It may not be obvious at first glance, but right now there is only good news in the Canadiens’ camp.
Of course, to find good news here, you have to have a degree of optimism equivalent to that of Jacques Demers who landed in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in 1993. But we swear to you that it is possible.
First good news, therefore: there are only 19 games left on the Canadian schedule. Does that seem unusual to you? It is not. In 19 games, we will be on April 14, the Canadiens players will empty their lockers in Brossard, and we can stop wondering if Sean Monahan is injured in his foot, hips, back or scalp, among others. possibilities.
In 19 games, it will also be the beginning of year three of the arrival in place of the one who decides everything, that is to say the vice-president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton. Fans should, in theory, start to spot signs that their team is heading in the right direction. The club’s staunchest lovers have already remarked that the facilities in Brossard are much more player-friendly, among other improvements, and that’s fabulous, but will that translate into more wins next season? We’ll see, but there is room for a little optimism.
Other good news: the Canadian will see quality opponents in these last 19 games.
Only this week, the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils will land at the Bell Center on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday respectively. All these teams are part of the top 10 in the overall league standings, with the Hurricanes coming in second.
By April 13, the Canadian must also face the Boston Bruins, the best team in the circuit, twice, in addition to seeing the Tampa Bay Lightning twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs another time, two more teams that place in the top 10. In addition to Tuesday’s, the Canadian will have another meeting with the Hurricanes, the 1er april. Did you say lottery?
Of course, not all of these matches will turn into defeats, but we can predict more defeats than wins, which will rekindle the flame of hope for fans who are fueled by abacus simulations and who daydream of a certain Connor Bedard.
Last good news: auditions for 2023-2024 are continuing. Over the next few weeks, we should know if Rafaël Harvey-Pinard deserves to be here full-time (probably), if Jonathan Drouin is still part of management’s plans (probably not), if Denis Gurianov can play as the choice of the first round that he once was (we doubt it) or if Joel Edmundson can still help this team on a regular basis (who knows?).
Then, the next four months can be devoted to the really important decisions, with at least this certainty at the key: it can’t be worse.
Allard in Laval
The Canadian announced Monday that Frédéric Allard will have to report to Laval. The defender was transferred to the Rocket of the American League, less than 24 hours after playing his second game in the National League, his first in the Montreal jersey.
During that game in Las Vegas on Sunday night, the 25-year-old had two shots on goal, and played for 11 minutes and 31 seconds, in a 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights. Allard, a 2016 Nashville Predators third-round pick, was acquired by the Canadiens from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.