Where were you on January 10, 2019? The most politicized were awaiting the results of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Laurent Dauphin, him, donned the uniform of the Arizona Coyotes for a trivial game against the Vancouver Canucks. But 1,061 days later, he still hasn’t played in the National League again.
Dauphin is hopeful that that will change this Tuesday, when the Lightning visits Tampa Bay. On Monday, the forward trained with the Habs in Brossard, within one of the four main lines. The CH currently has as many injured as the team of Jackass after a shoot at the fireworks store. Dauphin’s turn could finally come.
“He has a good chance of playing,” agreed Dominique Ducharme, after training on Monday.
I’ll wait until I jump on the ice to say anything!
Laurent Dauphin
We can understand Dauphin to be careful. He’s been waiting for another chance for almost three years. He thought he would get it in March 2020, in fact. The Canadiens had reminded him, the news had not yet been announced, but at the same time, the NHL was suspending its season due to the pandemic.
Good start
Dauphin still clung to his goal. Last year, he amassed 16 points in 21 games with the Rocket. And this season, here it is at 2e rank in the American League with 11 goals.
“I’m at home, I’m really happy to play in front of the world in my place, so the motivation has always been there,” he says. Three or four years ago it was more difficult, but since I’ve been here I’ve always had a lot of motivation. ”
But Dauphin is now 26 years old. His choice status of 2e tower (39e in total) in the 2013 draft obviously no longer counts in the eyes of decision-makers. And he arrives at that ungrateful age where he is developed enough to render proud services to the school club, but too old to pass in front of hopes in sight.
It is indeed rare to see players establishing themselves full-time in the NHL after their mid-twenties. But Dauphin has two examples in his entourage, and he intends to be inspired by them.
“I don’t know how old Alex Burrows started out, but he told me about it last year. And there is Michael Bunting, a closer example. He’s a good friend of mine, we played together in Tucson and we grew up playing hockey together. It’s inspiring. ”
Burrows, an assistant coach with the Canadiens, was indeed 25 when he played his first full season in the NHL with the Canucks. Two years later, he would have the first of 4 consecutive seasons of 25 or more goals. The forward ultimately retired after 913 NHL games.
Bunting, on the other hand, won a full-time job with the Maple Leafs this season, at age 26. He has played 26 games this season, as much as his NHL total before the campaign began. And with 18 points, he is establishing himself more and more within the first two lines.
And Clague?
It is still early to predict the ways of Jeff Gorton, the new vice-president of hockey operations of the Canadiens. But under his predecessor, Marc Bergevin, water seasons like this gave players a chance to find a permanent position in the NHL.
In 2017-18, defensemen Mike Reilly and Joe Morrow got this chance. In 2015-2016, the door opened for Paul Byron and Mark Barberio. Byron is obviously the one for whom this has worked the best.
We will have to see how long Dauphin’s hearing will last. But Kale Clague can expect a real chance.
Claimed from the Kings on waivers on Saturday, Clague took part in a first training session with his new teammates on Monday. A few minutes later, Ducharme announced that Joel Edmundson still had “a few weeks”. It does not seem to be going well for Jeff Petry either, absent from training and whose presence at Tuesday’s game was described as “doubtful” by the coach. Not to mention Mattias Norlinder, who is at risk of being sent back to Sweden, and Ben Chiarot, who will be a player coveted by the other 31 NHL GMs by the trade deadline.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CANADIAN
Kale clague
Like Dauphin, Clague is a former choice of 2e turn, and he was unable to establish himself with the Kings, who are not yet a powerhouse on the blue line. Does he feel any pressure to establish himself in the NHL before losing his status as a “prospect”?
“Maybe a little bit, but I’m 23, I feel like I’m still pretty young,” replied the left-handed defender. I feel like I can take the next step and become a full time player. ”
Clague will have an ally in his corner in Dominique Ducharme, who has led him through two consecutive editions of the World Junior Championships with Team Canada.
“It’s an interesting project, it is still young, it has good qualities,” Ducharme recalled. He passes the puck well, he skates well. He has good tools. The door opens. It is up to him to take his place. ”
Weeks without Toffoli
There was talk of Petry’s “dubious” presence on Tuesday. It’s the same for Joel Armia, also absent in training. But the most concerning case is that of another striker, Tyler Toffoli. Ducharme was miserly on details, content to talk about an upper body injury. “It may be quite long”, he warned, specifying that the duration of his absence will be counted “in weeks”. As for Carey Price, Ducharme said, without surprising anyone, that “it is unlikely that he will play before Christmas”.