The Montreal Canadiens are finally getting healthier, with Evans, Laine and Dack returning to the lineup imminently. Despite all of the injuries, the Habs are sitting in a good position as they are third in the Atlantic with 61 points. This is thanks to some savvy moves from Kent Hughes in picking up Texier, Blais (again) and Danault, and Martin St-Louis cerebral coaching style.
However, when those three return to the lineup, who comes out of the lineup? There are going to be some very uncomfortable conversations in the Habs future, and some vets will need to come out of the line up. As it stands, the Habs forward lines are:
Caufield-Suzuki-Texier
Slafkovsky-Kapanen-Demidov
Anderson-Daneault-Gallagher
Bolduc-Evans-Veleno
Now, in a scenario where Laine and Dach come back, it's hard to determine who comes out of the lineup.
Dach
When it comes to Dach, he has more versatility and can play in the bottom six no problem, so for him it's just a question of who comes out. Also he can play centre or the wing and was starting to have a good season before he went down with injury.
Laine
A player like Laine needs to be on an offensive line to have an impact, as he is not the strongest player 5-5. Putting him in the bottom six won’t really fit with the role of those lines. Also, the powerplay is doing well and sits at 8th in the league. If you put Laine in your lineup, he needs to be on the first power play unit in order to maximize his impact.
What is One to Do?
So what’s the solution? Well the obvious one is going the trade route, especially with Newhook coming back at one point. However for the time being, St-Louis is going to need to put them in the lineup. Looking at the roster, recent deployment and performances, I think players who could possibly be a healthy scratch are Veleno, Bolduc, Blais and Gallagher. This is not because they have played poorly per say, but they are the only players you can logically take out of the lineup for a game or two.
Bolduc
He really started off the year well, but lately his ice time has diminished and he’s a -11 when playing 5-5. This is not always a telling stat but it is what it is. I don`t think this will happen unless his play falls off a cliff as he brings speed and ruggedness, even if he is not putting up points.
Veleno
Veleno is playing in the bottom six and taking him out of the lineup would not really throw things out of sync. However, he is strong on the faceoff dot and is a good option to have when you need two centre out there late in a game. He is a physical presence also, which the Habs need.
Blais
He’s already been a healthy scratch with the return of Evans, but he has not played poorly. In fact he has 5 points and is +4 while only playing about 8-10 minutes a game. Furthermore, to make room, he may be put on waivers, where another team could possibly claim him. That would not be the end of the world, but I’d feel bad for him as he had a roller coaster start to the season.
Gallagher
This is hard to write, as I love his play and effort. Also, I don’t think he`s been playing as bad as people are saying. But this is a question of having a lot of good forwards and a surplus of contracts. Having him out is simply a means to getting some other guys playing time.
The Futur
Out of the four, Blais is the easiest to scratch but after that it gets tough. I think it will start with Veleno sitting and St-Louis will probably have a revolving door with the players mentioned above. This is a tough situation, as being a healthy scratch is often performance based, while in this case, it is simply because the Habs have too many players and they can’t have Dach or Laine sitting for 5 games straight.
At the end of the day however, Kent Hughes needs to make a trade and get rid of some of these contracts without sacrificing too much depth because injuries are always possible in the future.