Despite the losses of Galchenyuk, Desharnais and Pateryn, Canadiens likely to stand pat
“It’s only one game,” Torrey Mitchell said after the Canadiens ran roughshod over the New Jersey Devils for a 5-2 win Thursday night.
But that one win offered an insight into why the Canadiens will likely weather the storm until centres Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais, and defenceman Greg Pateryn, are healthy enough to rejoin the lineup. These are big losses, particularly Galchenyuk, who is the team’s leading scorer, and the underappreciated Desharnais whose absence can be summed up in the words of Joni Mitchell: “Don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”
The prognosis for the centres is six to eight weeks, which means the earliest they’ll return is late January. If the Canadiens want to err on the side of caution, they can wait until the after team has its NHL-mandated five-day hiatus after playing the Bruins on Feb. 12.
There’s no urgency for GM Marc Bergevin as the Canadiens enjoyed another unscheduled day off Friday in anticipation of Saturday’s home game against the Colorado Avalanche (7 p.m., SN360, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).
Bergevin can relax because the Canadiens are in a good position. The goal remains the same as it did at the beginning of the season — to make the playoffs — and with the win Thursday, the Canadiens maintained their No. 1 standing in the NHL and are nine points above the line separating the haves and the have-nots.
The situation is different from last season when Carey Price suffered a season-ending injury and the team also lost Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry, Tom Gilbert, Brian Flynn, Daniel Carr and P.K. Subban for extended periods. This time, Price is healthy, the defence is sound and, despite the occasional dry spell, the offence is among the most productive in the league.
The Canadiens have been getting goals from unexpected sources — Mitchell is the most accurate sniper among NHL regulars with seven goals on only 21 shots — and Max Pacioretty appears to be back in form after playing most of November with a hairline foot fracture.
Michel Therrien described the win over the Devils as a “statement game” and it offered evidence that this team has depth and is willing to complement its speed with hard work.
Bergevin is also reluctant to make a move because this is a bad time to be shopping for anything but a Christmas tie for Uncle Harold. Most teams still harbour playoff hopes and the Canadiens wouldn’t be dealing from a position of strength.
The list of players who might be available is short, but would be longer if the Canadiens’ injury situation isn’t resolved by February. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins keeps surfacing in rumours, but his potential has to be weighed against a $6-million cap hit and the price the Canadiens would have to pay for him.
There are also fans who believe Arizona’s Martin Hanzal, 29, is the answer. Really?
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Czech has a reasonable cap hit ($3.5 million) but he hasn’t scored more than 16 goals in a season and has reached 40 points only twice.
There’s no sense wasting time fretting over the injuries or waiting for Bergevin to make a move.
It’s best to enjoy the ride, even if it includes more ups and downs than a roller-coaster at La Ronde.