Therrien Changes The Lines But For How Long?

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Well, it took another lacklustre effort, this time against the Dallas Stars on Saturday before Michel Therrien finally did the unthinkable: He surgically removed David Desharnais from Max Pacioretty's hip and replaced him with Alex Galchenyuk.

Now Habs fans have been clamouring for a Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Brendan Gallagher combination for a while now and they finally had a chance to see it in action - albeit briefly - in the third period of what had been a non-competitive game up until that point. The Stars went on to win the game 4-1, but the Canadiens showed signs of life in the period. The second change Therrien made was moving Tomas Plekanec onto a line with  Jiri Sekac and Sven Andrighetto, who scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.

Photo Credit: allhabs.net

The big question going into Tuesday's home game against the Vancouver Canucks is whether or not we will see a full game of these line combinations or if Therrien the juggler will switch things up again. Building chemistry takes some time and Therrien never likes to take time and see how things develop. Instant results or see you later seems to be his mantra. Unless you're Desharnais, in which case you remain with Pacioretty regardless of the circumstances.

Until Saturday night.

Alex Galchenyuk is a natural centerman who has not had the opportunity to play the position on a consistent basis. Arguably, if Lars Eller had not gotten injured, he would probably still be toiling on the wing. Galchenyuk has the best stick skills on the team. Pacioretty may be a natural goal scorer, but Galchenyuk has the skills and vision to create scoring chances and put the puck in the net. With space in the middle and an opportunity to produce, he should be able to feed the sniper with some creative passes and give the diminutive Brendan Gallagher a chance to clean up the rebounds in front of the net. There is no reason why this trio cannot all score 20+ goals before the season is over. Provided they stay together. And how long they stay together is the million dollar question.

Michel Therrien's coaching decisions have been less than stellar this season. He has been a far cry from the coach who came in during the lockout and changed the losing culture in Montreal. Last year showed some regression across the board in many categories aside from their overall record, at least until the playoffs came along. He abandoned the puck possession approach that worked during the lockout-shortened season in favor for a dump-and-chase approach and it did not work. Then he went back to puck possession during the playoffs and they had the magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals. This year he reverted back to his favored dump-and-chase approach and the team is floundering from a lack of scoring, a lack of discipline and this time there is no Thomas Vanek lingering on the trading block to come in and save the season again. Off-season acquisition P.A. Parenteau has been disappointing so far, with only 6 goals and 11 points in 29 games and David Desharnais needs to have his play called out by mayor Denis Coderre again as his two goals and 15 points in 29 games is terrible for a player who averages over 17 minutes per game on the top line and top power-play unit. Therrien finally separated him from Pacioretty on Saturday, which may be a blessing in disguise for the Habs offense.

Jiri Sekac spent a chunk of time in the press-box until Marc Bergevin dealt away Travis Moen and Rene Bourque to essentially force Therrien's hand to play the touted rookie. Aligned with Lars Eller and Brandon Prust, Sekac responded by putting up 8 points in 16 games of third line minutes after his press box vacation. With Eller going down with an injury, Sekac finished the game with fellow countryman Plekanec and Hamilton Bulldogs prospect Sven Andrighetto. There is a lot of talent and speed on this line. Plekanec is also defensively responsible, which should recover some of the rookie mistakes his line-mates may make as the season progresses. A smart Therrien should allow this line an opportunity to be creative with the puck. All three have tremendous stick skills and following a dump-and-chase mantra would be a waste of their skills and play away from their strengths. But alas, it is Therrien logic that ultimately decides how things play out.

Therrien appeared to see the light in Dallas. He saw the need to take some chances and make the changes that he was unwilling to make to this point. He created two line combinations that have the talent and ability to dominate a puck-possession game and put the puck in the net. If he can find a way to adapt his strategies to exploit the strengths of these two line combinations and give them the patience and time to develop some chemistry, he may have solved the scoring woes and save the season. The 17-10-2 record is misleading, as the Habs have failed to generate any offense in the first period of games and often have to rally late to win the games. This resilience is a testament to a never-quit attitude but not the recipe for success at the NHL level. If he decides to revert back to his previous ideas and force these talent trios to dump the puck and chase after it, we can expect to go 3-6-1 in the next ten games too.

The choice on how your season plays out is all yours, Michel. Choose wisely.

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Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Posted in: alex galchenyuk,david desharnais,habs addict,Jiri Sekac,max pacioretty,michel therrien,montreal canadiens,nick malofy,Sven Andrighetto