Habs Mailbag: The Canadiens would do well to start drafting the Bombers

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If you have a question for a Canadiens player or a question you'd like us to answer in our weekly Habs mailbag, feel free to email it to us. [email protected].

I'm well aware of the old saying that defense wins championships, but when do I think the Canadiens will switch from drafting promising defensive prospects in the first round to potential scoring prospects? We have a lot of young and talented defensemen in our system – I know they can't all be superstars – but why are we missing out on scorers?

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Wallis Lowen
Montreal

Drafting the best player available – regardless of position – is never a bad idea. The Canadiens considered defenseman David Reinbacher to be the best player in last year's draft with the No. 5 overall pick. The fact that Reinbacher is a right shot was a factor in the decision to draft him, as the Canadiens are thin on the right side of the blue line and top-level right-handed defensemen are hard to come by.

Having said that, my No. 5 pick last year would have been big righty Ryan Leonard, who went to the Washington Capitals with the No. 8 pick. He can score — he had 14 in 25 games as a freshman at Boston College — and Canadiens GM Kent Hughes compared his style of play to the Tkachuk brothers.

I think Leonard would be a good fit for the Canadiens, who definitely need help scoring, especially their forwards. But as former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said, “You can never have too many defensemen.” I understand why the Canadiens decided to select Reinbacher, but I would be surprised if they drafted another defenseman with the first pick in this year's draft.

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As we all remember, Canadians were considered too small and soft. That's one factor in their injury record. Now, finally, we have two players — Arber Hekai and Mike Pezzetta — who don't mind roughing it. They love being Canadian and their fans really appreciate them. Why are the management and/or coaches undermining, undermining, and neglecting both of them?

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Pezzetta knows his role, and so does the coaching staff. He is a fourth line player who gives his all every time he steps on the ice, completes all his checks and can put the puck in the net if he has a chance to score. Being a fourth lineman with limited ice time is not an easy role, but Pezzetta does it very well and takes pride in it. However, he isn't skilled enough to be a top-nine forward and is one of those players whose game could deteriorate with too much ice time. Having said that, I love what he brings to the team.

As for Hekaid, there are reasons why he was never selected in the NHL draft. There are gaps in his game, especially defensively, along with his consistency, which the coaching staff is working on. Therefore, it was decided to send him to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Hekaj is only 23. I think his future is bright.

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Do the young Habs players want this rebuild to move faster? I'm not sure they want to wait five years to finish the trophy!

Peter

The young players on the Canadiens are fortunate to now have the opportunity to continue to develop and grow without additional pressure from management to win with the team. Young players love playing for Martin St. Louis and they believe in what management is doing with this rebuild. They know it takes time. They also want to push it as fast as possible.

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