We learned on Monday of the existence of a taboo word among the leaders of the Canadiens. The one that starts with an R? No. The word “rebuild” was said, there was no locust infestation, and no one left the club’s golf tournament with a scar on their forehead.
Said expression instead begins with a P.
Price?
Salary cap?
Exaggerated price of tickets for a club at 28e rank ?
Good guesses, but no. P for playoffs. Playoffs, in French. It was the vice-president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton, who tipped us off in his press briefing. “I know everyone would like to hear us say the P-word. But the important thing for us, internally, is to be better every day. I know, it’s cliché. I am sorry. But that’s what we want. We have a lot of young people with room to progress, and we will give them that room. To sum up [nos attentes] in a word, we want growth. »
His boss, Geoff Molson, also stayed away from the word beginning with P. No promise of participation in the series. Few promises at all, in fact.
What would make him happy? ” Progression. We want [joueurs] who are becoming more mature, and ready to compete in the National League, even more than last year. »
As for general manager Kent Hughes, who dared to whisper the word last spring – “I don’t know if we’ll make the playoffs, but we want to push to make them” – this time he turned his tongue seven times in his mouth in front of journalists. He simply stated that the position in the ranking will be a “side effect” of the progression of the players and the team.
You will have understood that the senior management of the Canadiens has modest expectations. No victory targets. Points. Rank. Mind you, that might make them smile. “The key to happiness in life is to have low expectations,” the screenwriter of the last SpidermanChris Miller.
You can’t disappoint people who don’t have expectations. On the other hand, it is still possible to surprise them. It’s a win-win.
The season promises to be difficult. We suspected it. The Canadian finished last year in last place in his division, with a differential of -75. He will probably only have one new player in his lineup, Alex Newhook. Maybe two, if goaltender Casey DeSmith wins. I don’t see how the Habs will be able to catch up with the leading clubs this season. How many years from now, then?
It is unclear.
In a year ? In three years ? In five years ?
The Canadiens’ bosses are not commenting.
I accept the idea of reconstruction. In any case, at this stage, the process is irreversible. But the lack of a timetable annoys me. When does senior management plan to emerge from the underbelly? In 2025, when Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Jake Allen have expired? Earlier ? Later, like with the Arizona Coyotes, where general manager Bill Armstrong foresees a return to the playoffs in five to six years?
“It was a big decision two years ago to rebuild this team,” commented Geoff Molson. We saw all the NHL teams that did the same thing. It doesn’t happen overnight. ” It’s true. The average length of a rebuild, since the 2004 lockout, is about six seasons. I also recognize that it took courage. The risk of losing spectators was real.
It’s not easy to convince subscribers in the red to pay $12,203 (before taxes) for their pair of tickets when the club loses more often than it wins.
Or even, to hope that a family pays $500 for four tickets in the blues, knowing that the CH could be downgraded by a power in the league. Because despite the failures on the ice rink, ticket prices continue to increase.
“I see the progress [du Canadien], added Geoff Molson. I think we’re really on the right track to having a good long-term team. It is certain that one day, in the future, if things do not progress, it will be disappointing. But I have no doubt that the team will improve this year. »
Jeff Gorton gave examples of three players who improved last season: Kirby Dach, Samuel Montembeault and Michael Matheson. “There aren’t many players on our team who have reached their full potential. Very little. To the fans, I say: look at this team. She’s really young. Young players still have room to improve. This is a good reason to remain patient. »
“It may take more patience,” warned Geoff Molson. We’ll see. [Mais] I have no doubt that our team is young, fast and talented. I want to see young people develop even more. When they are ready, we will see a very exciting team. »
Everyone believes it.
Now we would like to know when.