The Montreal Canadiens started their Florida trip with a whimper on Saturday night, a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. Mustering a paltry 19 shots on goal, te Habs were far too tentative and unable to create the offensive output that we know them to be capable of. They kept it close until the third period, but never truly threatened to take control of the game.
And a costly third-period penalty from Joel Armia made sure they wouldn’t get a chance for any late-game heroics.
I don’t want to lay the loss at the feet of Armia alone. Rarely do NHL teams win games where they fail to crack the 20-shot mark, so even if that penalty never happens, there’s a solid chance they lose anyways. But he hurt his team with that penalty, and it has been somewhat of a trend of late for him to take needless minors in the third periods of games they have a chance in. There has to be consequences for that.
Armia’s consequence should be a one-way ticket back to Laval, and though he’s already proven himself a cut above the typical AHL forward, there should be no conversation about bringing him back. As of this writing, his penalty minutes are more than double his point total. This is acceptable with enforcers, but certainly not bottom-six skaters expected to play checking roles. He simply isn’t an option right now, and the team would be better served giving younger players some opportunities.
Jesse Ylonen could step up in the lineup immediately, and he’s played well enough to earn that. Joshua Roy, Sean Farrell, and Xavier Simoneau have all been playing well in Laval, and look like they could each deserve a chance to prove their worth at the NHL level. There is no shortage of young talent ready to play some games, and in a rebuild year, finding out what they can do is worth a lot more than hoping a 30-year-old Armia can help them get a few extra points.
While the team taking their time with their young players appears to be working, they also need to be able to promote players when the time is right. Nearly 40 games into the year, we’re seeing some performances in Laval that warrant promotion, and a player in Montreal that appears well past his prime.
There is no need to wait for injured players to return, they have better options right now that could energize the team and excite the fan base.
