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In Hainsight: What to Expect from Michael Pezzetta |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Michael Pezzetta is not the most talented hockey player, no one would argue that he is, but he is a hard worker who’s committed to his role on the team and in an organization that values character, that matters. Last season, the many injuries that affected the team meant that he was able to suit up in 63 contests during which he racked up 15 points and 77 penalty minutes.
His performance convinced Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes to offer him a two-year one-way deal. While this doesn’t guarantee that he’ll stay in the NHL all year, it does at least means that he’ll be earning NHL money for the next two seasons.
With the overabundance of forwards signed to an NHL contract though, it will not be easy for Pezzetta to get a spot in the line-up especially if everyone stays healthy. To be fair though, I’d rather see him in the line-up than veterans who will soon not be part of the team. Furthermore, Pezzetta is a 4th line player and used there, he doesn’t steal a spot away from a promising offensive forward with upside since that’s not a chair they should occupy, not even to get acclimated to the league.
The Toronto native is aware of his role on the team, and it was recently revealed that he’s been taking private lessons with former pro enforcer Georges Laraque in Brossard. While the days of the one-dimensional enforcers are long gone in the NHL, having a player who can assume that role while also playing proper hockey remains an advantage.
He has proven in the past that he can also play hockey, in the tail end of the last campaign, the Rocket graduates’ line he formed with Alex Belzile and Rafael Harvey-Pinard proved to be quite useful. Belzile has now left the organization as a free agent getting a contract with the Rangers while Harvey-Pinard will no doubt be hoping to be cast in a more offensive role when the puck drops on the new season.
In his end of season interview, Pezzetta mentioned that it’s not easy to prepare without knowing whether you’ll be playing the next game or not, but unfortunately for him, it’s likely that it will still be his situation this upcoming season. Even if Kent Hughes has said this offseason that he didn’t want to sign veterans free agents to contracts that could hinder his young players’ development, he’s still stuck with some veterans that were signed by the previous regime.
Unless by some miracle Hughes manages to move Mike Hoffman and Joel Armia via trade, they are likely to be in the line-up while Pezzetta finds himself in the press gallery. Unless the injury bug bites again, he’ll probably find himself on the outside looking in. Even if that is the case though, you can expect Pezzetta to act like a real professional and be ready when called upon, whether that is because someone’s lack of effort leads them to take his seat on the press gallery or if Hughes finally decides to bury the surplus to requirement veterans in the AHL after waiving them.
If the changes made this offseason with the appointment of Jim Ramsay as the new director of sports, medicine and performance and head athletic therapist and the hiring of Maxime Gauthier as the new head physiotherapist prove fruitful, Pezzetta will likely see less action this season and his production will no doubt be affected, but don’t expect his effort level to be.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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