Let the Canadian lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs, okay. Against the New York Rangers, okay. But against the Buffalo Sabers and the San Jose Sharks? The same week?
Have you watched the Sharks roster? They came here with a starting goalie who has been a reservist his entire career. With three forwards with less than 20 minutes of NHL experience. And without their best scorer, suspended for having falsified his vaccine passport. Despite everything, the Sharks massacred, destroyed and humiliated the Canadian. His home. 5 to 0.
Is the season still young? It’s true. Except that I remind you that the defeats of October are worth as much as those of April: no point, out of a possibility of two. In addition, the disappointments of the Canadian did not begin Tuesday evening. They have persisted since the start of training camp.
So no, these defeats are not just mishaps.
These are signs of a lost team. Broken.
The attack is disheartening. Defense, hopeless. The mayonnaise between the old players and the new ones does not take. The one that linked the owner Geoff Molson and the general manager Marc Bergevin obviously remained too long on the counter. All this on the eve of a long trip to the American West, without its captain or star guardian.
That.
Go.
Wrong.
***
Last year, the owner of the Canadian, Geoff Molson, told me that he was inspired by FC Barcelona. It’s interesting – especially in the current context.
The two clubs are alike. They are two very large organizations, with supporters all over the world. Both teams have also seen success recently. Since 2015, FC Barcelona has won 12 trophies. The Canadian has just reached the Stanley Cup final.
Except that today, the two teams are falling apart. The same time. And for the same reason.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, ARCHIVES THE PRESS
Geoff molson
FC Barcelona has long relied on a core of aging veterans, around Lionel Messi and other players trained at his academy, La Masia, in the early 2000s.
In the Stanley Cup final last summer, the Canadian also relied on a strong group of veterans, around Shea Weber, Carey Price and other excellent acquisitions of Marc Bergevin, either on the trading market or on the free agent market.
But at the same time, for 10 years, FC Barcelona and the Canadian have made major mistakes in recruiting.
Of course, in the lot there were some good moves. Like Cole Caufield at the Canadian or Ansu Fati in Barcelona. But not enough to compensate for the injuries and the departures of the hard core of veterans.
Let’s focus on the Canadian. Precisely on his game on Tuesday night against the Sharks. Do you know how many players drafted by the club for 10 years were in the training? Only three. Cole Caufield, Artturi Lehkonen and Alexander Romanov. And this, even if 12 players who participated in the last series are either injured or left.
It is insufficient.
Just as it is abnormal that head coach Dominique Ducharme has to employ a recently claimed cross on waivers, Adam Brooks, on his third line. Or a veteran defenseman imported from the KHL, Chris Wideman, on the power play. That says a lot about management’s assessment of his 21-plus first and second-round picks like Ryan Poehling, Jesse Ylönen and Josh Brook. Not to mention all the first and second round picks lost for nothing.
Over the past 10 years, the Canadiens have benefited from two very well-placed picks. The third, in 2012 and 2018. Choices around which the franchises all hope to build their alignment. The two drafted players, Alex Galchenyuk and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, have left. At least Kotkaniemi will have left an imprint and helped the Canadian reach the Stanley Cup final – before being cut off from roster in the last few games.
When you follow the branches of the transaction tree, Marc Bergevin did well. The Canadian is reunited today with Josh Anderson and Christian Dvorak. Two good players, who are under long-term contract with the Canadian. Dvorak may even have a better career than Kotkaniemi. But as good as they are, Anderson and Dvorak are second-line players at the moment, and the squad is not (yet) built around them.
***
Back to FC Barcelona.
How are its leaders trying to get out of the crisis?
With great blows of dynamite.
The new president first publicly declared the “end of a cycle”. He then let Lionel Messi go to Paris. Deprived of its star, FC Barcelona is now seventh in La Liga, behind clubs it would once have slaughtered, such as Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano. The earth is on fire – and it is likely to flare up for a long time to come, while the club reorganizes its debt of nearly $ 2 billion (!).
The Canadian also finds himself at a crossroads. Fortunately, without the debts. Except that the disastrous performance of the team this season affects the finances of the company.
Tuesday night, against the Sharks, there were thousands of empty seats in the reds. On resale sites, tickets in the heights of the Bell Center were sold for only $ 25. Those in the reds? For $ 60. The ratings of the first games – a sign of the interest of fans – are well below expectations. And this, despite the recent presence in the Stanley Cup final. It’s worrying.
What will Geoff Molson do? Will he burn the earth to generate new shoots, as the leaders of FC Barcelona did? I highly doubt it. It is not the style of the house. The supporters of the club and the local media are not specifically recognized for their patience.
On the other hand, I expect that Geoff Molson will also soon declare the “end of a cycle”. The one that culminated with a participation in the Stanley Cup final. And that he announces to us, at the same time, something which resembles the beginning of a new five-year plan.