There’s a reason why Montreal is such a fertile ground for dashed hopes.
Posted at 10:35 a.m.
He has bad choices, of course, but also our propensity to quickly inflate our expectations of hopefuls, and in a disproportionate way, so that these, unless they have a breathtaking career, end up disappointing.
Take Owen Beck, the young sensation of the training camp of the Canadiens. After just one preseason game, he could emulate Patrice Bergeron and Ryan O’Reilly in earning an NHL spot at 18, some say. A preparatory match!
Let’s not take anything away from this second-round pick, 33e altogether this summer. He was solid in the rookie tournament. Kept the pace in intrasquad meetings, earning a chance to play center for Cole Caufield and Mike Hoffman in the first preseason game against the Devils on Monday.
He did not disappoint against New Jersey: 59% efficiency rate during face-offs, a lot of maturity in his game, responsible defensively, a few good chances to score, including a shot on the post in the third period. We will forgive him for losing the puck on the Devils’ winning goal, he did a lot more good things than bad.
We draw a parallel between Beck and these two stars because, like him, O’Reilly and Bergeron were drafted in the second round and had a phenomenal first training camp with the teams that drafted them.
We set the bar very high. Bergeron and O’Reilly are the captains of their respective teams. They both won the Stanley Cup. They are the best center defenders of their time. O’Reilly won a Selke Trophy, and a Conn-Smythe awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Bergeron has five Selke Trophies for his defensive excellence. Bergeron should reach the plateau of 1,000 career points this season (he lacks 18), O’Reilly is approaching 700.
Is it realistic to imagine Beck in Montreal for the Canadiens’ opening game? First, the CH has a surplus of forwards under NHL contract. We already find in the center Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans and Sean Monahan. Rem Pitlick can also play in this position.
Why rush the development process of an 18-year-old into a season with no expectation of a playoff berth and no need at center?
It is also important, when drawing such parallels, to remember the context of the time. In Colorado in 2009, the retirement of Joe Sakic left a gaping hole in the center. We had not retained the services of Ian Laperrière. The Avalanche were rebuilding and had gaps at this position. Matt Duchene and O’Reilly took the opportunity to interfere in training despite their 18 years.
In Boston, we found Joe Thornton in the center of the first line, but after him, we had placed Brian Rolston, a winger, in this position by default. Sergei Zinovjev, 23, a third-round pick three years earlier, and Andy Hilbert, drafted the same year, were battling for the third center position, but they weren’t impressing.
We had hoped for chemistry between Zinovjev and his compatriot, winger Sergei Samsonov, but the National League career came down to ten games. He returned to Russia after his demotion in the American League never to return.
Hilbert, a Hobey-Baker Trophy finalist in 2001 after amassing 64 points in just 42 NCAA games at the University of Michigan, and a huge points producer in his first three American League seasons, never became the hoped-for player, but he nevertheless played 307 games in the NHL.
Logically, Beck will get a few more preparatory meetings with the Canadiens by the end of training camp, before returning to Mississauga in the Ontario Junior League, probably with a contract in his pocket to reward him for his performances. .
He will try to dominate there offensively, after a season of 51 points in 68 games last year, and who knows how to obtain a position on the Canadian junior team at the World Championship.
Getting into the NHL eventually in a third center role would already be a feat for a player drafted in the second round. And so much the better if it exceeds expectations. But the risks of being disappointed are high if we set our hopes at the level of a Patrice Bergeron or a Ryan O’Reilly…
The repechage and Quebec players
In a recent column, Philippe Cantin criticized the new administration for having ignored Quebec players in the first rounds of the 2022 draft.
“So yes, the Canadian has changed. But only in part. Gorton and Hughes have remained faithful to the great principle established by Geoff Molson, Marc Bergevin and Trevor Timmins over the years: to shun Quebec players in the draft. This contempt is now part of the organization’s DNA. The principle “With equal talent, we fish out a Quebecer” has been relegated to oblivion. Besides, Molson, Gorton and Hughes should have the guts to admit it publicly. »
Championing local talent honors my esteemed colleague. But is it really contempt on the part of Gorton or Hughes, or a sincere desire to get their hands on the best player available. Quebecers Noah Warren and Tristan Luneau were still available at 33e rank. They preferred Owen Beck. Samuel Savoie and Jérémy Langlois were free at 62e rank. They wanted the young defender Lane Hutson, impressive at the CH development camp. The future will tell if the direction has erred.