Defence is showing its collective age: Dumont
Habs split by enormous age gap between forwards, defence, Marc Dumont writes.
The Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and for a Montreal Canadiens team that’s had its fair share of disappointments at the club and individual levels, it’s seen as a possible turning point in management’s organizational philosophy.
Whether general manager Marc Bergevin wants to call it a rebuild, retool or reset, it’s quite obvious the Canadiens need to change their approach if they’re to become a serious contender for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
But I’m here to tell you it’s not all doom and gloom for the Canadiens’ future, specifically when it comes to the forwards.
As it stands, Montreal has a good crop of young forwards, featuring such players as Jonathan Drouin (22), Artturi Lehkonen (22), Nikita Scherbak (22), Charles Hudon (23), Alex Galchenyuk (24), Phillip Danault (24) and Brendan Gallagher (25).
The rest of the forwards aren’t particularly old either, with the exception of 35-year-old Tomas Plekanec, who is likely to be traded for younger assets at the deadline.
Compared with the rest of the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens iced the youngest forward squad, which bodes well for them.
Of course, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs carry a plethora of young forwards, such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, but the fact remains the Canadiens are the youngest in the division up front. In the modern NHL, players peak around age 25 or 26, which means the best is yet to come for Montreal’s young forwards.
Defensively, however, things aren’t as encouraging. Other than the Detroit Red Wings, the Canadiens have the oldest defensive corps in the division.
Furthermore, 19-year-old Victor Mete skews the numbers favourably for the Canadiens because he is the youngest defenceman on any of the Atlantic Division teams. If we take a look at the median age of blueliners instead of the average, the Canadiens are once again among the geriatrics of the division.
What this tells us is two things: Bergevin did a pretty good job assembling a relatively young squad of forwards, but the opposite is true when it comes to defencemen.
Oh, and a third thing: The Detroit Red Wings are a complete disaster of a team at the moment, but I digress.
As we’ve established in previous articles, not only is the Canadiens’ defence fairly old, it’s not well-suited to the modern NHL, which puts an emphasis on moving the puck rather than playing a safe game that results in few giveaways. With the trade deadline approaching, the focus should be clear: It’s time to rebuild, retool or reset the defence.
By the time next season rolls around, with the exception of Mete and a possible contract extension for Jakub Jerabek, every defender on the team will be on the wrong side of 30.
Noah Juulsen might add some youthful exuberance to the equation, but he’s still very raw and has a lot to learn in the American Hockey League.
Of course, the Canadiens still lack a legitimate No. 1 centre, and that’s an issue that has plagued them for what seems like half a century. Because top centres rarely get traded, Bergevin would be wise to remodel the assets that patrol his blue-line.
Gone are the days where a plethora of mediocre defensive rearguards could get the job done by committee.
By bolstering his blue-line with puck-movers, Bergevin will not only improve the team’s overall defence, he’ll help his young forwards produce more at the other end of the rink.
Without them, as we’ve seen this season, forwards struggle to produce.
Fortunately for Bergevin, he’s in a fairly good position with his forwards, and if he can manage to build a more mobile defensive group for the Canadiens he might be able to quickly solve a very sticky situation.
His philosophy on defence must change, and he has no room for error anymore, but there’s reason for optimism when it comes to the Canadiens’ future. Marc Dumont is an analyst and editor for The Athletic Montreal.