The Canadiens have been remarkably healthy so far this year, especially on defense. One of the side effects of this is that a guy like Yannick Weber hasn’t really had a chance to contribute.
Before P.K. Subban signed, Tomas Kaberle missed one game and Weber drew in for spot duty, but in just 10:17 of ice time it wasn’t like he even got his feet wet.
If a player does go down, Weber has to hope that it’s someone who plays the right side, and even then, Therrien may opt to play Kaberle on the right side like he did to begin the year.
Weber had a really solid stretch during the lockout with Genève-Servette in the Swiss league, putting up 5 goals and 16 assists in 32 games, only 8 points fewer than Raphael Diaz, who was playing on a much more potent offensive team.
Coming into camp he probably had a bit of an advantage in terms of conditioning, but that is all but gone by now. With the Weber 8th on the depth chart and a full healthy 7 ahead of him, the Canadiens have very few options available for the young defender.
One option they do have though, is to ask Weber to accept a 14 day conditioning assignment in the AHL. The Hamilton Bulldogs are currently on their best stretch of the season, winning 6 of their last 8 games, but they’re still the lowest scoring team in the AHL, and an offensive defenseman of Weber’s calibre could give them a nice little boost over a short period.
If Weber agreed to go on a conditioning assignment, he wouldn’t have to go through waivers unless the Habs decided to keep him in the AHL, so there’s no danger of losing him as an asset there.
Which brings us to our poll question:
Should the Canadiens ask Yannick Weber to agree to a conditioning stint in Hamilton?
| Yes, it could only help his development | 200 |
| No, that’s an insult | 45 |
