Johnathan Kovacevic | “The transaction was good for me”

(Newark, New Jersey) Did the Canadian underestimate what he had by giving up Johnathan Kovacevic for a pittance last summer?

The question will not fail to fuel discussions if the great right-handed defender maintains his course. Fans of the Canadiens will be able to see it with their own eyes this Thursday, during a duel against the Devils.

“There are no hard feelings,” assures Kovacevic, met Wednesday morning in the Devils locker room. Sometimes it’s a question of where the team is and where the player is. I understand their decision. As a competitor, I will always think they left something on the table. But I have so many good memories, I have nothing bad to say about the team. Only positive. »

Kovacevic’s adventure with the Habs ended on June 30 when he was traded to the Devils for a No. 4 pick.^e round. Stuck between the draft, the opening of the free agent market and two days after the Alouettes-Argonauts game, the transaction slipped through the news.

It also went unnoticed because Kovacevic occupied a marginal role in Montreal at the end of the calendar. He was in uniform for the first 33 games of 2023-2024, until Christmas, at almost 18 minutes per game.

From that point on, he only played in 29 of the last 49 games, averaging 15 minutes per game. Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble, Arber Savard.

However, since his arrival with the Devils, Kovacevic has been a permanent member of the top 4forming with Jonas Siegenthaler the duo opposed to the best opposing trios. In 15 games, he scored 6 points and played an average of nearly 21 minutes per game, the fourth highest total among Devils defensemen. He is also the one who spends the most time (2 min 54 s per game) shorthanded. What if, at 27, it was blossoming?

“There is one year left on my contract and for their part, they have choices of 1^is trick they are trying to develop: [David] Reinbacher, Mailloux, Barron. There would have been no space for them. Jeff Gorton explained this to me. I felt last year that they were going in that direction. I understand that and I’m grateful that they gave me this fresh start. I could have ended up in lots of places. I’m glad it’s here. »

Meanwhile, Reinbacher was injured in camp and could miss the entire season, while Mailloux ultimately wasn’t ready for the NHL full-time and was sent back to Laval. Result: the team employed at least one left-hander, often Guhle, on the right in 8 of its 13 matches. In the last two matches, there were even two playing on their opposite side: Guhle and Struble.

The reunion

This duel will be special for Kovacevic and we got a hint of it at the end of training on Wednesday. The players stood in a circle in the neutral zone for a few minutes of stretching, as they do at the end of each session.

“Go ahead, Kovy,” we heard. It was the voice of veterans Erik Haula and Stefan Noesen, who invited him to head to the middle of the circle. This is usually done with players who have a birthday or who will reach a significant plateau. In this case, it will be Kovacevic’s first match against CH.

He has already reconnected with his former teammates. In September, the Devils came to Montreal for a preparatory game. CH players, “Nick, Cole, Army, Gally, Slaf, Jake Evans”, he lists, came to greet him after the meeting.

He also planned to reconnect with them on Wednesday over dinner. Then it will be time to do it on the ice this Thursday.

“Before the preparatory match, Gally [Brendan Gallagher] told me: as soon as the match starts, I only have 23 friends, so I expect to receive your strongest double fails! I finally managed to hit him in the corner, I had a good laugh. »

Kovacevic spent two seasons with the Habs and played 139 games. This was obviously enough to forge tight bonds.