Owen Beck plays like a guy who wants to replace Christian Dvorak in Montreal

Dose
Crédit:

Things haven’t exactly been going great for the Canadiens for a while now. The club has lost six of its last eight games, but what’s most worrying is the way it’s losing them.

They’re not just losing, they’re being consistently outplayed.

And among the guys being singled out is Christian Dvorak. The veteran isn’t exactly playing inspired hockey, and right now, he’s hurting more than he’s helping the Habs’ cause.

So, right now, we’re thinking there might be (at least) one chair up for grabs in Montreal. And if there’s one person who understands that, it’s Owen Beck.

Yesterday, for example, the kid scored this beautiful shorthanded goal, which turned out to be the winning goal for the Rocket in a game where the club was somewhat saved by its goaltender, Connor Hughes.

The club-school is now 7-1-0, despite an overflowing infirmary.

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For the time being, the only reinforcement the Habs will have is in-house. Early-season deals in the NHL are very rare, and often a club has to overpay massively to get reinforcement at this stage of the season.

And that’s not Kent Hughes’ usual way of doing things.

Beck, for his part, seems well aware of this. The youngster has five points in his last five games, and already feels like a fish in water in the pros. It hasn’t been too difficult to adapt to a guy who already played pro-style in junior.

I’m not telling you this morning that the Habs should recall Owen Beck right away. In fact, letting him mature a few more months in the Rocket’s environment (which, at the moment, is much rosier than the Canadiens’) may not be a bad thing.

That said, no one is going to convince me this morning that Beck would do worse than Dvorak in the NHL. The Habs would be thin on right-handed centers with such a change, but Dvorak is a problem right now, and if we want immediate reinforcement, it will have to come from within.

I’d have told you about Michael Hage, who made that sublime pass yesterday, but he’s in the NCAA. At best, he’ll be in town at the very end of the season… if he doesn’t go back for another year in the NCAA in 2025-26.

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Beck isn’t the only option (Joshua Roy is a recurring name, and Brandon Gignac also does a good job if the club wants a veteran), but right now he’s playing like a guy who wants to take Dvorak’s chair with the Canadiens.

The question is whether he’ll take that chair next season… or in a few weeks’ time.

Overtime

– Speaking of Habs prospects.

– What do you think?

– It was Les Boys night in Quebec City yesterday.

– Impressive.

– We wish him the best.

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