HabsCast Hockey Blog

Uploaded on September 10, 2007 (flickr.com)
by fanatiqueca

Which rookies are most likely to crack the lineup this year? and who’s impressed me the most this pre-season?

Kyle Chipchura
Kyle Chipchura is my number one pick to make the Habs lineup this year. The guy’s a hard working two-way forward who can put the puck in the net. In short, he’s Guy Carbonneau’s wet dream. Last year, Chipchura played his second season with the Hamilton Bulldogs recording 12 goals, 27 assists, and a plus-11 in 80 games. He also captained the Canadian Junior team to their 2006 world championship. Brent Sutter, the coach of the 2006 world junior team was asked why he chose Chipchura as the captain of the team. Brent responded that “he’s a heart and soul guy and when you have a team that is perhaps lacking some experience at the national level, which obviously we are, you need a real strong character and real strong person mentally that’s totally committed to the way we want to play. He’s probably a huge reflection of myself.” In my opinion, Chipchura’s already on this year’s Habs team and will most likely play a major role on the PK. Not to mention, I could even see him being captain of this team someday in the future.

Ryan O’Byrne
Montreal is arguably breeding some of the best defensive defensemen in hockey. Mike Komisarek was drafted in 2001 and made his pro debut in the 2002-2003 NHL season. Montreal realized early that they needed more size and players able to man-up, hit hard, shoot hard, skate hard… and even bleed hard. This is why I think Ryan O’Byrne will make the Habs lineup this season. O’Byrne is a 6’5” giant and weighs a whopping 234lbs. In 80 games with the Bulldogs last season he amassed 12 assists and a minus-7 rating. However, in the playoffs, he scored 2 goals, 5 assists, and a plus-12 rating in 22 games. While there are already 7 NHL defensemen on the pre-season roster, O’Byrne is making a strong case for himself to crack the lineup and is likely, in my opinion, to start the season with the Canadiens.

Pavel Valentenko
Another defensemen competing with O’Byrne is Russian born Pavel Valentenko. Pavel has thus far played his entire career in Russia, and like O’Byrne, is a defensive defenseman. He is also 6’2” and weighs 202lbs. However, unlike O’Byrne, Pavel lacks the experience of playing North American style hockey, so it should be interesting to watch him play and develop. On the upside, he is a strong force in the defensive zone and is able to hit… hard! While Pavel is a candidate to make the team, I see him playing with the Bulldogs for the mean time, just so he can gather some North American experience.

Mikhail Grabovski
Last year Mikhail Grabovski was a top candidate to make the Habs, but suffered a dislocated shoulder in a pre-season game, leaving him injured for several weeks and unable to play. This pre-season, Grabovski’s demonstrating, once again, that he has the skill to play in the NHL. Last season he played 3 games with the Canadiens with no points and a minus-2 rating. In the AHL, however, he accumulated 17 goals, 37 assists, and a plus-7 rating in 66 games. He is known for his playmaking abilities and speed. If Grabovski does have a chance of making this years NHL team, he’s going to have to convince Carbonneau that he is more valuable then one of his veterans. Also, seeing as some Canadiens’ regulars are unimpressive this pre-season, Grabovski’s chances keep growing.

Carey Price
You guys must be wondering why I haven’t mentioned Carey Price yet. Although I firmly believe that he is the future of this organization, I cannot say that he will make the team this season. Yes, he led Team Canada to gold in 2007 and yes, he led the Hamilton Bulldogs to their first ever Calder Cup. But is he ready for the NHL? Yes he is, but only if he’s the starting goaltender and I don’t think Carbonneau is ready to give him that sort of responsibility yet.

Matt D’Agostini
There are other names that are making impressions on management, most notably Matt D’Agostini. After last night’s 2 goal game against the Isles, I’m kinda wondering whether we’re going to have a surprise rookie come October 3rd. If not, you can count on him being called up during the season. With only a limited amount of space available for rookies on the 07-08 roster, it should be interesting to see how they will fare. Will someone surprise us and take a veterans spot? The time has come for the rookies to shine and make an impact with the Canadiens’ coaching staff.

Who do you think has the best chance to crack the Canadiens’ lineup?

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