Top storylines to come out of Montreal Canadiens training camp
Taking a look at what took place at training camp for the Montreal Canadiens and how it will transition into their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
All teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, are at their respective NHL hub cities gearing up for their exhibition game. However, a lot has gone on between now and the start of training camp that is likely going to factor into how the rest of this goes for the Habs.
For example:
1) KK to the second power squared
Jesperi Kotkaniemi got the full wrath of the sophomore slump. But it wasn’t as if he himself was performing poorly. A pair of injuries definitely got in the way of his flow and greatly impacted his confidence so much so that the Habs felt it better for the 20-year-old to play games in the AHL with the Laval Rocket. Once down there, Kotkaniemi proved he could dominate on a team, and unfortunately, his season was shut down.
Even so, Kotkaniemi went to Finland, trained, and came back better. Claude Julien has made a note of his improvement, and during team scrimmages, the 2018 third overall pick looked more powerful in his movements.
On the third line, he could get an opportunity to take a stand at 5v5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are going to have some veteran competition if they’re tasked with taking on the Jared McCann, Patrick Marleau, Patric Hornqvist line, but the possibility is strong here.
2) Secret weapons
Scott Cowan: One of the most enjoyable parts about this impromptu training camp has been the presence of the Canadiens AHL forwards, or colloquially their “black aces” for this impromptu training camp. In total, 14 Laval Rocket players were brought on for their phase 3 camp, including leading scorer last year Alex Belzile, starting goalie Cayden Primeau, and leading scorer this year Jake Evans.
Despite the high challenge the Canadiens have in front of them when they first face the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 1st, these players have made a statement on the ice and showcased the benefits of having a coach like Joel Bouchard can have. Defensemen like Cale Fleury and Josh Brook, who have struggled on and off this season, bring their individual skillsets to the table, and forwards like Evans and Belzile bring their typical work ethic and drive.
While it remains to be seen what the Canadiens lineup looks like come August 1st, there’s a chance at least a few players from this group could see themselves slotted in.
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3) Full frontal line scramble
Max Domi came to training camp later after taking the time to assess whether he should participate or not. The Montreal Canadiens had their first three lines already set, so Julien instead made a “fourth line” out of Domi with Dale Weise and Jordan Weal along the wall.
According to the Habs head coach, we shouldn’t think of this as a usual fourth line, and it’s possible Julien rolls all four somewhat equally. This will be a departure of Julien’s usual format of traditionally only playing his fourth line about 10 minutes while saving his players on that line for penalty killing.
That said, it’s not as if the Penguins have a major drop off in ability through their lineup. Their fourth line was the best defensive line in hockey this season, so it’ll be a challenge for Domi’s line to get the edge. However, they have the offensive edge.
Another thing we may see is Julien going more for the line scrambles. Could we see Domi take shifts on left wing with Kotkaniemi? Or perhaps Domi moves up for a few shifts to play with Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia. The creative possibilities are there for the Montreal Canadiens, but it’ll be up to Julien whether or not he actually goes through with them.
4) The bottom pair
Victor Mete’s health was in question as to whether he was fully healed from his fracture. And it wasn’t until closer to the end of camp where the defenceman would join the full group. Because of that, there seemed to be a battle for that bottom-pair spot between Noah Juulsen, Cale Fleury and Josh Brook.
Once the group reformed, Julien went with Xavier Ouellet on the left while Mete was on the right, seemingly ended the speculation. That could change.
The Montreal Canadiens’ game against the Toronto Maple Leafs could settle any remaining question marks, and perhaps Juulsen or Fleury get in. That’ll depend on how that pair performs on the whole. The competition isn’t going to be as vast, so it’ll really stand out if there issues from those two leaving room for Julien to make any remaining decisions.
5) Is Carey Price the answer?
This has been beaten to death as soon as the 24-team playoff format was announced. Let’s be clear, goaltending is going to be important for every single team participating. Those first pair of games will be sloppy, and netminders will need to be on their game to give their team a chance.
That said, Carey Price is the sole difference-maker.
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He can’t go out there and score for the Montreal Canadiens, but he can stop the Pittsburgh Penguins. And if that happens, who knows how this whole thing will play out.