
Trading Jarred Tinordi away might have been good for the player, although we’ll have to wait and see how he develops with the Coyotes before jumping to any conclusions. My issue with the trade is that the return is absolutely ridiculous. Neither John Scott nor Victor Bartley will don the Montreal Canadiens jersey this year or ever, for that matter. At least, that’s almost certainly the case for John Scott. I have never heard of Bartley, and I’m certain I’m not alone.
Scott is a player who played 11 games this season and has a single assist to his name. More importantly, he was placed on waivers multiple times this year. Tinordi is a young defenseman who was drafted in the first round in 2010. He never managed to crack the lineup as many would argue he was never given a fair chance to earn a permanent spot on this team. There was a time when the Habs needed size and grit, both of which Tinordi could’ve provided had he been properly developed. He might have been a better asset than Alexei Emelin on the left, as I believe that he has a slightly better first pass than the Russian defender.
I refuse to beat a dead horse, so to speak. This trade has raised questions about the competency of the general manager, who in all fairness has ample time to redeem himself for making a trade that did not need to happen. The team is not any better due to his efforts, and they desperately need to improve. The question is, who’s really worth trading away on the current roster or in St. John’s? Moreover, it’s clear the Habs will not be contending for the Stanley Cup this year, even if stranger things have happened. I just don’t think the addition of a single superstar scoring winger and/or playmaking center with size will be enough to carry this team to their 25th championship. At least, not this year.
Tonight, the Habs take on a Western Conference powerhouse in the St. Louis Blues. They might not be having a season that’s up to par with the amount of talent they boast, but they’re the definite favorites to win this matchup. They’re third in the Central Division, behind Chicago who have won ten games in a row and the Dallas Stars. The Habs will have to be wary of an effective power play (5th overall) and penalty killing unit (3rd in the league). Fortunately for Michel Therrien’s troops, the Blues are 22nd overall when it comes to scoring (2.43 GPG).
All signs point to the return of Dale Weise tonight. With Daniel Carr and Sven Andrighetto being sent down to the AHL, one of the team’s best scorers- yes, you read that right- could help boost Montreal’s chances of winning tonight. He’ll be welcomed with open arms, as the Habs have been averaging 1.8 GPG over the last 20 games…
Mike Condon will be between the pipes, and he shouldn’t be overly challenged- Alexander Steen, Jay Bouwmeester, Carl Gunnarsson, Steve Ott, Magnus Paarjavi and Jaden Schwartz are all among the list of injured players, as per Sportsnet.ca. Maybe the Canadiens can boost their confidence with a relatively easy matchup…