After 4 games, the Habs are displaying their youth

October 22, 2023

It was a slow week for the Montreal Canadiens, with just enough time in between for fans and pundits to obsess about details that would barely give us pause in a busier week. On Tuesday night, the Habs suffered a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild in a game that was more lopsided than the scoreboard. Then on Saturday night, they enjoyed a 3-2 overtime win over the Washington Capitals. Here are some thoughts on the Habs after four games.

The fans weren’t the only ones devastated by the loss of Kirby Dach.

When Dach left the game last Saturday, and in the hours leading up to the inevitable announcement that his season was over, the fan reaction was loud. The media assessment was the same – if this team had an uphill battle to start, how much steeper had the incline become without Dach? On Tuesday night, it was obvious the players were also emotionally impacted. Every stride screamed, “What’s the use?” They looked like a young team still learning to manage their emotions.

There’s a place for veterans on a rebuilding team.

In that game against Chicago, I kept watching for the kid that would step up and push back on the Wild onslaught. That kid was Tanner Pearson. If you were paying attention, it was the veteran line – the one I call the resuscitation line – that actually initiated the resuscitation, and not ironically. Last night they did it again, this time with an standout performance from Allen and tallies from Monahan and Gallagher. They might not be new and shiny, but they bring a necessary emotional maturity.

Even the call-up from Laval sent a message about where this team is at.

The sexy call-up would have been Joshua Roy, and I do think there is a chance that kid eventually completes the Suzuki-Caufield line. But Armia was the choice, and it was the right choice. The Montreal Canadiens are not close to contention yet, especially with Dach’s season done, and the best place for the kids is dominating in Laval. I’d love to believe the rumour that a trade might be in the works – I hope Pagnotta is right – but my suspicion is that Armia just fits the 13th forward role better.

Martin St. Louis is the perfect coach for this team, and Nick Suzuki is the perfect captain.

While fans focused on how bad they were on special teams, Marty focused on how far they had come at five-on-five. While pundits dwelled on their inability to finish off teams, Suzuki focused on their ability to stay competitive and win in the overtime. Striking that balance between honesty and optimism, without leaning toxic in either direction, is a skill that only the strongest leaders perfect. I suspect both of these chaps are headed there.

The kids are still progressing without Dach.

We were all worried about the impact on Slafkovsky, but he was excellent on Saturday night. He has a nice chemistry with Newhook and Anderson. Newhook is also stepping up in Dach’s absence – he was the kid that scored in that awful affair against the Wild. Justin Barron looked good stepping in for Guhle and played a solid game. These are very good signs – the kids are not so delicate that they can only develop in ideal circumstances.

There is a lesson to be learned from Alexander Ovechkin.

Ovy is getting a little long in the tooth. He’s still dangerous, but you can see he’s slowing down. The team around him is not good. The Russian phenom who was the team cornerstone for years is in the twilight of his career – with just one Stanley Cup. Apparently, building a team that can have sustained success for years is really hard, and it takes more than one generational talent to do it.

After four games, the Habs have a regulation win, a regulation loss, an overtime win, and an overtime loss. Good for five of eight possible points. Not bad. The upcoming week is dense with four games against four better teams. The test is on.