Canadians seek answers on blue line, center ahead of final week of preseason – Montreal | The Canadian News

Heading into the final week of preseason, the Montreal Canadiens are still working to fill their two biggest holes: in the center and on the blue line.

One of Montreal’s biggest losses is to captain and first tag team defender Shea Weber, who will miss most of the season due to injuries. For fellow defender Jeff Petry, the most challenging part of not having his captain during the season will be the loss of his leadership.

“The hardest part will be the leadership that he brought to the room and to our group, so obviously that will fall on a lot of us as well,” Petry said. “We will need to be more vocal, a greater presence in the room to help fill that leadership void.”

Petry added that the entire defensive body will have to “step up and there will be more on everyone’s plate.”

Currently paired with sophomore Alexander Romanov during the preseason, Petry dismissed any doubts that the Russian could step up in his second NHL season.

“I think there are few players who come in the first year and are already there,” Petry said. “A good way to go through that is to experience it, play the games and be in that situation.”

“I look at him and I look at the player he was and I think there are a lot of similarities,” Petry added.

Petry’s regular teammate, Joel Edmundson, is still plagued by injury. The two played together for most of the 2020-21 season and the option of reuniting them when the time comes is still on the table for head coach Dominique Ducharme.

“We will need to see when he comes back and we will need to see our entire lineup to know what is best for us, but knowing that we can go back to that is reassuring,” Ducharme said.

Center Ryan Poehling will have a big weekend ahead of him when the Canadiens face the Ottawa Senators in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Montreal lost Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Philip Danault during the offseason and while the acquisition of Christian Dvorak from Arizona took over the top six, the situation of the center is still in doubt for the bottom two lines.

“It really is time to go and there are no excuses,” Poehling said.

Poehling will play alongside Artturi Lehkonen and Gabriel Bourque. The center was involved in the Canadiens’ 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but remains confident that he can make a dent in the team.

“I think everyone in the NHL can play both ways. It’s such a fast game and there’s no one out there keeping the puck off the net, “Poehling said. “Obviously, there are guys who are more offensive than others but, for me, I have to be good defensively, but I can also produce offensively.”

“You don’t have ten or 12 games. Those are games you won’t get back. When the door opens, you have to come in, ”Ducharme said of Poehling’s weekend.

Montreal fans got the good news Thursday that the Bell Center will be able to accommodate its total capacity of 21,302 fans in time for the start of the regular season. The Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dube, announced the lifting of some restrictions on cultural and sports venues as of October 8.

Ducharme, who has yet to experience a Bell Center at full capacity as head coach, welcomed the news, adding that fans play an important role in Canadiens’ home games.

“It definitely gives extra energy,” Ducharme said. “I also think it’s a good thing for people, that they can be rewarded like that, whether it’s from the Bell Center or other areas, it’s a good thing.”

Petry had an emotional response to what local fans and playing at the Bell Center meant to him. The local fans and their energy not only played a role in his team’s games, but also played a role in his decision to remain a Hab.

“I don’t think there’s a better place in this league to win and we came close to doing it last year,” Petry said. “With the circumstances that were at stake last year, we were not able to fully experience our building, even for a long period.

“I’m excited and looking forward to that, but just to see the passion around the team when we were on that stretch, fans out, fans everywhere. It was a very exciting place to play and that’s what played a big part in my decision to re-sign here after the trade. “

The Canadiens will play their first game at full capacity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on October 16, when they face the New York Rangers in their first home game of the regular season.