(Kanata) When even the head coach admits that he is fed up, it is time for it to end.
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The Canadian’s pre-season schedule ended Saturday evening with a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, while two half-teams delivered a tasteless match from which it is difficult to draw much from conclusions.
Following what seemed like an injury epidemic across the NHL, both clubs agreed to keep their best players in reserve so they could begin the season in a few days. Nine regular players were missing from the Montreal camp. Including, yes, Lane Hutson, in case there was any ambiguity about him.
The squad deployed by the CH therefore resembled a group at the start of camp. Positively, we note that young players in audition obtained additional “rehearsals”, to use a term dear to Martin St-Louis. Negatively, we will question the real value of these “rehearsals”, since almost no one, among the last players in evaluation, was used in the role intended for them, both at equal strength and on special teams.
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PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Nick Jensen (3), Brendan Gallagher (11) and Linus Ullmark (35)
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PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jake Evans (71) and Nick Jensen (3)
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PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Nick Jensen (3) and Brendan Gallagher (11)
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PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Justin Barron (52) and Zack Ostapchuk (38)
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St-Louis, in any case, left no room for interpretation when asked if he was happy to turn the page on these six exhibition games.
“Yes, very happy,” he replied without hesitation. It’s been quite an eventful pre-season, not just here, but across the league I think. I’m glad it’s over and gone for real. »
We have indeed witnessed a strange epidemic across the four corners of the circuit. In Montreal, as we know, Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher will both miss several months of activities due to knee injuries. Elsewhere, we notably saw Drew Doughty, Artemi Panarin, Macklin Celebrini, Brady Tkachuk and William Nylander fall in combat.
Thus, many clubs, like the Canadian, have decided to withdraw their regular players from their training before the season begins. Which destroyed the crescendo effect sought by the coaches.
“It wasn’t too messy and we didn’t lose any guys,” rejoiced Martin St-Louis after Saturday’s game. A happy observation in the circumstances, which nevertheless betrays a fishtail finale to a camp which, for almost three weeks, had the appearance of a boring imposed figure.
Xhekaj holds on
The exercise was not a complete failure, however.
Arber Xhekaj, in particular, has looked pretty good after finding himself in the spotlight for the entire last week. Sent off from last Saturday’s and Tuesday’s games due to two major penalties and two game misconducts, he was kept away from the cameras all week by the team, which cited obscure “internal considerations.”
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Arber Xhekaj (72)
You would have thought it was over again for him in the first period, since he fought against Zack MacEwen in his first shift, but he ultimately looked like a hockey player afterward.
“He had a chance to be engaged throughout the match,” observed St-Louis. Overall, I think we’re winning with the rehearsal he had tonight. »
The main person seemed relieved to have “played 60 minutes”. “I was just thinking about that,” he said. Things happen, you can’t change them, so you have to go ahead and fix yourself. I was just focused on staying in this match. »
Barring a surprise, he should be part of the 23-player roster that the Canadian will make official on Monday. Better internal competition could have put it in danger, but that didn’t really happen.
His main competition, at training camp, will have been Logan Mailloux, who will surprise us if he is not sold to the Laval Rocket. Used in a more defensive role than what he has been accustomed to thus far in his career, the Ontarian has not particularly shone in recent weeks. Multiplying individual errors, on Saturday, he assessed having played his “worst match”.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Logan Mailloux (24)
“I wasn’t good enough,” he summed up. He nevertheless believes he had a “solid” camp, which allows him to believe that he can aspire to a full-time position in the NHL.
Adam Engström has probably also confirmed his ticket to Laval. Although he was effective offensively, he struggled defensively. There are many positive elements in his game, but a stint in the American League seems in the order of things.
Among the attackers still in audition, Oliver Kapanen is still the one who stood out the most. He didn’t have a flamboyant evening, but the maturity in his game is surprising in a 20-year-old player. However, he was not outnumbered on Saturday, unlike Emil Heineman. Should we read anything there? We’ll see.
In any case, he felt he had “made [son] possible” at his first NHL camp. “I just want to play my way and deserve every minute I’m on the ice,” he said. I want to be employed in all roles. […] We’ll see what happens. »
While the players are off on Sunday, the CH staff will meet to discuss the look of the official roster for the 2024-2025 season. Some decisions will be easy, others less so. Some players got a lot of “reps”. But did this sample, in the circumstances, present the value we would have desired? Probably not, unfortunately.
Rising
Arber Xhekaj
For the first time in three matches, he was not sent off from the match: that was already an accomplishment. More seriously, he gave his best performance of training camp. A happy ending in his case.
Declining
Joshua Roy
While he completed an offensive trio with Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen, his execution was frankly not on point. He thus concludes a camp during which he was good… but nothing more.
The number of the match
2
In three preseason games, only two of Josh Anderson’s nine shot attempts hit the target. In Ottawa, he didn’t put a single shot on target, just like in his previous outing last Saturday.
In detail
Successful return to school for Guhle
It wasn’t perfect – like his entire team, in fact – but Kaiden Guhle made a successful comeback. After missing the first five preseason games due to an appendectomy, the defender was the player most used by his coaches (21:25), who placed him to the right of Adam Engström. He stood out in the eighth minute by serving a powerful check on Matthew Highmore, raising the ire of the Senators players on the ice. To impose himself physically from the start was part of his game plan, he explained at the end of the evening. Touching the puck as often as possible also allowed him to “get back into gear”. “I felt a little rusty at the beginning, but it got better as the match progressed,” he said. I felt good. I will be at full capacity on Wednesday. »
Zero in thirty
The Canadian concluded his training camp with an immaculate record on the power play, having scored no goals in 30 opportunities spread over six games. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning were also shut out in similar circumstances, although they spent 20 minutes less (32 against 52) with at least one more player. Obviously, with all the members of Montreal’s first massive attack unit who were on leave, we will not draw any conclusions on the work of replacement players. Some of them nevertheless stood out, notably Adam Engström, who once again demonstrated his great ability to distribute the puck effectively. Joshua Roy, however, will not have a star in his notebook, while his back pass to Alex Newhook, difficult to catch, led to a shorthanded goal from Shane Pinto. Martin St-Louis indicated on Friday that the numerical advantage would be on the menu for training on Monday and Tuesday. There will be no shortage of work.
Pinto is ready
Shane Pinto missed the first half of last year’s schedule due to suspension. This time, he seems ready to start the campaign. Limited to just one assist in three preseason games before the Habs’ visit to Ottawa, the center had a blast Saturday by obtaining four points, including three goals. Hats rained on the ice after his third success, concluded thanks to a long backhand feint while shorthanded. He also played with the nerves of his opponents, at the very end of the second period, when he went to hit Logan Mailloux as the siren sounded announcing the end of the engagement. Officials, however, quickly put an end to the bickering. Pinto, 23, will be a centerpiece of the Senators’ offense in 2024-2024, having signed a two-year contract last July.