The Canadian | Will Evans make Caufield smile again?

(Etobicoke) The Canadian’s training ended and the players began to spread out around the ice to work on more individual aspects.

That’s when a thunderous “bang” was heard in the Maple Leafs training center, which the Habs were borrowing for a Sunday exercise. The noise was Cole Caufield who had just shot a puck with all his might on the boards in the neutral zone. His sullen demeanor left no doubt as to his intentions: to atone for a bit of frustration.

A few minutes later, he will practice with Kirby Dach at one end of the ice. Again, with the air of a guy unable to access his Canada Revenue Agency file because he forgot the answer to his secret question.

Caufield, the eternal entertainer, the laughing face that the team has put on its social networks for three years, does not seem to be in his right mood. He’s still capable of pleasure, mind you. Before the official start of training, he and Brendan Gallagher had fun exchanging passes, each one steeper than the other, an exercise that was still impressive to watch.

“Enthusiasm is not always demonstrated in the same way. Cole, this morning, he worked, assured the Canadian head coach, Martin St-Louis. A guy who works in difficult times, for me, that’s enthusiasm. The enthusiasm that shows the most is the smile. But if you don’t have hidden enthusiasm, you won’t work hard. »

In the red

With 10 goals in 15 games, Caufield remains on track to score 55 goals this season. That said, he’s been shut out in the last four games and before that lethargy, the quality of his overall game didn’t match his production.

An indicator? When he’s on the ice at five-on-five, CH gets hammered 25-60 on high-quality scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. Among the 426 NHL players who have played at least 150 minutes, his controlled chances ratio of 29.41% ranks him 424^e rank. Not far ahead of him is Nick Suzuki (30-61, 32.97%, 418^e rank) and Kirby Dach (26-48, 35.14 %, 413^e rang).

The offensive leaders are looking for each other and St-Louis has reorganized its trios in training, as teams mired in a series of six defeats do. In fact, St. Louis carried over the combinations from Saturday’s third period. Suzuki was therefore flanked by Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky, while Jake Evans piloted a unit with Caufield and Alex Newhook as wingers.

These changes mean that Suzuki and Caufield will be separated for a rare time, Monday noon, in Buffalo. According to the file that The Press holds and which we are told would be the envy of NASA, it will be the first time since November 30, 2023 that Suzuki and Caufield will be separated to start a match.

“Martin wants to change things, I guess,” Suzuki suggested. He always told us that it also happened to him and to Vincent [Lecavalier] to be separated at times. We’ll come back together eventually. We just have to play better. »

Suzuki is also looking for itself

The Canadian’s ship is sinking everywhere, but its captain also has to deal with his own problems.

Suzuki was transparent: leadership is more difficult to express when individual successes are not there. “I have a big voice in the locker room, I try to say and do the right things, but I don’t feel like I’m playing as well as usual,” admitted the number 14. “I’m just trying to stay positive and support the guys. »

Suzuki is used to collective failures. Since he was named captain in September 2022, this is already the fourth time that his team has experienced a streak of five or more defeats. But individually, he generally managed to keep his head above water.

Luckily for him, the players received a visitor named Shea Weber on Saturday. Two days before his induction into the Hall of Fame, Weber waited near the CH locker room after the game. Suzuki undoubtedly received a few pearls of wisdom from Weber.

Gallagher is another who can impart some wise words to the captain, especially as he certainly holds the moral authority to speak, by virtue of his start to the season. Take these comments about Dach and Slafkovsky, two other young people looking for each other.

“Carey Price often told us that. You’re going to play in this league for a long time. There will be ups and downs. It’s important to remember that, Gallagher said. It may seem like a lot, 15 games, but in a career, it’s not the end of the world.

“These are players who have dominated wherever they have played. It will come. But as with the rest of the team, it comes with work and effort to find a solution. I believe they put in the time and effort. »