by Andrew Saadalla, Guest Columnist, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — There once was a time when the story of diminutive center David Desharnais and his rise to the National Hockey League as an undrafted player was a feel-good one. The 5-foot-7-inch forward began his career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where his 374 points in 262 games with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens showed promise for an undersized playmaker. Add three Selke Memorial Trophy awards to his prolific scoring capabilities as team captain, and it was clear that a special player was bound to eventually catch the attention of a National Hockey League franchise before long.

Unfortunately, that would not be the case, as the Laurier-Station, Canada native was overlooked during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Still, his childhood team Montreal Canadiens took notice of his achievements nonetheless, and invited him to their training camp that same year.

Unable to make the cut, Desharnais would subsequently make the jump from the ECHL to the AHL within a few short years after posting 29 goals and 77 points in 68 games with the Cincinnati Cyclones. His 33 points in 22 postseason games earned his team the Kelly Cup championship and he was awarded the Rookie of the Year as well as the Most Valuable Player honours.

He later joined the Hamilton Bulldogs and posted more than 20 goals twice before notching a single assist in six games with the Canadiens in 2009-2010. After spending half of the following season with the Habs’ AHL affiliate, he would receive a permanent call-up. It was in 2011-2012 that Desharnais became a household name.

Playing alongside power forwards Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty on the team’s top line, Desharnais put up career numbers by scoring 16 goals and adding 44 assists. He helped both Cole and Pacioretty score 35 and 33 goals respectively, and was lauded for his superior vision and selfless passing ability. His rising self-assuredness stemmed from having signed a two-year deal prior to the start of that season. Habs fans were therefore delighted that a homegrown talent had achieved such high levels of success, especially in the face of adversity.

And how could they not?

The Underdog

He was told he would never make it to the big league, that he was too short and not strong enough. He heard the noise his entire life but chose to ignore it, as he kept his eyes set towards building a lasting career in the National Hockey League. After all, a 60-point season is no small feat to accomplish especially given his below-average stature. The following year, he would sign (what is surely going down as) the most lucrative contract of his professional life: a four-year, $14 million extension. But that success would disappear almost instantly after.

Erik Cole was traded away, and Desharnais formed an uninspired duo with his buddy Pacioretty. Despite having earned head coach Michel Therrien’s trust and (arguably) favoritism, the spark that once was was slowly fading. Therrien tried everything. He gave him added power play minutes and responsibilities, anything to get him going. He would often be employed in shootouts in order to break scoring droughts, though at times he watched his teammates play from the press box. Being a healthy scratch was enough to light a fire under him, although he would never show the kind of consistency he once did.

During the 2015-2016 regular season schedule, he was bounced in and out of the lineup and spent time on the injured reserve with a broken foot. There was no solution in sight for the player who emerged as a seemingly unorthodox first-line NHL center only a few short years prior, and he drew the ire of Habs fan as he quickly became the whipping boy of an angry fan base. He posted 11 goals and 29 points in 65 games, and countless diehards begged general manager Marc Bergevin to send him packing in a trade. Sadly, a relatively affordable $3.5 million annual average value (AAV) would not inspire other organizations to participate in the Desharnais “sweepstakes,” and it was clear that his value was insignificant on the trade market.

Facing Reality

Still, no. 51 had his fair share of defenders. Most notably, members of RDS’ infamous L’antichambre panel stood up for their “homeboy” through thick and thin. Desharnais was known as the type of athlete who always bounced back from failure, after all. It’s hard to argue that.

But here’s where I draw the line.

Roughly two weeks ago, a certain member of the aforementioned program singled out the Anglophone media for their “unfair” and “harsh” criticism towards Desharnais. The 31-year-old had a terrific start to his season, netting two goals and four points in his first five games, and this “analyst” reminded everyone of just how amazing of a player David is and that English-speaking journalists were wrong.

What this apologist couldn’t predict, however, was that Desharnais would go pointless in the following nine games while playing a brand of uninspired and lazy hockey.

If bounces don’t go an athlete’s way, they’re encouraged to play sound defense and do the “small things” right until they break out of their slump. Unfortunately, Desharnais did neither, and was subsequently made a healthy scratch against the Los Angeles Kings on November 10^th. He was expected to miss a few games, but was inadvertently reinserted into the lineup after promising rookie forward Artturi Lehkonen was sidelined with an injury and placed on the short-term injured reserve.

He was virtually invisible for the two following games, and finally broke out of his never-ending slump on November 15^th when he scored and added an assist in a loss against the Florida Panthers.

Too bad that’s going to be short-lived.

We’ve seen this story unfold before our very eyes too many times to count: Desharnais is scratched, comes back, plays well, is afforded (undeserved) power play responsibilities and first-line duties including increased ice-time in spite of his teammats, and he goes back to being the shadow of his 2011-2012 self. It’s like clockwork.

I like David Desharnais, but he won’t be back with the Canadiens next season. Playing in the final year of his four-year contract, I’d be hard-pressed to believe that he will merit another extension. In fact, this may just be the end of the line for him.

It’s a shame because as a trilingual Montreal resident, I rooted for the little guy. I truly wanted him to succeed, because once upon a time, his story of perseverance was a delightful one.

But now, and as I wrote last July, his confidence is nonexistent.

And you know who’s to blame?

The Francophone media. They placed him on a pedestal and unknowingly exerted an incredibly far-fetched amount of pressure on him without realizing that that would lead to his undoing.

Way to go, you who shall remain nameless.