In a season that began with the Montreal Canadiens’ top defenceman still recovering from off-season knee surgery, it was a sequence of trial and error for the coaching staff as they tried the healthy options in various situations.
Jeff Petry was the one to be given the top duties, playing all 82 games in a top-four role. It was more surprising that Jordie Benn dressed for 81 games on the season, given the work Montreal had done to add potential NHL blue-liners to the roster.
The two were put together as the top pairing soon after the season began, and while they did an adequate job in that role, it was apparent that they weren’t an ideal duo, and were split up upon Weber’s return.