Montreal Canadiens Launch Their Season

It's a new year, it's a new day and the Montreal Canadiens are feeling good.

The Montreal Canadiens will soon be on the season's starting line with the 31 other teams, and everyone starts at the same time with the same opportunity. If last season the word of the day was the "P-word," which no one in the Habs brass dared to utter, this year, the phrase of the day is "be in the mix." That's the common theme. It's still too early to say Montreal is aiming for the playoffs, but the message is that they want to be part of the battle to book a spot. They want to play meaningful hockey for longer this season. Here are my takeaways from the event.

Owner Geoff Molson was the first to meet the press, and like most fans, he appears to be very excited about the season. He's pleased with what was accomplished this off-season, the fact that part of the core was locked up long-term, and the Laine acquisition. He wouldn't dare put a timeline on when the Canadiens will be ready to contend, but he's glad the fans have embraced the rebuild and believes they will be on board as long as the team keeps progressing.

Like everyone else, Molson appears to be excited by the prospect of Lane Hutson playing at the Bell Centre. He says that whenever he touches the puck, the crowd reacts, and that's electric. There's no arguing with that. Over the weekend, when the puck was on his stick, the whole building was holding its breath in anticipation. The last time I had that feeling at the Bell Centre was when P.K. Subban would pick up the puck and fly up the ice. 

Speaking about his hockey operations department, the big boss praised Jeff Gorton's patience and how he guided the greener Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis, making them understand that patience was needed. The owner wrapped it up by saying the organization would do everything to be in the mix this season and that the aim was to fight for a playoff spot, not for a good pick at the draft. 

As for Gorton, he mentioned that he would like to see the team make the playoffs, but there's no need to say that either we will make the playoffs or the season will be a disappointment. For the hockey operations V.P., it's about making progress and playing meaningful hockey in April. 

As for the on-ice product, he explained the offense should take care of itself now, with Kirby Dach being back and the acquisition of Patrik Laine. On the back end, however, the team is aware that it needs to be better and that the number of goals surrendered should be reduced. Following the prospect showdown this weekend, he mentioned an interesting battle on the blueline once again, but he doesn't see that as a problem. Anyone else had a thought for Marc Bergevin when Gorton said: 

You can never have too many defensemen. If there are some that need to be in the minors, they will be in the minors. 

On Laine's acquisition, he stated that talking to him to do their due diligence prior to pulling the trigger on the deal made them believe he was a risk worth taking. Specifically, the way he spoke about his frame of mind and his career convinced the Habs' brass. Gorton feels bringing in the sniper is like giving a booster shot in his attack's arm, giving them reinforcement and more possibilities up front. 

Meanwhile, Hughes spoke about the delicate balance between trying to win and allowing young players to make mistakes; the team needs to keep developing. He's glad to see the group they put together; they want to win, and they want to win for each other. It's a competitive gang, and they believe in themselves. 

He added that it's important to keep progressing, but the coach's decisions will be made to win, which is priority number one. Interestingly, he once again explained that the team is now coming out of the asset accumulation stage, but they need to evaluate what they have on their hands. The more time they have to decide who is core material and who should be brought back, even though they are on an expiring deal, the more they'll be able to make an informed decision. 

The GM repeated a couple of times that Rome wasn't built in one day and that it takes patience to build a team. He also made it clear that Laine wasn't brought in as a savior but rather as a piece that could help improve the team's firepower. 

Coach St-Louis had no interest in playing poker today. He put his cards right on the table, saying that considering how well the Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield line performed at the end of the season, he'd be hard-pressed not to put them together. 

He also mentioned that newcomer Laine is a shoot first kind of guy, while Dach makes some plays and can set him up. In other words, unless there is no chemistry there, the identity of his top six players seems to be pretty much set. 

The coach also explained that Laine's priority number one was to acclimate well and be happy because unless that's done, he won't be as successful as he could be. 

Regarding newly hired coach Roger Grillo, it was confirmed he won't be behind the bench and won't be in charge of the power play. He will, however, act as an extension of the coaches in all departments. St-Louis elected to fully take over the power play after contributing to it with Alex Burrows last season. He explained the decision by saying there needs to be continuity, and he would have been too hands-on to hire someone else for the role; it wouldn't be fair to them. 

On the eve of camp, the coach is excited about getting Dach back fully healthy and Laine's arrival. He's fully aware that he'll have more options this season regarding his top six. St-Louis held the party line as well, mentioning he wants his team to be in the mix because it's always better to be in the parade rather than watching it. 

Finally, he added that there are always roster spots available but that it's a matter of being able to take them or steal someone else's chair. The coach isn't targeting a set number of wins for the season; he just wants to see continuity and progress, much like everyone else in Montreal.

Stay tuned for my takeaways on the players tomorrow morning...

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