Players set sights on next season
Coaching staff will continue to evaluate players until season’s end
There are five games remaining in the season for the Canadiens and, with no chance of advancing to the playoffs, these contests can be viewed as an early start on next fall’s training camp.
Claude Julien talked Friday about the continuing evaluation of players before the Canadiens flew to Pittsburgh for a Saturday night date with the Penguins (7 p.m., Sportsnet 360, City-TV, TVA Sports, TSN-600 Radio).
“There are a lot of times when you may be a little disappointed in a player and he ends up playing five great games and, all of sudden, you tell yourself that’s what we have the opportunity to see,” Julien said. “I don’t think anyone’s evaluation is done. It’s up to them to prove that they’re fighters as well. I want to see character, not just the evaluation on the ice. Is he a guy who’s going to fight to the end or is he just going to mail it in (and) say: ‘Let’s get these games over with.’”
Over the course of a season marked by injuries and disappointing performances, there are a number of players who have shown that fight.
Victor Mete made his mark as a 19-year-old defenceman.
Noah Juulsen lived up to his first-round potential after a foot injury delayed his NHL debut.
Nicolas Deslauriers played well enough to earn a new contract as did goaltender Charlie Lindgren.
And Julien had some encouraging words about Jacob de la Rose, a 22-year-old Swede whose career was going nowhere until six weeks ago. He was a healthy scratch 24 times this season, but the Tomas Plekanec trade and an injury to Phillip Danault provided a chance to play a larger role.
“He’s done what we’ve asked him to do,” Julien said. “I felt the first half of the season he was playing, the impact he had on the game was very, very minimal at best. Now, he’s having an impact where he makes a great forecheck, turning the puck over, creating a scoring chance. That’s what we want to see and that is what he’s capable of. That’s what young players have to go through. They go through growing pains. As a coach, you have to push them to get the most out of them. I always felt there was more to his game and it’s frustrating because you’re waiting to see that.”
Playing with Alex Galchenyuk and Artturi Lehkonen helped de la Rose find his game, but Julien said he noticed improvements before he was promoted.
One veteran player who will be asked to show something in these remaining games is defenceman David Schlemko, who was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights after he was selected from San Jose in the expansion draft.
An injured hand delayed his Canadiens debut until Nov. 29 and he has missed the last 12 games with an upper-body injury. He has played 34 games this season and has one goal and three assists, a meagre output for an offensive defenceman with a cap hit of $2.1 million.
“You definitely want to be battling with the guys and on the ice,” Schlemko said. “Hockey’s a lot more fun when you’re playing games instead of bag skating by yourself. I’ve been working for weeks now on the ice to get back, so I’m definitely excited and chomping at the bit.
“You want to come in and play your game and show what you can do, and to have that delayed by two months, it was a tough start.”
Schlemko has been cleared by the medical staff, but Julien said he would be a game-time decision Saturday.
The Canadiens are back at the Bell Centre on Sunday to play the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m., Sportsnet, RDS., TSN-690 Radio).