30 in 30 Montreal Canadiens
Mike Barrett
2016-07-17
It's been as wild of an off-season as there's ever been in Montreal this summer. The last time a general manager took this much heat for the Habs was when Pierre Gauthier told Mike Cammelleri to pack his bags mid-game versus the Bruins in 2012.
The shocking departure of P.K. Subban still seems unreal to most Montrealers, as G.M. Marc Bergevin's explanation of needing a “culture change” fells on deaf ears after going ahead and signing Alex Radulov of the KHL on July 1st.
Though the team did acquire a terrific defenseman in Shea Weber, the initial feedback from across the hockey spectrum is that the trade has already cemented into the history of the franchise, and not for the right reasons. The initial water-cooler talk among Hab fans was whether this, the Chris Chelios trade, or the Patrick Roy trade were the worst of all-time.
(Fun fact: Chris Chelios was traded from the Canadiens to the Blackhawks 26 years to the day Subban was dealt)
“Bergy” wasn't stagnant at the draft table either, trading away two 2016 second-round picks in exchange for Andrew Shaw (Blackhawks), followed by shipping out Lars Eller and recouping those assets from the Washington Capitals (2017, 2018).
Ignore all the talk, and what do you have? A G.M. and coach who think they now have a team more capable of executing their plan of winning hockey games. And, that's all that matters.
The trade market wasn't the only thing that affected the Canadiens plans heading to September. Picking ninth overall, V.P. of player personnel and director of amateur scouting Trevor Timmins nearly ran to the podium when Windsor Spitfire defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was still on the board for their selection. The consensus potential top D-man down the line has a legitimate shot at making the Montreal roster from day one, as his performance at Habs development camp was one to be remembered.
The Draft
1st round / 9th overall : Mikhail Sergachev – The man-child was an absolute beast at camp. Measuring in at just over 6-2 and 221 lbs at the NHL combine, the Russian blueliner possesses a complete skill-set that had scouts drooling over his potential. He's a former forward who looks dynamic when he's dangling opponents up-ice, and more often than not shows the composure to hold on to the puck and not make a panic play that jeopardizes his team defensively.
Never one to back down from physical play, Sergachev drives the net with the puck but can also lay that game-changing open-ice hit that riles everybody in the arena right up. A real game-changer at the position, it wouldn't surprise me if he got a few games in with the Habs this year, while a full-time spot is without a doubt on the minds of management. No one will have more eyes on them at training camp some September, and he has the character to handle it.
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Martin Lapointe: "Certainly not crazy to think Sergachev can play in the NHL next season."</p>— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricEngels/status/751061516867276800">7 July 2016</a></blockquote>
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3rd Round / 70th overall: Will Bitten – Snagging Bitten this far down cushions the blow of losing out on a DeBrincat type (Shaw trade). Undersized, but skilled enough himself, his wheels get the most attention. The 30-goal scorer is uses his smarts to pick his spots, and hit the gas pedal to create chances for himself up the centre of the ice. He uses his quick hands to protect the puck and drives the blue-paint, scoring the majority of his goals within 10-feet. He has a nice set of mitts and certain level of creativity, but the key to his game is his quickness (shot release, lateral movement, breakaway speed) and effort level.
4th round / 100th overall: Victor Mete – The quick-footed Knights defenseman is offensive by nature, but is no slouch defensively. At just 5-10, 174 lbs, he doesn't have the strength to suppress the attack, but excels at the finer points of the game to balance it out. His skating and passing skills are in the upper-tier, as is his awareness. Executes very well with the puck at high speeds and isn't afraid to carry the puck over the blueline or into traffic to make a play. Has a great level of poise which is perhaps his most developed trait at this point. It's what makes it all come together for the 18-year-old.
5th round / 124th overall (from VAN via Prust trade): Casey Staum – Double-dipping in the style category, the Habs selected another puck-moving defenseman fifth round when they drafted Casey Staum. An effective puck-moving defenseman, he doesn't have elite skill or size, but proves able in many situations. The ability to break the puck out of the defensive zone is his strong suit, which has never been more important in the NHL, as that skill earned the spotlight in the midst of a championship run in Pittsburgh. Skating in just 29 games this season due to a broken foot, Staum impressed scouts enough in the time they did see him to warrant a selection. But, most of all it means the scouting staff believes in his long-term development, even though his ceiling is capped to that of a second or third-pairing D-man.
