Montreal Canadiens' GM Kent Hughes is reportedly shopping for some edge up front, but he may find his answer closer to home.
The Montreal Canadiens are struggling so far this season, both defensively and in net. The offense is not doing too badly, all things considered. In 11 games, the Canadiens have scored 33 goals, an average of 2.91, much better than what they've done in previous seasons.
Still, not everyone up front is carrying their own weight and there are passengers along for the ride on the flight. Joel Armia was given a shot at top-six minutes in the wake of Patrik Laine's injury but failed to make the most of those quality minutes. In 11 meetings, the Pori native has put up just four points and has a minus-eight rating.
Meanwhile, on the fourth line we've seen an uninspired Christian Dvorak center rookies Oliver Kapanen and Emil Heineman. The pivot has got four points to his name so far with a minus-four ratings and he's committed some truly dreadful turnovers which a veteran should not be doing.
What's even worst in Dvorak's case however is that he's only managed to land three hits in his 11 games. The whole point of his line is to put some pressure on the opposing defensemen and to be hard to play against. If you're not landing any hits, you're not trying hard enough.
Various sources have said GM Kent Hughes is shopping around for help up front that could play with an edge, but the answer may already be within reach. Rather than try to make a deal with another team, the team architect might be better off placing a call to the team's AHL affiliate in Laval. The Rocket is off to a great start, and rookie Luke Tuch is performing very well.
In nine games, the left winger has put up four points, picked up 22 penalty minutes and has a plus-1 rating. As Martin St-Louis told the media yesterday though, stats are like a girl at the beach wearing a bikini, they are showing some things, but not everything. In Tuch's case, the stats are not saying with how much of an edge he plays and how he could have a positive impact on the Canadiens.
I have nothing against Dvorak, but right now, his level of effort and implication doesn't warrant him having a roster spot. Nobody likes to see a veteran put on waivers and sent down to the AHL, but hockey is a business and there comes a time when decisions have to be made. I know, he scored a goal last night, but the truth of the matter is, the Canadiens need a shock to wake up. St-Louis might have said he sees last night's game as a step in the right direction, but I was expecting a bigger reaction after the bag skate.
Should Tuch be called up, he could slot in on the fourth line with Kapanen playing center (his natural position) and Heineman playing the other wing. The Canadiens might have made a mistake in their own evaluation when they said they hoped to be in the mix this season, but that's not a reason to stop trying.
In pro hockey, those who play well should be rewarded and those who don't should risk losing their chair as St-Louis himself would say and did say in training camp. So far though, his underperforming veterans are comfortably seating in their Lazy Boy while Tuch would be more than happy to step in with a tabouret he'd barely use. The time has come to make a move, the ball is in your camp Mr. Hughes.
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