Usually, NHL clubs start their season in optimism, but for the Canadian, we will above all try to do this in a good mood.
Posted at 3:59 p.m.
“I’m going to tell the players to enjoy this moment well,” explained Martin St-Louis on Tuesday in Brossard. It’s a special moment. Any start to the season is incredible, and there, Montreal against Toronto, it’s hard to beat. So have fun! The NHL, sometimes, I find that we take it too seriously. It’s just a game. Have fun! »
This kind of enthusiasm, the Montreal head coach surely hopes will be contagious, because without a doubt, the coming season will be full of challenges for his club.
The first major challenge is already present in the health department. An already vulnerable defense will have to start the season without two of its few veterans, Mike Matheson and Joel Edmundson, who remain in the injured camp.
In attack, Joel Armia still has one to two weeks before his return, and another veteran, Paul Byron, has been placed on the long-term injured list, his future up in the air. Jonathan Drouin, not yet at the top of his form by his own admission, will obviously have to skip his turn for this first of 2022-2023, he who did not have a permanent role during the club’s two training sessions this week in Brossard.
Wednesday night’s lineup at the Bell Center against the Toronto Maple Leafs will feature some new and young faces, including Juraj Slafkovsky, who will be on the left wing of the third line, along with Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher.
In defense, young Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic will all be in uniform in this first game of the season.
It’s starting to get a lot of youth…
“I will advise young people to have fun! replied Gallagher. Everyone remembers his first game. They will find their bearings after the first face-off. These guys have to have fun, contribute in their own way. It’s a dream come true for them.
“I’m always very excited about the first game of the season. It’s the only time of year when I still have butterflies in my stomach. I played big games, took part in important moments during my career, but the first game of a season, in my eyes, is something else. You’ve been waiting a long time, and you want to start the calendar on the right foot. »
“Building something sustainable”
Rebuilding? No, nobody talks about that in Brossard or at the Bell Centre. The expectations are not very high, of course, but the players see in this 2022-2023 season the opportunity to build something, the chance to start a part of the way which could lead to further.
“It’s about building something for the future,” goaltender Jake Allen said. It’s not something that’s going to be settled in the first week or in the first months of this season. It probably won’t even be fixed in a single year.
“Obviously you want to win games, but you also have to know how to get good things out of every defeat. Experience is important, and the youngsters will gain experience this year. You have to remember that you are building something that will be sustainable for the future, so that you can become a team that can make the playoffs every year. That’s what’s important. »
And this is the message that is being sent today, but no doubt tomorrow and next month too: that of patience.
It remains to be seen if the supporters will board.