Three days after the team’s players, the Director general of the Montreal Canadiens Kent Hughes and the Vice-President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton drew a positive assessment of their season on Monday.
Optimism was on the lips of all players on Friday, when emptying their locker. They returned from afar to obtain their qualification for the playoffs for the first time in three years. They occupied the penultimate rank in the general NHL classification in December.
The tricolor staff, however, insisted on his desire not to let this success influence the reconstruction plan that he has already established.
Acquiring this experience, it certainly helps our players in a multitude of ways. It can also show the rest of the League what it can be, playing here, agreed Gorton. But our work is not over. There is still a lot to do. It was a very good year, a pleasant year for everyone. It will be a huge springboard for us to the destination we have established.
Confident in his group, the director general Kent Hughes has chosen not to sell assets on the deadline for exchanges, a bet that turned out to pay. As he wanted before the campaign, CH played significant matches in March, and also in April. He won his place in the series in the last match of the calendar and folded the spine in five games, in the first round, in front of the capital of Washington.
With regard to the renewal of the upcoming workforce this summer, Hughes said he had made no decision permanently. A handful of good soldiers like Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia will become autonomous players without compensation, in addition to David Savard who will retire.
We can discuss certain things today, then others that we cannot discuss, because we do not want to announce to the other 31 teams exactly what we want to do, argued Hughes. But it is certain that we want to add talent still to our team. We have to establish how much we add experience, and how much we take the experience [au sein de l’équipe actuelle].
Gorton, however, agreed that he was well aware of the role that robustness was able to play in elimination against Washington.
Kent and I are talking a lot about players’ size, but for us, the sense of competition is the most important element, Gorton said. It takes us people who are comfortable in the eliminatory context, in all situations. We will assess all the possibilities of improving.
We have a lot of young players who have had a first experience [éliminatoire]added Hughes. Some are good size. They just have to learn how to use their physical attributes to have a greater influence on eliminatory matches.
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-Jeff Gorton
Photo: Canadian press / Christinne Muschi
The work of Martin St-Louis, who led the team to a sheet of 40-31-11 for 91 points, was recognized by the NHL. He is one of the three finalists with the Jack-Adams trophy, given to the head coach of the year.
Martin and his staff did a great job, said Hughes. What we saw from Martin in November, his ability to bounce the team, it should not surprise anyone who knew him as a player, because that’s how he lived his entire career. He is extremely competitive. And when we doubt him, instead of hiding, he wants to prove himself.
This season, two new acquisitions from Kent Hughes have helped the Habs cut a place in the series. Patrik Laine invigorated the attack with 20 goals in 52 games, including 15 in digital advantage. Alexandre Carrier, obtained from Nashville Predators against Justin Barron, stabilized the Top 4 of Montreal defense.
In my opinion, we are not in series without Patrik Laine
said Hughes.
The team also obtained reinforcements from Russia in April. The recruit Ivan Demidov has played the last two games of the season and was able to taste the series experience.
However, the Habs ended another season without the Kirby Dach center, which underwent a knee injury as in the previous campaign. Without saying that next season will be that of the last chance for the 24 -year -old striker, the Director General agreed that she will be very important.
I still believe in Kirby, Kent Hughes said. He has so much potential as a player. […] We discussed a lot, in his exit interview, because it was important that he does everything to return to the best possible form – mentally and physically.
Hughes and Gorton also had good words towards their Laval Rocket school club and his head coach Pascal Vincent, whom they congratulated his ability to obtain results in a young team. Currently engaged in a first round series against Cleveland Monsters, the Rocket was the best team in the American League this season.
Pascal is the coach of the year in Lah. And what, what, eight or nine vacant stations currently? If it happens, it happens, but it is certain that we don’t want to lose it
assured Hughes.
