ROSTER CRUNCH LOOMS AS HABS GET HEALTHY
Eller’s return could have consequences for both Galchenyuk and Andrighetto
The Canadiens are close to being 100- per- cent healthy, which is a good thing, right? Yes and no. Healthy is better than having a long list of players in the clinic, but it also means that some players are going to be spending more time in the press box or back in the minors.
Let’s start with the case of Lars Eller. He was starting to find some chemistry with Jiri Sekac before he suffered an upper- body injury that has sidelined him for the past three games. He returned to practice on Monday and, while he won’t be ready to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday ( 7: 30 p. m., Sportsnet East, RDS, TSN- 690 Radio), he said he’ll be back “sooner rather than later.”
In Eller’s absence, Alex Galchenyuk had his long- awaited shot at playing centre and Sven Andrighetto has come up from Hamilton and provided an offensive spark. Eller’s return could have consequences for both players. Coach Michel Therrien will be facing a decision on whether to keep Galchenyuk at centre and use Eller on the wing or reinstall Eller in the middle and move Galchenyuk back to left wing.
Galchenyuk has been more effective on the wing than Eller, but Therrien merely said that he was happy to have depth up the middle.
“It’s like with defencemen, it’s good to have depth and you can’t move a wing to centre, but a centre can always play the wing,” said Therrien.
In either case, Andrighetto, who has a point in each of his first three NHL games, would appear to be the odd man out.
Eller noted that he was injured in Denver on Dec. 1, but continued to play. He played the entire game in Minnesota on Dec. 3, but left in the first period of the Dec. 5 game in Chicago when “I realized I couldn’t help the team.”
The Canadiens’ depth on defence has allowed the team to soldier on despite the temporary loss of Mike Weaver ( concussion) and Bryan Allen ( flu). Both practised on Monday, but Weaver wore a no- contact jersey and he and Allen formed the fourth pairing on Monday, which would indicate that Nathan Beaulieu will stay in the lineup.
The question is how long Beaulieu will remain in Montreal.
He has been bouncing back and forth between Montreal and Hamilton, and general manager Marc Bergevin said this season that Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi need ice time.
That suggests the youngster is headed back as soon as Allen and/ or Weaver get the green light to return. During his last six games with the Canadiens, Beaulieu has averaged fewer than 10 minutes a game.
Speaking of bouncing back and forth, the Canadiens have recalled forward Eric Tangradi from Hamilton after sending him down to play during the weekend. He has dressed for six games this season. The Carolina game is the third in a five- game homestand and the Canadiens have won the first two. They have taken advantage of a relatively light schedule — five games over 12 nights— and no travel to spend some time in the gym and to get some rest.
Defenceman P. K. Subban said the team also worked on plugging some holes that were evident during their 6- 2 win over Los Angeles last Friday. He noted goaltender Carey Price made the difference in a game that was one- sided in favour of the losers. Los Angeles outshot Montreal 46- 20, but Price was hot and the Kings’ defence was not.
Therrien’s post- practice briefing included congratulations from members of the media on his selection to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame. Therrien launched his coaching career in 1963 with the Laval Titan. After two seasons with Laval, he moved to the Granby Predateurs, who won the Memorial Cup in 1997 with a lineup that included Francis Bouillon, Jason Doig, Samy Nasreddine and Georges Laracque.
“I want to thank ( QMJHL commissioner) Gilles Courteau and the selection committee,” said Therrien.
“That’s where it all started when the Morrissette family, Jean- Claude Morrissette, gave me a chance and we won the Memorial Cup.”
Therrien and several players also touched on the outbreak of mumps in the NHL.
The coach noted that the Canadiens have taken all the necessary precautions to protect the players.
“We’ve all had our vaccinations, but we’re also being careful to use hand sanitizers and wash our hands,” said Subban.