Francis Bouillon smiled a little when we spoke to him about these hopes who claim, basically, to want to “force the hand” of the Canadiens’ bosses in view of the upcoming training camp.
“It’s good to see that a player wants to make the jump as quickly as possible [with the Canadian], Bouillon responded Tuesday morning in Brossard. But in hockey, there is a reality, and there are steps to take…”
The ex-defender turned player development coach thus uttered this word that is so crucial in the grand scheme of things: reality.
In his younger days, in the past and in the past, there could have been these players who “forced their hand”, indeed, but in the world we live in, that of guaranteed contracts and the salary cap, these scenarios of Disney are less common, and they will undoubtedly also be as of Wednesday, the opening day of the Canadiens’ training camp in Brossard.
“We saw some very good things [at the rookie tournament in Buffalo last weekend] and we are happy with our group,” added Bouillon. The guys want to make the jump, especially with the example of last year, when three defenders made the jump quickly. »
This is certainly true, but the defenders in question (Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris, and we can also add Johnathan Kovacevic to this list) were able to take advantage of an opening created by injuries and the absence of veterans like Mike Matheson and Joel Edmundson.
For now, the issue of injuries is less serious for the Canadian; only Christian Dvorak represents a doubtful case, he who is recovering from knee surgery undergone in March. He has started skating again, but will need to get the green light from doctors before he can go any further.
All the same, the management of the Canadian will keep an eye on the youngest, especially those who perhaps did not perform up to expectations during the last weekend in Buffalo.
“It’s certain that there are players that I liked better last year and that we saw less this time,” noted Bouillon about this rookie tournament. But there is nothing alarming, we are going to see them at training camp, and we have to take it step by step. »
Which brings us to Logan Mailloux, this player who is already dividing public opinion before even being able to take his first skate in a season game at the Bell Centre.
Its status, first: nothing new. The NHL has still not given him the green light, but if we understand what needs to be understood, it would only be a formality.
Also, there is the fact that Mailloux has only played 71 games over the last two seasons in Ontario junior hockey, and in Bouillon’s own opinion, it will take him a little more mileage on the clock before he can put on, one day, the famous tricolor jersey.
“In his first game [at the rookie tournament], he was just OK, but he was better in the second and third games,” added Bouillon. He is humble, he is focused and he is good with his teammates. »
The ex-defender added that Mailloux has “the desire to move on” and that his potential remains high.
The rest, according to Bouillon, is up to him.
“He’s a player who has a lot of potential, and from there, it’s up to him to prove that he can climb the ladder… He has very good skills. It is up to him to decide his destiny. »
