The Montreal Canadiens officially kicked off their training camp on Wednesday as the players underwent physical tests and medical examinations.
After a summer marked by departures of Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the news that Shea Weber’s career could be in jeopardy and the controversial selection of hopeful Logan Mailloux, the Canadian hopes to quickly prove he still has the tools to carve out a place in the playoffs and make it a long way.
A little over two months after their setback in the Stanley Cup final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Canadiens players are back to work. If the group remains mostly made up of established players, there will be some struggles to follow during camp. Players will also find themselves in the spotlight.
Positions available at the center
The Canadian quickly reacted to departure of Jesperi Kotkaniemi to Carolina following the Hurricanes’ hostile offer by getting Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes. But the departures of Danault and Kotkaniemi mean that the Habs center line will be very different this season.
Behind Nick Suzuki and Dvorak, there is a fight to be expected between Jake Evans, Cédric Paquette and Ryan Poehling for the center positions on the third and fourth lines. It is not impossible that Mathieu Perreault and Jonathan Drouin get tries at this position.
The options are therefore many, but head coach Dominique Ducharme must hope that two players will stand out enough to win the positions, rather than having to cede them by default to those who will start the camp in those chairs.
Small opening to the blue line
The Canadian has a seasoned quartet on defense with Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson, Ben Chiarot and David Savard. Alexander Romanov is expected to continue his apprenticeship with the big club after a checkered first campaign last winter.
There is therefore a position to be filled within the top-6 defensive end. Brett Kulak, starting his fourth season with the Canadiens, is well known to the coaching staff, which can be a double-edged sword. The Habs have repatriated from the KHL Chris Wideman, one of three right-handed defenders with a one-part contract with Petry and Savard.
The Canadian has also offered a try to Cody Goloubef, another right-hander, and management will be watching the work of prospects Kaiden Guhle and Mattias Norlinder.
Canadian star Carey Price is back on the skates, and the goalie appears to be recovering well from knee surgery he suffered in July.
Price, who was also affected by a hip injury and concussion last season, has proven over the past year that he can still shine when he’s healthy and rested. He played a major role in the Canadiens’ playoff success this spring.
The Canadian will need his US $ 10.5million man again if he is to be successful this winter. All eyes will therefore be on Price during the camp, to see if the one who celebrated his 34e birthday last month is ready for another long campaign.
Drouin, the mind rested
Jonathan Drouin has not played since April 21. He unveiled Monday in an interview with RDS and TVA Sports that he needed to take a step back to settle anxiety and insomnia problems which had affected him for “several years”.
Before going on hiatus, Drouin was going through a scarcity of 26 games without a goal. He was limited to two goals and 21 assists in 44 games last winter. The 26-year-old Quebecer is preparing to end the fifth season of the six-year, 33 million US dollar contract he signed with the Habs after his acquisition of the Lightning in June 2017.
Drouin never fully lived up to the expectations placed on him when he arrived in Montreal, but that doesn’t matter to him now, when he mostly wants to have fun on the rink. He will have the chance to count on an ally behind the bench in Ducharme, who led him at the junior level.
A surprise named Norlinder?
Echoes from Sweden were promising, but a roller coaster recruit camp may have calmed observers’ enthusiasm for defender Mattias Norlinder.
The 21-year-old Swede is considered one of the Habs’ best prospects at the blue line. At the rookie camp last weekend, he was on his first skating strokes on a North American rink, smaller than those in Europe. It looks like Norlinder will need some more time to adjust to his new surroundings. His five-foot-10, 179-pound build and game in his territory could also work against him.
Director of player development Rob Ramage indicated at the start of rookie camp that Norlinder will return to Sweden if he doesn’t carve out a job with the big club in the coming weeks. The march may still be a bit high for Norlinder, but the experience gained can only be positive in anticipation of the 2022 camp.
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