So the Canadiens recalled Max Pacioretty as of late.

I found it a tad confusing to be honest as they brought up Desharnais only to send him back just as quick.

Both Pacioretty and Desharnais are ripping it up in the AHL. I really felt for Desharnais to be sent back down without getting a game. I listened to Tony Marinaro on The Team990 this morning and agreed with him, it would have been a good idea to have Desharnais play against Toronto. See how he’d play against a physical opponent. I personally believe he would have been fine.

Back to Pacioretty, he’s also just as deserving of the call up. Max has 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points…  in 27 games. Not to shabby at all.

Early on it was hoped he’d develop into “that power forward” that we’ve needed in Montreal for some time. Last season it was my impression he went all but forgotten. Wasn’t as much chatter about him. I remember seeing him getting knocked off the puck quite a bit and it just didn’t seem like he was ready.

Is this his year?

Giving him a prominent role in the AHL and having play many minutes may turn out to be a very prudent move. Hearing him speak today, he seems much more confident. I believe he’s maturing.

This is where I’m hoping he’s used in a similar role to what he’s being used with the Bulldogs.

Put him on the top 2 lines. Make him play with some offensive talent and maybe put him along side some of your teams’ leadership. Pairing him with any of Gionta, Cammalleri, Plekanec…. give him a shot and be patient. He’s got some confidence, now help him learn a bit more from the guys you ultimately want him to play with.

Having him on the 3rd or 4th line would be, in my opinion, a wasted opportunity.

And had Desharnais dressed up, I would have liked to see him in a top 2 line role vs the Leafs.

RDS reports that the Habs have re-signed David Desharnais to a 1 year, 2 way deal.

Desharnais’s agent mentions in the article that David preferred to avoid arbitration and wants to prove his worth on the ice. In this age of big business in sports…. and all the big money…. it’s completely respectable to me that Desharnais made that choice.

In fact, another player (not a Habs player) who settled for a smaller contract just last year (I believe it was last season) was Manny Malhotra. He pretty much went in and worked really hard…. put his focus on playing hockey as best he could and this year he signed a 3 year 2.5 million dollar deal.

Not sure that Desharnais will follow that exact path but I think he’s got a shot at sneaking in and taking some ice time this season. Seeing him play last year I can’t help but think a bit about Gionta and Martin St Louis. Not just because Desharnais is 5’7, I mean yeah that’s part of the comparison but the other part is that Desharnais was all hustle.

I look forward to seeing him a little more this year.

Hoping that he’ll be back sometime.

And RDS is reporting that Andrei Markov started skating and that there’s a chance that he could be back in the lineup as early as late December.

Imagine if Markov did come back healthy and ready to go by early January… just in time to get in sync for the playoff run….

Gomez, Spacek, D’Agostini and the newly acquired Benoit Pouliot were also skating today.

The game against the Penguins had the Habs down Markov, Gill, Gomez, Spacek, Gionta, D’Agostini and Andrei Kostitsyn…. am I missing a few???

The team played with effort and heart.

Imagine what this team may look like in Januray or February is these guys are back and the team is relatively healthy. I’m optimistic… At the rate of NHL injuries this year though…. there are no guarantees.

David Desharnais has been called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs and with another possible injury, he may get the chance to show what he can do.

I really liked Desharnais in pre-season… a very unlikely success story just like teammate Brian Gionta and Martin St-Louis he’s a small forward at 5 foot 7.

David had a good season last year in Hamilton and this year due to injury he only played in 7 games. In those 7 games however, Desharnais has 4 goals and 6 assists.

You can find the official release on the Canadiens website here….

I hope he has a strong show tonight!

Some players were certainly making the best of their pre-season games….

A couple of these guys are both similar and quite different.

Brian Gionta is having a great pre-season. Last night he continued to play hard… making offensive plays and getting back to play defense. I’m thinking that Jacques Martin must love having a guy like Brian in his lineup.

Not only that, but even though he’s 5’7 he continues to venture in front the opposing team’s net…. last night he was involved in a couple of “scrums” and received a face wash or 2. The last pileup in front of the Bruins net had him lying on his back while stacks of Bruins players lie on him.

