No one expected a 25e Stanley Cup from the Montreal Canadiens, but in the same way, there was probably no one who expected this.
Posted at 2:33 p.m.
This, after 17 meetings, is a 32e and last place overall in the National Hockey League. The only good news is that the most creative fans have already started abacus simulations in preparation for the next draft. Sometimes you just need what you need.
By spreading this very vague concept of “mix” during the traditional golf tournament in September, and also by evoking the idea of playing “meaningful matches”, the management of the Canadian gave way to the mirage of progress. No, the club was not going to be part of the elite right away, but at least, as they approached the playoff picture, there was going to be something of an improvement.
However, this is not at all what we can see.
The club’s record at the moment, 5-10-2, is worse than at this time a year ago, when the Canadian posted a record of 7-8-2. In short, it is four points less at the same portion of the calendar compared to 2023-2024.
If we look back to 2021-2022, the season of all disasters and a campaign of only 55 points which led to a 32e place and also a first overall pick (and the acquisition of Juraj Slafkovsky, obviously), it is a record of 4-11-2 that the Canadian showed after 17 games. The Canadian of now therefore displays results similar to those of that season, the worst in its modern history.
But to get closer to this elusive “mix”, the Canadian would one day have to start stringing together victories, which he has not done since Martin St-Louis was at the helm. In two full seasons, the Montreal coach’s teams have never done better than three victories in a row, which happened twice in 2022-2023, and only once last season (St-Louis was able to lead his band to five consecutive victories a few days after his arrival, in February 2022).
Signs of progress are slow in the collective chapter, obviously, but it is not much better in the individual categories.
Last season, the club’s defenders managed to contribute offensively with a total of 48 goals, but at this difficult start to the season, the defenders only managed 3 goals, and again, 2 of these goals were scored by a player who is no longer here (Logan Mailloux) and by a player who comes in and out of the lineup (Justin Barron). Barron, on the other hand, has not played in the team’s last six games.
There are also the problems of the CH goalkeepers, already well known, which do not help with the present situation. Both goaltenders have save percentages below .900 and goals-against averages above 3.00, but it’s particularly Cayden Primeau’s numbers – .845 and 4.67, respectively – that are surprising. The 25-year-old goalie concluded the previous campaign with a .910 percentage and a 2.99 average in 23 games.
PHOTO JEFFREY T. BARNES, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cayden Primeau
This comes on top of an inability to score goals, and also an inability to prevent the opponent from doing so, as indicated by the club’s -24 differential, the worst in the entire NHL. Kirby Dach, who was supposed to single-handedly revive the second line, has only two assists in his last eight games.
Is it too late? Is this season already a failure? Not yet, but the Canadian doesn’t have the luxury of time either. To this end, it would undoubtedly be a good idea to take advantage of the favorable schedule that is coming, with four games in a row which will be presented at the Bell Centre, including Saturday evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Canadian will then welcome the Edmonton Oilers, the Vegas Golden Knights and finally the Utah club to conclude this little trip at home which, fortunately, will end two days before the last Thursday in November, the date of Thanksgiving in the United States.
It is usually at this date that we already have a good idea of the portrait of the series. For the Canadian, the time for meaningful matches has undoubtedly already arrived.
