Free washer | The Canadian in reconstruction for 30 years? No…

The Canadian’s victory on Saturday will calm the anger of the most impatient fans, but the next defeat will take them back to square one. We will again raise the possibility of dismissing the coach and we will express our exasperation in the face of a reconstruction… “which has lasted for 30 years”.

So the Canadian has been under reconstruction since 1994? This statement is surprising in several respects, but we hear it more and more often.

However, if we can criticize this organization for something, it is not for rebuilding for three decades, but rather for having constantly sought to take shortcuts to achieve short-term success, without having had the courage to imitate the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks.

We can understand where this statement comes from. The 30th anniversary coincides with the Canadian’s last conquest of the Stanley Cup, in 1993. But does not lifting this precious trophy mean a club in reconstruction?

The Canadian has made the playoffs 16 times since 1995. He has won 13 playoff rounds. His 73 playoff victories tie him with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In front of the Ottawa Senators, the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Buffalo Sabres, the Los Angeles Kings, the Florida Panthers, the New York Islanders and obviously the seven clubs born in the 21st^e century.

The CH reached the final four in 2010 and 2014, and the Stanley Cup final in 2021. It has finished six times among the ten best teams in the NHL in season, including three times in the top 5but also four times on the 24^e rank or worse during this same period. He also, importantly, finished 16 times between the 12^e and the 21st^e rank in the general classification.

Summarize the Canadian of the last three decades? A mid-pack club, with a few scattered heroic springs, but also a few catastrophic years. Always looking for solutions to save face and reach the playoffs, without tackling the source of the problem. Until 2022.

André Savard, a visionary, attempted a rebuild when he took over in 2001. He traded veteran Trevor Linden and Dainius Zubrus to the Capitals for young forwards Richard Zednik, Jan Bulis and a first-round pick. During his reign, Mike Komisarek was drafted fifth overall in 2001 and Chris Higgins was drafted at 14th overall.^e rank in 2002. Without forgetting Tomas Plekanec in the third round in 2001. Komisarek, a giant defender, formed a solid first pair with Andrei Markov before being knocked out by Milan Lucic. He was never the same again.

He also already had José Théodore, Markov, Mike Ribeiro, Michael Ryder, Stéphane Robidas and François Beauchemin from previous administrations within the organization. Saku Koivu was only 26 years old, but cancer would put his career on hold.

Then Savard hired a host of French-speaking veterans: Donald Audette, Yanic Perreault, Joé Juneau and Stéphane Quintal, to ensure a certain transition between the present and the moment when the young people would have matured.

Thanks in part to the prowess of José Théodore, the Canadian surpassed expectations in 2001-2002 and even eliminated the Boston Bruins in the first round. The naturalness came back at a gallop the following season, which is normal in such a process. George Gillett purchased the team and Bob Gainey replaced André Savard. Thus ended this first attempt at reconstruction.

Gainey was not the rebuilder type. On the contrary. His best move came as a buyer in 2004, a year after his arrival, when he acquired Alex Kovalev for prospect Jozef Balej and a second-round pick. The arrival of Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet solidified the club.

But, with a core articulated around Koivu, Kovalev, Markov, Souray, Ribeiro, Ryder and Huet, the CH would remain a mid-pack club, also with an exclusion from the series in 2007. For a rare time, Gainey posed then sold by trading Craig Rivet to the San Jose Sharks for Josh Gorges and a first round pick.

The approach of the centenary, in 2009-2010, will constitute a pivotal period. There were some lousy draft picks between 2003 and 2006 (Andrei Kostitsyn, Kyle Chipchura and David Fischer), but Montreal had a promising young core for the first time in ages with Carey Price, PK Subban, Max Pacioretty, Ryan McDonagh , Guillaume Latendresse, Alexei Emelin and Jaroslav Halak.

Gainey wants to experience success from 2008-2009, especially with veterans at the end of the course in Montreal: Koivu and Kovalev, the two offensive leaders. He traded first-round picks in 2008 and second-round picks in 2009 for Alex Tanguay and a second-round pick in 2010 for Robert Lang. We will give up another second-round pick at the trade deadline for Mathieu Schneider.

There were significant injuries, to Lang and Tanguay, among others. Rumors have linked the Kostitsyn brothers to organized crime and the Montreal nights seem to have attracted other young players from the organization.

Gainey replaced Guy Carbonneau behind the bench, but the season ended faltering with a clear elimination in four games at the hands of the Bruins.

Tanguay and Lang will only have passed through. Canadiens chief scout Trevor Timmins swore he would have drafted defenseman John Carlson at 26^e rank in 2008 with this choice ceded to the Calgary Flames for Tanguay. Only he knows. The Habs would have had a different future if that had been the case.

The departure of Koivu and Kovalev in 2009 would have been a good excuse to rebuild. But the centennial was coming and Gainey did the opposite. Ryan McDonagh moved to New York in the now infamous trade for Scott Gomez. Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Jaroslav Spacek received big contracts on the free agent market.

This gave the Halak spring, this ephemeral playoff success in 2010, thanks to the astonishing prowess of this friendly, small goalie. Pierre Gauthier takes over from Gainey, but leaves his successor Marc Bergevin with a club in agony in 2012.

But Price, Subban, Pacioretty, Plekanec and Desharnais are in their prime when Bergevin and promising rookies Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher arrive.

A period of prosperity begins, with four seasons of 100 points or more in five years (prorated for the year of the lockout in 2012-2013) and even a final four in 2014 and second place in the general ranking l next year.

We can imagine an even more prolific period if the Canadian had not been forced to put everything in one basket between 2008 and 2010, and had kept McDonagh, his first round pick in 2008 and his multiple second round picks .

We obviously cannot redo history. Here’s where we are in 2024. And this time, there don’t seem to be any shortcuts on the horizon.

The Prices, Subban, Pacioretty, McDonagh, Plekanec of the time were called Slafkovsky, Suzuki, Caufield, Demidov, Hutson, Reinbacher and Fowler.

Quote of the day

It’s pulling our ship, no doubt about it. Not bad in every match, by the way. It’s beautiful to see.

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour on forward Martin Necas

Necas was persona non grata in Carolina last summer. We didn’t trade him and offered him a bridge contract. Necas picked up 4 more points Sunday in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, bringing his total to 30 points in just 17 games, 3 fewer than leader Nathan MacKinnon.