6th round / 160th overall: Michael Pezzetta – Sometimes you draft a player late with the hopes that they can overcome a few obstacles and become the next Pavel Datsyuk. This is not the case with Pezzetta, as the Canadiens are well aware of what they are getting now, and potentially at the next level. Producing just 15 goals and 40 points in over 120 games, he's no scoring machine, but he certainly can be one on the forecheck. He didn't hesitate to throw his shoulder at camp, punishing anyone who touched the puck behind their own blueline upon strong pursuit due to his strong skating and solid frame. He thinks the game well in terms of structure and positioning, with the motor to match. He will work on his offensive game over the next two years in Sudbury, but an awful Wolves squad doesn't help the cause.
7th round / 187th overall (from WPG for 2017 7th rounder): Arvid Henrikson – The big hulking defender was always the first one on the ice for practice at Habs camp, while his play also introduced his blue-collar attitude. He's a cerebral stay-at-home defenseman, and though he scored 20 points in 21 games skating in the Swedish J18 Elit, he isn't going to be a scorer throughout his career. He will gather points through smart, structured hockey, but he's constantly thinking defense first. He is by no means fleet of foot, but may be even better laterally than going forward. Combine that with his length, an active stick and the strength to plant, and you have yourselves a tough one-on-one defender in space.
Camp Notes:
Nikita Scherbak was named MVP of development camp, though Sergachev and Charles Hudon were certainly the better performers. Scherbak is the one in most need of a confidence boost, so that may have something to do with it, or maybe it's just because they liked his effort level. He certainly tried to make things happen, and threw a couple of shoulders, but he's still too inconsistent and needs to bring a greater sense of urgency to each shift.
Mike McCarron had a good camp as well, looking like a leader out there. He and Sergachev got into a little rough stuff on back-to-back days, but it was all positive vibes from the two competitors.
“I think he just helped me because I’ve got to go through it. We’re just chirping each other. That’s o.k. That happens sometimes. Mike’s a great guy,” said Sergachev “It’s just hockey. Everybody has emotions. Nothing bad happened. He’s a forward. I’m a defenseman. We’re not enemies. We’re friends.”
“He’s a Top 10 pick. He’s amazing. He can play both sides of the puck. He’s a special player to watch. He’s got a good stride. He’s got a good shot. He’s a good defender and he hits. He’s got all of the attributes. He’s a tough kid,” said McCarron, responding to a question about Sergachev's hat-trick. “I was trying to slow him down, but he was too good today.”
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The scrimmages today belonged to Mikhail Sergachev with the 2016 first-round pick notching three goals <a href="https://t.co/FugCAv7DNQ">pic.twitter.com/FugCAv7DNQ</a></p>— HockEye (@hock_eye) <a href="https://twitter.com/hock_eye/status/750738780752080896">July 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some nice goals from Charles Hudon (<a href="https://twitter.com/KidHud_10">@KidHud_10</a>) and Mikhail Sergachev (<a href="https://twitter.com/sergachev31">@sergachev31</a>) at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Habs?src=hash">#Habs</a> Development Camp… <a href="https://t.co/fYWTGXRw9O">pic.twitter.com/fYWTGXRw9O</a></p>— Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast) <a href="https://twitter.com/HockeyWebCast/status/750698680647356416">July 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Martin Reway showed his supreme vision over and over again. He was a possession beast, corralling loose pucks all over the ice and resetting the attack for his squad. He won't make the team out of camp, but should quickly become one of the AHL's top scorers.
Zach Fucale was the best goaltender over the week. He was consistent and sometimes spectacular.
Charlie Lindgren was expected to dominant, but needed to be better. He had his moments, but far too many gaffes for someone who was thought of as capable of competing for a backup role in the NHL this season.
Best Invite:
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Petrus Palmu definitely has a pair of hands. Nice offensive IQ as well. Quicker than fast. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HabsDevelopmentCamp?src=hash">#HabsDevelopmentCamp</a></p>— Mike Barrett (@MikeBarrett_) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBarrett_/status/750798183891173377">July 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Free Agents:
Signed G Al Montoya (1-year, $950,000)
Signed RW Alex Radulov (1-year, $5.75M)
Signed D Zach Redmond (2-years, $612,000)
Signed F Chris Terry (1-year, two-way)
Signed D Philip Samuelsson (1-year, two-way)
For a full list of transactions you can click here.
***
Follow me on Twitter @MikeBarrett_ for access to a whole bunch of live media content from camp, and many, many updates.
– Mike Barrett
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