The Canadian’s skin was not cheap at this time last year. This pessimism was borne out when, after 82 games, Montreal was ranked 28th overall.
But the fact remains that this team had had a good first two months, a momentum that began in game number 1 of the season, when the Habs surprised the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 at the Bell Center.
“We hadn’t won a preparatory match,” recalled Martin St-Louis. We were looking for a big match, which helped us get off to a good start. That’s what we’re looking for. »
A year later, the Canadian refined his preparation on Tuesday in Brossard, before taking the plane to face these same Maple Leafs, this time in Toronto.
The ambient pessimism about the team’s chances of making the playoffs? The deadly predictions from the La Presse sports team? And these words from Elliotte Friedman, who doesn’t see a team inferior to the Canadian in the Atlantic division?
Don’t tell that to Jake Allen. Just listen to him talk about the defensive brigade in front of him to classify him in the optimist camp.
“We still have room to grow,” pleaded the veteran goalkeeper. Look at our defense… [Kaiden] Guhle looks like a 10-year veteran. [Johnathan] Kovacevic is very stable. Arber [Xhekaj] has so much potential. [Jordan] Harris is stable. We know what [David] Savard and [Mike] Matheson bring, and JB [Justin Barron] is trying to seize his chance. I can’t wait to see where this can take us. »
The Habs may have “room to grow”, to use the words of the New Brunswicker, the fact remains that Martin St-Louis obviously does not want to leave his veterans out of the equation. The very presence of Allen in front of the microphones was a clue: it is he, the oldest player among the 23 who will be available for Wednesday’s match, who will defend the Montreal net at the curtain-raiser. Allen himself confirmed it after Habs training on Tuesday, a few hours before the flight to Toronto.
“With all our information, our evaluations, Jake gives us the best chance for tomorrow,” St-Louis then indicated. But Montembeault will be a big part of our success this year. And he knows it. I believe in him. But for this first match, I thought Jake gave us the best chance. »
The two CH goalkeepers had a difficult camp. Allen showed an average of 4.02 and an efficiency of .854, figures barely better than those of Montembeault (average of 4.11, efficiency of .845).
Last year, on the other hand, the Quebecer presented the best statistical record.
Allen isn’t the only veteran who gets the benefit of the doubt.
Josh Anderson will start the season in the highly coveted right winger seat of the first line, to the right of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. However, this combination did not break anything last year, as the enlightening colleague Simon-Olivier Lorange revealed in a no less enlightening statistical compilation.
One might add that at 29 years old, Anderson has already given a good glimpse of his potential and limitations. Since his arrival in Montreal, he has shown remarkable consistency; his points per game average was exactly 0.46 in each of his three seasons. That said, this is not the production of a first or even second line player.
“As a player you always believe you have more to give, you never want to stop growing. Even if my statistics are consistent from year to year, I can bring something else and help on both sides of the puck,” argued the flying Ontarian.
Anderson, however, scored three goals in three preparatory matches, which may well earn him a reward. And for what it’s worth, he’s still ready to start a season. This is evidenced by his record of three goals and one assist in three inaugural games since his arrival in Montreal. “You train for three or four months, even more if you missed the playoffs. It’s exciting to finally play for two points,” added Anderson.
Speaking of veterans, the two elders on offense, Brendan Gallagher and Tanner Pearson, will have the luxury of skating alongside Sean Monahan.
Both young thirty-somethings were slowed by injuries last year, for three years in Gallagher’s case, in fact. The latter is also coming off his worst season in terms of production per game, and it wasn’t much better for Pearson before he got injured.
However, these two wingers are starting the season in the first three trios, while youngsters Jesse Ylönen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard are confined to the fourth trio.
They’re just threesomes; like construction site toilets, they can be fleeting. The picture could change from the third period on Wednesday.
The fact remains that the Canadian comes, according to data compiled by CapFriendly, in second place among the youngest teams in the NHL at the start of the season. But the older elements won’t be pushed aside any time soon. Wasn’t it Kent Hughes, early in camp, who talked about the importance of “gray hair”?
