The Canadian | Where will the improvement come from?

In recent weeks, Canadiens veterans have expressed a certain form of impatience with the team’s return to the playoffs.

In March, Nick Suzuki said he was “tired” that his team was among the sellers at the trade deadline. Tuesday, David Savard, who has experienced three failures in three years since his arrival in Montreal, and who is not getting any younger, also spoke.

“My goal in September is for us to go to the playoffs. It would be pretty special to experience it once in my life in Montreal. I saw it as a fan when I was young, the city gets pretty crazy,” the defender said.

Martin St-Louis is the first to say it: solutions are everywhere. This is also true for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. A transaction ? Hiring a renowned free agent? The progress of young people? Perlimpinpin powder?

The Hughes-Gorton duo has several solutions at hand. The question is whether he intends to use them at all costs. At first glance, it seems not.

Hughes gave the example of right-handed defenders, a convincing example if there ever was one. In the short term, the position is a weakness. The left-hander Kaiden Guhle was transferred to this side, but behind him, we find a Savard who will be 34 years old in October, a Justin Barron who is slow to blossom and a Johnathan Kovacevic whose limits we know.

The next generation is knocking at the door. Logan Mailloux played his first NHL game on Tuesday and David Reinbacher has 10 games in Laval under the belt, with two games remaining and more if the Rocket advances to the playoffs. But if the Habs wish to progress next year, the addition of a right-hander would be necessary in order to avoid suffering from the learning errors of young people. A temporary solution like what Sean Monahan was at center, to give Kirby Dach time to get comfortable.

“Let’s say we have the chance to get a veteran right-handed defender, and we have to give him three or four years (of contract). We know, by making the trade, that we are a better team next year, but at the same time, we prevent Mailloux or Reinbacher from progressing in the National League,” explained Hughes.

Completed organizational chart

If the Habs want to inject talent, they will have to make room, because with very few players at the end of their contract, the boxes are practically full for next season.

Up front, Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook form the core. Veterans Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson are essentially set in stone due to their hefty contracts, and Hughes has said he won’t pursue a buyout this summer. There are already seven positions occupied.

Added Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard as support players. If we also want to keep a place for Joshua Roy, very promising during his 23 matches in Montreal, here we are with 12 attackers.

On defense, there is downright congestion, with Lane Hutson and the aforementioned Mailloux and Reinbacher pushing.

Except when veterans have their uses to surround young talent. The Canadian lost a good one when he traded Sean Monahan. Jake Allen was another. That leaves Savard and Mike Matheson, as pleasant as ever.

“On the one hand, we want to continue to add talent. At the same time, places are limited on offense and defense, Hughes recalled. It’s a balance, how much we need veterans or leadership to surround the young guys, and how much we need talent. We will discuss it this summer. »

Only internally?

We feel the general staff is rather lukewarm about the idea of ​​targeting the big fish this summer. That said, Hughes may well want to hide his game, or simply avoid inflating expectations.

Because if he wants to get active, he has the means. He holds two choices of 1^er round this year, two in 2025, and two picks of 2^e tour that year. Should we remember that he drafted 20 players in the last two auctions? Montreal also enjoys flexibility under the salary cap, some $7.3 million, according to Cap-Friendly, even before placing Carey Price ($10.5 million) on the long-term injured list.

But many times in his conference, Hughes talked about organic, internal growth. First, he said he wanted his players to “take matters into their own hands”.

Later, Hughes wondered aloud. “We know we need to add offensive talent. I believe we need to improve the physical side of our team. How much is it by adding players, or by asking more from the players we have? »

Except that this progression does not happen by magic. All routes are unique. If they all pointed upwards, Joé Juneau would be in the Hall of Fame after a 102-point rookie year, and the Vezina Trophy would be renamed the Andrew Raycroft Trophy.

“Progression is not linear. Take Slaf (Juraj Slafkovksy). He had a big jump, but I expect him to take a side step before reaching his peak. »

Lots of clues pointing towards a quiet summer. It remains to be seen whether Hughes and Gorton will surprise us.