The same goes for Hanzal, so for players like Honka, Ritchie and Nichushkin, this is a chance to prove they deserve a spot in the lineup on a regular basis.
Asked if these players are fighting to prove they are more than fringe players, Montgomery said: "I don't think anyone is a fringe player that's in the NHL. I think everybody has the ability to become an everyday NHL'er and an important part of the team. It's just some years, some guys are not winning enough battles, or whatever the case may be … and they have to understand what the coaching staff values and how we want to play, and they have to consistently do it."
Honka has played 19 of 31 games this season and is averaging 14:04 in time on ice. He has been passed by Bayreuther, Joel Hanley and Taylor Fedun on the depth chart and has looked hesitant when he has played. So how does he prove himself after seven straight healthy scratches?
"It's probably confidence, right?" Montgomery said. "We've been trying to get him to go all year…he goes in spurts, but not consistently. We don't to tell Taylor Fedun that, he's just going, so it's confidence. Taylor has it and (Honka) needs to get it."
While veteran status and confidence are part of why players are in the lineup every night, Montgomery said there also is a trust between player and coach that is evident. He said 32-year-old winger Blake Comeau (who has five points and is minus-11 in 31 games) could be in the conversation for a healthy scratch, but that every time they look at who helps them win games, Comeau is front and center.
"I look at a guy like Blake Comeau, I trust him," Montgomery said. "I know he's minus-11 and maybe all of the stats say that he's someone who should come out of the lineup, but he does the right things. He gets pucks out on walls, he makes the right reads on the forecheck, he's an excellent penalty killer, so he has so much value to our team.
"So despite the fact that everyone might look at he's minus-11, to me, if we need to kill off 30 seconds and we're up by a goal and we're trying to win the Stanley Cup, Comeau is out on the ice."
