Rumor: Alzner may be skating on thin ice in Montreal.

Huge backlash against the Habs defenseman.

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HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Rumor: Alzner may be skating on thin ice in Montreal.
David Kirouac/CSM/Zuma

The Montreal Canadiens entered the season with very little expectations on their shoulders and I think it's safe to say that they have largely surpassed those limited expectations early on in the season. This has turned into a hugely positive swell of momentum for the Habs and their fan base, a rather unexpected turn of events, but there has been on consistent negative on the Habs roster in spite of the good vibes. 

That consistent negative has been the play of veteran defenseman Karl Alzner, a player who now appears to be the proud owner of one of the National Hockey League's ugliest contracts. Alzner has simply been bad for the Canadiens and worst of all he has been a major defensive liability through the first several games of the season, the last thing you want from a guy that is meant to be playing defense. Things really came to a head however when he coughed up the puck in his own zone against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Alzner made a play on the puck in the corner behind his own net but once he had the puck the pass he sent along the boards was one of the laziest and most halfhearted attempts you're eve going to see out of a professional at the National Hockey League level. It was the final straw for many fans in Montreal, although that is to be expected from fans, but what was much more surprising was the fact that several members of the media also began calling for Alzner's head. 

Mathias Brunet of La Presse put it pretty well when he said "The Canadiens must put an end to the Karl Alzner experiment as quickly as possible. The Canadiens are always hindered in their own zone when he is on the ice due to his lack of mobility." Now call me crazy but that sounds an awful lot to me like a guy who wants to see the player removed from the team entirely. I don't think the Canadiens would seriously consider a buyout and I also do not believe they are likely to find a trade for Alzner unless they agree to retain a significant portion of his current salary. 

For now Alzner remains on the roster but it will be interesting to see how many games he will be spending in the press box moving forward if his play continues on it's current trend. 

[pub]


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