(Vancouver) The Canadian’s start to the season exceeded the expectations of the overwhelming majority of fans and observers. Many of them were scratching their heads when Joel Edmundson, at the Habs golf tournament in September, said in all seriousness that the team was aiming for the playoffs.
The CH would not be there if they started today, but four points from the target, at the start of December, they are clearly more competitive than expected.
“We won a few more games than people expected,” admits Jeff Gorton, in an interview with The Press.
“But it didn’t really change our plan. We take our time with our young people,” added the executive vice-president of hockey operations.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The executive vice-president of hockey operations of the Canadiens, Jeff Gorton
It was a relatively cautious Gorton who indulged in The Press for about thirty minutes, Sunday evening, in a hotel in the city center. We can understand it. The team was expected by many in the “race” to obtain the first choice in the next draft and get their hands on the incandescent Connor Bedard. Or on one of the great consolation prizes expected at the start of the first round.
Except that CH exceeds very low expectations, due to different players.
Sean Monahan comes high in this list. The management of his file will be particularly enlightening as to the vision of Gorton and Kent Hughes. If they think in the short and medium term, on a horizon of about three years, offering a new contract to Monahan makes sense. If they think in the very long term, exchanging the number 91 becomes the preferred option, an option that will also prevail if Monahan prefers to pursue his career elsewhere next year.
“We didn’t have a lot of discussions. We let him play, he plays very well. He’s healthy and helping us win,” Gorton said. These decisions will take care of themselves. It’s the first week of December, we don’t have to decide now. I do not exclude that we would like to have it back. »
Gorton admits it: Monahan exceeds the expectations the team had when the Calgary Flames gave him outright to the Canadiens, adding a pick of 1er round as a thank you. He had 16 points in 24 games and played almost 18 minutes per game (before Monday’s game in Vancouver).
“He suffered so many injuries, it’s hard to come back after that, and especially to play so well. I am certainly surprised. He makes lots of little plays, he is smart defensively, excellent at face-offs. His contribution goes beyond the goals scored. Besides, he’s a good guy, so it’s very useful to have him with us. »
Speaking of injuries, we will also have to see if the one he suffered Monday in Vancouver is serious. He left the game midway through the second period. The team did not specify the cause, but on Thursday in Calgary he was wearing a protective boot.
More than once during the interview, Gorton will recall that CH has only played 24 games. Not yet a third of the season. Hence his great caution.
“We want to see our team play more, and we want to see Sean more. Anyway, very few people decide in December what they will do in March. »
A trio that turns heads
Monahan is one of the success factors, but in November the real powerhouse was the trio of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach. The attacking triumvirate totaled 16 goals in 13 games during the month. Suzuki’s long-term future is settled; he wears the “C” and his agreement is valid until 2030. For the other two, it is not so clear.
On the contract side, it’s settled for Dach, which is the first year of a four-year agreement. But at what position? Recall that he is a natural center, that he passed the camp in this position and that the plan was that he pilots one of the two intermediate lines. His hatching on Suzuki’s wing was unplanned.
“As an organization, you still see it in the middle,” says Gorton.
PHOTO JASON FRANSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
From left to right: Kirby Dach, Nick Suzuki, Chris Wideman and Cole Caufield
Does his future in the position depend on what will happen to Monahan, precisely?
“Sean has shown that his best position is in the middle. I think you can never have too many crosses. We’ll see. If Suzuki’s trio remains Martin’s trusted trio, we’ll see if Dach on the wing becomes a more permanent solution. »
And Caufield? No debate with him, he is a winger. But he’s in the final year of his rookie contract and with 58 points (36 goals, 22 assists) in 62 games since joining St. Louis behind the bench, he’s on his way to breaking the bank.
However, if we trust Gorton’s history with Rangers, Caufield could have to wait until the end of the season before everything is settled. In six years as Rangers GM, Gorton has signed only one impact player contract extension during the season. It was Chris Kreider, in February 2020, but the fast winger was then four months from full autonomy.
“We had to trade him if he didn’t sign a new contract,” Gorton said. But generally speaking, it’s smarter to settle contracts in the summer, when the guys don’t have their minds elsewhere. But I’m not ruling out a contract. I am open to everything. We don’t have a rigid rule.
“We are not very advanced. It moves slowly and it is wanted. Cole likes it here, he wants to stay and we recognize how well he plays. When we decide to move forward, I’m hopeful that it will be resolved quickly. »
And Slafkovsky?
Speaking of youngsters, the youngest of the group, Juraj Slafkovsky, faces adults for the second year in a row. Last year, he played in the Finnish first division, in addition to participating in the Olympic Games and the Senior World Championship.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Juraj Slafkovsky
Under the circumstances, it would therefore be surprising if the Habs released him to allow him to participate in the Junior World Championship, against players aged 18 and 19, during the holidays. But for the sake of conscience, you had to ask Gorton.
“We have not decided anything yet, assures the VP. We told the Slovak federation that we will watch him go and that we will decide at the last moment. At this time, we expect him to stay with us. So we told them to plan without him and that we would call them if that changed. He is playing quite well, we can see the progress. But that can change. Often teams don’t like to make last minute changes, but for a guy like him, I imagine they would work it out! »