Jesperi Kotkaniemi on the #1 line to replace Phillip Danault?

Some of the rumbling lately has been around Phillip Danault, and the fact that he has only two goals as the #1 centre, and that maybe it's time to give Jeppu a shot between Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar.  He can't do any worse, it's claimed, he'll pick up more points than Phillip, pad his totals, make his case for the Calder Trophy.

I think it's a horrible idea.  I say this even though I have zero credibility on this subject, since I've argued from the start of the year that he shouldn't be playing in the NHL, that he's one hit away from a ruptured knee-vesicle or mumpified concussion.  Which I still believe, although I now grudgingly admit he's not out of place, he's keeping up with the pace of the play, and seems to have the best attitude possible, "I'm just overjoyed to be here and can't believe how great everything is and will continue to work as hard as I can to contribute to the team and whatever they ask me to do is fine and I won't complain and ..."

Fans are nothing if not fickle or inconsistent though, and after a significant/strident portion of them argued for a rebuild and scorched earth and for Carey and Shea to be traded this summer, to lose on purpose this season to pick as high and as often as possible at the Draft in June, now they're dissatisfied with the dispiriting losses and the weak offensive production of Phillip and want to throw the prize pupil and Franchise Future to the wolves, to face off against other teams' #1 lines.

This is balderdash.  The reason Phillip is on the #1 line isn't to tally up points, necessarily, it's to have a competent centre to match up against the Crosbys and the Giroux and the Matthewses of the league.  You can put that guy out on the ice against Evgeni Malkin and he won't spontaneously combust, he'll acquit himself decently, keep it close.  He's keeping the seat warm for this season and maybe the next, when we can gradually feed more minutes and harder missions to Jeppu, Ryan Poehling, maybe Nick Suzuki.  He's the long-relief pitcher, the Stan Bahnsen, chewing up these innings in a lost cause, until tomorrow and Steve Rogers and the next chance at a win.

Phillip serves that major purpose, to keep things respectable and honest in the absence of a #1 centre.  He serves the concomitant purpose of giving us losses, losses that we wouldn't earn if we had bled ourselves dry acquiring a Matt Duchene, precious losses that position us well for a shot at the Dylan Cozens sweepstakes this June, and Alexis Lafrenière in 2020.

Next year can be the season we ease Jeppu on the #1 line, like the Jets did with Mark Scheifele, like the Flames did with Sean Monahan.  This season, keep sheltering the kid, keep giving him favourable matchups and situations, don't burn him out, don't add any friggin' pressure on his shoulders to produce and win games and jolt Tomas Tatar out of his slump.  Let the kid be, he's 18, let him eat his Wheaties some more.

And at that point Phillip can assume his rightful role as a deluxe Bottom 6 centre and a major part of the Canadiens roster, one who can play up the roster if necessary, but is best deployed as a forechecking menace who'll create chances for his wingers, and as a penalty-killer and critical defensive-zone faceoff specialist.