Kamal Panesar

Montreal, QC • Canada • 35 Years Old • Male

Habs training camp: Little guys making big impression...

So the Canadiens were beaten, 2 - 1, by the Boston Bruins last night, in Quebec City. It is exhibition season, and with player like Glumac, White and Pyatt in the line-up, who really cares what the score was? What was impressive, however, was the little guys: Gionta and Desharnais.

Gionta, is a proven commodity, and Habs fans are going to love this guy. Man is he fast! Seeing him skate circles, to the outside, around Chara, was a thing of pure pleasure! He is going to be a great addition to this team, whether he plays with Plekanec or Gomez. Personally, I think he is well suited to playing with Plekanec because he can easily match his speed.

What I found even more entertaining, was watching 5'6" David Desharnais, on the ice. It seemed that every time he was on the ice, there was a scoring chance. Despite his size, he is not scared to go into the corners or even the high traffic areas, like the slot. He is fast as hell, has great stickhandling skills and posesses an exceptional on-ice vision. His major shortcoming - no punn intended - is his height. Were he to make the Habs roster - which is highly unlikely - he would be an even smaller center on a team filled with small centers. Not really what the doctor ordered. But there is no question that this kid can play in the NHL.

Looking at his AHL stats from last season, David, played 77 games - for the Hamilton Bulldogs - while scoring 24 goals and 34 assists, for 58 points. Not bad at all, for a severly undersized forward.

I think if Montreal had a Vincent Lecavalier or a Patrick Marleau on their team, then adding David as a fourth line center might not be a bad thing. Unfortunately, we do not have that ever ellusive big center, and as such, I believe there is no chance for David to make the team out of camp. That being said, I think that with injuries to the main team, he could get a call up and a chance to show what he can do on a consistent basis.

I mean, watching him undress Zdeno Chara, last night, while doing the hockey equivalent of skating between Chara's legs, was a thing of beauty. One that Chara didn't like very much either as he started to tustle with Desharnais after the whistle blew.

Even Chara is not immune to being embarassed!

Sorry I can't find the clip online, but if you want to check it out go the rds.ca:

http://www.rds.ca/canadien/

and click on the 'Les echos de vestaire Bruins - CH' (the second link) below the 'Zone Video' box. The clip starts out showing some replays of Desharnais, in which you can see him deking out Chara. Love it!

Now, again, I have no illusions of Desharnais making the team, but there is no question that he is making a name for himself. We'll see what the rest of training camp brings, but so far so good...

K.

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