My question is for the loyal Canadiens fans who paid hundreds of dollars to witness Thursday night’s 9-2 massacre in person. Or the 8-2 debacle against the Seattle Kraken in October. Or the recent 7-2 rout against the New York Rangers. Or the humiliating 6-2 thaw against the Vegas Golden Knights last month. Worse, four beatings, if you are subscribed.
Worse, reconstruction, is it still fun? ?
I’m asking you the question, because among trade show enthusiasts, there is a nasty gang who continue to party as if it were still 2022. Remember this strange winter. The Habs lost nine in a row? Hooray! Ten in a row? Bravissimo! The club finished last in the standings? We’re making the wave. Each goal allowed brought Montreal closer to the ultimate goal: winning the draft lottery.
What followed was a series of transactions, each more formidable than the last. Sean Monahan? A flight. Michael Matheson? A flight. Justin Barron? A flight. Kirby Dach? A flight. Alex Newhook? A flight. Denis Gurianov? A flight. Ty Smilanic? OK, maybe not Ty Smilanic. But you can add to that list of thefts a dozen draft picks, from Owen Beck to Bogdan Konyushkov.
Of course, the Canadian made some good shots. Matheson is one of them. The selection of Lane Hutson in the second round is genius. Ivan Demidov excites me just as much. Except that if the club had really made around fifteen flights, shouldn’t it be the envy of everyone? At least, to be making strong progress for three years?
Because that’s not the case. The Canadian is last in the Eastern Association. He has only beaten 2 of the top 15 teams in the league. Only the Pittsburgh Penguins give up more goals per game. Also, several players at the heart of the recovery are running out of fuel:
- Juraj Slafkovsky has just one goal in his last 22 games;
- Alex Newhook, who plays in the top 6 and in numerical superiority, has no mention of help;
- Kirby Dach is completely lost;
- Justin Barron, acquired as an offensive defenseman, has only one point;
- Logan Mailloux and Joshua Roy convinced no one during their short auditions;
- Cayden Primeau is the worst goalie in the NHL.
“We certainly don’t have the start to the season we were hoping for,” agreed the club’s vice-president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton, in an interview with Amazon Prime last week. Because no, all these failures are not part of any plan to ensure that the Canadian remains in the basement of the rankings. No one in the organization can be satisfied to see Slafkovsky, Dach or Barron pull off so many.
Besides, what’s the problem? The evaluation? Development? Workforce management? All three? Is there even a problem? It would be relevant to know management’s opinion on this subject. Despite all these embarrassing home losses, neither Jeff Gorton nor Kent Hughes has yet done a press conference since the opener.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Canadian head coach Martin St-Louis
Credit to head coach Martin St-Louis, who does not shy away, even when his team collapses and gives six, seven, eight or nine goals. He tried to stir things up on Thursday by changing the lines, then giving a few minutes in relief to Cayden Primeau, who has been benched for five games. In vain. The situation has only gotten worse. One wonders if there are still internal solutions to progress in the short term, or if the CH is condemned to wait for its reinforcements from the draft, with all the risks associated with a club which welcomes several young people in same time.
So far, the Canadian’s supporters have shown exemplary patience. Now, for how many years will they tolerate so many massacres at home?
I see that the gap is widening between those who pay for their tickets and those who carry out abacus simulations at home. The former express their frustration more and more loudly. You could hear it Thursday, the boos and sarcastic applause echoed through the Bell Center. The latter perceive this reconstruction experience as a great game, from which the club will emerge victorious at an indefinite moment which matters little. Between the two, we also find a large base of increasingly disinterested supporters, especially during losing streaks.
A reconstruction is a luxury. Most markets cannot afford lengthy works. Their supporters would leave them before the end of the project. Besides, it always surprises me when observers blame the Buffalo Sabers and the Ottawa Senators for wanting to accelerate their projects. Have you looked at the audience? Their arenas were emptying!
The Canadian excels at convincing his supporters to remain patient. So far, it’s paying off. The Bell Center remains full. The club leads the league in ticket sales. But if the CH continues to suffer repeated slaps of 6-2, 7-2, 8-2 and 9-2 at home, there is a real risk that among the most paying supporters, those who buy tickets, patience is wearing thin.
And let their boos give way to worse.
To indifference.