CH doubled down (to a premium position) to make room for youngsters

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Justin Barron has been traded to the Laval Rocket and that Mitchell Stevens has been placed on waivers. He will usually join Baron in the afternoon if he is not claimed.

Then, a few hours later, we learned that Arber Shikaj would take Baron's place in the future.

Logically, we can believe that the Canadian intends to add a thirteenth striker to his lineup to replace Stevens, who is still there at 2 p.m. We agree that with Tanner Pearson close to returning to play, he should take Stevens' spot on the 23-man roster.

Defensively, the Canadian has seven players (Mike Matheson, David Savard, Kayden Guehly, Jordan Harris, Jayden Strobel, Arber Cicaj and Jonathan Kovacevic) plus the three goalies, for a total of 23 men.

There are two interesting notes here:

• The Canadian has only two defenders who shoot from the right: David Savard and Jonathan Kovacevic, who often skips his turn these days.
• The Canadian has just three starting quarterbacks: Nick Suzuki, Sean Monahan and Jake Evans

The central hub is a prime location. It's the same for the right-handed defenseman position in the eyes of NHL executives.

And yesterday, CH said goodbye to the midfielder and right player to bring back a left-handed defender and winger – If Pearson actually comes back.

What this means is that unless there is an unexpected change (we're waiting for Pearson to return), the Canadian will have one less midfielder and one less right defender on hand.

This is despite yesterday's movements not necessarily being mandatory.

After all, nothing forced the Canadian to send Justin Barron down, as Xhekaj, who was playing extremely well, had no “time limit” in Laval. Nothing forced the Canadian to keep Joshua Roy at the top.

But CH chose to leave out Barron and Stephens (who could leave the organization entirely as soon as 2 p.m.) because it saw Roy and Xhekaj's place as being with the Montreal Canadiens. I wonder if today's opponent (the Senators) weighed in the scales in the case of WiFi.

Does this send a message to the group? certainly. The message is this: those who deserve it will have their place under the sun. And those who, like Baron, don't deserve it, will work to improve their game in Laval.

I say Barron because I don't think the Canadian “punished” Stevens. In my opinion, he was a victim of circumstances more than anything else because he played the role expected of him.

This means that the Canadian coach will inevitably have to fix the broken problems. Who will play in the midfield position, for example?

According to what he confirms Simon Olivier Lorange in a research published last night on the La Presse websiteIt should come as no surprise if the Canadian decides to play with 11 forwards and seven defencemen.

In such a scenario, Pearson would obviously take Stevens' place, Jesse Ilonen would likely remain ruled out and we can believe Michael Pezzetta would join him. The latter, although little used, has still survived recent changes. It is interesting to note.

The eight wards will share work with only three centres.

Defensively, we have to think everyone will suit up. Therefore, Justin Barron, due to circumstances, will leave his place to Arber Cicaj and Jonathan Kovacevic.

Note that yesterday, in training, the two veteran players (Savard and Matheson) formed a pair, just like Strobel and the left-hander Gul. He is likely to be in the top four ahead of the left-handed duo of Harris and Cicaj. It is possible that Kovacevic, if he plays, will play as a seventh defender. He follows…

Note that today's exercise should not give us many answers. After all, at 10:30 this morning, this will be an optional workout on the menu for Senna's only visit to Montreal.

The Sens, who are less than two hours away, will come to town as much as the Stars or Wild. It's amazing how much Gary Bettman doesn't value competition.

As for Baron, he noted that the defender was disappointed, in 2022, to start the season in Laval. Imagine his disappointment, in 2024, when he had to head to the AHL…

I really wonder what position he would have there. Will he play tomorrow when the Rockets play at home?

But good. Since he's no longer shooting (his strength, in theory), his defensive play has been more than a mess for a few weeks and we no longer trust him to take on big clubs like Edmonton and Denver, he's good too.

The news may have come as a shock, but I want to see him recover properly – like Shikage did. This is important for the rest of his career.

Note that I'm also looking forward to seeing how Logan Maylocks will react without the Sheriff by his side. His progress should ensure that he will be able to do well despite everything.

It must continue, therefore.

a lot of

– This is an aspect that needs to be corrected quickly.

– Lightning is at a crossroads.

– Arber Xhekaj is wanted in the NHL. [TSN 690]

– Yes, Sean Monahan could bring back two first-round picks… including the one acquired in 2022.

People who answer and those who don't know #GoHabsGo I actually received one for the first time (from Calgary) in 2022, making this a permanent product 🤯

– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 23, 2024

– Goalkeepers dominate the Jets.

35 straight games allowing 3 or fewer goals [when a goalie is in the net] 😅 pic.twitter.com/OB0oUl2jie

– Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 23, 2024