Free washer | Mattias Norlinder and the development of hopes

“Before you ask, Norlinder is on wave one…”

Mathias Brunet
Press

This tweet, published in the first period by the Laval Rocket on Wednesday evening, is not insignificant.

In his first stint in the American League a few weeks ago, Mattias Norlinder, one of the few decidedly offensive hopes of the Canadian in defense, had hardly been used in such circumstances.

He was preferred to two veterans who became career players in the American League, captain Xavier Ouellet, 28, and Louis Belpedio, 25.

But injuries, among others to Ouellet and Belpedio, and the recall of Cory Schueneman in Montreal, somewhat forced the Rocket to give him a predominant role.

You should have seen the exhilaration of the 21-year-old late in the second period after scoring his first American League goal with a point shot… on the power play.

He was already playing adequately. But we felt his confidence grow later, not only through solid defensive play, but a little more daring on the attack.

And with a slim lead of a goal to protect, this 2019 CH third-round pick spent the last minute and 14 seconds on the ice. The Rocket won 3-2 and Norlinder was awarded the third star of the game.

Jean-François Houle explains

Coach Jean-François Houle recalled Thursday morning before the Rocket left for Rochester. He defended himself for not having placed Norlinder in winning conditions the first time around.

“People judge quickly,” he said on the phone. Norlinder was coming back from injury and we wanted to see what he could do in the AHL first. When you put a player on the first wave in power play when they’re not playing well, it sends the wrong message to your team. As a coach, you have to deal with that too. Even told him he wasn’t playing well. “

The circumstances were more favorable this time. “There are a lot of injuries and we don’t really have defenders who can patrol the blue line (in power play) like Norlinder is capable,” said the coach. It was an easy decision to put him there and he did really well. “

Jean-François Houle saw his confidence grow as the match progressed. “It’s night and day with his first three games. He is much more confident. He gets the puck faster. His passes are steeper. He made some good decisions with the puck. You see the potential. It is a very high hope for the organization. “

Attenuated remarks

Hours earlier, after morning training, Mattias Norlinder was cooked on his statements to Swedish media that he had been waiting for a while to return to his homeland.

Under an agreement with Sweden, Norlinder should in principle return to Frolunda HC, in the first division (SEL), should he withdraw from the formation of the Canadian.

However, this obligation no longer applies from 1^er December, hence the young man’s dismissal in the American League this week. Norlinder swore Wednesday morning, without blaming the reporter, that he had misinterpreted it and that his impatience was mainly linked to the vagueness surrounding his status at the start of the season.

“I thought the clause in my contract was for the NHL or a return to Sweden, but I realize I could be here too,” he said Wednesday. We’ll see what happens. It’s good to be here, but I would be good at home too. We’ll see. “

The young man played with enthusiasm Wednesday night at Place Bell. This is excellent news in itself.

If Norlinder is serious about a career in the NHL, he has to stay in North America to tame the rinks with smaller surfaces and the reduced reaction time in possession of the puck. Returning to his comfort zone in Sweden could stunt his development, or sabotage him forever.

“From my conversations with him, he wants to improve, he wants to play in the National League full time one day, it’s a good kid, says Jean-François Houle. He will play his three games and after that he will make his decision. I was very open: for his development, a defender of his caliber should play on small ice in North America. The organization and its agent will make a decision. It is certain that I would like to have him in Laval, he can help us and play big minutes. It can help his development a lot if he stays here. “

The Rocket coach says he has not received any new instructions from CH vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton. “We sat in my office for 35, 40 minutes. We talked about the players in the organization, but nothing else. He was in listen mode. He evaluates everyone, players, coaches, we did not really talk about young people and development. “

Among the many hopes of CH in defense, few have such developed offensive instincts. Alexander Romanov and Kaiden Guhle are recognized for their defensive efficiency, mobility and robustness. Jordan Harris, if he gets along with the team, is good in all facets of the game, without excelling offensively. Jayden Struble and Gianni Fairbrother are first recognized for their robustness. We will see what will happen to the first choice of 2021, right-hander Logan Mailloux.

Jeff Gorton, spoke about the importance of development within the organization. Here is a good example …

Blasphemy in Boston

Former badass and Boston Bruins coach turned analyst Mike Milbury was the first to dare. He suggested the Bruins swap captain Patrice Bergeron before it’s too late and go through a rejuvenation phase.

The idea is not crazy since Bergeron will be 37 years old at the end of the season and the core of the Bruins is not getting any younger, but a majority of fans want to see the Quebecer end his career in the Boston uniform.

At the time, the Calgary Flames waited too long to trade captain Jarome Iginla. The price he got in return for his services, when he was about to turn 36, had dropped dramatically and the subsequent reset suffered.

But eight years have passed since this exchange and the context is not the same. Teams are more stuck by the ceiling and the durability of some players is extended nowadays.