Free washer | To win or not?

Those who, for several weeks, have had fun manipulating the draft lottery simulator while getting up in the morning dreaming of center James Hagens or defenseman Matthew Schaefer will be disappointed.

With three victories in his last four games, including this brilliant performance Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers, the Canadian escaped from 32^e and last place in the general classification.

The CH is not very far away, it only holds three points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, now the worst club in the standings, but it is also two points behind the New York Islanders and 19^e rank in the ranking.

The Canadian is also three points behind the Boston Bruins and the last place giving access to the playoffs, with one more game to play, but seven clubs to beat.

So, to win or not to win?

If your rebuilding club is being dragged down by a bunch of players down the stretch, the answer is easy. Why deprive yourself of a draft pick because of good performances by veterans who won’t be around in a few years?

But if, like the Canadian, you have the youngest club in the NHL after Buffalo, with 11 players aged 25 or younger in the lineup, including 5 in the top 6 in attack and 2 in the top 4 in defense, falling steeply in the rankings also means that your youngsters are not progressing.

You might as well let growth happen organically. Don’t take shortcuts to win more games, like sacrificing draft picks or prospects for short-term solutions, but don’t expect your kids to fail either.

Juraj Slafkovsky played a solid game Monday night after being benched on Saturday. He was responsible for Brendan Gallagher’s goal late in the second period with a sustained forecheck to cause a loss of the puck by defender Mattias Ekholm. Kirby Dach finally seems to be regaining some intensity.

Cole Caufield shows a new side to his game. Very lively in his battles along the ramp, he snatched two pucks from Leon Draisaitl and showed great vision by passing the puck to Jake Evans on Kaiden Guhle’s goal. Lane Hutson played another inspired match.

Samuel Montembeault is no longer a rookie at 28 years old. But seeing him recover in November, with a 3-4-0 record, an average of 2.23 and a save rate of .919, as highlighted by colleague Simon-Olivier Lorange in his match analysis , obviously should not constitute bad news.

The Canadiens goalie is still under contract for two more seasons. The team’s top prospect at this position, Jacob Fowler, is only 19 years old and plays in the NCAA. Montreal needs a solid number one goaltender in the coming seasons rather than living in the (hypothetical) hope that a boy from Boston College can save the team in four or five years.

Hoping for poor performances from his young people in the hope of being drafted into the top 3 has something pernicious. The top pick in the draft should rather represent a consolation prize if these young people do not offer good performances this winter.

It’s not like the youth bank is empty either. The Canadian is not in a bad position with Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Demidov, Hage, Hutson, Dach, Guhle, Reinbacher, Fowler, not to mention his first round pick in 2025 (4^e for the moment) and that of the Calgary Flames (19^e for now).

Do not hope for the discomfiture of young people so as to sink in the rankings, do not sacrifice hopes or draft picks to progress, but do not cling to your veterans either.

If a club offers you a first-round pick and top prospect in Mike Matheson, who has another year left on his contract after this one, you need to seriously consider it. Matheson obviously has a positive effect on the group due to his performances and his ascendancy over the youngsters, but he will be 32 years old at the end of his agreement and offer him a long-term contract extension by the 1^is July 2026 would be a bad idea, as would the prospect of losing him without getting anything in return.

In short, choose the best of both worlds. Applaud the victories when young people stand out. Consolate yourself by thinking of another potential star drafted early if the young people ever fall back into deep lethargy. Isn’t this the solution to not sinking into depression?

Quote of the day

It is not acceptable to keep repeating our mistakes. It starts with our commitment. We are at times, then we start to believe that we are a talented club. It’s not us. We must understand our identity.

Brad Marchand, captain of the Boston Bruins

The Bruins are coming off three straight losses and are now 8-9-3.