There is only one week and two preparatory games left before the end of the Canadian’s camp, which seems to go by faster than in the past due to a less busy schedule. The last week was nevertheless busy with the presentation of four preparatory matches. Some players managed to stand out, others didn’t. Some experiments have been conclusive, others a little less so. So here are two things we learned and two things we still don’t know at this point from the Canadiens camp.
Easy chemistry with Suzuki and Caufield
Emil Heineman started camp to the right of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but the young Swede did not have the opportunity to showcase himself alongside the two stars in preparatory matches.
Tanner Pearson had his turn during the Red vs. White match, then Sean Monahan and Alex Newhook also had an audition during the preparatory matches.
The conclusion ? Everyone seems to look good alongside the two accomplices.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but they remind me a little bit of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane,” defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic said of Suzuki and Caufield. There is one who is a good passer and a calm leader and the other is a spectacular scorer. They complement each other so well and they have such great cohesion. No matter who you put with them, they will have a lot of fun. »
The ride could continue until the end of camp. Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Josh Anderson could also get an audition.
A high floor for Reinbacher
The Canadian may have surprised some fans by choosing defender David Reinbacher fifth overall in the last draft, but the 18-year-old Austrian demonstrated during camp that management was right to trust him.
Reinbacher played with more and more confidence during the camp, as he adjusted to the particularities of North American ice rinks, which are narrower than those in Europe.
General manager Kent Hughes said after Reinbacher was selected that he was going to become a defenseman who plays a lot of minutes. Even the most skeptical must start to believe it.
“He has the calmness of a guy older than his age and played a good game,” said head coach Martin St-Louis on Saturday after the Canadiens’ 3-1 loss to the Maple Leafs. He played a good match. »
“To have this calmness, it’s special to have this maturity at 18,” he added.
Neither Justin Barron nor Gustav Lindstrom have been impressive so far during camp. Logan Mailloux has had his ups and downs. The Canadian’s management could have been tempted to give Reinbacher a few matches at the start of the season, but instead announced the sending of the prospect to Switzerland on Saturday evening.
Work to be done on the power play
The Canadiens’ power play unit is 2-for-20 since the start of camp. It’s likely that in the NHL’s 31 other markets, no one would make a big deal about it, but in Montreal, fans have already started heckling their favorites during preparatory games.
Even St. Louis admitted that he hoped to see cohesion develop by the start of the season.
“We had trouble finding each other or finding open spaces,” said Harvey-Pinard. The passes were imprecise. We were trying for the perfect play rather than throwing on goal. There is a lot of work to be done on the power play. »
The Canadian ranked 29e ranked in the NHL last season on the power play. If the team wants to have a little more success this season, they will have to improve in this area.
The Habs will also have new tools to exploit, like Newhook.
A three-way waltz in front of the net?
St-Louis said during camp that it expects to see Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen fight for the number 1 goaltender position at the start of the season. Management repeated throughout the camp that it was comfortable with the idea of starting the campaign with three goalkeepers in Montreal, adding Cayden Primeau to the mix.
Primeau, who is 24 years old, is now eligible for waivers. The 31 other NHL teams could therefore obtain it for nothing if the Habs decided to take the risk of selling it to its school club.
The American was considered a possible successor to Carey Price at one time. After a good run to the final four of the American League playoffs during the spring of 2022, Primeau had a two-part season last winter.
Primeau has played one and a half preparatory games since the start of camp and has given up three goals on 44 shots. Montembeault played half a game, then two periods, while Allen was only used for half a game.
St-Louis has not revealed its game and it is therefore difficult to predict who will be in net for the first game of the season, October 11, against the Maple Leafs.