by Shannon Penfound, Staff Writer and Event Coordinator, All Habs Hockey Magazine

WINNIPEG, MB. — As I discussed in a recent article, Michel Therrien is known to play favourites. But how does this preferential treatment affect athletes at both a ‘team’ level, as well as at an ‘individual’ level? More importantly, how does this preferential treatment translate onto the ice?

For players who are on Therrien’s good side, we typically see increased ice time, preference on power-play and penalty-killing, and plenty of awkward pats on the shoulders during the game. Athletes who receive preferential treatment from a coach typically receive much more attention during practices as well, and it has been argued that coaches who ‘play favourites’ tend to spend more time with certain players, sometimes leading to increased development and opportunities to play over others who may benefit more from higher levels of attention. Let’s look at some examples:

Jiri Sekac came to Montreal this past summer following a successful stint with the KHL. Sekac had been actively recruited by a few NHL teams and he finally chose the Canadiens as the kick-starter to his NHL career. During the preseason, most fans got their first glimpse of the Czech star, and he certainly did not disappoint. It didn’t take long for many to speculate that Sekac would be making the team straight from camp, which he did. Sekac made his NHL debut on October 8^th versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sekac netted his first NHL career goal just eight days later during the Habs’ home opener against the Boston Bruins. Shortly afterwards, Therrien opted to sit Sekac in the press box for seven straight games.

Many fans were confused by this move, while Therrien explained that Sekac needed more time to adjust to the Habs’ systems, as well as playing in the NHL arena versus the KHL. All the while, Therrien continued to play Rene Bourque. Bourque, with two points in 13 games with the Habs over the start of the 2014-2015 season, essentially took up Sekac’s roster spot before being waived and sent down to the AHL. It was rumoured, although I emphasize just a rumour, that Marc Bergevin finally stepped in to make a change. Following Bourque’s demotion, and eventual trade to the Anaheim Ducks, Sekac has put up seven points in his last 13 games. Bourque has one assist in his first six games with the Ducks.

Travis Moen, another player who was recently cut from the Habs’ roster, was also a thorn in many fans’ sides. Moen, zero points in 10 games with the Canadiens this season, was moved early in the season in exchange for Sergei Gonchar from the Dallas Stars. Moen has yet to put up a point with the Stars in his first nine games and has averaged under 7.5 minutes of ice time in his last five  games. Following the Moen-Gonchar trade, the Habs have appeared to lean a little heavier on Lars Eller. Eller has accumulated six points since Moen’s departure and has, arguably, been a core part of the Habs’ best line for the last 10 or so games. That being said, Therrien chose to break up Eller and Sekac during last night’s game against Minnesota, and we will have to wait and see if this continues.

In addition to the Moen-Gonchar trade, the Habs also received defenceman Bryan Allen in return for Rene Bourque from the Anaheim Ducks, leading the Habs’ defense to be the oldest on average in the league. Unfortunately, it shows. With Therrien opting to skate Gonchar (40), Allen (34), and Mike Weaver (36) over younger blood like Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi, the Habs can often appear behind the play defensively. Case in point: the goal by Chris Stewart from the Buffalo Sabres on November 29^th where Allen and Weaver simply couldn’t catch up to the 27-year old Toronto native.

While the Habs do have both the speed and two-way capabilities of P.K. Subban, pairing Subban with the likes of most defensemen, like Alexei Emelin for example, really shows how PK’s speed and skill are currently unparalleled on the Canadiens’ defensive roster. It also shows the necessity to provide our goaltenders with stronger defensive support. Subban has racked up six goals and 11 assists this season, putting him ahead of the likes of Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, and one point back from Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. That isn’t bad company to be in.

I would argue our second best defenseman is ‘The General’ himself, Andrei Markov, who obviously has the hockey sense and skill, but is clearly slowing down. That being said, the combination of 76-79 is still the best defensive pairing the Habs currently have. Why continue to promote players like Allen when the team has two solid up and coming defensemen in the ranks? Beaulieu or Tinordi would be a good addition, allowing them the experience that they require within an NHL arena. Are they considered to be perfect replacements? Of course not. However leaning on certain existing Habs blue-liners is proving to be costly this season, and admittedly, I don’t know if the trades Bergevin has constructed will help or hinder our ongoing defensive issues. I do think it is interesting to note that while Bergevin likes to promote younger forwards, his young d-men are being pushed out of roster spots by two early-season defensive trades who are 34 (Allen) and 40 (Gonchar) years old.

When a coach dedicates more time to ‘favourite’ players, we see less development from ‘non-favourites,’ due to less time with the coach, less praise from the coach, and less constructive feedback from the coach. All of this can impede a player’s development over time, leading to lower self-confidence and less positive production. Because Therrien is a coach who uses less ice time and benching players mid-game as forms of punishment for poor play, the question surrounding lost production mounts. Did Sekac benefit from sitting out for seven games and where would his production level be today if that hadn’t been the case? Will Subban be given back a bit of offensive freedom, or perhaps a few stronger wingmen on the blue line? Where does this leave our young up and comers? The questions surrounding Therrien’s coaching style linger as we wait to see who gets the next view from the press box.