The Winnipeg Jets recently beat the Boston Bruins 8-1. The Montreal Canadiens just lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 9-2. On paper, this one looked frightening. However, the Canadiens, even though they lost, competed well falling 4-2.
Wilde Horses
Lane Hutson finally has his first NHL goal in his 32nd game. Considering he is the best blueliner on the team, it’s about time. Mike Matheson found Hutson free on the left side. He picked the far side on Connor Hellebuyck with a perfect shot. Hutson won’t have to embellish to his grandkids when he tells stories of his first NHL goal. It was already beautiful.
In fact, in a season full of step-backs from a lot of the roster, Hutson’s development is one of the few beautiful stories on the team. He’s 20. He plays almost half of every game. He’s third on the team in scoring. The Canadiens have scored 82 goals and he has been in on 21 of them.
Add to that, he’s entertaining. When the club is losing by three or four at home, Hutson is still putting on a show for the Bell Centre faithful. A rebuild is about adding talented players, so while there have been lows, the high of Hutson means progress overall for management.
Another player who is progressing quite well is Arber Xhekaj. Last season, Xhekaj was trying to do everything, and the learning curve was just too steep. He wanted to be a fighter, and a scorer, and a defender, and his brain was too full.
This season, Xhekaj is simply going about the business of defending, reading plays, choosing safe options. Xhekaj can still show that scary side, and that reputation does still make an opponent take a step back. However, that doesn’t define him anymore. What defines him is good defending.
There is no question that Xhekaj has leapt past Justin Barron and Jayden Struble on the depth chart. There is a spot for many years to come on the third pair for Xhekaj. He’s been that good this season.
Other general managers around the league saw the potential. That’s why the offers were so good for Xhekaj. Good thing that Kent Hughes didn’t bite. A third pair defender who can play every shift and who keeps the opponent scared is extremely valuable.
Two new reliable adds to the blue line this year. With that perspective, there is progress in the rebuild.
Wilde Goats
He’s 20. That’s how a fair scouting report has to start on Juraj Slafkovsky. He’s young. He’s only three seasons into what should be a long career. With that said, Slafkovsky is showing very little hockey sense too often in what should be his breakout season.
After 20 goals last year, we are approaching the halfway point of the season and Slafkovsky has only two goals. However, it isn’t the goal total that is concerning. It’s the decision making.
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In the first period, on one shift, Slafkovsky had the puck on the left-side trying to lead a breakout. The Jets began to come at him. He threw it right to the Jets player who was 15 feet from him. The Jets player was right in his eye-line. He tried the pass anyway. He did this twice. In the same shift.
The game is still too fast for him. The dumb passes are made this season because he doesn’t feel like has time. His mind is rushed, so he tries what is not there.
Contrast this with Hutson. He’s got only 30 games of NHL career and anyone can see that he is slowing down the game to exactly the pace that he feels like playing at. Slafkovsky can’t do that at all. He gets the puck, and he has no time. He hasn’t assessed his options. He hasn’t read the ice yet. He doesn’t know what the correct play is.
Again, he’s 20. They can’t take his size away from him. They can’t take from him many of the elements that caused him to be the first pick overall, but anyone can see that he needs to add elements. What the organization is looking for is smarter reads that come out of repetition. What becomes familiar eventually becomes easier.
There’s a skill-set that a quality football quarterback has that Slafkovsky needs to borrow. A quarterback runs through his progressions. Each play starts with a primary choice, and then moves through secondary and third and fourth choice depending on what’s open. The quarterback has a plan before the play even starts. Slafkovsky needs to understand each touch has a progression of choices. Hockey happens fast, but the good players feel like it’s going slowly.
Call it what you will. Progressions. Decisions. Patterns. Hockey sense. Whatever you want to call it, Slafkovsky needs to get better at it. Plenty of seasons to figure it out still for a young man, but improvement in this area soon would be optimal.
Wilde Cards
There is a mighty wind blowing that the Canadiens need another right side defender. The argument is that David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux will both not be ready next season.
It’s true. Mailloux is dominant at the AHL level but stumbles when in the NHL, while Reinbacher will have to test his reconstructed knee next season at a lower level before being ready with the Canadiens.
However, if the point is that these two players aren’t ready for another season, then, look around, the Canadiens need other positions filled even more next season.
At centre, Kirby Dach has two goals and is minus-21. Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans are unrestricted free agents. Owen Beck is just as unready for the NHL as Mailloux. Beck hasn’t proven he can translate his AHL success to the NHL. The Canadiens have one qualified NHL centre under contract next season.
The organization is relying on Michael Hage to be a saviour at centre. He may be, but he is a lot father along the curve than Mailloux and Reinbacher on defence, or Ivan Demidov on the wing.
Wing is the healthiest position. Cole Caufield is having an outstanding season. Slafkovsky has two goals. Alex Newhook has six. Patrik Laine looks good. Ivan Demidov is coming next season. They have two proven and two more should live up to their high draft pick status.
In net, the back-up goalie is absolutely demoralized at the moment. Cayden Primeau has an .836 save percentage. The future number one is at Boston College, but Jacob Fowler is three seasons out from replacing Primeau. The AHL goalies aren’t NHL calibre, though everyone likes to dream. Imagine if Samuel Montembeault were injured. They’d have no one to stop the puck. Every game is a 7-2 loss with an .836 goalie.
The desperately short at defence chatter is way overblown. When David Savard exits, there will be two close to arriving to fill that void.
Defence next season with Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Justin Barron already putting in NHL minutes, Mailloux in his third pro season, and Reinbcher, the top defender taken in the draft, is a healthy stable of talent.
As GM, here are the priorities in order for next season: Get a centre because only Nick Suzuki is proven as able to handle the assignment. Get a goalie because 25 games simply can’t go in the auto-loss column.
Get a defender? Sure, but only when the nine strong ones on the roster and in the pipeline prove they can’t reach their NHL dreams.
Bottom line: Montreal’s surplus numbers are good on the blue line, but they’re horrible at centre and in net.
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