Well, if the Canadiens are looking for more offence, it looks like it will be coming without Alex Galchenyuk at center.
Michel Therrien said at his press conference today that he liked what he saw from David Desharnais and Galchenyuk, implying that the combination may see some more time together on Saturday. He also mentioned that Dale Weise is a possibility (read: will return) on Saturday.
Looks like Galchenyuk back to the wing. Therrien says he likes what he saw from Desharnais and Alex together.
— BrianWilde (@BWildeCTV) January 15, 2016
He also announced that Mike Condon will get the start on Saturday, perhaps pointing to the urgency of getting a win. Condon on Saturday presumably means he will not play the Blackhawks on Sunday, leaving the door open for Ben Scrivens.
Therrien also mentioned that Jacob de la Rose will be inserted on the fourth line, which begs the question to which forward will sit on Saturday. It will likely be Devante Smith-Pelly or Tomas Fleischmann if Weise is good to go.
I don’t see how anyone would choose Desharnais over Galchenyuk, but that appears to be what is going on here. At least if they are together, Galchenyuk should see an uptick in his ice time.
This would mean that Lars Eller will go back to the third line center, likely with Paul Byron on his wing.
But, really, we’ll likely only know on Saturday. Guess work and Michel Therrien don’t go hand in hand.
