They were all there, or almost all, on Wednesday evening, in the Canadiens’ management box at Place Bell in Laval: VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, general manager Kent Hughes, assistant to the general manager John Sedgwick, and a few other pairs of eyes, including development coach, Francis Bouillon.
CH decision-makers attended the third game of the Rocket, the Canadiens’ school club, to target candidates for a recall at a time when the infirmary was filling up in Montreal, and also, undoubtedly to decide the fate of the first round choice of 2022, 26th overall, Filip Mesar.
Juraj Slafkovsky’s compatriot was playing his first game in the American League, after being scratched from the lineup for the first three, and was hoping to avoid being sent back to the junior ranks for the winter.
This 5-foot-9 Slovakian small forward didn’t do badly, he showed some grit, although the coach kept him on the bench in important moments at the end of the third and in overtime, but the Americans’ number 25 from Rochester was responsible for making the CH managers have an unpleasant evening.
Jiri Kulich, 19, drafted two ranks after Mesar, not only scored the winning goal in overtime following a fumble by defender Logan Mailloux, but he thus completed his hat trick. It was a fourth goal and sixth point in three games for the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Czech forward, who currently leads the American League in scoring.
This young man continues the momentum he started last year, where he scored 24 goals in Rochester at just 18 years old, and seven in just twelve playoff games.
The Canadian will perhaps, no doubt, eventually console himself with defender Lane Hutson, and also Adam Engstrom, chosen in the third round, but for the moment, Kulich is making the CH recruiters look bad, not to mention Matthew Poitras, drafted in the 54th overall, already the center of the Boston Bruins’ second line.
This is obviously a marathon and not a sprint, but let’s politely admit that Kulich and Poitras took a few kilometers ahead of Mesar a third of the way into the race. Barring any surprises, we will soon be informed of his return to Kitchener in the Ontario Junior League to give him the opportunity to play extensively.
If Kaiden Guhle were to be absent for a week or more, it would be very difficult to identify a candidate for a defensive recall with the Canadian. In the short term, Justin Barron, already in Montreal, should replace him in the top six, but who could occupy the seventh position?
Obtained in the exchange of Jeff Petry to allow the Red Wings to release an employee, Gustav Lindstrom does not seem to have the head to work following his demotion in the American League after two years in the NHL. He had two difficult games and was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday.
The 2021 top pick, 20-year-old right-hander Logan Mailloux, is very inconsistent. He has good size, impressive straight-line speed for a 6-foot-3, 220-pound colossus, his shot is powerful, he handles the puck well, but he still makes too many bad decisions, with or without the puck, and he still has difficulty finding his place in space on an ice rink.
Mattias Norlinder is still showing his great offensive skills for three games, but he does not show the same aggressiveness – noted by Martin St-Louis during the camp – to defend his territory since his demotion.
William Trudeau had an atrocious first game after a superb training camp. He looked a little better on Wednesday. A heroically blocked shot late in the third against the Americans saved the Rocket from a regular defeat and did not escape the attention of his teammates and coaches. There are sometimes these small gestures that can put you back together.
Among the young guys, colossus Jayden Struble, a second-round pick in 2019, may not have the skills of the others, but he offers the most stability for three games.
On offense, veterans Mitchell Stephens, Joel Armia and Brandon Gignac are arguably the best. Rookie Joshua Roy stands out offensively with four points, including two goals, in four games, but three of these points were obtained on the power play. There is still work to be done on numerical equality.
Sean Farrell is smooth and stylish, but he doesn’t pose much of a scoring threat, at least at the moment. Lias Andersson has four points in three games. He is in the right place, at the right time.
After an ugly start to the season in recent years, the Ottawa Senators are finally off to a good start. They won a third consecutive victory on Wednesday, spectacular, by a score of 6-1 at the expense of the poor Washington Capitals. The Senators have already scored 19 goals in four games. Only the Carolina Hurricanes did better.
In his first game in almost a year, Josh Norris scored two goals. New acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko has six points in four games, like first center Tim Stützle. Brady Tkachuk has four goals.
Young defender Jake Sanderson has been the team’s best player since the start of the season, with five points and a playing time of 21:12, almost four minutes less than Thomas Chabot however.
After a loss to the Hurricanes in the opening game, the Senators defeated Philadelphia, Tampa and Washington. They will face the Red Wings on Saturday, who are also off to an interesting start with a 3-1 record.
The poor Capitals, one win in three games, allowed twelve goals and scored only four. Alex Ovechkin has an assist in three games and Anthony Mantha was scratched against Calgary on Monday.
