Achi news desk-
The 2023-2024 season has ended for the Montreal Canadiens.
Aside from yet another full infirmary, it was a positive season for the Canadiens as the rebuild continues in earnest. This rebuild is in the hands of the best general management the Canadiens have had since Serge Savard. Kent Hughes is that good.
Game 82 saw the Canadiens and Red Wings play another dandy with Detroit winning in a shootout 5-4. Montreal had 25 one-goal losses this season.
Wilde Horses
The future looks so bright on defense. The next wave had a chance to shine the last two games, and did they ever. It was expected that Lane Hutson might need a year’s worth of seasoning in the minors, but judging from the two games he played, that needs to be reassessed.
Hutson looked extremely comfortable at the NHL level. He logged over 22 minutes of ice on Monday, and on Tuesday, he was on at 23.32. He made excellent plays all over the sheet.
When Hutson was on the ice with Nick Suzuki’s line, the Canadiens were a handful in Detroit’s zone. He read their actions beautifully, often finding free passes.
Hutson finally got a chance to show off his skills on the power play and he lived up to the senior billing. On one rush, he won the offensive zone by easily confusing three players. Hutson moved around two and gave up another, before finally feeding it to a teammate.
These were the skills the Canadiens hoped he could translate to the pro game, and in two contests, he had no difficulty at all. In the third period, Hutson held the puck for eight seconds, weaving through every Wings player. He ended up getting off a shot in the slot that was barely stoppable. It was stunning. The crowd was buzzing.
On his next shift, he buzzed so brilliantly on the blue line that he made David Perron do a 360. Then Perron stepped back and quit. He gave up. Hutson shot it towards goal where Juraj Slafkovsky deflected it.
For Slafkovsky, it was goal number 20. He was mobbed by his teammates. It was significant, as it was the goal that took home his $250,000 performance bonus. Hutson was the architect of the goal. It was magnificent.
As far as Hutson’s play on defense, he wasn’t challenged as much in his second game. Again, it looked just like it did at Boston University. No difficulties at all. He will not be in Laval next season. He’s too good.
Logan Mailloux played his first NHL game on Tuesday as a reward for an outstanding season in Laval. Mailloux, one of the best defensemen in the American Hockey League, has a big shot, and uses his big frame in majestic fashion.
Mailloux tends to face the occasional gaffe defensively, but talent is the basis of being a top four defender in the NHL, while the better decisions are confirmation to work on over time. Mailloux has all the offensive skill needed to be a strong NHL defenseman.
Just like Hutson on Monday night, Mailloux also got help in his first stint of NHL hockey. It wasn’t as pretty as Hutson’s three players, but he started a two-on-one rush with an outlet pass to Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher then set up Alex Newhook perfectly, and fired home.
The email you need for the day
top news stories from Canada and around the world.
Newhook and Gallagher have both been hot in the last dozen, scoring a point per game as they seem excited for next season already. Newhook set career highs in goals and points this season. Not bad for a player who missed a third of the year.
Gallagher also showed that he is far from done with his second half of the season. Gallagher scored twice on Monday and added another on Tuesday to finish with 16 goals on the season. For a player without a lot of power play time, 16 is a solid total.
The Suzuki line also got its usual nod. Assist Suzuki finished his season with 77 points, easily eclipsing his best of 66 last year. Not quite a point-per-game player, but next season, he feels like he’s getting there.
Cole Caufield got the goal to end his disappointing season (sic) with 28 goals. If only everyone’s seasons could be so disappointing. The line finished the season with 51 goals in its last 41 games. The Canadiens are on the verge of their first 100-goal streak since Bellows-Damphousse-Mullen in 1993.
Wilde goats
The big negative to come out of the final day of the season is that Kaiden Guhle confirmed that he suffered a concussion. Guhle has not been in the lineup since being hit from behind by Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was a foul shot that the NHL did nothing about; the Canadiens’ teammates also didn’t let Kucherov skate free after hitting Guhle between the numbers. It is the second concussion Guhle has suffered this season. The cumulative effects of concussion are the greatest danger, and the fact that Guhle has suffered so much unnecessarily is worrying.
Guhle feels better, but not well enough to play in the last game of the season. He has been asked to play for Canada in the upcoming world championships. Guhle has accepted the invitation, but will not play unless he feels healthy.
The worlds in Czechia start on May 10th.
Arber Xhekaj also met the media before the match. The big reveal in that interview was that Xhekaj played almost the entire season with an injured shoulder. He also admitted to keeping the injury a secret from the Canadiens coaching staff.
Xhekaj wanted to play hockey, but that is not advised. Doctors will tell you if you can do long-term damage by playing. That’s advice to listen to. Thankfully, Xhekaj will be ready for next season.
An unusual negative is that the Canadiens’ point gained makes it harder to enter the lottery as the fifth seed. In order to get the five-spot, the Coyotes must, at the very least, tie in their last ever contest in Arizona. The Coyotes will host the Edmonton Oilers. The Canadiens secure, at least, the six spots after Ottawa won in Boston.
Wilde cards
The Canadiens are about to come out of this rebuild. They still need 50 to 60 goals, and they should get a large proportion of that with the emergence of a second line next season led by a healthy Kirby Dach. Joshua Roy will also return from injury, and Alex Newhook’s position will stabilize with regular teammates, and a move to his more comfortable position on the wing.
The club will also draft somewhere from five to eight which will also lead to a big improvement as the talent in the forward position is excellent this draft. Barring the Canadiens winning the lottery to acquire Macklin Celebrini, they would look to Ivan Demidov, Cayden Lindstrom, Berkly Catton, Tij Iginla, and even Cole Eiserman to add goals in the coming years.
However, they may not actually use that top pick, and they may not use the pick acquired by the Winnipeg Jets, either. GM Kent Hughes can opt to acquire proven NHL talent with his first round picks. He may also use his excess talent on the blue line to dramatically improve the roster this summer.
The Canadiens have 12 bona fide NHL defensemen, but only six roster spots for them. Couple this with a dearth of high-quality forwards, and the idea that there could be big moves is one that needs to be addressed.
Listening to all the conversations that owner Geoff Molson has with various media, it is quite clear that the organization feels that they are close to moving to turn the future into the now. Montreal has a lot of assets, but they don’t have a star.
The Canadiens have more cap space than they need, and if they don’t play the market this season, then the following year a player like Leon Draisaitl would end the rebuild and start the excitement The free agent market is calling for Hughes to strike at the right moment.
The players have to want to come, and that is the best news in this new regime. While previous regimes had phrases like, ‘if you want loyalty, get a dog’, this management team treats the players with such respect that momentum around the league is building that Montreal is a destination to come. still a great environment.
This was not always such an important aspect in Michel Therrien’s day, but in today’s world it is very important. Martin St Louis is a coach that players want to be close to. The scuttlebutt of the league is that St. Louis creates an environment where learning and growth are the building blocks for wins and titles. There is no tough love, just love.
Hughes has gained a reputation as a tough negotiator, but also as a man who values ​​people. It may sound strange to say about a team that finished near the bottom of the standings that the future looks brighter now than it has at any time this century, but that is the truth.
Have a great summer. Thanks for reading. Without you, Call of the Wilde only exists in my head.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after every Canadiens game.
Ad blocking test (Why?)
Source link
Related
