When the Montreal Canadiens drafted centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi in June, the
excitement of having a potential franchise player was quickly overshadowed by
the announcement that Shea Weber, their best defenseman, had undergone knee
surgery and would be unavailable until around mid-December.

It was a painful blow as Weber was limited to 26 games last season because of a
 broken foot, and without him the team';s performance plummeted, leaving them
with their worst record since the 2000-01 season. It was also a bitter pill to
swallow as Dr. David Mulder, the team';s head physician made the announcement
of the June 19th surgery two weeks later suggesting that Habs management';s
commitment to transparency was insincere.

In reality, it made sense for general manager Marc Bergevin to hold his cards
close to his chest. Had the news of Weber';s health been made public before
many NHL contracts expired on July 1, players and their agents could have
demanded more money knowing the Canadiens were vulnerable.

Assuming Weber is back in the lineup around mid-December, he will have missed
more than 30 games and the team will have to adjust to his absence, especially
on the power play and penalty kill. Given this situation, what options do
Bergevin and coach Claude Julien have at their disposal?Should the Canadiens
Consider a Trade?

The relationship between the team and Max Pacioretty is the worst kept secret
in the NHL. Bergevin has been open about his desire to trade the captain before
 his contract expires next year. Bergevin could consider exchanging Pacioretty
for a competent top-six forward and a right-shooting defenseman, especially
given the Habs'; lack of depth on that side even with a healthy Weber.Montreal
Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

There is, of course, a downside. By expressing his dissatisfaction with
Pacioretty, other GMs may feel they';re in the driver';s seat for negotiations
and the Canadiens might be stuck throwing in a draft pick or an additional
player to make the trade work. If that happens, look for one of the many
left-shooting defensemen to be part of the deal, as the team has more depth on
that side.The Free Agent Market is Dry

With most restricted and unrestricted free agents now under new contracts or in
 arbitration, the Canadiens will not find an available defenseman close to
Weber';s caliber with NHL experience. This is a good thing. Overpaying for
short-term roster solutions has not worked well for the team in the past,
especially in the salary-cap era. The Canadiens have signed players like
Alexander Semin and Ales Hemsky in recent years with nothing to show for it
other than a cap hit.Julien Has Options With the Current Roster

Without Weber, the Habs still have defensemen Jeff Petry, Noah Juulsen, and
Jordie Benn on the right side. Petry will assume the most work anchoring the
power play, and could see more time paired with Victor Mete who, like Juulsen,
will continue to develop as he enters his second year. Together their
plus/minus average was a plus-3 last season, compared to Petry';s most common
partner, Karl Alzner, with whom he was minus-5.Jeff Petry #26, Montreal
Canadiens - February 20, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

While Petry has an obvious offensive upside, he cannot be expected to match
Weber';s shut down defensive skill. If paired with Mete, who specializes in
high-danger shot control, there will be less pressure on him to force the play
out of his own end.

In his first year with the team, Alzner was criticized for his play around his
own net but when paired with Jordie Benn, also a frequent target of the
media';s discontent, he was a plus-5. Unfortunately, he logged five times as
many minutes playing with Petry, where the pair was a minus-5 and did not
establish chemistry together.

This leaves promising sophomore Juulsen with many pairing options. Assuming he
will move up to a top-four spot until Weber is back, he will need a capable
partner who has logged minutes with better defensemen in the past. The Habs
could risk calling on recent acquisition Xavier Ouellet, who played with
veterans Mike Green and Niklas Kronwall while with the Detroit Red Wings and
had success with the Canadiens'; current coaching staff as a junior.

If Ouellet doesn';t work out, David Schlemko and Mike Reilly could move into
the second-pairing role. Schlemko, like Juulsen, was injured early in the
season and didn';t get a chance to establish himself with the team, while
newly-acquired Reilly scored 18 points in 57 games split between the Canadiens
and the Minnesota Wild.

Le nouveau venu.

The new guy. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/O9FjskXrYK

- Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 27, 2018

Reilly is a puck-moving defenseman who can contribute on the power play but
with a questionable defensive game, it will be important for him to establish
good communication with Juulsen if they wind up together. The acquisition of
assistant coach Luke Richardson will help, as his primary task will be to work
with the defensive core.

The wild card in all of this is Rinat Valiev, obtained from the Toronto Maple
Leafs in the Tomas Plekanec trade last February. A left-handed shot, he also
logged many minutes on the right side with the AHL Toronto Marlies and could
fill in on either side should there be more injuries or one of his teammates
falters.Price Has an Obvious Role to Play

If the loss of Weber contributes to a poor team start in 2018-19, statistics do
 not work in their favour. Teams who struggle after the dozen or so games
played in October have an almost 90 percent chance of not making the playoffs.
Since Weber will not return for at least six weeks after that, the pressure
will be on goaltender Carey Price to step up.MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 04: Look
on Montreal Canadiens Goalie Carey Price (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon
Sportswire)

If Price can rise to the occasion and approach the caliber of play that brought
 him four trophies in 2015 or even his solid 2016-17 season, the Canadiens can
manage Weber';s absence. If he struggles, fans could be speculating about a
top-ten draft pick in 2019 as early as November and preparing themselves for a
 long winter.

The post Montreal Canadiens: Life Without Weber appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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