He’s a great character player and that kind of attitude might spread to certain others in the lineup.

Another guy that I’m very impressed with is David Desharnais. Desharnais is very similar to Gionta in that he’s a small player that possesses great hockey skills.

Last night I saw Desharnais go in the corner to battle for pucks (and win some battles), make passes, come back on defense to take the puck away from a couple of Bruins players….. just great to see.

You can tell (or at least, I believe) that he “wants it”… David is playing like he’s hungry to make this team. I’m sure he’s faced all the adversity that a guy like Gionta has (or Martin St Louis).. “you’re too small”…etc.

I’ll share with you an opinion. I believe a player can be too small to play in the NHL… but only if he plays small (or soft). Some guys at 6’2 play too soft.

One thing about Gionta, Desharnais, Cammalleri and Martin St. Louis is that they are small… but they don’t play that way. They play hard.

I think that’s the difference.

And finally, last nights highlights

Here are a few pre-game and really “pre-season” thoughts.

Bob Gainey

Alot has been said about the Montreal Canadiens over the last few years, from the highs to the lows and everything in between.

This season is a departure in many ways for the franchise in the sense that the team has really been rebuilt with several longtime players leaving and several new faces coming in with multiple years left on contract. Maybe unlike previous years, this team is now Gainey’s team. From top to bottom his hand has been involved in one way or another in regards to management, coaching drafting, trading and UFA signings in forging the team we will see tonight and this season. In radio call in shows and internet banter I’ve seen and heard Gainey being called both a genius and some calling for his head.

This is an important year for Gainey in Montreal. There has been no shortage of criticism this summer about these off-season moves… hindsight will tell us the good and the bad. It’s the nature of the job.

We get to see the first glimpse.

Scott Gomez

Scott Gomez came to Montreal in a big trade prior to July 1st and with him came a big contract. I, along with others, didn’t really like this trade. But to be quite honest I’ve really warmed up to having Scott Gomez in Montreal. He seems to carry himself quite well and seeing him play and learning a bit more about him there’s no denying that he’s a really talented hockey player. He can really pass the puck.

Scott Gomez may very well have something to prove in Montreal and it’s not far fetched to think that he could rebound from his time with the New York Rangers. We once had another fellow that was dubbed “Kovy” come from the big apple after basically being written off…. this “Kovy” fella played a career year in Montreal.

Scott, if you read this buddy…. I’m hoping you look good in the uniform bro… glad to have you aboard!

Mike Cammalleri

Mike Cammalleri was one of the big UFA names out there this summer and it was a pleasant surprise when I heard he signed in Montreal. Cammalleri is an offensive weapon… there is no doubt.

A big knock some people had on Cammalleri… maybe more so by some critics was that he couldn’t score without Iginla. But checking his stats…. it’s quite easy to see that it’s not quite true. And the possibility of having a guy like Gomez feed him the puck is promising.

Mike…. Glad to have you aboard man!!!

Other thoughts

Of the guys in uniform tonight, there are a few others that I think have an important year in front of them.

Andrei Kostitsyn showed lots of promise 2 years ago with Kovalev and Plekanec. Being on a line with Gomez and Cammalleri could be very beneficial to him. I mean, tonight, it’s just a pre-season game. But it’s a line that we could very well see on a regular basis this year. Both Kostitsyn and Cammalleri have a pretty good shot while Gomez is a superb passer.

Andrei, make the best of the opportunity!

Carey Price will certainly be looking to bounce back and I think he’ll be able to put last year behind him. Plus Martin’s tighter defensive system should help him alot… at least that’s what I think.

P.K. Subban…. all I’m gonna say is you’ll likely find your way into the lineup soon, you’re a great young player and if you spend the year in Hamilton we’ll see you next year. But there’s a chance we could see you from time to time in Montreal. Keep it up bro!

Mr. Desharnais, I like how you’ve continued to prove everyone wrong at every level. Keep it up!

Guillaume… this is an important year for you. I hope that we see many hard checks and some of that scoring touch around the net.

We’re almost there… the puck drops soon!!!