by Chris G, Contributor, All Habs Hockey Magazine
LAVAL, QC – With training camps set to begin in a little over a month across the NHL, Canadiens and hockey fans around the world are getting psyched for the 2013-14 season. The All Habs team is here to help you get ready for the upcoming season and I have the pleasure this week to answer the questions received in the mailbag. 
Do you have a question or a topic you would like us to discuss? Okay, here’s what you can do.
Let us know:
- who you are
- where you’re from
- if you wish, send us a photo of you in your favourite Habs gear
- who’s your favorite player, present or past
- and of course, your question
You can contact us via Twitter, our Facebook page or email at info (at) allhabs (dot) net
We’ll feature you, and your question, in the All Habs Mailbag!
Here’s what you wanted to know this week:
If we presume Tomas Plekanec is 1st center next season, who will be 2nd?
Mario, Maritimes
Mario, to answer your question, I am going to assume that the Canadiens roster on October 1st will be as it is right now. The player that will be the number two centre and the player that I would put at that spot are different.
What will happen:
Unfortunately, I think that David Desharnais will get the number two centre spot when the Montreal Canadiens open up their season versus the Toronto Maple Leafs in October. After a sub-par season and playoff performance, Desharnais will get a chance to redeem himself to start the new season. I hope that Michel Therrien and his coaching staff have a short leash on him, but the fact that Marc Bergevin signed him to a four year extension last season will force Therrien to be a little more patient with him.
What I would do:
As the Habs head coach, the centre of my 2nd line would be Alex Galchenyuk. After playing on the left wing for his rookie season, I think that it’s time for him to play in his natural position. The Canadiens drafted him to eventually become the number one centre of the team, therefore there is no reason for him to keep playing on the wing. Galchenyuk has the skill and the size to play centre now. The issue with my solution is that the team would have too many centres. One of them would need to be moved to another team or to another position. The readers that listen to the @Habs360 podcast know that I think that Desharnais should be the odd man out, but given the fact of the four year contract, it would be difficult for Bergevin to move him to another team. I am really hoping that I am wrong and that Desharnais plays well enough to stay as the team’s second centre.
Thanks for the question Mario!
Will Daniel Brière be slotted for the 2nd line center?
Scott, Portsmouth VA
Hey Scott. The Canadiens current situation at centre is evidently on the minds of most Habs fans. As I replied to Mario’s question above, I believe that Desharnais will fill that position to start the season. Even though Daniel Brière has played centre for his entire career except for the last couple of seasons, I see the Canadiens newest acquisition playing on the second line on the right wing and his linemates being Desharnais and Max Pacioretty.
“I have no problem to play at centre or on the wing”, said Brière during his conference call on July 4th. “Michel Therrien will decide all that. I have nothing to say on that side. I want to play where he thinks it will help the team the most.”
Brière was acquired for his size (sarcasm) and to help on the powerplay that finished 5th in the NHL last season. In case of an injury to one of the team’s centres, he will be the one that will step in to that role.
This move was not unanimous across Habs nation, but let’s give him a chance to see what he brings to the team.
Do the Habs really need George Parros and will he play more than six minutes every game?
François, Montreal
Hi François! I think that the Canadiens do need George Parros when facing physical teams such as Boston, Toronto, and Philadelphia. We all remember how the Leafs were trying to run over the Habs players every chance they got. With a player like Parros in the lineup, the odds of this situation occuring decreases. Will Milan Lucic be as intimidating against the Canadiens when a player like Parros is on the Habs side of the bench? I doubt it.
That being said, I don’t expect him to be in the lineup every night. When the Canadiens face a team that is more based on skill or speed, like their new division rivals Detroit Red Wings, Parros will be watching the game from the press box. In terms of his ice time, he averaged 6:36 with the Panthers last season, and I expect it to be the same amount of ice time that will be given to him by Therrien.
The Canadiens finished 23rd in penalty killing last season but added nobody to address the loss of Colby Armstrong. How do they improve that aspect of their game?
Bryan, Montreal
Assuming that the Habs roster stays as it is today, they will have no choice but to rely on their existing resources to improve their penalty kill. The biggest change I would make, would be to use P.K. Subban more when the team is short handed. Last season, he averaged 1:27 per game on the penalty kill.
Besides that change, the Canadiens would need to count on players like Tomas Plekanec, Travis Moen, Josh Gorges to play even better on that aspect of their game.
Bryan, it doesn’t seem like they will do much better than 23rd this season.
Do the Habs look like a playoff team?
Terri, Ontario
Terri, there are a lot of factors that have changed compared to last season. The main changes are that this season there will be a full 82-game schedule and the new division realignment that will have the Canadiens play every team in the NHL at least twice. Will they win their division? I doubt it. Will they make the playoffs? I think they will.
I will provide a more comprehensive analysis and prediction on the @Habs360 podcast, when it returns in mid-September. Hope you can tune in !
What’s going on with Teemu Selanne? Will he play next year?
James, Kingston
Well James, the annual Selanne watch is back. He has not made his decision yet whether or not he will return in the NHL. One thing that is sure is that if he does return, it will be with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have the interest, roster spot, and cap space to welcome him back.
I can definitely understand that at the age of 43, Selanne needs to think twice before making a final decision. In my opinion, the 2013-2014 season will be his final season in the NHL. The 82 game season in addition to his participation in the Sochi games for team Finland will end his tremendous career in the National Hockey League.
A hypothetical question for Habs fans: If Selanne wanted to play for the Canadiens this season,would you sign him? Leave your opinion in the comments section below.
This was fun! I know that you all are as anxious as I am for the season to begin. Follow @chrisg1980 and @Habs360 on Twitter as we prepare for the 2013-2014 Habs season.