The speed at which the Canadian will become competitive again could be closely related to that at which its young defensive brigade will gain gallons.
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Due to the departures of Jeff Petry and Alexander Romanov, in addition to the now official Shea Weber, Joel Edmundson, David Savard and Mike Matheson will most likely be accompanied by green navel teammates on the blue line.
Corey Schueneman (24 games), Jordan Harris (10 games), Justin Barron (seven games) and Kaiden Guhle (no games) could complete the backline. Group in which we must not forget to fit Chris Wideman, whose main mission will be to evolve on the massive attack.
“Yes, we will have ups and downs. And there will be mistakes. It’s part of the process of becoming a better team. It will give them a lot of room (to play),” said Savard, who didn’t seem to mind this reality.
“These are young players who have a lot of talent and who have been successful where they have been. I have no doubt that they will learn quickly and that they will be effective in the near future, ”continued the Maskoutain.
Savard recalled that he had experienced this reality in his first seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He remembers that when he was a young veteran, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray joined the team almost at the same time.
“We improved quickly and became a playoff team every year. We can do that here too. »
Matheson’s Mentorship
At 28 and with 417 games behind the tie, Matheson will be one of the most experienced of the band. In fact, only Savard (673 games) has seen more action than him on the Bettman circuit.
“In Pittsburgh, I was one of the kids. It will be different for me, launched the athlete from Pointe-Claire. It is an important role within the team. I will have a lot of responsibilities. »
Like Savard and Edmundson, he will have to take his young teammates under his wing to help them on their way.
“When you’re young, you quickly realize how difficult it is to play in the NHL and be at your best every night for 82 games and during the playoffs. If they have any questions about certain areas of the game, the mental aspect and how to keep spirits up and confident in tougher times, I can definitely help. »