By J.D. Lagrange, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

PENTICTON, BC. — Here are a few thoughts on different topics surrounding the Habs’ and the NHL as the team finds itself back on the winning track after some emotional moments off the ice. Feel free to post your comments as they are always welcomed.

1- The injury to Lars Eller has allowed head coach Michel Therrien to take another look at young Alex Galchenyuk at centre and it is safe to say that although short, it has been a convincing display by the youngster. Galchenyuk inherited Max Pacioretty on left wing and his good buddy Brendan Gallagher on right wing with his line generating a lot of offense while playing quite well in their own zone. For an organization who has struggled to develop players in the past, they have done an outstanding job with both Galchenyuk and Gallagher who will play big roles for this team for years to come.

2- The Galchenyuk at centre experiment meant that David Desharnais moved to the third line, creating an all French Canadian line with Michaël Bournival and P-A Parenteau for a game or two. While this line has shown some great spark, many now question Desharnais’ future with the team. When Lars Eller is ready to come back to the line-up, it could create a possible log-jam at the centre position. Something tells me that Desharnais has not said his last word as he has faced tough challenges his entire career and so far, everyone must admit that he has responded admirably well, even getting the third star in the game against Carolina.

3- The play of recently called-up Sven Andrighetto, a centre standing at 5’9” and weighing in at 183 lbs, may be a factor in Desharnais’ future with the team. “Ghetto,” as Tomas Plekanec called him during a recent interview,  racked up three points (2G, 1A, plus-2) in the four games that he played before being sent back down to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Marc Bergevin has always told the youngsters to force his hand and the message has been well understood by the Zurich, Switzerland native.

4- Andrighetto was a bit of a surprise call-up as Charles Hudon has arguably been the Bulldogs’ best forward since the start of the season. Hudon has shown great character when passed on for the call-up, continuing to put up points on the board for the Canadiens’ farm team. The 21-year-old leads his team with 30 points in 27 games played, while maintaining an impressive differential of plus-11. One would think that when the opportunity presents itself, the Canadiens will want to see where he’s at in his development and assess him at the NHL level.

5- Not everything is perfect when looking at the prospect pool in Hamilton however as two of the last cuts from training camp, Jacob De La Rose and Christian Thomas are having starts to their season that may be considered below expectations by some. The 22-year-old Thomas has 11 points in 21 games, including a minus-8 differential, while De La Rose (19) has a very modest five points in 27 games played this season. Considering that both almost made the team straight from camp, one would think that the organization is expecting a bit more from them in the AHL. It was announced earlier this week that De La Rose will be taking part in the World Junior Championships playing for Team Sweden.

6- Ah rumours, what would we do without you? Well, I can’t speak for myself as unless it comes from Bob McKenzie, Darren Dregger or Pierre LeBrun, I don’t pay any attention to them but it’s hard to completely ignore them as they are omni-present on our Twitter timelines. But since we’re at it, it’s always fun to read a member of the traditional media rubbing it in their face a bit, isn’t it? Here’s the lastest from TVASports Renaud Lavoie, sending a bit of a jab at the rumouroids:

Jeremy Morin was never close to be traded to the Canadiens. Its not because a Hawks player is on the block that MTL is interested.

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) 15 Décembre 2014

7- There is no denying that Carey Price is the Canadiens’ backbone and that, in spite of Subban’s inflated contract. Price’s record sits at 17-8-1 with two shutouts so far this season. In his 17 wins, Price has allowed a grand total of 28 goals which puts his goals against average for those games well below the 2.00 mark. When confident, he is one of the most intimidating goaltenders to face as he rarely seems to be out of position, making every save look easy and he will make spectacular saves when needed.

8- RDS analyst and former NHL goaltender Marc Denis upset some of the fanbase when calling it the way he sees it, when he placed Carey Price fourth in the league based not on talent, but on performances so far this season. He has Frederik Andersen of the Ducks, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins and Pekka Rinne of the Predators ahead of the Habs’ netminder. Looking at what those three have done so far this season, it’s hard to argue against it. Price has had more highs than lows, but in his eight losses, he has allowed a total of 32 goals, not that all of them were his fault. Compare that to the 28 goals allowed in his 17 wins and you have the reason why some would like to see more consistency in his play.

9- Finding ways to be consistent in the NHL is not easy, just ask Jiri Sekac. He has shown some flashes of greatness so far this season but he’s also disappeared for some periods of time. There is however no doubt that he has the tools for the job and Flyers forward Jakub Voracek, who played with Sekac in the KHL during the lockout, went on record predicting that Sekac could very well become a 30-goal scorer in the NHL. That’s a pretty impressive and flattering comment coming from a pretty good player.

10- Lars Eller will have his work cut out to regain his position at centre the way Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Desharnais and Malhotra are performing but that’s a good thing. I’m a strong believer in creating healthy competition within a team at certain positions, especially with players only showing flashes of what they can do. The Canadiens want to see the Eller from the playoffs and not the one who started the season slowly but to his credit, he was performing much better before getting injured. In spite of his great faceoff percentage, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Malhotra skipping a game here and there with Eller patrolling the fourth line but the more likely scenario, or Therrien’s security blanket, will be to move Galchenyuk back to the wing… unless Bergevin pulls the trigger on a trade.

11- What would the GM look for if he was to add to his squad though? While deep, the defensive core has a pretty big gap between the top 3-4 and the others and that could be an area where the former defenseman now GM could focus on. Even with the addition of Sekac and Parenteau in the off-season, the Canadiens never really replaced Thomas Vanek, a prolific goal scorer on right wing. Many rumours (argh) surround the Edmonton Oilers, who have just fired the wrong guy in Dallas Eakins, but a desperate GM could do desperate things with his team. And for what it’s worth, I don’t believe that Taylor Hall is going to be traded anytime soon, but I’ve been wrong before, just ask my wife.

12- Last week was very emotional at the Bell Centre with the death of Jean Béliveau and the ceremonies surrounding Le Gros Bill. The game against the Anaheim Ducks will also have its special flavour when the team will honor another former team captain when Saku Koivu will be in town. We all remember the ovation the crowd gave Koivu on his return from cancer and it is expected that he will be getting a similar treatment from fans that haven’t been very spoiled with star-level players since then, until recently that is.

Let’s enjoy the ride Habs’ fans as this team is definitely heading in the right direction and while they will make mistakes from time to time, management has clearly shown that they know what they’re doing. Go Habs Go!!!