He Said / She Said: Montreal Canadiens Faced With Blueline Logjam

As various reports have noted, Montreal Canadiens' star defenseman Andrei Markov is now practicing with full-contact. On top of that, Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill’s injuries do not seem to be of the long term variety, so they should soon be back in the lineup.

So, for the first time since, seemingly, the big-bang, Montreal will potentially be able to ice a full contingent of blueliners. While this is an interesting prospect for the team, it also creates a log jam at the defensive position.

In this edition of He Said/She Said, HabsAddict.com writers Bryan Willey and Rosalyn Roy discuss the implications of the issue.

So, assuming everyone is (relatively) healthy, what should the Habs do with their D once Markov returns?

Bryan Willey: Not a simple question to answer because there is a huge difference between what will be done and what should be done.

Given the philosophy of Jacques Martin, we are going to see a veteran laden line-up that will consist of Markov, Gorges, Gill, Spacek, Subban and my guess Campoli as the sixth guy. The team will then keep Diaz and Weber as the spare parts and ultimately send Emelin to Hamilton.

If the decision were up to me, however, I would be looking for a trade. If there is a taker for his contract then Spacek is my number one choice to find a new area code.

If teams are unwilling to take his $3.833 million contract off their hands then it seems Yannick Weber will be the odd man out.

With that said, should the right deal present itself, I would also be willing to part ways with P.K Subban.

Rosalyn Roy: I agree that what will be done will most likely differ from what should be done, and that Jacques Martin's penchant to value veterans at the expense of what's best for the team will likely come into play when it comes time to make the hard decisions about the blueline.

My choices differ a bit in that I think Markov, Gorges, Gill, Spacek, Subban and Campoli will be the six starters, with Weber playing out of his natural position as a fourth line forward and Emelin kept in the press box as backup. Diaz will get dropped to Hamilton. There is no way Gauthier will take the chance of letting Emelin walk after a seven year wait. It's easier to send Diaz down.

The Habs should really be looking to deal and since Spacek is likely not going anywhere if a veteran is offloaded chances are pretty good it's Campoli.

That said with the insane amount of injuries that this team suffers rather routinely I think Gauthier will be unlikely to pull the trigger just because he has a log jam, and will try to hedge his bets by keeping his blueliners as possible insurance.

Bryan Willey: Personally, I cringe at the thought of Yannick Weber as a fourth line right winger. The best teams in this league roll four lines. Sure, the top three play the bulk of the minutes but you need a dependable fourth unit if you want to go anywhere in the playoffs. Weber as a winger is an experiment that should never again be duplicated.

The problem with the defensive core is that if Weber or Diaz sit then there are two players playing out of position. Sure Gorges and Spacek seem capable, but both play better when they are on the left side.

I agree that Diaz to Hamilton makes the most sense because of the two-way contract but I like the way he plays, more so than Weber. As for Emelin, he absolutely must be in the lineup. He is the only D-man on the team that provides a physical element to the squad. Emelin absolutely must play.

Rosalyn Roy: I don't care for Weber as a fourth line winger either, but if the Habs’ blueline is healthy for more than five minutes it's what I expect will happen. I suspect Martin will worry more about his veterans logging heavy ice time and less about if they're playing out of position or not.

As for Emelin, as you have pointed out he is precisely what we need, but Martin didn't put him into the lineup regularly until he had no choice but to do so. That's why I think he'll get shoved back into the pressbox first, though if it were me I'd put Spacek on the shelf.

Under Martin the young bloods, regardless of performance, always give way to the veterans regardless of ability, performance or what's best for the team.

Bryan Willey: Are you suggesting that Martin may be the issue?

Weber as a fourth liner, Emelin as a press box staple; to me this absolutely means we must seek a trade. The team would have nine D-men on the roster and an apparent lack of depth on the fourth forward line.

I think it is extremely difficult for any of us to accurately project the value a guy like Weber has in the NHL but I just don't see him on this team long term.

There just has to be a team in need of an offensive blueliner with a stock pile of fourth liners and willing to trade.

Perhaps the answer to this conundrum is a bigger deal involving more than just a utility defenseman?

Rosalyn Roy: I am suggesting that Martin is a creature of habit and it makes him somewhat predictable. If all the Montreal blueliners are suddenly magically healthy the only way no one gets dealt is if Diaz is sent down and the Habs decide to carry eight blueliners as insurance.

As far as deals go, I'd expect Weber to be in the mix if we do deal a young puck moving defender, but beyond that I have no predictions.

What about the rest you, what do you think? What should the Habs do if and when their blueline is healthy?



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Bryan is a Marketer by day, writer for HabsAddict.com by night and full time fan of the game. Follow me on twitter @BryanWilley78 but don't bother looking for me on Facebook, I'm just too old for that now!

Rosalyn used to frequent the old Forum during her early childhood when her father was a corporate season ticket holder, where she fell in love with Larry Robinson, so her lifelong obsession with the Habs is entirely his fault.

He Said / She Said is regular column on HabsAddict slated to appear on a bi-weekly basis.

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

Posted in: alexei emelin,andrei markov,bryan willey,chris campoli,montreal canadiens,raphael diaz,rosalyn roy,yannick weber