After a few weeks of absence, Lapointe\u2019s Echoes is back in full force today. We\u2019ll be talking about the Montreal Canadiens\u2019 players including Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher, Kirby Dach, and Brendan Gallagher.<\/p>\n
Jacob Fowler, the Savior of the Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n
The saying that you shouldn\u2019t rush a young hockey player into the NHL is becoming less and less relevant as expectations continue to rise around the Montreal Canadiens. Whether it\u2019s management, the media, or the fans, more and more eyes are turning toward the prospect pool to fix issues within the current lineup (even though those issues have been present for three years).<\/p>\n
We had a good example of this this season with Jacob Fowler arriving as a savior in the middle of the season to make up for the struggles of Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault. Once things stabilized, the young goaltender was sent back to the AHL, only to be recalled again to take the spot of the Quebecer, who is no longer a shadow of his former self. Where did the patience go? Where are the \u201che needs a full season with the Laval Rocket to be ready\u201d arguments?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m no better than anyone else. I\u2019m happy to see him skip steps, because Jacob Fowler looks ready. He\u2019s solid, technical, consistent, and reassuring in net. That hasn\u2019t been the case for his two counterparts who, despite a winning record for the Czech, don\u2019t always inspire confidence. Still, just because it seems to be working for him doesn\u2019t mean it will for others. The obsession with needing a savior is a recurring theme around the Canadiens.<\/p>\n
Lapointe\u2019s Echos is a recurring series of articles addressing current hockey news. The topics covered are quite broad and touch on the Montreal Canadiens, the draft, the NHL, trades, social media debates, and more.<\/p>\n
David Reinbacher as Reinforcement: A False Good Idea<\/p>\n
I\u2019m seeing more and more media members and fans wanting David Reinbacher to be called up by the Canadiens to fix the defensive issues. Since the beginning of the rebuild, defensive play has been one of the team\u2019s major problems. The offense somewhat masks the inconsistency on the back end despite the presence of very capable players. So how can we expect a player who has missed more games than he has played since being drafted in 2023 to suddenly put the defensive corps back on track?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not against seeing David Reinbacher step onto the Bell Centre ice. He\u2019s been having some very good moments in Laval. However, those good moments stem from stability and the fact that he\u2019s finally playing without injury. Can we just leave him there and instead target next season as his entry point into the show, rather than rushing him into the spotlight with the pressure of fixing the defensive lapses of a more-than-respectable group?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s hold the current players accountable instead of thinking an external savior will pull them out of trouble. David Reinbacher doesn\u2019t need all that attention right now. He should remain in the shadows for the moment and focus on the AHL playoffs. If the Canadiens want to give him a small reward at the end of the season after the team clinches a playoff spot (if it happens), why not. But I would avoid at all costs putting him in the same chair as Jacob Fowler\u2014the one labeled \u201csavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kirby Dach Must Be Removed from the Plans<\/p>\n
I\u2019m truly disappointed by Kirby Dach\u2019s injury. Despite some strong moments, he can no longer be part of the organization\u2019s plans. There\u2019s no need to sugarcoat it. The accumulation of injuries weighs heavily in his evaluation. Still, Dach remains a player who can be used on the wing on a third line because of his reach, mobility, and his ability to recover and protect the puck. It\u2019s just that we can no longer assume he\u2019ll be available when the team needs him.<\/p>\n
At the start of next season, if he\u2019s still a member of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and Martin St. Louis can\u2019t put Kirby Dach\u2019s name into the lineup without expecting him to miss half the games. That kind of situation is difficult to manage for a team aiming to become a Stanley Cup contender. It constantly has to fill the hole created by his absences. That\u2019s why I believe he will be traded in the coming months. Whether it\u2019s at a loss or not barely matters anymore for the Canadiens. They need a more stable solution.<\/p>\n
A Rotation Up Front for the Canadiens<\/p>\n
Maybe that solution could be Alexandre Texier, who is genuinely useful in any role he\u2019s given. One can question how quickly the GM signed the Frenchman. However, when you see that he can be inserted anywhere in the lineup and contribute, it\u2019s not too hard to understand that urgency. The project was promising for Dach, and expectations were high. It just didn\u2019t work out due to factors beyond anyone\u2019s control.<\/p>\n
In one of my first Lapointe\u2019s Echoes, I mentioned that Brendan Gallagher would eventually have to sit out to make room for Alex Newhook. However, I added that it would never happen because St. Louis wouldn\u2019t dare do that to a veteran. In the end, the coach did dare. There are too many capable players to keep reliable contributors like Texier in the press box. There needs to be some kind of rotation system. Zachary Bolduc does it, Alexandre Texier does it\u2014it\u2019s only normal that the little warrior goes through it as well, regardless of what his veteran teammates might think. It\u2019s part of refreshing a roster.<\/p>\n
In the coming weeks, we\u2019ll dive into the heart of the NHL Draft a little more. We\u2019ll focus on prospects and the playoffs that are underway (or about to begin) across junior leagues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a few weeks of absence, Lapointe\u2019s Echoes is back in full force today. We\u2019ll be talking about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-549492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}