The Montreal Canadiens negotiated the last four-game trip to Western Canada and Seattle with a roster of 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Not exactly ideal for being a constant offensive threat in a league as competitive as the NHL.
Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Forwards Jonathan Drouin and Mike Hoffman trained with their teammates Thursday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
Drouin and Hoffman, however, wore dark blue jerseys, meaning they couldn’t take hits. While waiting to find out if they will soon be able to return to training, two other players were conspicuous by their absence on Thursday: David Savard and Sean Monahan.
Monahan hasn’t played since Dec. 5, when he scored a goal against the Vancouver Canucks. For his part, Savard has been absent since the December 3 game against the Edmonton Oilers. Head coach Martin St-Louis, however, did not want to comment on their state of health.
” I have no idea. Today is a day to pick up our pace, and recover from the jet lag in the West. I’m sure we’ll have more information tomorrow (Friday), ”he said on this subject.
As for Drouin and Hoffman, they haven’t played since November 12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and November 19 against the Philadelphia Flyers respectively.
Space for Jake Evans
It is in this context that support players, such as Jake Evans and Juraj Slafkovsky, could be called upon to obtain more playing time within attacking lines. It also seems that it is in the boxes of St-Louis.
“Because of the circumstances, he (Evans) found himself in a slightly more defensive role, but we know that he has a little more attack in his “game”. We’ll see what happens (in the next few days),” he said, noting that Evans regularly gets scoring chances on the fourth line.
“He might get a little more finishing around the net if he played on a higher line in the hierarchy, continued the former star player of the Tampa Bay Lightning. But Jake is able to move the puck in the right direction, to create offense. Jake is a consistent guy, and you always know what you’re going to get from him. Will he get a bigger attacking role if we lose Monahan for a long time? Maybe, but we’ll go day by day. »
Evans has had his share of trouble on offense, however, with a meager four assists in 26 games this season. A performance well below his season of 29 points (13-16) in 72 games in 2021-1922 – his best in the NHL career. The 26-year-old player is not overly concerned, however, thanks in particular to the maturity acquired over the years.
“It was frustrating in the first 10 or 12 games of the season,” he admitted. But it’s even worse when you don’t get chances to score. Which is not the case now. I will not change my way of playing defensively, by cheating for example, in order to get more points. It wouldn’t work for me, I know that.
“I have to focus on what I can contribute, and right now that’s my job in the face-off circle and on the penalty kill. If I have to block shots, I will, even if it means I have to let Cole (Caufield) score the goals, ”he added, causing some laughter in the room.
Slafkovsky must adjust to the NHL
On the other hand, Slafkovsky worked with the director, hockey development of the Canadiens, Adam Nicholas, before the start of the training session on certain aspects of his game. handling with your head held high, in order to avoid finding yourself in a precarious situation.
This initiative is not unrelated to the fact that the Slovak regularly receives hard-hitting checks, notably that of Luke Schenn during the last game against the Canucks.
“These are tendencies that we are trying to correct. It takes practice, discussions, video, and we will continue to do that with him, ”summarized St-Louis.
For his part, Evans is not too worried about the first choice of the last draft of the NHL. After all, hard-hitting hits, he took a few in his first seasons — including that of Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets in the playoffs in 2021.
“I think he (Slafkovsky) is starting to adapt to this league, to use his size and speed more effectively,” Evans said. Guys get bigger the higher you go up the hockey ladder. I’m sure where he came from, there were probably fewer hits. He has to adjust, but he’s big, and he’ll find a way to do that — just like he’s done for the rest of his game so far. »
The Canadian will take over the collar on Saturday, when the Los Angeles Kings will be the visitors at the Bell Center. The Habs will then try to sign a second victory in a row.