With Shea Weber Injured, who will play alongside Ben Chariot?
In the absence of the team's captain and top defender for the full 2021-2022 season, who will step up alongside Ben Chiarot?
The obvious choice is David Savard, but Dominique Ducharme will have a tough decision to make.
Along with Savard, right-handed players include Chris Wideman, Jeff Petry, and Alexander Romanov. With the Canadiens since 2019, Chiarot has shown he belongs there. The huge defender will be paired with whatever Dominique Ducharme chooses.
Will Ducharme dare to split Petry-Edmundson? And if so, who will replace Edmundson?
As said previously, Savard seems ideal. First, he's a righty. Second, he is Weber's closest defensive match. Savard, unlike Weber, is big, strong, and reliable defensively. Marc Bergevin probably signed him this off-season.
But MB also re-signed Chris Wideman for 2021. He's not Shea Weber or David Savard, but he's have offensive talent. Not playing Savard with Chiarot could affect the Montreal defence. Wideman's flaw? He's not guaranteed a spot.
He, Romanov, and Kulak will compete for fifth and sixth.
While Savard seems ideal, I'd like Romanov. The Russian missed the playoffs and will want to prove he belongs on the team. A guy like Chiarot could teach him a lot. It will be a challenge early in his career, but it will help him advance swiftly. Consider Victor Mete, who began his career with Weber. Whether you like him or not, the Sens' rookie defenseman is now a fixture in Montreal.
| POLL | ||
Will Petry take the top 2 role? | ||
| Yes | 62 | 53.9 % |
| No | 53 | 46.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
