Dec 22, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu (28) and Minnesota Wild center Mikael Granlund (64) battle for the puck during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

The Montreal Canadiens have a terrific young Defensemen in Nathan Beaulieu and he is finally getting his opportunity to play a big role.

The Montreal Canadiens have a solid defense corps, and it’s very well balanced. The Habs sound stay at home defenders in Shea Weber, Alexei Emelin, Andrei Markov and Greg Pateryn. The Habs also have great skating Defensemen in Jeff Petry, Nathan Beaulieu, and Mark Barberio.

These Defensemen have no doubt played a big role in the Canadiens success this season. However, over the past few weeks, the Habs have been hit with the injury bug, and have lost Andrei Markov, and Greg Pateryn to injury. Markov is an elite top four defender, and was playing close to 22 minutes a game.

Lack of Trust

As a result, the Canadiens needed someone to fill the role left by Markov. The Canadiens turned to Nathan Beaulieu, to replace Markov on the second pairing, with Jeff Petry. It wasn’t known just how much Nathan would play, as the Coaching Staff has been reluctant in playing Beaulieu in the past.

Nathan started the season with Shea Weber on the Habs top pairing, and the two looked good together. Beaulieu seemed to really complement Weber’s robust style, as Nathan plays a quicker more offensive style. However, the duo of Weber and Beaulieu didn’t last long, and only after a few games Beaulieu was placed on the bottom pairing.

Beaulieu Filling In

However, Nathan has stepped up, and has played very well in Markov’s absence. Since Markov’s injury Nathan has played big time minutes for the Canadiens and has handled them terrifically.

In each of the last four games Beaulieu has eclipsed 23 minutes per game. This includes a 28 minute game verse the Columbus Blue Jackets, and a 27 minute game against the Minnesota Wild. Beaulieu wasn’t able to find the score sheet much in those games, but he is starting to do all the little things right.

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Sound Positioning and Passing

Nathan has made good decisions, both in terms of his positioning and passing. Beaulieu would all too often try to force passes up the middle of the ice. This caused turnovers, leading to scoring chances against, and this is what Head Coach Michel Therrien detests from his players.

Nathan is also showing he knows when the right moments are to pinch in the offensive zone, or join the rush offensively. Earlier on in his career, Nathan would seem to be overly eager in joining the rush, and would get caught out of place. This would again would create scoring rushes against, and lead to chances for the opposition.

Final Thoughts

Beaulieu being given this opportunity to play this much, is hinting towards the Coaching Staff trusting in him again. This is awesome news, because it shows that Nathan is progressing in his development. He has all the tools, and skills to be a top defender for years to come.

With Andrei Markov currently at 38 years of age and his contract coming to a close, it seems likley that this could be Andrei’s last season with Montreal. However, Beaulieu is showing that he is more than capable of stepping up and playing a larger role for the club, this season, and beyond.