by Blake Bennett, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

TORONTO, ON. — In the midst of constant questioning of Marc Bergevin’s supposed complacency in strengthening the top-six group for the coming season, the team’s best goal-scorer, point-producer, and plus/minus darling has gone down in his offseason training to a knee injury.  And while his projected twelve-week recovery is distressing to the Habs faithful, it’s perhaps time to try and look on the bright side of the turn of events.

While it seems unlikely on the projected timeline that Max Pacioretty will be back in time for training camp and the preseason, the fanbase seems to be reassuring itself that the left winger’s history of healing extraordinarily fast and rebounding will repeat itself in time for him to play in the season opener.

But a large part of Pacioretty’s game comes from his explosive speed and his ability to separate from pursuers with the puck on his stick. Sure, his shot isn’t going to be slowed much by this injury, but a great shot from the wrong spot isn’t going to score many goals. Being deprived of the remainder of the summer to properly train doesn’t put him in the best position to succeed. So maybe it’s best this time for Pacioretty to not beat the timeline by weeks as he’s consistently done in the past.

From a training perspective, the kind of explosive speed that number 67 relies upon comes from heavy-weight, low-repetition exercises, the kind that works the fast-twitch muscle fibres prized by sprinters and powerlifters. With an injured knee, the likelihood of Pacioretty maintaining his usual level of preparedness leading into the season (such as scoring the first goal of the season in 2014-’15) seems low. The workouts necessary are simply too intense to approach with anything less than the utmost certainty of safety. Don’t believe me? Check out this video from 2013 of the Pac Man pushing a literal half a ton of weight in a sled drive: You don’t just jump right back into that kind of training after busting your knee—heck, he sustained the injury in a workout, he might have already been pushing himself too hard.

While Habs fans would love to see Pacioretty take advantage of all 82 games to try and hit the elusive 40-goal plateau that he’s capable of, the grind of the full regular season should never be taken lightly. While regular-season success can translate into playoff confidence, I wouldn’t want to see Pacioretty gassed come the spring because he was rushed back into the lineup—or worse, risking reinjuring a mostly-ready knee.

But as Michael Ham-Fan points out in this article on the Habs’ forward depth, Marc Bergevin has more to work with than surface examinations may reveal. Considering Nikita Scherbak had an impressive preseason with the Habs last year listed at 6-foot-1-inch and 175 lbs., it’s safe to assume he’ll be around for the preseason again this year after bulking up to 204 lbs. and growing another inch. But while making the preseason roster is a large step up from junior, so is the jump from the preseason to the regular-season team.

“You can’t believe how excited I am to come back to Montreal. I’m so excited. It’s just a chance to show how much I’ve improved. I will just be trying to be myself and play my game. I think it will be good for Montreal staff members to see the new things that I can do and that I’ve got a bit of a different game now. I’ll be more patient this time around. I know more and I’ll be more comfortable. It was motivating to come back and improve my game. I’m going to come back and show what I can do to try to make the team.” — Nikita Scherbak

That being said, Scherbak’s coach from Everett, Kevin Constantine (who held head coaching positions in the NHL from 1993-2002, and was a Jack Adams finalist in 1994) has said in an April interview with the Montreal Canadiens website that he “wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Scherbak does manage to earn a roster spot in Montreal as early as next season,” citing Scherbak’s shot and vision as his natural talents that he’s supplemented with tons of hard work in raising his strength and conditioning to the next level in order to compete physically at the top level. It shows an unusual and impressive dedication on his part to go from being considered light by NHL standards to a fully-filled physique over the course of a season of junior without even an offseason to add yet more bulk and strength.

And he’s still only nineteen, which is actually the tricky part. The Habs might be reluctant to blow a year off his entry-level contract by letting him play more than his 11 games this season. And if he isn’t going to get loads of ice time, another year of dominating in the WHL might be better for his development. But even getting 10 games to see where he is among this level of competition might be a great opportunity for both him and the organization to get a solid grasp of his next steps, especially if those ten games have the minutes and linemates from an absent Pacioretty available.

And even if the prospects aren’t the ones given those minutes, playing around with new lines might give players like Alex Galchenyuk, Zack Kassian, Devante Smith-Pelly, and Lars Eller a chance to shine early on and earn some more offensive responsibility and confidence from the coaching staff. For more on the team’s options, once again, refer to Michael Ham-Fan’s piece here.

But to reiterate, Pacioretty should not be rushed back into the lineup. Habs fans need only look at Andrei Markov, who missed 181 games over three seasons between 2009 and 2012 with ankle and knee injuries. At the time before his return to form in the shortened 2012-2013 season, there were fans and analysts alike wondering if he would ever be able to make a full comeback. In the three seasons of his return, he’s missed only two games. Was the difference simply patience? In any case, there’s reason to believe that no Max Pacioretty for the first weeks of the season might be preferable to a 75 percent Max Pacioretty from the get-go.