SCHERBAK ON BUBBLE
Make or break year for Hab
The Canadiens head into training camp with more bodies than they need to fill the 23 roster spots when their season opens on Oct. 3 against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. This is the first in a five-part series about players who are on the bubble in their fight to make the team.
At 22, right winger Nikita Scherbak is at the crossroads of his career. A first-round draft choice in 2014, Scherbak has played 29 NHL games and it appeared he had made a breakthrough after he was recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket midway though last season.
He counted four goals and two assists in 26 games and, while those aren’t mind-blowing numbers, the Canadiens’ brass was impressed with his work ethic. This is one aspect of his game that was missing during his first two pro seasons.
While Scherbak impressed the media and others with his ability to become fluent in English, the same drive wasn’t always evident on the ice. Former coach Sylvain Lefebvre said he recognized Scherbak’s talent, but felt the young Russian wasn’t working hard.
Things changed for the better last season and that was one of the reasons why Scherbak rejoined the Canadiens. The key now is to build on that limited success. Scherbak took some steps in that direction during the off-season. He decided to stay in Montreal and has been working on and off the ice with a group headed by Canadiens strength coach Patrick Delisle.
The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder has concentrated on his skating, working on his edges and building his lower body so that he’s stronger on his skates.
Scherbak participated in a charity three-on-three tournament hosted by Kris Letang this month and he said his goal was to start the season in Montreal.
The biggest drawback for Scherbak is that he’s an offensive player. Ideally, he would be among the team’s top nine forwards, but the right wingers on the top two lines are Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron, and they just happen to be the Canadiens’ top two goal scorers.
But there may be an opening to begin the season. Andrew Shaw, whose season ended when he suffered a concussion and a knee injury in the March 13 game against the Dallas Stars, will miss training camp as he recovers from surgery in late April. That surgery was delayed while his concussion issues were being resolved.
But this might be just a temporary opening. This week, Shaw tweeted his thanks to the folks at a clinic in his hometown of Belleville, Ont., for helping him in his rehabilitation program. The tone of the tweet indicated that Shaw expects to be back sooner rather than later. He could be back in the lineup by late October.
The other right winger on the roster is Finn Joel Armia, who was acquired during the off-season. He’s a bigger (6-foot-3, 205-pound) and more experienced version of Scherbak. He has spent the past three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and has proven NHL credentials.
Scherbak could benefit from the fact that, while he’s still on an entry-level contract, he does have to clear waivers before being sent down. Fear of losing him might affect the Canadiens’ decision, but it won’t help his development if he sits as an extra forward.