As the Canadian was preparing to get down to business on Monday in Brossard, four players learned that they were going to have to go through Laval.
Thus, goalie Jakub Dobeš, defenders Adam Engström and Logan Mailloux as well as forward Joshua Roy will all have to start the season in the American League with the Rocket.
No surprise there, no, but perhaps an ounce of disappointment in the case of Roy, to the extent that the Quebec player took part in 23 games last season with the Canadian, in addition to skating on occasion with a second trio during the camp which has just ended.
In the end, for him and for the three others who were cut, it was not enough.
[Roy] must continue to push. We know he has good potential, but he would be the first to say he hasn’t done enough [lors du camp]. We know that the potential is there, it must continue to make its mark.
Martin St-Louis, head coach of the Montreal Canadiens
In the case of Mailloux, also quite discreet since everyone returned to the Brossard training center in September, the Canadian coach spoke of a path that may be a little long, but which will bring him back sooner or later over here.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Logan Mailloux
“He had a really good camp, he trusts the plan we have for him… He’s a player who will play in the National League for many years. The plan has him starting the season in Laval, but I am very happy with his camp. »
With all that, there are still those who survived this Monday. Any surprises? Probably a little, and perhaps first in the case of Alex Barré-Boulet, a 27-year-old forward who was never drafted, but who found a way to hang on in this league, among others playing 36 games last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Everything suggests that he will have the opportunity to taste his first game with the Canadian at the opening of the season, Wednesday evening at the Bell Center against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alex Barré-Boulet (27)
It’s exciting, but for me it’s only the beginning. I know that I will have to earn my place every day. I’m not surprised as such, because I thought I had a good camp, but I wasn’t expecting anything, I just wanted to show them what I can do.
Alex Barré-Boulet
The Canadian completed his roster of 23 players by also choosing to trust Oliver Kapanen and Emil Heineman, who will both extend their stay with the club. In Kapanen’s case, a return to Sweden still remains possible. “But I didn’t talk about that with management,” he said.
Lane Hutson will also stay, but in his case, it is far from being a surprise, since the management of the Canadian obviously has very high regard for him.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Lane Hutson
“I experienced several different emotions when I heard the news,” replied the young defender. I know I still have work to do…I’m excited to be able to work with the guys on the team, but I didn’t know what the team was going to decide about me, I had no idea. »
After all that, is the Canadian ready to start the season? The question arises, especially because the camp which has just ended was not conducive to preparation: fights, injuries, expulsions and other distractions will have been on the menu, which is far from being conducive to a rapprochement of this elusive “mix” that everyone talks about.
But Martin St-Louis is not worried.
“I think we are much further ahead compared to last year,” he explained. I wish we had more practice time [‟répétitions”] with the whole group. For the final product, we may be a little late, but we are not the only ones, because of the kind of preparatory matches that were played, it’s not just us, but the league in general. It’s going to take a match to see where we really are, but on a collective level, I think we’re ahead compared to last year. »
The mystery of the power play
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Martin St-Louis, head coach of the Montreal Canadiens
We know that the Canadian concluded the preparatory schedule with a record of 0 for 30 on the power play, but Martin St-Louis refuses to worry about that. All the same, during training on Monday, the Canadian spent many minutes working on this aspect of the game, among others with the first unit, made up of the first trio, Kirby Dach and Mike Matheson. According to the Canadian coach, his club could benefit from the surprise effect. “I’m happy, because we didn’t show anyone anything!” “, he explained Monday to general hilarity.
Monday’s training session
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Newhook-Dach-Armia
Barré-Boulet-Dvorak-Anderson
Heineman-Evans-Gallagher
(Kapanen-Pezzetta)
Matheson-Guhle
Hutson-Savard
Xhekaj-Barron
(Struble-day treatments)
Montembeault
Primeau