The Montreal Canadiens were a pretty lifeless squad for much of last season. They are just five games into the 2022-23 season, but it looks like a completely different team.
It is not just that they are 3-2-0 instead of 0-5-0, but they actually are playing with some jump and appear to be having fun together on and off the ice. Enjoying each other’s company may not give them more points in the standings, but it does provide a great environment for the younger players to grow in.
It is also a nice bonus that the younger players have a coach who trusts them to learn from their mistakes in Martin St. Louis. It is a safe atmosphere that allows the young stars like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki to expand their games while rookies like Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris can trust their instincts as well.
Canadiens Arber Xhekaj brings new element to Habs lineup
Of course, it is also favorable if the team has a literally safe environment on the ice, and thanks to one of the rookies, Canadiens players have a reason to feel they are protected out there.
Arber Xhekaj was the most hated man in the preseason, at least in Ottawa. It seemed like he had to fight, and win, in each of the four preseason games the teams played against one another.
He proved on Thursday night that he wasn’t just a tough kid, but he is a legit NHL tough guy just five games into his NHL career. We have probably all seen it by now, but Xhekaj dropped the gloves with former Canadiens winger Zack Kassian and not only held his own, but thoroughly defeated the veteran opponent.
It is not just the fact that the Canadiens have a tough guy that makes this a very different team compared to last year’s version. It is literally the opponent that he took on.
In the middle of last season, this same Zack Kassian, then a member of the Edmonton Oilers, bowled over Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault. The response? Literally nothing. A bit of a shoulder shrug from Jeff Petry maybe, but that was it, and Kassian himself seemed surprised.
The stark contrast between no one bothering to protect their goaltender who was run over for no reason and Xhekaj beating the pulp out of Kassian because the winger was foolish enough to oblige just shows the big difference between the two versions of the Montreal Canadiens.
The 2021-22 team simply didn’t have a pulse. They were awful from start to finish and didn’t seem to care whether they won or lost. This year’s team is off to a decent start and though they may fall well short of the playoffs, they clearly have more life and actually care which makes for a much more entertaining team to watch.
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