(Vancouver) Throughout his career, Laurent Dauphin has never been able to play a season of more than 24 games in the NHL. On Wednesday night in Vancouver, that personal mark, however modest, will be taken down.
Posted at 7:48 p.m.
Jumping on the ice against the Canucks, the 26-year-old center will be at a 25and game this season. It’s not a special brand, and around here no one expects a two-minute tribute on the giant screen to mark the event, but for a player who has spent the last three seasons buried in the American League, it is still significant.
“It means something to me,” he said after Tuesday’s practice at Rogers Arena. I was looking to establish myself in this league, without feeling like I was just trying to survive. That’s what I’m doing right now. »
In January 2020, when the Canadiens and the Nashville Predators chose to try something in the trade market, it was something very minor. Basically, the two clubs were exchanging hopes that had disappointed: Michael McCarron was passing through the country capital, and Dauphin was going to come here, he who had previously been a second-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2013 .
Two years later, the two men are experiencing a kind of rebirth on their own, and Dauphin, in addition, seems to have found a form of cohesion with his two wingers of the moment, Brendan Gallagher and Mike Hoffman.
“I’m comfortable with the line I’m playing with, it’s going well for us,” he added. But of course it’s the coach’s decision… we’ve been playing together for a few games, and this continuity is important. They are two veterans, I have become comfortable and confident with them. Brendan works hard at each shift and Mike is a maverick, we complement each other well.
“Playing for the Canadiens has always been a dream, and coming back to the National League too. So it’s like a two for one in my eyes! These are very good times for me. »
Before this season, Dauphin had his best campaign in 2016-17, with his 24 games (and 3 points) in the jersey of the Coyotes. Then he had to settle for only 2 games and 1 game seasons with the Coyotes, before spending time, a lot of time, in the American League. This is also where he was this season in Laval before receiving a phone call from the Canadian.
We understand that he doesn’t really feel like going back there.
“What I want to do is be confident, as confident as I was in the American League,” he concluded. I want to be able to play the same way. »
Homecoming Alex Burrows (sort of)
No, Alex Burrows isn’t a Vancouver guy, but he’s played here for almost 12 seasons, which makes him almost a Vancouver guy, and besides, the Canucks have already given him a spot at the top of the arena, in their ring of honor. But today, of course, he is one of the assistants at CH, and he is already on his third coach by his side. Like the players, he has noticed the wind of change that has been blowing since the arrival of Martin St-Louis. “The biggest change is really the change in philosophy of the new regime. It’s a continuation of what Jeff (Gorton) and Kent (Hughes) brought. At the beginning, with only Jeff, we were a bit in the dark, we didn’t really know what was going to happen. Kent arrived, Martin too, and it’s a new philosophy. Players have a lot of fun playing in this system. It’s going really well, we hope it continues, but obviously we’re going to have pitfalls, with the trade deadline… but we’re continuing, we hope to establish a solid foundation for next season. »
Learn more
-
- Canadian record in its last 10 games: 7-3-0