Fighting For A Spot. Habs Training Camp

The Montreal Canadiens have played 5 preseason games, and so far, two prospects have really stood out and are challenging for a spot on the big club.

Michael Bournival: Michael is the only forward who is a real threat to steal a job from a veteran this season. So far in the preseason, Bournival has been dominant and chipping in offensively, while showing a lot of tenacity on the forecheck as well as strong, heady play in his own zone. In most cases, defensive play holds back young promising forward prospects, but in Michael’s case, it is one of his strengths and could very well be the deciding factor on whether or not he makes the team. At this point in time, the Habs’ top 9 is pretty much set with David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, Daniel Briere, Alexander Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller, Brendan Gallagher, Rene Bourque and Brian Gionta . Unless a trade occurs, there really is no room up on those lines. This leaves only the 4^th line as a potential spot for Bournival to grab, which is why his abilities in his own zone are particularly crucial to his hopes of making the team. In his last preseason game, Michael was used in such a role, lining up with the likes of Travis Moen and Ryan White, all while getting some time on the penalty kill. This is evidently the management’s attempt to test him in the role he would be required to fill should he make the roster this year. Personally, I would not be surprised to see him sent back to Hamilton, despite his great play in the preseason. The reasoning is that, frankly, he has more potential than simply being a fourth liner.  Getting top line minutes in the AHL might be more beneficial for developing his offensive skills, as well as for giving him more time to develop and round out his game as a whole. There is no need to rush a prospect and all signs point to Bergevin wanting to be as patient as possible in regards to bringing in prospects to the NHL.

Jarred Tinordi: If any prospect is going to make the roster on the backend, it will be Jarred Tinordi. Last season, Jarred made his NHL debut and was quite successful at first, but his play dipped towards the end of the season. In the pre-season so far, Tinordi has been very impressive to say the least. He has easily been one of the better defensemen on the team, his play vastly surpassing that of some veterans. Adding to this, as a big physical defensive defenseman, Jarred brings a style of play that is sorely lacking on the roster.  The signing of Douglas Murray, as well as the presence of depth defensemen such as Francis Bouillon and Davis Drewisky, allow Montreal the ability to not have to rush Jarred in. But with his play this pre-season, all indications show that he is ready to make the leap to the NHL and that the Canadiens will give it to him, based on the amount of games they have given him this pre-season. The biggest question isn’t whether or not Tinordi should make the big club, but rather what will Marc Bergevin do to make room for him? The injury to Drewisky is opportunistic, since it opens up a roster spot, number wise, but what about when Davis returns? More importantly, what will happen when Emelin returns from injury? These are questions that Marc Bergevin will have to answer, but one thing is for sure, this is a good problem to have.

 

-Icecoldbeard

Notes from First Pre-Season Game, Montreal Canadiens versus Buffalo Sabres

Quick notes from pre-season game 1, Montreal Canadiens versus Buffalo Sabres

The Good

Jarred Tinordi: Played a great game last night, physical, smart, even showed a decent slapshot at some points in the game. He is developing nicely into the exact role he was drafted for, and that is to be a shutdown defenseman who can log big minutes. If anyone will work their way onto the blueline of the main roster, and steal a job from a vet, it will be him.

Michael McCarron: I came away very impressed with Michael. He showed quite a bit of skill, and his game was a lot more polished than what I expected. He managed to accumulate two assists in the game, as well as provide a nice decoy on the 2^nd Bournival goal by crashing the net with a head full of steam. His skating definitely needs some work, especially his stride which needs refinement as it looks a bit awkward. But if he improves on that, the sky really is the limit with this young man.

Michael Bournival: Scored two goals and played a key role on the most productive line of the night. Showed some offensive promise, but I fully expect him to score most of his goals through the use of pure effort than through the use offensive skills. Looked very promising and is projecting well into the role of a complementary forward on an offensive line, or a key contributor to a shutdown line. I look forward to seeing him develop further in Hamilton.

Greg Pateryn: Was very impressive, notching 3 assists and showing a lot of improvement in his game since last season. Most notably, his skating seems to have improved quite a bit. He also seemed very calm and poised with and without the puck, making simple plays and always finding himself in the right position. While he didn’t deliver huge hits like Tinordi, Pateryn did display a well-rounded game that while not flashy, is most certainly effective. Greg looks to be making a push onto the big club, but odds are high that he will be sent back for another year of development.

Lars Eller: Lars was perhaps the most impressive player for me and has me extremely excited for the coming season. Last night Lars looked dominant in all phases of the game, making plays in all 3 zones. He used a combination of skill, physicality, speed and brains to achieve this, beating his opponents in every which way. While this didn’t lead to much production, it did lead to many scoring chances and sustained offensive pressure, as well as help annihilate any offensive threat posed by the opposition. If Eller can display the same level of play on a consistent basis, especially in the season, he will be very fun to watch and should see an increase in responsibilities and ice time.

Brendan Gallagher: Brendan was up to his usual games, crashing the net and being an unstoppable ball of energy in the offensive zone. Gallagher was tremendous on the forecheck and created many offensive opportunities. While his defensive game still needs some work, Gallagher continues to impress and shows compete level and talent to hold onto his significant role with the big club.

Martin St-Pierre: Martin was more impressive than I expected. He displayed a lot of skill and hockey sense last night and will look really good as a leader for the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The OK

Alex Galchenyuk: He had quite a few good moments last night and showed significant improvements in the physicality department, but sadly just missed my “good” list. Needs to continue to improve and be more confident with the puck, he has all world talent he has to use it more often.

Martin Reway: He displayed tremendous skill last night, and I will probably get some heat for not putting on my “good” list. While he wowed the crowd and home viewers alike with his talent, he also made many questionable decisions with the puck most leading to very avoidable turnovers. He also failed to complement his line-mates seeming to be content with trying to do everything on his own. His passing was awful, as he tried repeatedly to force passes through multiple defenders after dangling himself into a corner. Reway has a whole bunch of skill, and he really put it on display last night. Unfortunately, he also put on display the exact reasons why he needs more seasoning in juniors and why he is a project moving forward. The good news is that skill cannot be taught and he has this in abundance, and most of his flaws, most notably decision making, can be improved through hard work and experience.

Sebastian Collberg: He made a few nice plays, but those were few and far in between. Going into the offensive zone I often found him following the play nicely and positioning himself properly to receive a pass, which never came. My personal hope is that they move him away from Reway in his next pre-season game, hopefully with a playmaking center, so that he can actually receive the puck and we can measure where he is at.

Zachary Fucale: Made a few tremendous saves. Got beat twice, the first one was a perfect shot, the second one I think he had a shot at saving and believe he wishes he had. Got beat by an unbelievable deke by Grigorenko, and nobody can blame him for that one. Overall he had a very solid performance. Zachary will likely be sent back down to Halifax where he will have to carry a team going through a transition as they are losing many key players from their championship run.

Players not yet mentioned, minus Diaz: For the most part performed as expected, nothing horrible, nothing special, and otherwise average. Not really worth mentioning.

The Bad

Raphael Diaz: Was very disappointed in Diaz, expected him to be a leader as he was the only true NHL defenseman present on the Habs lineup, but he was easily the worst there. He made a very costly mistake on one powerplay which led to a shorthanded goal against. Looked confused at times, especially on the powerplay, and failed to display the same level of play he demonstrated at the world championships. If anyone deserved to lose their spot to a Tinordi or Pateryn after this 1 game sample, Diaz is definitely the one.