Habs Mailbag: Players arriving early in Montreal is a good sign

The pictures of so many Habs practising in Brossard this week was inspiring. Are you able to keep in mind a pre-season the place one thing like that has occurred with so many veterans collaborating?

Matt Crawford

The identical factor really occurred final season and Jeff Gorton, the chief vice-president of hockey operations, spoke about it on the golf match at Laval-sur-le-Lac earlier than the beginning of coaching camp.

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“The truth that for the final month we’ve had near 40 guys right here coaching collectively … guys are hungry to be again and there’s numerous pleasure within the room,” Gorton stated final yr. “I feel we’re all making an attempt to see what’s subsequent for our group and the gamers are like that, too. Simply the general pleasure, enthusiasm, the dedication the blokes are displaying. I suppose it exhibits that they wish to be right here.”

I imagine the addition of Patrik Laine has elevated the general pleasure and enthusiasm this yr.

Might the Habs profit from a PTO tryout for a veteran at this stage — if solely to verify the younger weapons combat for his or her spots?

Shawn Lagace

I feel the competitors for spots at coaching camp shall be intense with the gamers the Canadiens have already got and there’s no want for a PTO. Administration will wish to give their younger weapons each alternative to point out what they’ll do at camp and in pre-season video games. As for the forwards, Joshua Roy shall be trying to show he belongs within the NHL to start out the season (I imagine he does), whereas Owen Beck, Filip Mesar and Florian Xhekaj will wish to present they’ve what it takes to make the Canadiens sooner or later. On defence, Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux shall be given each alternative to make the crew.

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Laine and Cole Caufield are two right-handed photographs who play on the left facet — particularly on the facility play. Will there be room for each on the primary PP unit?

Sylvana 333 on X @333Sylvana61057

I wouldn’t be stunned to see the Canadiens go together with 4 forwards and one defencemen on each power-play items — with Mike Matheson and Hutson as the purpose males — and that may make room for each Caufield and Laine on the No. 1 unit. They will each shoot from both facet of the ice and would give Nick Suzuki and the purpose man loads of playmaking choices with Juraj Slafkovsky positioned nearer to the online. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see whether or not Matheson or Hutson find yourself on the No. 1 unit.

Would it not be higher to have Alex Newhook centre the third line and have a man like Roy on the second line?

Eric Laverdiere

I feel the Canadiens are set with their 4 centres in Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans, so I count on Newhook to be on the second line with Dach and Laine.

Newhook shoots left and Dach shoots proper, in order linemates they might have the ability to each take faceoffs on their sturdy facet. Neither of them are nice on faceoffs, with Newhook successful 46.5 per cent final season and Dach successful solely 38.3 per cent two seasons in the past earlier than struggling a season-ending knee damage within the second sport final season. Taking faceoffs solely on their sturdy facet would assist them each.

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As for Roy, will probably be attention-grabbing to see the place coach Martin St. Louis finally ends up utilizing him. At this level, I count on Roy will begin on the fourth line with Evans and Joel Armia with a 3rd line made up of Dvorak between Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher. But when Anderson continues to battle early after scoring solely 9 objectives final season I can see Roy shifting up.

What Habs line combos, each defensive and offensive, are you trying ahead to seeing subsequent season and why? Are there any combos you’d counsel they make?

Johnny The Greek

I’m trying ahead to seeing if veterans Dvorak, Anderson and Gallagher — who will make a mixed US$16.45 million this season — can encourage one another to supply far more offence collectively as a 3rd line after they mixed for less than 30 objectives final season, led by Gallagher with 16. On defence, I’d counsel Hutson be paired with regular veteran David Savard and that Arber Xhekaj and Mailloux play collectively.

What’s the No. 1 defence battle for spots? Mailloux-Barron? Struble-Mailloux?

Steve Lunney

Since I count on Matheson and Kaiden Guhle to be the highest defence pairing — and together with my different pairing solutions above — that would go away Justin Barron and Jayden Struble battling for the seventh spot on the 22-man roster. Barron may have the higher hand since he must clear NHL waivers earlier than the Canadiens might ship him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. It’s exhausting to think about one other crew not claiming the 22-year-old Barron, who was the twenty fifth general decide by the Colorado Avalanche on the 2020 NHL Draft.

In case you have a query you’d wish to ask for our weekly Habs Mailbag, you possibly can e mail it to montrealcanadiens@postmedia.com

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