Juraj Slafkovsky is now suffering while playing alongside Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson; may Sean Monahan be the answer?
Juraj Slafkovsky has struggled since Kirby Dach went down with a season-ending knee injury. It wasn’t too horrible at first. He was performing much better than previous year, but after 10 games, he’s only got one point, an assist. Of course, if Josh Anderson could bury some of the chances he’s getting, the young Slovak would have more points, but the entire second line is suffering right now.
Fans, patience incarnated as always, are claiming Slafkovsky should be sent down to the AHL with the Laval Rocket. According to Martin St. Louis, this wasn’t part of the plan right now. With Rafael Harvey-Pinard being evaluated daily to assess if he’s gotten over the lower-body injury suffered against the Coyotes and Christian Dvorak now being eligible to come off LTIR and start playing, the timing is right for some line shuffling.
The head coach said yesterday that Dvorak would be used as a center, meaning that one of the pivots has got to make way for him and play on the wing. From the start of the season on, I’ve been advocating Sean Monahan as the missing piece of the first-line puzzle for the Canadiens. He’s got a brilliant hockey IQ and he could complete the Canadiens’ dynamic duo with his eyes shut.
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However, it has become evident that Alex Newhook cannot get the best out of his two wingers. I’ve read multiple times that he’s no Kirby Dach. But if we go back to last season, Dach wasn’t all that convincing at center. In fact, he got his groove back when he played alongside Suzuki and Caufield. Once he started performing and got his confidence back, he moved back to center and voilà! Perhaps, it’s time to use the same approach for Newhook?
Besides, Monahan has been an absolute monster in the faceoff department (60.6% success rate) so playing him on the wing would be going without a fantastic weapon and probably giving up on a lot of puck possession. Meanwhile, Alex Newhook is struggling when it comes to draws, winning only 41.7% of the ones he takes. Therefore, I believe that it’s time to give Newhook a confidence-building stint on the first line.
As for Juraj Slafkovsky, giving him a center who is a proven playmaker and who’s been quite productive so far with nine points in 10 games would make sense. If anyone can get him going, it’s Monahan. He’s got plenty of experience after a slow first game alongside Pearson and Gallagher.
Monahan has turned that third line into a real threat. He has adapted his play to gel better with his wingers. How many fans were saying Gallagher was done and should be waived a few weeks ago? The gritty winger now has five points in 10 games and looks like his old self. OK not quite like his old self. There’s no 30-goal season on the horizon. But at least a version of himself who can still contribute offensively.
In other words, I’d give Monahan the reins of the second line with Anderson and Slafkovsky for now. See how that works, if either or both can come out of their slumber. As for Pearson and Gallagher, I’d let Christian Dvorak center their line. This leaves Evans as the fourth-line center with Armia and Ylonen/Pezzetta.
Kent Hughes managing to re-sign Sean Monahan at a reasonable price was an excellent move. He’s getting more than he paid for. His salary comes out just under two million and it makes him an attractive option for a contender at the deadline. If the Habs are selling of course.
For those cursing the Canadiens unexpected, good start to the season, remember that a rebuild is not just about getting pieces for the future, the pieces you already have need to learn to gel together and put a winning culture in place.
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