After 42 games, the Habs have made a shift

January 14, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens played three games this past week. On Wednesday, they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers, in a game where they didn’t earn the loser point. Thursday’s game was another stinker 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Then on Saturday night the Edmonton Oilers were in town and the result for the Habs was a 2-1 overtime loss. Here are my thoughts on the Habs after 42 games.

With a quiet early week, fans were focused on some other storylines.

If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan, everything is about the Habs right? So when the Anaheim Ducks traded for Cutter Gauthier on Monday, it didn’t take long for the trade rumours to begin about Trevor Zegras heading north. Of course, we’re not even sure he’s available. If he is, we’re not sure he’s a player HuGo would covet. And if they would, I am certain the cost to acquire him is more than most fans believe. Unfortunately, Zegras has since been injured, so we’ll get a six to eight week reprieve from that discussion.

With Pierre-Luc Dubois struggling to find his way in Los Angeles, and getting some 4th line duty this week, here we are with the Dubois to Montreal trade rumours again. I was a fan who wanted Dubois in Montreal. I also thought he was an awkward fit in Los Angeles, with Kopitar, Byfield and Danault already in place. But it’s too early to call that trade a bust for the Kings, and I can’t imagine they’re ready to flip him just yet – certainly not for a package of Allen, Evans and Harris. If they are, those character issues might be real after all.

Speaking of Evans, the situation at centre raises some questions.

In Philadelphia, the Habs found themselves in an overtime situation they had not earned. The coach’s deployment in overtime was questionable enough to make you wonder if he was punishing them. Jake Evans started the 3-on-3 and played nearly half of it.

One role that Dvorak filled admirably was taking draws in OT, and then getting off the ice quickly so they would benefit from the gained possession. Evans is not a face-off specialist, and also not as efficient at getting off the ice. Having him take draws over Suzuki and Monahan was boneheaded, and served to completely kill their OT hopes. Perhaps they were showcasing Evans for that Dubois trade.

On Saturday, the Habs finished overtime with Savard, Guhle and Evans on the ice. Holy sheep shit. That was reminiscent of the days when they threw out their best penalty killers for the OT. Yes, I do realize they were killing a penalty but the loser point was already in the bag. They have better two-way options.

Beyond overtime, I am a little flummoxed over the decision to call up Heineman and then Roy – both players I wanted to see – over Lias Andersson. He’s a high draft pick, a centreman until recently, who is playing well in Laval.

With some players returning to health, something had to give.

It ended up being Gustav Lindstrom, who was waived and claimed by Anaheim. I’m sure Kent Hughes would have preferred for Lindstrom to clear waivers so he could help Laval, but this wasn’t a death blow.

Here’s a great update on the trade tree.

With Gustav Lindström on waivers, it’s a fun time to revisit the trade tree that got him to Montreal. pic.twitter.com/RHJWgsE58n

— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) January 9, 2024

It’s not reasonable to expect that a group of kids will maintain their emotional fortitude over 82 games when the end is inevitable.

The Philadelphia Flyers are a better team, but the Habs made them look like Cup contenders. The San Jose Sharks are bordering on relegation level, but the Habs made them look legit. We should not be surprised. I have long believed that for rebuilding teams – probably for most non-playoff teams – that there is a point in the season where the futility of it all hits the team like a ton of bricks. That blow has apparently been dealt.

Fans can stand them losing in a rebuild as long as they’re fun to watch, and neither of those games were fun to watch. I suspect calling up Joshua Roy was, in part, an effort to spark some emotion and give the fans a reason to tune in. The show on Saturday was certainly more entertaining, even if Roy didn’t feature large.

Local Habs fans deserve a local kid to cheer for.

I really wanted Jonathan Drouin to have a brilliant career in Montreal. It wasn’t to be. As I confessed earlier, I wanted Dubois to come home and be a hero too. I’m apparently a sucker for a local kid. Joshua Roy got his chance on Saturday night. It was uneventful, but he didn’t look out of place. Perhaps fans will have to settle for coaches and meat-and-potatoes guys like Roy, Harvey-Pinard and Montembeault.

We have passed the halfway mark of the season, and I believe the Roy call-up signals the beginning of a shift. I know Josh Anderson was injured. But I do believe we will see some of the prospects in Laval rotating through Montreal from here. Giving them their brief taste so they can see how they measure up and figure out what to work on next. It’s an important part of a developmental season for a rebuilding team.

Of course, the trade deadline is approaching and, according to Darren Dreger, Sean Monahan was promised a trade to a contender or team of his choice. Others will be moved as well. Roster spots will open, and these early call-ups are a bit of an audition also.

The shift is on. The hockey might not have been compelling this week, but the trade deadline promises to be.