Yardbarker
x
Could John Scott be the 'spark' the Montreal Canadiens need?
Will the struggling Montreal Canadiens call up NHL All-Star Game MVP John Scott? Brian Babineau/Getty Images

Could John Scott be the 'spark' the Montreal Canadiens need?

In the bevy of tweets congratulating John Scott on his MVP performance in the NHL All-Star Game and subsequent NHL First Star of the Week, there was the obligatory chirp from the Montreal Canadiens’ account — you know, the team who got him in a trade a couple weeks ago and then immediately assigned him to their AHL affiliate.

The tweet brings focus back to the Habs themselves and their rough-and-tumble first half of the hockey season. After a heavily hyped 8-0-0 start to their 2015-16 campaign, they’ve suffered from scoring droughts and have yet to get their prized starting goalie back between the pipes.

With a plethora of areas that need a shakeup, what are the chances that the Habs recall John Scott from the St. John’s IceCaps?

The question really isn’t that far out of left field. The Habs led their division with 11 points at the beginning of December but have since gone a league-worst 5-16-1. Something has to give with this team. David Desharnais reportedly told the press on Monday that the team needs “a spark.” Could a defining factor in turning the team around come from recalling the All-Star Game MVP?

No, this isn’t suggesting that adding Scott to the lineup would take away the fact that Montreal needs a healthy Carey Price back in net. The Habs made a strong argument early in the season that they could win games without the award-winning netminder, and rookie Mike Condon had a nice stretch of starts where not many pucks were getting by him. But at the All-Star break, Montreal was averaging just as many goals scored as it was giving up — a symmetrical 2.66 GFA and GAA through 50 games. Montreal desperately needs to get that GAA down, and the return of Price would definitely help with that.

Granted, getting Carey Price back doesn’t solve the problem that Montreal has with scoring goals. (And no, this isn’t suggesting that John Scott is the solution to Montreal’s scoring woes — we know that isn’t his bread and butter.) But let's consider that Montreal has created a frustrating pattern of outshooting the opposition and not getting the wins to show for it. As of the end of the All-Star break, Montreal is averaging 31.8 shots per game, ranking fourth in the league. That's a lot of shots for a team only averaging 2.66 goals per contest.

So clearly multiple facets of this team need some kind of jolt. Could that "spark" come in the form of six-foot-eight big man John Scott?

Jack Todd put it quite well in the Montreal Gazette:

"Scott can’t score goals? No, he can’t. But perhaps he can create a little space for the guys who do, simply by being there. Maybe opposing defencemen ease up with the stick work. Maybe guys like Chris Kreider veer off to the side next time they’re thinking about taking a run at Carey Price."

Good point.

Todd also asks in his letter-style article to Montreal GM Marc Bergevin: "What do you have to lose? A game? You've been losing plenty of those of late, without help from M. Scott."

Can't disagree with that either.

Scott reportedly commented over the All-Star break that he was going to enjoy the festivities in Nashville before "getting back to reality." That wild ride could potentially keep on going if Montreal decides to see if he is the jump-starter the team needs.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.