(Brossard) The Canadiens players have not made it easy for general manager Kent Hughes in recent weeks.
Posted at 3:33 p.m.
A few members of the Montreal squad have had a good time since Martin St-Louis arrived behind the bench and it would be easy for Hughes to change his tune as the trade deadline approaches.
Defender Ben Chiarot has two goals and five assists in 10 games and is employed for almost 24 minutes per game. Forward Artturi Lehkonen has scored six goals in his last five games.
The two are the players whose names come up most often in trade rumours. The deadline for exchanges is March 21.
“With the way we play, we stay positive,” forward Josh Anderson said Friday. We’re playing good hockey and I think we’re making it harder for management to decide whether or not to trade some players. »
Overall, the Canadiens are 7-5-0 under St-Louis, but have won seven of their last nine games. These successes could change management’s perception of the group they have at hand.
“The guys who signed long-term contracts with the team didn’t do it for nothing, they want to stay here,” insisted Anderson, who is in the second year of a seven-year contract. players have had a tough time, but don’t forget we were in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. It didn’t just happen by chance.
“There are a lot of good people in the team. We just have to prove it. »
The Canadiens will play their first match without restrictions on spectator capacity at the Bell Center since December 9 on Saturday. The Seattle Kraken will be in Montreal for the first time in its history.
A matter of trust for Lehkonen
Lehkonen’s future with the Canadiens is a particularly thorny question. The 26-year-old Finn could become a restricted free agent this summer.
If his salary of 2.3 million US seemed huge when he seemed unable to score in a soccer net, it seems much more reasonable now that he has 13 goals and 28 points on the counter.
The praises have also been numerous about him for the past few weeks.
St. Louis had said earlier that he was the type of player you find on winning teams. The Habs’ interim head coach was complimentary again on Friday.
“He does a lot of things that don’t show up on a stat sheet but that a coach sees every day, like his work ethic in practice,” St-Louis said. It can also be productive in sequences. When I arrived, he had chances, but it didn’t fit. There, it fits. He has attacking potential, but I can’t say how high he is. »
St-Louis noted that confidence is very important for a player in the NHL, and that it can be contagious within a line.
“It helps, and it’s also true when the guys around you have confidence,” explained St-Louis. If the three players don’t have confidence, they’re going to have a hard time producing. »
For nine games, Lehkonen even finds himself with a regular role on the power play.
“He’s not recognized as a scorer or a power-play player, but he’s doing everything well and right now he’s being rewarded,” linemate Jake Evans said. At the start of the season, it was frustrating because he was playing well even if the puck didn’t come in. Now he is clearing doubts about himself and he is getting the recognition he deserves. »
Hughes will therefore have to decide if Lehkonen is part of the Canadian’s future plans or if he will serve as a bargaining chip by the trade deadline.