Ben Scrivens Has Best Chance To Turn Career Around With Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have been drowning since Carey Price went down for the second time this season. Mike Condon and Dustin Tokarski have been terrible. The Canadiens have been falling down the standings. At one point it seemed like a formality to play the rest of the season, with the Canadiens building a huge lead in the Atlantic Division. Seemingly out of nowhere, they are barely hanging on to a playoff position.

The Canadiens are only three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning, which are the two teams on the outside looking into the playoff hunt. This Canadiens team needed to take action.

The Canadiens traded Zack Kassian to the Edmonton Oilers for goalie Ben Scrivens. Scrivens has been one of the worst starting goalies in recent memory, but he definitely showed potential at times.

Scrivens had his best stretch when he had to replace a different superstar goalie. Back in 2013-14, he was with the Los Angeles Kings, backing up Jonathan Quick. When he went down with a major injury, it seemed like the Kings were going to lose out on their season. Instead, Scrivens had a stretch in November when he allowed 13 goals in ten games with a .949 save percentage. He saved the team’s season along with Martin Jones, and was a major reason they made the playoffs and eventually won the Stanley Cup that season.

Scrivens was traded to the Oilers midseason, and it looked like it was going to end there.

Scrivens has been in the AHL for the entire season. The Oilers brought in Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson in the offseason and didn’t need Scrivens on the main roster. The Canadiens don’t have much to lose right now. They only won two games this entire month. Price is still out for a few more weeks, and the Canadiens could continue to drop in the standings.

The Canadiens can put a good defense in front of Scrivens, something he never had in Edmonton. He has a player like P.K. Subban to protect him. He can find the talent that let him have a 59-save shutout against the San Jose Sharks. This is probably his last chance, and he needs to take advantage of it.