As all of you probably know by now we've signed Darche to a 1 way contract. People seem to be losing their minds over it already. We've seen a very impressive camp and preseason thus far for many players. I don't think Darche is an exception. He's an unsung hero of sorts in Montreal, it seems lately the guy just can't catch a break. He's our 13th forward and will likely be sitting in the press box for many games this year. Darche knows his role on our team and was more than happy to accept it but still people find reasons to complain.
All I've heard since the beginning of camp was Darche Darche Darche. People complaining that he isn't good enough to be a 13th forward, people complaining that he's taking Ryan White's spot on the team for the 13th spot. What that tells me is that fans just don't have a lot of faith in Gauthier, Darche or Jacques Martin. Our general manager who has been great thus far signed Darche to a 1 year deal. Our coach who has gotten us further in the post season than we've been since our last cup has also chosen to give Darche that 13th spot on our team. Darche himself knows his place on the team as a hard working player who may not get to play a whole lot of games. The point is there is nothing to complain about.
I know Ryan White looked great during preseason and camp but ultimately he's a young player and our new management team appears to be straying away from rushing players. After all the rushed players and complaints from fans and media outlets that we don't develop our players properly, that we ruin them by rushing them, you really can't win in Montreal. Now people are complaining when we give a guy like White some more time. Sure he looked great, sure I think he's going to be great and that he'll add something to the team we really need, that we haven't had in a really long time. Problem is general managers don't build teams based on potential. White had a solid camp and preseason but he still has to earn a spot. If in 10 games he dominates the NHL you can be sure if there is an injury Darche will be in the press box and White will get his first call up. With our team injuries are fairly common, they are with every team for the most part but the point is I wouldn't worry too much.
Mark my words White will get a shot max 20 games into the season. Is this really something to be worried about? Darche isn't exactly a slouch either. He's a good player and a player many teams would be happy to have as a 13th forward. He has the right attitude and for all this talk about 1-way contracts by the Darche haters, he can still be sent down and if he gets claimed I don't see why the haters would care. Point is Darche is a Montreal Canadian, he's one of us and like I think Price should be shown respect from fans I think Darche, Gauthier and Jacques should be shown a little respect too. Before you jump all over the idea of having Darche as a 13th forward stop and realize Gauthier, Darche and Martin all want whats best for the team and have the teams best interests at heart. Saying they're making a mistake by not choosing White is in no way respecting the decisions made by management and it's totally hypocritical considering 2 years ago people would be complaining that we rushed this kid if we brought him up and he struggled, even if he did have a great camp.
Let Darche do his thing and let White do his, if White is indeed the player we all feel he can become then he will prove it by latest half way through the season, my bet is he gets a call up before the 20th regular season game. Darche is there for a reason and fans need to accept this. If he is no longer the best choice for 13th forward and White is consistently playing well at the NHL level you can be sure he will be the 13th forward and if White really plays well enough by deadline to merit being the 12th forward then you can be sure somebody will be traded. The organization obviously wants what's best for the team so sometimes you need to just take a leap of faith and believe in the decisions they're making. I would prefer White over Darche from what I've seen too thus far too, because I find White brings something to the table Darche and many other habs players don't. The difference is I trust management in their decisions and if they want White to gain some more confidence by dominating in the AHL or maybe feel he isn't quite ready, then I respect their decision despite having an opinion about it. The bottom line is I'm the guy who writes a blog about it and they're the people who actually have the knowledge to make an educated decision on the matter not me.
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