Return of Shea Weber
Return of Canadiens captain Shea Weber has cascading effect on lineup
The Montreal Canadiens captain, Shea Weber went through surgery on his left foot and right knee about a year ago. Fortunately, he has fully recovered and will be returning this week when the Canadiens face the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. While the return of the captain is great news, the roster must be shuffled to accommodate their top defensemen who typically is on the ice for nearly half of each game the Canadiens have played before his injury. Much like information cascades we have looked at in class where one people’s chance in decision causes an information cascade that results in other people changing their decision. This is exactly what happens when Weber returns to the ice on Tuesday. His impact on the rooster as the top defenseman will cause a cascading effect for the rest of the defenseman on the team, switching up the roster and making changes to the defensive dynamic of the team. Since Weber is also the number one defenseman for the Canadiens when he is healthy, having him back in the roster rotations means he will most likely find himself on the top powerplay and penalty kill units. This has effects on the established lines from the start of the season, and Weber’s return will cause a temporary cascade of players from the starting unit, to the secondary unit, and some players might even find themselves back in the ECHL or the AHL. It is interesting seeing topics from class applied to so many different fields such as the sports industry.