“The puck is the present, but everything else is the future. Martin St-Louis often uses this analogy to describe the information a player must absorb on the ice.
In an era of reconstruction, the Canadian will keep his eyes well away from the puck.
Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have established a very concrete plan. And it clashes with the previous management. At the time of former general manager Marc Bergevin, the CH had the mentality of never mentioning the possibility of reconstruction to put the team back on track. This word remained taboo.
In the dark years, Bergevin spoke of a rapid reset (reset on the fly) instead of a real rebuild. But now there is a regime change in Montreal. Owner Geoff Molson has bet on two leading minds in Gorton and Hughes to review the foundation of this team.
From his earliest days in the seat of vice president of hockey operations, Gorton had opened the door to a rebuild.
“It’s a possibility that we have to take into consideration,” he told the Journal January 27. We might have to make a lot of changes and that might be the best way forward. »
“So, if we take this path, it will take a little time,” warned the former GM of the New York Rangers.
Household
More than eight months following this statement from Gorton, the CH has already changed its image. There is no doubt that the future is the key.
Carey Price will probably never block a puck once more, Shea Weber is now on the books of the Vegas Golden Knights, while Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot, Artturi Lehkonen— and Brett Kulak were cashed in big bucks to restore the bank of hopes and choices of the organization.
GM Hughes also used the salary space available with Price’s long-term injury to add a first-round pick to his collection by accepting the one-year contract of Sean Monahan from the Calgary Flames.
young hopefuls
Nick Suzuki will now wear the “C” for captain. At only 23 years old, the Ontarian is the youngest to receive this honor with the Canadiens. And this choice is not trivial. Suzuki embodies the present, but also the future of this team.
Hughes will build his lineup around Suzuki and Cole Caufield. A former NCAA Hobey-Baker Trophy winner, Caufield enjoyed a renaissance last year under coach Martin St-Louis.
If not for a horrible start to the season, the small winger would have hit the 30-goal plateau. He has a rare marker instinct. We haven’t seen a player like him in Montreal for ages. We must go back to Stéphane Richer, author of a season of 50 goals (51 in 1989-1990) with the Habs; he is probably the last to have had the same scoring flair as Caufield.
First in the class of the 2022 draft, Juraj Slafkovsky even said, before climbing on the stage at the Bell Center, that he would like to complete the duo of Suzuki and Caufield. In Slafkovsky, the CH added another rare ingredient, that of a big power forward capable of scoring several goals.
But the Slovak remains a stone to polish at 18. Healthy development will be essential with him.
A suspicious defense
While the CH will bet on depth in attack, it is quite the opposite on the blue line. Days away from the season opener, there are just three healthy defensemen with more than 200 NHL games in David Savard (673), Mike Matheson (417) and Chris Wideman (245).
Joel Edmundson, an assistant at Suzuki, is the other experienced defender in the squad, but he hasn’t played since the start of camp due to another back injury.
St-Louis and his assistant Stéphane Robidas will therefore have to trust young defenders. Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj are great prospects, but they will need time to learn the trade.
Time is once once more an important concept for the organization. Jake Allen will be the one who will seek to close the gaps with very possibly Samuel Montembeault as assistant. Still in this position, the CH has nothing of a power.
To continue its reconstruction, the Canadian will not have the pressure of having to win immediately. Fans will have to get used to it. The winter will still be long. But in the summer, there might be another reward with Connor Bedard, Matvei Michkov, Adam Fantilli or Zach Benson, four big hopes for the 2023 auction.
What rank can the Canadian logically aspire to?
On a simple mathematical level, the CH cannot go further than the 32e rank. This is already a progression to consider. The Canadian won the standings upside down last year with a disastrous record of 55 points (22-49-11). That was two points behind the Arizona Coyotes and five behind the NHL’s new baby, the Seattle Kraken. There are no real expectations for the number of wins this season. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have a long horizon, but Martin St-Louis might push for a few joyous moments. On paper, the Habs should still be fighting for the last position in the Eastern Conference, but probably not for the last place in the circuit. The Chicago Blackhawks and Coyotes have their eyes on the lottery and Connor Bedard. Without releasing a crystal ball, the Canadian should finish between the 26e et 30e ranks.
Kent Hughes already has 11 picks in the bank for the next draft. Will the CEO end the year with more or less choice?
An easy answer. More. Hughes will not deviate from his plan. He won’t go hunting for a player or two in an effort to plug holes. He will want to acquire good prospects and other choices, especially since the 2023 vintage is described as very talented and deep. If he recovers from his back pain, Edmundson might serve as bait, like Ben Chiarot last year. Sean Monahan, Evgenii Dadonov and Jonathan Drouin will also be options to move pieces. But they will need an attacking wake-up call, as they come with big salaries at five million and above. Ditto for Mike Hoffman, but he has another season on his $4.5 million contract following this year. And he is no Artturi Lehkonen. If he doesn’t score, he won’t tear out his heart for the good of the team.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Kent Hughes
Will Juraj Slafkovsky play more games with the Canadiens’ vest or with the Rocket’s?
There are philosophies that clash. The NHL or the American League? All the forwards drafted first overall since Mats Sundin with the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 have all opened the NHL season in the months following their selection. Slafkovsky might grow in intelligence and not in physicality, staying in the environment of St. Louis. He would benefit on a daily basis from the advice of a member of the Hall of Fame. But the Slovak will need to keep pace in the NHL. He has the skills, the size and the desire to learn to achieve this. In Laval, however, Slafkovsky would play at a lower level and he would have the opportunity to dominate. If we have to get wet, we go there with more games under the colors of the Canadian.
In his last year of contract, will Jonathan Drouin be able to revive his career?
It’s a $100,000 question. It was believed that Drouin would start off on a good footing with Dominique Ducharme, his former mentor with the Halifax Mooseheads. However, injuries and mental health issues have undermined his chances of becoming the dominant winger he was seen in. At 27, Drouin no longer has a choice. He must bounce back. If he has a good season, he will give himself a chance to renegotiate a good contract with CH, or he will give Kent Hughes the option of exchanging him to a good team. The ball is in his court. He will need to stay healthy, a mission that has not been easy for him for three years.
Photo AFP
Jonathan Drouin
A season of 40 goals for Cole Caufield. Illusion or reality?
We answer reality. Trevor Zegras, Caufield’s great friend, had predicted a 40-goal season for him in his rookie season. The small winger stopped the counter at 23, but he scored 22 goals in 37 games only under the leadership of St-Louis. When you do a simple rule of three, Caufield would have scored 49 goals at this rate in a full season with St. Louis. Aged 21, the winger from Wisconsin had a very good camp. There is clearly a great bond between him and Nick Suzuki, a very creative center.
Photo Martin Chevalier
Cole Caufield