The Canadian | Rare struggles with uncertain outcome

A few hours before the Habs’ eighth and final exhibition game, and four days before the official start of the 2022-2023 season, The Press hover over the training status.

Simon Olivier Lorange
The Press

In attack

It’s in the pocket

We wrote it in every way imaginable: the Canadian started his training camp with a surplus of veterans in attack. In light of preseason games, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Drouin, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Hoffman and Nick Suzuki can probably sleep well.

We allow ourselves to add the name of Rem Pitlick to the list, because his complicity with Evans will earn him good points for a position on the fourth line. The informed reader will have already counted 12 names, to which we will add those of Juraj Slafkovsky and Sean Monahan (we’ll talk about it later). Choices will be necessary, because not everyone will be able to play all the matches.

It is complicated

One could write a novel about Slafkovsky, his name has been mentioned so often over the past few months. Obviously, he intrigues the coaching staff, who gave him every chance to show what he is capable of. Logically for an 18-year-old player, he had a camp marked by ups and downs. In five games, he was combined with four center players. He was used extensively on the power play, but not at all during Thursday night’s game. The backgrounds of the players drafted first overall lend weight to the scenario of a position in Montreal, but no one can say beyond any doubt that he will not be transferred to the Laval Rocket. The wait is over, but it is not over. Michael Pezzetta, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylönen, they seem destined for the Rocket. Pezzetta had a very cozy camp, but he must go through waivers. Armia’s injury could extend his stay in Montreal by a few days.

The hidden map

Where is Sean Monahan in the organization chart of the CH? Good question. Freshly recovered from major hip surgery, he played just two exhibition games, earning sizeable offensive assignments each time. However, he looks like, in spite of himself, the extra center player. At this position, the positions of Suzuki and Dvorak are assured. That of Dach, acquired at a high price during the summer, seems solid. Jake Evans can also play on the wing, but his defensive skills could help him keep his favored position. It would therefore send Monahan to the wing, although we could resign ourselves to a rotation.

In defense

It’s in the pocket

The list is cruelly short. Among veterans, it is limited to Michael Matheson, David Savard and Chris Wideman. And of course Joel Edmundson, although the latter, who injured his back just before the start of camp, will still be absent for an “indefinite” period. The team has released no new information on this for the past two weeks. Among young people – and there are many of them – we can bet that Kaiden Guhle will be in the starting lineup on October 12 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The first choice of the CH in 2020 plays with calm and confidence, and he makes very few mistakes. Of course he will commit some – a bad leap reminded him of this at the end of the match last Tuesday – but Guhle seems to have already won his bet.

It is complicated

Justin Barron, Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj all have undeniable qualities, each in their niche. But none of the three showed Guhle’s poise and consistency. However, there are so many holes in the Montreal defense that we can assume that at least one of the three will get a job. Barron has the advantage of being right-handed, a rarity in the organization, while Xhekaj brings a toughness and intimidation factor like no one else to the team. We should also not ignore Corey Schueneman, older than his acolytes, who seems to enjoy good credibility with the coaches despite a more subdued profile.

The hidden cards

Madison Bowey and Otto Leskinen. It’s not common that two veterans labeled “American League” are still in the NHL at this point. Neither of them is gifted, but one has 158 games of NHL experience, and the other has six professional seasons behind the tie – in Laval, in the KHL or in the Finnish championship. Since they must be waived before being sold to the Rocket, we are obviously waiting at the last minute before making a decision. If we judge that the group of young people is too green for the big club, we could well turn to these candidates, even if they are not the ones who will sell jerseys at the Bell Centre. We could also go through the list of players on waivers, over the next few days, to add reinforcements.

In front of the net

It’s not that hard

Only one category among goalkeepers, since the suspense is eminently sustainable. The indisputable number 1 is now Jake Allen.

He’s not a star in the NHL, but neither Samuel Montembeault nor Cayden Primeau have shown any hint of a changing of the guard in the hierarchy of masked men. Martin St-Louis cast doubt at the start of the camp, saying that the role of assistant was yet to be assigned. However, neither was sparkling. In these circumstances, logic would dictate that we cede Primeau to the Rocket and that Montembeault should support Allen.