Martin St-Louis believes he benefited from “real information” Monday night against the regular Toronto Maple Leafs.
Posted at 10:59
In this regard, the concerns of the direction of the Canadian are confirmed little by little: his young defenders are still a little green.
After two successful games, Justin Barron, the only right-handed defenseman among the rookies, had a tough game.
From the first sequence, he lost a puck between his skates, the opponent escaped and Jonathan Drouin, in retreat, was forced to receive a penalty to avoid a goal. The Leafs quickly opened the scoring.
The young man has been placed in favorable situations since the start of training camp, generally to the right of veteran Mike Matheson. Martin St-Louis took him out of his comfort zone on Monday, pairing him with another rookie, colossus Arber Xhekaj.
Barron, just 20, still struggles to keep up when the pace increases, especially in terms of reaction speed and decision making with the puck. Xhekaj did a little better, but his performance, like Barron’s, remains uneven.
After auditioning left-hander Jordan Harris on the right side, Otto Leskinen, also a left-hander, was placed in that position against Toronto. Leskinen could be a short-term solution if Barron does not progress.
St-Louis also praised the merits of this 25-year-old Finnish defender after the meeting, without receiving any direct questions about him. A colleague only asked him who, among the youngest defenders, had impressed him during this match.
“One guy we don’t talk about a lot is Leskinen. He is very calm on the rink. He didn’t have an easy task against Matthews’ line. He intrigues me a lot. »
Never drafted, Leskinen is in his second experience with the organization. He played for the Laval Rocket between 2019 and 2021, and earned six NHL games, before returning to Finland last winter.
The Canadian is in reconstruction and will not throw a young defender in the mouth of the wolf. If Barron’s game isn’t more convincing in the next preseason game, if he gets one, we’d rather see him gain confidence in the American League than tear it away in the NHL.
The picture is therefore still not clear in defense, at least outside the organization. Unlike youngsters vying for position, 20-year-old Kaiden Guhle plays with the poise of a veteran. He should start the season on the left of David Savard. Leskinen will no doubt get another chance to prove his worth in a top role.
Chris Wideman will be the right-handed defender for the third pair. Who will play on his left, pending the eventual return of Joel Edmundson, who will push him into a top-four defenseman in the final pair when he’s healthy? Xhekaj? Jordan Harris? Cory Schuneman?
Xhekaj will have a chance on Tuesday to cement his status within this pair as he reunites with Wideman for the second time in three nights.
We flip Jordan Harris to the right, with Schuneman, in a last ditch attempt (presumably) to see if he can get past Barron and Leskinen. Guhle will be with his regular partner since the start of the camp, David Savard.
It shouldn’t be surprising either if GM Kent Hughes acquired a veteran at a discount to help out his coach, and thus fill a hole in this position. The CH are one injury away from putting one too many youngsters in a vulnerable position.
We have been advocating patience since the beginning of the summer. It will be necessary. The Canadian is under reconstruction. And like any club under reconstruction, it remains very fragile. Especially in defense.
Not only are there very few experienced players in this position, but veterans will be asked to perform tasks they have never held before. Mike Matheson has been wowing since training camp, but can he keep up the pace in a number one all winter? David Savard, a number four or five in principle within a good formation, will be a number two in Montreal.
Patience, therefore. There will be several difficult evenings like those on Monday. But nice goals here and there from a Caufield, Suzuki, Slafkovsky, bright passes from Dach, to put a balm on another defeat, and allow us to dream of a happier tomorrow.
Juraj Slafkovsky comes out of his shell
PHOTO DAVID KIROUAC, USA TODAY SPORTS
Juraj Slafkovsky
The Montreal Canadiens will make room for Juraj Slafkovsky in their roster if he offers convincing performances by the end of the preseason games. This was the case on Monday. In just over 16 minutes of play, Slafkovsky had four shots on goal, several good scoring chances and an assist on the only goal of the game, that of Jonathan Drouin. With Kirby Dach, by far his side’s most-used striker, almost four minutes ahead of everyone else, Slafkovsky was his club’s best. On Drouin’s goal, the first overall pick in 2022 recovered a puck near the boards and drilled into the opposing net. “The center of the ice is premium,” commented coach Martin St-Louis. Sometimes they give it to you and it’s easy; sometimes they don’t give it to you, but good players are able to take it anyway. It’s an art to be able to do that. If you have players who are able to take the center, there are often good things that will happen. I know that with his weight and his strengths, he is capable of doing that. »
Slafkovsky will play on the right of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on Tuesday night against the Senators. A combination that is sure to excite many CH fans.