Defence had been an issue for the Montreal Canadiens for a few years. Shea Weber and Jeff Petry have been providing a solid one-two punch on the right side, but since Andrei Markov’s last season in 2016-17, the left has seen a revolving cast of characters as Marc Bergevin tries to find partners to go with them.
Victor Mete has settled in as Weber’s partner with just two professional seasons to his name. That leaves the second pairing as the one in need of the most attention.
Mikey Reilly
Brought in at the trade deadline last season, Mikey Reilly showed some promising play down the stretch as a disappointing season came to a close. He began this season as the second pairing’s left-side defender, alongside rookie Noah Juulsen.
October 4, 2018: Mikey Reilly’s season debut was quietly one of the best on the team
The first game of the year — a match with the Toronto Maple Leafs that was much closer than most people predicted — was a great one for Reilly. There were serious questions about how one of the worst defensive teams from the previou season would fare without the services of Weber for the opening two months, but the first game offered hints that things would turn out alright.
October 6, 2018: Frozen Frames: How Mikey Reilly stepped up his game against the Leafs
Reilly faced the top Leafs forwards on Opening Night, and was still able to have an offensive presence in the game. He finished his 21 minutes — second only to Petry — with a plus-one goal differential and three shots on net. If he could replicate that performance every night, the Habs would be in great position to compete in the Eastern Conference.
The defensive displays weren’t quite as convincing over the next month, but he and Juulsen were still celebrating more goals than they were surrendering, and that was the main task for the cobbled-together defence corps.
May 22, 2019: Mikey Reilly faltered in his top-four role, and that was Brett Kulak’s chance
Upon Weber’s return, Reilly maintained his role, seeing Petry slot in beside him, and the two performed well together. But as the season wore on, some deficiencies in his game became more apparent, and right as the Canadiens were getting back to full health and in position to not just make the playoffs but do so as a seeded team. Given how well Brett Kulak was playing on the third pairing, it was an easy decision to move him up, and that ended Reilly’s time in the top four. That decision to remove him seemed to be a final one from Claude Julien, as Reilly’s season was brought to an abrupt end.
May 24: What is Mikey Reilly’s future in the Canadiens organization?
Despite being booted out of the lineup, parting with his services entirely doesn’t make a lot of sense, given the depth situation on the left side of the defence. Still a restricted free agent, it won’t put much of a dent in the available cap space to keep him around, and his presence isn’t blocking a young player who currently has a shot at graduating to the NHL. He would be a cheap option for a seventh defenceman, and a cost-effective option in the starting six.
Grade Mikey Reilly’s season with the Canadiens
| A+ | 0 |
| A | 2 |
| A- | 7 |
| B+ | 8 |
| B | 32 |
| B- | 66 |
| C+ | 87 |
| C | 69 |
| C- | 60 |
| D | 13 |
| F | 6 |
Brett Kulak
As Reilly’s stock was dropping, Kulak’s was heading in the opposite direction, and the upward trend held for the entirety of the 2018-19 season.
October 1, 2018: Montreal Canadiens acquire Brett Kulak for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev
Just before the season began, the Canadiens moved out two AHL defenceman for Kulak. At the time, the move was most notable for those personnel numbers, as the Canadiens cleared way for Cale Fleury to take a top-six role in the minors without older, non-prospect players to hinder his development. (Fleury was signed to his ELC on October 4.)
October 2, 2018: Breaking down the Brett Kulak trade for the Canadiens
Playing oppositve a poor partner hurt his numbers while a member of the Calgary Flames, and even then he held encouraging statistics. It seemed rather obvious that Kulak was more than an AHL/NHL tweener, and “could likely steal a spot on the NHL roster if he plays well” in Laval.
November 11, 2018: Montreal Canadiens recall Brett Kulak
Sure enough, six weeks and 19 AHL games later, he was making the trip to Montreal, and there he stayed for the rest of the year.
January 11, 2019: Brett Kulak is proving his worth for the Montreal Canadiens
Two months into his Canadiens tenure, he had risen through the ranks of the lineup options to cement his place on the team. Stellar play at both ends of the ice had him sporting phenomenl possession numbers as the Habs were enjoying success. At the end of the season, he had the eighth-best Corsi-for percentage of NHL defencemen to play at least 20 games.
May 20, 2019: Brett Kulak was quietly great, now it’s time to pay him what he’s worth
A contract year was a great time to have a breakout season, and the feeling should be mutual between player and management at seeing the emergence of a top-four NHL defenceman — a left-handed one, no less. In a season that was always going to be a transition year, several players took major steps forward, and Kulak’s strides were among the longest.
He will need a new contract to reprise his role in 2019-20. With the player getting his chance with a quality defence partner and the GM having a long-standing roster hole patched up, both sides should be eager to get that document signed.
May 25, 2019: Montreal Canadiens re-sign Brett Kulak
It seems both sides were very interested in continuing the partnership as Kulak became the first of the Canadiens’ restricted free agents to get an extension, and a three-year one at that.
Related
Grade the seasons of Joel Armia and Charles Hudon
Grade Brett Kulak’s season with the Canadiens
| A+ | 6 |
| A | 45 |
| A- | 68 |
| B+ | 137 |
| B | 69 |
| B- | 19 |
| C+ | 7 |
| C | 0 |
| C- | 0 |
| D | 0 |
| F | 1 |
Related
Grade the seasons of Joel Armia and Charles Hudon
