Montreal Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta Deserves Better Than A Healthy Scratch – Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens

There was a time, not too long ago, when former Montreal Canadiens Michael Pezzetta's efforts on the ice earned him the respect and admiration of the Bell Center patrons. He's a grinder, a tough customer, the type of fourth line that can give their team a positive change by sending some real messages and digesting them. That hasn't happened in a long time. Why? Because Pezzetta has not played for a long time. Why? That's the tricky part. Let's talk.

Toronto-Bred, Montreal Made

Born and raised in Toronto, one would think there is something ironic that his entry into the NHL would be with that city's old rival, the Canadiens. It's also easy to forget that it was written in the past, back in 2016. Montreal picked him 160.^th general. He wasn't the best, but sometimes there are diamonds in those last rounds. Or in Pezzetta's case, diamonds in the rough.

He spent his youth in Ontario, mainly with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a youngster. Furthermore, he remained in that organization even after Montreal arrived, playing for the Wolves in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns as a 19- and 20-year-old.

A switch to the American Hockey League's (AHL) Laval Rocket only happened in 2018-19 when he signed an entry-level contract with the Habs. His major league debut wouldn't happen until November 2021, a few months after Montreal's Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Logged 8:45 of ice time in a 3-0 home win over the Detroit Red Wings. The stat sheet didn't show much, but he registered two shots.

Related: Montreal Canadiens' 2016 draft class revisited

From that point on, the gritty forward became a rare fixture on the roster. In 2021-22 he dressed for 51 games (remember, like one calendar month of that season), then 63 in 2022-23, and most recently 61 in 2023-24. The fourth line doesn't get much light. For example, his season average ice times have fluctuated between 9:19 (2022-23) and dropped to 7:47 (2023-24). He's not a goalscorer either, netting five, seven, and three goals in different campaigns.

All that said, he showed solidity in a lineup that was sorely lacking; he had 81 penalty minutes in his first season, 77 in his sophomore campaign, and 59 last season. He's the type of player who will deliver a stunning body blow and engage in fisticuffs two seconds later. He says “Come to me, bro!” player.

Pezzetta Not In Action This Season

But the 26-year-old has been missing since late October. At that point, he has only been ready three times, all in a very short time. He is joined by Christian Dvorak and Emil Heineman in the bottom line for the October 22 home contest for the New York Rangers, the October 26 home date with St. Louis Blues, and an October 27th game at Philadelphia. Flyers. He didn't get a ton of game time either, though he did break 10 minutes against the Flyers (10:45).

Since then, he has been a ghost. The only times the public or the media saw his presence was during skating and news media after training sessions. Pezzetta himself has been quiet, not showing any displeasure in public, at least. If anything, he puts on a good facade, as evidenced by him trying to become a scrum reporter on Dec. 11 with Kaiden Guhle.

It's a very funny moment, but it ironically speaks to the basic truth of his situation. Since he doesn't play – at all – he might agree to another job. The current healthy hitting streak stands at 22 games.

The irony of it all is that he signed a two-year extension before the 2023-24 season. Granted, he's not worth much to the team at just $812,500 a year. In addition, he will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer. It's a case of “out of sight, out of mind.”

Trade, Let Walk Away, or Play

On a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, co-hosts Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas talked about a completely different team but with a topic that could apply to the Canadiens. Around the 19-minute mark, they discuss the current state of the Vancouver Canucks roster and how, if the club has too many options, some players can grow unhappy as outsiders watch.

As we wrote in the previous section, Pezzetta did not express any obvious frustration. This is because of him and reminds us of his expertise. He is still in the training ground. But other than that, you must be wondering what on earth happened during his time in Montreal.

Furthermore, the author is not pretending to be a genius by coming up with this article. Other books also wonder what happened.

So what did head coach Martin St. Louis and general manager Kent Hughes?

Truth be told, Montreal isn't nearly as soft as it was a few seasons ago. Arber Xhekaj is quick to defend his teammates. Josh Anderson has spunk to him, and so does Jayden Struble. Juraj Slafkovsky, despite being marketed as a highly skilled striker, does not suffer fools easily. Everyone knows Brendan Gallagher hits the ice every night.

If Pezzetta's ideal role is that of a grinder who stands up when his teammates need him but doesn't care what other players have, his absence is understandable from a certain point of view.

On the other hand, given the issues surrounding the Canadiens this season, having him on the roster wouldn't hurt. If they don't win more games, at least they showed that they can't be pushed around.

But even that philosophy runs into some issues. It is obvious that he will never make it into the top six. So the question is: where do you play in the bottom six? Is St. Louis taking Heineman out of some games just to give Pezzetta some ice time? An option, not a funny one, but not a smart one since, both, the club is undoubtedly more interested in developing Heineman than being nice to Pezzetta for the sake of it.

The argument to stay Anderson would have flown a short time ago, but lo and behold he has started scoring again, tallying goals in two consecutive games: December 14 against the Winnipeg Jets and December 17 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Is anyone trying to right and rest Joel Armia, the player Finland recently selected from their 4 Nations Face-Off roster? That would just look silly.

This is one of those situations where one feels bad for the player involved, but the solution, in terms of rostering, is not nearly as easy as one might think. There might be a solution, but there isn't: “Oh, obviously they need to do X. Easy-peasy.” Otherwise, the club would have done it. Someone could get injured, or one of the players mentioned above could suffer a serious breakdown. But those depend on maybe.

Best to shop for him nearby. He's not too expensive and is the type of player that a hopeful that needs an extra core can use. Do good for him. Don't let him waste a season when he's healthy and only 26, 27 next March. Players don't like to sit. No one is going to expect a dazzling return in return, but if the Canadiens can establish mid-level capital, great.

Regardless of the outcome, Pezzetta is a character on the ice and in the dressing room. Any team, including Montreal, should be happy to have him. Unfortunately, sometimes circumstances work against a player, and they may be doing just that in this case.