LOSING THE ‘C’ COULD LIFT BURDEN FROM PACIORETTY
Less pressure and a switch in linemates could help slumping Canadiens’ captain
Max Pacioretty is his own worst critic and there are few things in this business more painful than watching the Canadiens’ captain go through a drought.
With the Canadiens struggling to start the season and Pacioretty sitting on one goal and no assists after seven games, the media were treated to another exercise in self-flagellation.
“That is the challenge … how am I going to go tell my teammates that we’ve got to be better when I’m the worst one on the ice,” Pacioretty said after an optional practice Thursday in Anaheim. “That’s what keeps you up at night … that’s what keeps me up at night. Trust me, if you guys think I don’t care you got it all wrong. If anything I care too much.”
Pacioretty went on to say his situation was “overwhelming.”
What we have here is a cry for help and there are some simple solutions to help ease the pain.
For starters, Pacioretty should get rid of the ‘C’ on his chest. It’s a great honour to be a captain, but if the responsibility affects your play on the ice or your mental health, it’s not worth it.
Pacioretty might also benefit from a change in linemates. A lot was made of the friendship Pacioretty forged with Jonathan Drouin during the summer but, in the early going, it hasn’t worked. Maybe it will, but how about going back to a tried-and-true formula by reuniting Philip Danault and Pacioretty?
Pacioretty started last season on a line with Alex Galchenyuk and wasn’t very productive. He scored 29 of his 35 goals after Galchenyuk suffered a knee injury and most of those goals were scored on a line with Danault at centre. There’s a tendency to dismiss Danault as a top-line centre, but he complemented Pacioretty, wins faceoffs (54.8 per cent this season) and he’s responsible in his end.
As for Drouin, let’s see what kind of chemistry he can develop with Galchenyuk. It might even be fun to see if Galchenyuk can play centre with Drouin on the wing.
Sergachev making his mark: When the Canadiens traded defence prospect Mikhail Sergachev to acquire Drouin from the Tampa Bay Lightning, I thought it was a good idea to get some offence. But I hoped that, in three years, we wouldn’t saying: Wouldn’t the blue line look great if we still had Ryan McDonagh, P.K. Subban and Sergachev. We might not have to wait three years. Tampa is easing Sergachev into the lineup, but he’s shown some offensive spark. He scored his first two NHL goals Thursday against Columbus and has six points — one more than Drouin. Checking the grades: A lot of people were wondering how Canadiens prospect Jake Evans would fare after linemate Anders Bjork left Notre Dame early to sign with the Boston Bruins. While Bjork has two goals and three assists for the Bruins, Evans is doing just fine at South Bend. The Canadiens’ seventh-round draft choice in 2014 (207th overall) has three goals and five assists in four games for the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish.
Speaking of U.S. college hockey, the top scorer among NHL rookies this season is New Jersey Devils defenceman Will Butcher, who played for former Canadien Jim Montgomery at the University of Denver. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Butcher has nine assists in seven games and is a plus-4.
Gio eyes Olympic duty: Former Canadiens captain Brian Gionta has been named to the U.S. team that will compete in the Deutschland Cup next month in Germany. Gionta became an unrestricted free agent when the Buffalo Sabres didn’t offer him a contract last spring. He is staying in shape by practising with the AHL Rochester Americans.
Ladies invade Quebec: Canada and the U.S. resume their women’s hockey rivalry Sunday at Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City. It’s the first of six exhibition games for the women leading up to the Winter Olympics. Game time is 2 p.m. and all seats are affordably priced at $25, with youngsters 16 and under paying $20.