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So what now for P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens?

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A lot of times, a savvy coach will pick the right time to use a healthy scratch to motivate a player by making him watch a game from the press box. This is an especially useful tactic with young players, particularly ones who might lack some perspective after jumping quickly to the NHL level.

Yet when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens and their talented (but some might say difficult) rookie P.K. Subban, some wonder if that lecture is dragging on a bit too long.

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin decided to make Subban a healthy scratch for the last three games, which would seem stunning out of context. Of course, the reason that Martin isn’t crazy for his stance is pretty simple: the Habs won all three of those contests without Subban.

Still, at some point, Subban is going to return. After all, Montreal fans were clamoring for his presence during a power play in the team’s last game (chanting “Peekay Peekay” according to All Habs.net).

(That’s not to say Subban has been an offensive machine, though, as his one goal and eight assists for nine points in 25 games is far from world-beating.)

Rick Stephens of All Habs
considers who might need to go to make room for Subban, noting that it wouldn’t necessarily need to be a “one-size fits all” solution.

It would be a mistake to view the spot in the line-up as a competition between [Yannick] Weber and Subban. Yet, some will insist. Martin has even compared situation to Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak last season.

Some will incorrectly view the result as a success. In truth, as conceived by Martin, it is an archaic, destructive method of coaching which inevitably produces a casualty. A more progressive mind should be able to produce a win-win environment.

Picard seems to be the odd man out. He has mostly played above expectations but still suffers coverage lapses and offers little when the Canadiens have the man advantage. While he has filled in admirably, Picard is the logical candidate to head to the press box.

It is also an opportunity for coach Martin to use the defensive depth to provide an occasional day off for his veteran defenders. If framed properly, it could be positive not punitive and would ensure that players like Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill and Roman Hamrlik are paced for the long season.


Stephens’ idea to occasionally spell Spacek, Gill and Hamrlik is especially interesting. The Canadiens have been hit hard by injuries at times on their blueline, particularly to seemingly doomed offensive defenseman Andrei Markov. Gill and Hamrlik bring a veteran presence that is even more valuable once the team enters the tighter checking playoffs, so the team might be wise to keep them as fresh as possible.

Subban is a promising young player, but the problem is that he’s also keenly aware of that promise. It’ll be interesting to see if the blue chip blueliner will react well to this attempted injection of humility ... whenever he gets the chance to come back, that is.