Free washer | Five observations from the opening match

The Canadian owes Samuel Montembeault his first victory of the season on Wednesday evening. Obviously we should not draw conclusions from this first meeting, but here are nevertheless five observations on this match.

1. A contract extension for good old Savard

David Savard’s smile at the end of the match was worth a thousand words. At 33 years old, the Canadiens’ oldest player was a pillar during the opening match. He served as a big brother to Lane Hutson in the second pairing, he played 4 minutes 7 seconds shorthanded and he sent Max Domi upside down in the first period after the latter had given him a slap in the face. start of the match (punished by the referee).

In such a young defense, and which will still be young next year, retain this essential player. Not only is he worth his weight in gold on the ice, he is also an extraordinary unifier behind the scenes. Trading him at the trade deadline will perhaps net him a second-round pick. He is worth more to this group. A two-year contract, for the same annual salary of 3.5 million. Who is boarding?

2. Hutson on the first wave? Question of time

Mike Matheson is coming off a tremendous offensive season with 62 points, including 28 on the power play. And he deserves all our respect for his invaluable role in the reconstruction of the Canadiens. This Quebecer produces beyond expectations. But we must also improve the Canadian’s effectiveness in numerical superiority. The CH finished at 27^e ranked in this regard last year with a rate of 17.5%.

The Canadian scored the only goal of the match on such an occasion in the first period, that of Cole Caufield, on a nice play prepared by Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach. He failed in his next four attempts, including 1:27 with a two-player advantage in the second period. The tide subsequently turned.

Hutson played 2:32 on the power play in the second wave with Newhook, Gallagher, Barré-Boulet and Armia. He created chaos. Martin St-Louis obviously cannot remove his veteran Mike Matheson from the first wave in the opening match. But the day will come, and it is not so far away, when Hutson will take that place. And this will not be a disavowal of Matheson, but a logical decision as the talent of this young Hutson is coming through his ears.

3. Samuel Montembeault, a godsend?

Joey Daccord had the best year of his career last year in Seattle, at age 28: 19-18-11 record, 2.46 GAA and .916 save percentage. Before that season, he played nine games in Ottawa between 2018 and 2021 and ten games in Seattle between 2021 and 2023. The Kraken offered him a five-year contract this week for 25 million, an annual salary of 5 million per season. His contract will come into effect at the start of the next season. So much the better if Daccord leads Seattle to the promised land.

Samuel Montembeault, 27, does not have such a stellar goals-against average. Although his record last year, 16-15-9, within a less seasoned club, resembles that of Daccord. On the other hand, Montembeault already had around a hundred games of experience in the NHL when he signed his three-year contract for 9.45 million on 1^er last December, an annual salary of 3.1 million. Kent Hughes surely had a little smile on his lips Wednesday evening. One game doesn’t make a season, but starting the year with a shutout and 48 saves against the Maple Leafs isn’t bad.

4. Which trio against the best opposing elements?

Nothing escapes the lynx eye of colleague Guillaume Lefrançois. Thus, the trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky had no chance to score evenly, compared to eight for the opponent, recalls Guillaume, not without citing Natural Stat Trick. Suzuki and his accomplices were often stuck for long periods in defensive territory against the trio of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies.

The Leafs have the particularity of having a second trio almost as powerful as the first, with John Tavares, William Nylander and Max Domi. The trio of Kirby Dach, Joel Armia and Alex Newhook fared better with a chance to score tied in numbers to two for the opponent. With the size of Dach, the brilliance of Armia, one of the Canadian’s best players on Wednesday, and the efficiency of Newhook, also capable of playing in the center, it is reasonable to wonder who Martin St-Louis will send to the ice when the rival has a dominant trio.

5. The weak link

The Canadian’s third pair of defenders did not play much. Arber Xhekaj was limited to 13:50 and Justin Barron to 11:50. Barron played 9:02 at five-on-five, but almost 3 minutes shorthanded. Xhekaj, who had some difficult presences in the defensive zone, was entitled to a presence on the power play on the second wave (25 seconds) and to a presence on the penalty kill (37 seconds) when Barron was serving a penalty.

As we seem to want to remove the young Lane Hutson from the numerical inferiorities and as one of the two other left-handers, Xhekaj, is in the same situation, the return of a more defensive left-hander, Jayden Struble, in place of will undoubtedly not be disdained. Otherwise, on the slightest occasion where Matheson, Savard, Guhle or Barron are punished, we will have to resolve to send Xhekaj or Hutson on the ice.