No need to wait for American Thanksgiving, which is considered an omen of what the National Hockey League rankings will be like ahead of the playoffs. Anyway, we’re almost there. It’s Thursday.
Forget the series for the Canadian this season, forget the mix, instead think about the holidays that are approaching and be happy! As Stéphane Richer said to me one day – whom I salute – there is more to life than just hockey, but hey.
What a disappointing first quarter of the season for our beloved team!
In defense of the Molson–Gorton–Hughes triumvirate, the three did not say they were assured of seeing their team fight for a place in the playoffs this season. They had made the wish.
Nuance.
But, if they felt the need to give hope to fans, it was a failure. Personally, I didn’t believe it. What I hoped for, however, like many people, was to see progression.
Anger rises
This is not the case, which means that anger begins to rise among the people.
Spectators who witnessed last Saturday’s defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights showed their displeasure with boos. The fury was even greater on social networks, because it came with words.
It was shooting everywhere and in all directions.
Martin St-Louis tasted it!
Normally, when a team loses, the coach is always the first to be targeted. And, as for St-Louis, the disgruntled did not miss the opportunity to point out that he had only managed at the pee-wee and bantam levels before his arrival in Montreal.
Big week
Should we hold the coach responsible for the Canadian’s failures?
St. Louis is not alone in the equation, but part of the responsibility falls on it. To use the established expression, a team wins or loses as a team. But when things go badly, it’s a known fact that the coach is always the first to find himself on the line of fire, and it doesn’t matter who it is.
Last week, the Bruins showed Jim Montgomery the door. As fate would have it, the original Montrealer found work quickly. The fact remains that his record of 120-41-23 could not save him from being fired in Boston.
Which brings us back to St. Louis.
The press briefings seem to have weighed more heavily on him for some time. After his team’s great victory against the Edmonton Oilers last week, he appeared sullen. His answers were shorter than usual after yesterday’s training session in Brossard.
Is he tired?
Who wouldn’t be in his place?
The situation cannot continue indefinitely. The Canadian may be rebuilding, but he must show signs of improvement and win victories.
Could St-Louis pay for his position if his team continued to mess up?
Two series of two matches in 24 hours await him and his team this week. Tomorrow evening, the Utah Club will be at the Bell Center. The Canadian should not suffer a defeat similar to the one he suffered at the hands of the Seattle Kraken a month ago.
After this match, the Habs will travel to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The team will then continue its journey by playing Saturday afternoon, against the Rangers, in New York, and also Sunday afternoon, against the Bruins, in Boston.
Four defeats would not calm people down. On the contrary, the storm would intensify.
Returns to play expected
The Canadian must start winning matches and it is important for the well-being of St-Louis and its protégés.
The recall of Joshua Roy and the return to the next game of Patrik Laine and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard should not hurt. But there are others who will have to come out of their torpor, namely Dach and Slafkovsky, who were demoted to the fourth line during yesterday’s training session.
In the case of Dach, one wonders if the organization has not acquired a lemon. The young man has the physique for the job, at six feet four inches and 220 pounds, but he doesn’t really have the heart for the work.
The Chicago Blackhawks knew what they were doing when they traded him. Because, as a general rule, a team does not let a 21-year-old player of this size leave who was selected third in the draft.
There had to be a bone.
The same can be said about Alex Newhook, who was drafted 16th.
Both 23 years old, Dach and Newhook do not meet the hopes that the Canadiens’ decision-makers had in them when they were acquired.
Let’s move on to Slafkovsky.
He should become a good NHL player, at least that’s what we hope. But I have a question that goes like this: what was the pressure to offer him an eight-year contract extension after a good half of the season?
It could have waited. A two-year bridge contract would have been more appropriate.
