The Montreal Canadiens practiced on Monday morning, and some questions were left unanswered...
Before taking off for the wild, wild west, the Montreal Canadiens practiced one last time in Brossard, and the personnel news from Sunday night raised a lot of questions: When will Alexandre Texier play his first game? Will Adam Engstrom get a game? Was Florian Xhekaj ahead of Joshua Roy?
There was no news on the Texier front. It’s evident that he chose the Canadiens over other opportunities because of the team's context and the opportunities presented by the recent onslaught of injuries. Still, the coach was clear that he would have to learn how the team plays collectively on both sides of the puck before he plays his first game. Could it be the next one? Maybe it will really depend on how quickly he adapts to the system.
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The coach was asked about Engstrom and wouldn’t say if he would be playing in the upcoming road trip. He did say that it was hard not to call him up, given how well he has performed so far. Nobody can argue with that. Martin St-Louis might already know whether he’ll play or not, but he takes things one day at a time when it comes to talking to the media, and there’s no need for him to show his end in advance in any case.
As for the Xhekaj question, the answer came later in the day when the team sent Roy back down to the Laval Rocket, confirming the fact that he has now been overtaken by the gritty winger in the team’s depth chart. This should come as no surprise to anyone, given the fact that he has had plenty of opportunities in the past.
When the media spoke to Tessier, he was clear that he was ready to play any role the team wanted to give him. He’s been an offensive forward, he’s been a defensive one, and he’s played the power play and the penalty kill; therefore, he feels like he can play any role. When he was questioned about what went wrong between his years playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the last two with the St. Louis Blues, he was clear that he wishes to focus on the present and not dwell on the past.
The reaction is understandable; he’s turning over a new page, and he wants to start with a blank slate, which is probably the best way to go. He did mention that he was glad to now play in a market that speaks his mother tongue, even though he hasn’t had the time to see much of the city since he arrived on Sunday night. Zachary Bolduc, who joined the team this summer, is already ready to make his tour of the town when the Habs come back from their road trip.
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