We’ll Be Seeing Mathieu Schneider In A Montreal Canadiens Jersey Again
Well, it’s official. Offensive defenseman Mathieu Schneider will be back in a Montreal Canadiens jersey later this week. For those younger fans who don’t remember Schneider’s first tour of duty with the Canadiens he played for the club from 1989 to 1995 and was a key component of the team who won the 1993 Stanley Cup.
The Canadiens have been in free fall as of late, getting beat up on their recent Western Conference road swing. A couple of short weeks ago their focus was on securing 4th place in the Eastern Conference to ensure home ice advantage in the first round. Now they are trying to avoid a complete meltdown that would see them slide out of the playoffs altogether. The pressure is even more intense than usual in the city of Montreal as this is the team’s 100 year anniversary, and coming into the season hopes were high that this team could challenge for the Stanley Cup. A rash of injuries to off-season acquisitions like Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang have had noticeable impact on the team’s performance, but perhaps the biggest reason the team has underperformed this season has been the anemic play of the super-skilled Alexei Kovalev. Kovalev had a breakout year last year, but only has 39 points in 57 games this year.
Whatever the reason for the Canadiens meltdown it was abundantly clear that changes had to be made, and that is why fans will see Mathieu Schneider in a Canadiens jersey when the Habs face the powerful Washington Capitals this Wednesday.
As effective as Schneider can be you have to believe that this won’t be the last move Montreal Canadiens’ GM Bob Gainey makes leading up to this year’s NHL trade deadline. They might not make a blockbuster deal of the magnitude of bringing in Vincent Lecavalier or Jay Bouwmeester, but look for the team’s roster to look different than today when the playoffs open in April.
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