That’s it: we’re in the last week of activities for the Canadiens.
The club has a game in Detroit tonight before heading back to Montreal to host the Red Wings tomorrow night at Le Temple. After that, it’s locker emptying time… and then it’s over.
Can’t wait for it to be over, or are you going to miss the Flanelle?
Tonight and tomorrow night, we can fully expect to see Lane Hutson play his first NHL games. The young defenseman will be burning a year of his contract, and after this week’s games, he’ll know a little more about what to work on this summer.
But the question remains: who will he play with in his NHL debut?
Right now, the Habs have seven healthy defensemen: Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jordan Harris, Johnathan Kovacevic, Jayden Struble, Justin Barron and Lane Hutson.
Arber Xhekaj (season over) and Kaiden Guhle (we don’t know what’s going on with him) are on the sidelines.
Martin St-Louis will have to decide who Hutson will play with. Matheson and Struble are not options because they are left-handed and only play left. Justin Barron is not an option because such a duo would be horrible defensively.
That leaves three options for me: David Savard, Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic.
And it’s clear to me that Lane Hutson would benefit from playing with Savard, who is known for his fire feinting, defensive skills, veteran leadership and toughness.
Everything Hutson is not.
Hutson could take some chances (if he feels in control enough to do so, he who could also play not to make mistakes on the ice) knowing that Papa Savard is behind.
I can’t wait to see which defenseman skips his turn tonight. Will Martin St-Louis take out Struble, Kovacevic, Barron, Harris… or will he play with seven defensemen tonight?
I don’t think so, but who knows.
And while we’re on the subject of defense, let’s not forget that we might see Logan Mailloux on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. The Rocket will only play on Friday, giving Mailloux time, if the Habs are willing, to get his feet wet in the NHL.
In gusto
– The Rangers can secure home-ice advantage for the rest of the playoffs with a win tonight.
– What a player!
– Two weeks ago, we didn’t think Trois-Rivières would finish its season. Now the Lions are in the playoffs.
– With good reason.
– Ouch.
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