Let’s not try to sugarcoat the truth: there is something mysterious in the appearance of Lucas Condotta in the Canadian locker room.
His recall of the Laval Rocket late Wednesday evening, after the Rocket’s victory, caused some surprise. We suspect that management’s decision was already made, but we will note here that he obtained two assists in this meeting. What a life, all the same.
However, he was not exactly on the radar of observers, even the most astute, of this beautiful game that is hockey. Employed on the Rocket’s third line, he is having a fairly quiet season offensively, with 13 points in 37 games so far.
Martin St-Louis had, obviously, not been given the mission of making an enthusiastic promotion of his new player, who had also played a match last season with the Habs.
“He is a center player, who has good physique and good details,” he summarized. The head coach expects Condotta to “play a game simple” and let his team benefit from his imposing size. At 6’1″ he’s not a colossus, but at 223 pounds he doesn’t let that weigh him down.
It is easy to explain the desire to repatriate a center player to the big club. After Mitchell Stephens was traded to the Rocket on Tuesday, the Canadian played a game with only three centers against the Ottawa Senators. It didn’t work at all. It quickly became clear that the experiment would not last.
We could have expected a return from Stephens, who did some honest work in Montreal. Otherwise, the recall of veterans Philippe Maillet or Lias Andersson. Condotta, however, seemed further down the list. We know the rest.
Why him, though? ” Why not ? », St-Louis wondered out loud, before praising his “behavior in Laval”. “It’s not just one thing,” he concluded.
A native of Ontario, Condotta, 26, agreed with the Canadian as a free agent shortly before the end of the 2021-2022 season. He previously spent four years in the NCAA with UMass-Lowell.
“Natural leader”
The enthusiasm was much more palpable among those who met him at the Rocket.
“He plays hard, everyone sees how hard he works,” noted Jayden Struble. He is a natural leader. »
“He was the first to arrive at the arena to work with the rookie players,” added Arber Xhekaj. During matches, he goes into difficult places, he obscures the goalkeeper’s view… He brings a lot, every night. Things will go well for him at the Bell Centre. »
“He is constant: you always know what you are going to get from him,” added Cayden Primeau. I know he doesn’t have many points this season, but he should be rewarded more than that. He’s a workhorse, a coach’s dream. »
In front of his locker, Condotta had an easy smile. He joked that he felt “a little pressure” at the idea of maintaining his average of one goal per game, having scored in his very first appearance in an NHL game last April.
He challenges himself to be “tough to face” and to “make life difficult for opposing defenders”.
He and St-Louis spoke succinctly on the ice during morning practice. His coach told him, in essence, “not to think too much, just play [sa] game “.
“I was happy to have this reminder,” he said. We’ll see what happens! »
Among the Canadian skaters, the entry on the scene of Lucas Condotta will be the only change made to the lineup against the New York Islanders this Thursday evening. Otherwise, Samuel Montembeault will defend the local net during the return, almost in secret, of Patrick Roy behind the opposing bench.
Jordan Harris and Jesse Ylönen will therefore be left out. For the Finn, this will be the third match in a row that he will watch from the press box.