Training camp is here for the Montreal Canadiens and its bound to be filled with some interesting storylines and heated roster battles.
It was back on April 7th, 2018 when the Montreal Canadiens would play the final game of the 2018-19 season. Patrick Marleau of the Toronto Maple Leafs would score in the remaining ten (10) seconds of the game to put the team up 4-2. Michael McCarron had the last play of the season for the Habs, a centre-ice faceoff against Tomas Plekanec. He won the draw, but the team lost the game, it’s 40th to be exact.
The rest of the league went on the compete in the playoffs while the Habs had their locker cleanouts at the worst point of the year. There was frustration and disappointment in that locker, but a clear understanding of what had to happen next. Marc Bergevin and Geoff Molson pinpointed the team’s attitude as one of the bigger issues of the year. It could never be solved dating back to the training camp, and it was one of the things that inhibited them all season.
Obviously, there were other things, but management focused on that. Change surely came, and not only at the NHL level. Now after over five (5) months of waiting, training camp is here. It beings with media day leading to Friday where the Montreal Canadiens start their on-ice sessions ahead of the intrasquad game on Sunday.
Montreal is still going into this season as one of the league’s more fascinating teams. Bergevin, as well as members of the team, have expressed a desire to get back to the playoffs, but the jury is out as to whether they can do it. You also have to think of their prospect pool which has taken a lot of strides where some hope to turn pro at both the NHL and/or AHL levels.
There are also a lot of battles set to take place which should make those preseason games far more entertaining than what we saw last year.
Training camp will be the place to see a lot of these events take place, and I’m going to bring to your attention some of the things to keep your eye on.