Unlike last year when we had the plogue just before Christmas, the Canadian will play significant matches for a few more weeks. At least until the break leading up to All-Star Weekend at the end of the month.
Everything is going well in the best of all possible worlds among the Canadiens’ leaders who, it must be remembered, were careful not to pronounce the “p” word at the opening of training camp. Asked to take stock of his mid-season, Kent Hughes seemed to be a general manager rather satisfied with the situation of his team.
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
“We see progression in our team play. We lack a little consistency, especially at even strength, but that’s natural within a young team, argued Hughes. This is also the case on special teams. Recently, we have been better on the penalty kill and we have seen progress on the massive attack. But we have to continue to improve.”
Since the team is progressing without necessarily being ready to make the jump into the big spring waltz, we can expect that Kent Hughes will place himself in the seller’s camp as the trade deadline on the 8th approaches. March.
“I think it’s too early [pour se prononcer], Hughes first indicated. But we won’t deviate from our plan. We’re looking to improve the team for the future.”
A lost year
So expect to see items leaving Montreal in the coming weeks. Sean Monahan and Jake Allen will definitely pack their bags if what is offered in return suits the general manager of the Canadiens.
What are the team’s needs? This is a little difficult to determine. Hughes himself admitted that injuries have greatly affected his assessment of the squad that is in place.
“We lost Kirby Dach in the second period of the second game of the season. We lost Alex Newhook for a period of two and a half months when the chemistry was starting to work between Nick Suzuki and him, he recalled. It changes a lot of things. That takes away a year of evaluation.
In return, these visits to the infirmary allowed the evaluation of the youngest. Jayden Struble took advantage of Arber Xhekaj’s absence to practically cement his position in Montreal. Juraj Slafkovsky has moved up to the top line.
“Slaf [Slafkovsky] is making good progress, Struble arrives sooner than we thought. But we don’t have enough depth. Injuries hurt us more than a deeper team.”
No hurry
Injuries may have hurt the ratings, but it’s safe to say that the Habs’ future is rosy on the blue line. It is in attack that Hughes will most likely look for reinforcement. Obviously, at the trade deadline, scorers rarely move to a team that won’t make the playoffs.
Except that there is no rush for Hughes.
“We have 22 picks over the next two drafts. In a perfect world, one of them would be used to pick up a player like [Kirby] Dach or [Alex] Newhook. In addition, over the next few years, we will have more flexibility under the salary cap,” underlined the general manager of the Canadian.
Besides, one wonders what plan Hughes will choose as this deadline approaches. Given the bad luck that seems to plague the team year after year, would it be better not to take a risk and trade in-demand players as quickly as possible or wait as late as possible and let the stakes rise?
“It’s a question of balance, but we must not forget that buyers are also waiting. They have a wish list. Usually, a team won’t go to the second player on its roster while the first is still available.
One thing is certain, the Canadian’s face may not be the same on the morning of March 9.