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Dustin Boyd's subjection to waivers is hardly surprising, though it's certainly disappointing for both the player, and for fans who would like to see the team offer Boyd a real chance before taking a step like this.
Jacques Martin told reporters today that Boyd will remain with the Canadiens if he goes unclaimed, which led Marc-Antoine Godin of La Presse to suggest that the team may have subjected him to waivers because they knew someone would take him.
Arpon Basu retorted, suggesting it could also mean the team has no interest in taking half his cap hit if someone were to claim him on re-entry.
I'm sure Canadiens fans are more interested in A) Why Boyd is being waived? and B) What's next?
To answer either question would require a fair amount of guess work on my behalf, but here's my take:
He's being waived because the Canadiens haven't really found a role for him to play and because the team has a surplus of capable players at his position.
The Habs have learned that Lars Eller is best suited to play centre, and given that he won't get that opportunity in the top-6, this certainly opens the door for him to do so in the bottom-6.
That doesn't mean Jacques Martin is planning to do that, however. Most in the fan base agree that Eller would be best served playing 20 minutes a night in the AHL, as opposed to toiling as the odd man out some night, or only playing limited minutes in the bottom-6.
I don't know what's best for Eller's development, even if his limited role right now is a shot to his confidence. There's another side to the argument that suggests Eller would be best served gaining some NHL experience no matter how much ice-time he receives.
It's not just about what's best for Eller, it's about what's best for the team. If Martin feels it's best for the team to have Eller as it's fourth line centre--over Boyd--then so be it.
Maxim Lapierre was supposed to be enjoying a revival of sorts this season, but he's been rather uninvolved as a winger thus far. Perhaps he's best suited to be the team's fourth line centre.
With Boyd off the roster list, that opens up a spot for a natural winger currently residing in Hamilton. Consensus would have Ryan White be that guy.
As we all know, this team has bigger fish to fry considering the second line's plight, and the failure to produce anything with the powerplay.
If the Canadiens don't have a solution on their current roster that could adequately provoke scoring from Gomez and Gionta, demoting Eller and bringing up some scoring talent from the farm could very well be in order.
Take your pick: Pacioretty has 12 pts in 11 games, and has experience to play with Gomez and Gionta. Aaron Palushaj has 11 points in 6 games, producing at the best clip of anyone in Hamilton. David Desharnais is a natural centreman, but could be the finisher Gomez's line desperately needs.
Splitting the team's top line hasn't exactly bore fruit over the last four games. Over that period, Plekanec has 2 points, Cammalleri 1, and Kostitsyn 0.
Should the club not look to it's farm team to find the scoring it so desperately needs from Gomez's line, why not look to a player like Bill Guerin, who's still searching for an NHL home?
That topic was explored by Tony Marinaro today on the Team990, who had Guerin join him for a chat.
I'm all for that, but you may have already known that after I penned this in August.
Either way, the Canadiens are shaking things up. Stay tuned to see how this situation evolves.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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