The four nations break arrived for Montreal Canadians, and it couldn’t happen early enough. The Canadians came across the tampa bay 5-3 lightning on home ice on Sunday.
The Canadians have completed their last nine games with only one victory.
Wilde horses
The best Canadian striker this weekend was Josh Anderson. He went to the second line with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, and he changed this line to play mainly in the defensive zone to get a lot of attack.
Anderson obtained a breakaway during the first period. It was Lane Hutson who passed a 150 feet eye to free him. Anderson was hung from behind and a penalty shot was allocated. Anderson missed his shot, but it’s another good sign for Anderson. It is a perfect pre-monumer for the Dach line.
The Canadians were down 2-0 before scoring at the end of the first period and Newhook was the architect. He only uses his speed only a small part of the amount he should and could. On the power game, Newhook won the blue line, then nourished the washer to Brendan Gallagher who interrupted it at home.
During the second period, Canadians had another. He was a Dvorak Christian taken from the high slit who took a deviation. He came just after an impressive attempt by Juraj Slafkovsky who torn the crossbar. The exit was fast. The shot was powerful. He must show this shot more.
Lane Hutson received a reduction in ice time during the first period, but he recovered with an excellent second framework. He was the best defender during a section where it seemed impossible to remove it from the washer when he hung.
The Canadians continued the fight in the third period. A loose washer came to Gallagher and he marked his second in the afternoon. It was a carbon copy of his first goal – the same location of the shot on the left side and the high slit, the same location on the net by finding the distant side.
Overall, the head horse in reconstruction was the development of Owen Beck. It was the NHL’s first chance this season so that Beck plays the center, and he never nailed her. It was a small sample because Beck had only 10 minutes of ice, but it was exceptional.
Beck was moved to the center with Patrik Laine and Joel Armia. Dach with wool was an absolute nightmare while the two were sold several times. However, with Beck, the line was exceptional.
Beck’s Line achieved a share of 100 goals expected without any blows against or attempted when he was on the ice. Beck’s line also had an 83 Corsi. Beck is such a exhilarating player – he is in the right place all the time defensively. He has a superb vision of the ice and he does not leave the area too early.
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With all this defensive sense, Beck is not found either energy or does not resolve either offensively. He is tenacious on the attack, he works hard and intelligent for each centimeter. These are great moments for Beck. It seems that he has the success tools.
Wilde goats
Two goals against two shots and nothing could do that Jakub Dobes could do for one or the other. During the first goal against, Slafkovsky had the washer on its stick in its own area. He couldn’t make his decision quickly enough and ended up turning it over. In the second goal, Hutson tried a pinch that did not work, and then he carn for defensively. It was a 2 against 0 when defender Victor Hedman scored. Head coach Martin St. Louis was so upset that he put the lines in a mixer.
Slafkovsky was removed from the first line while Jake Evans moved from one center to another in an unusual movement. Slafkovsky went to a line with Christian Dvorak and Gallagher.
During the next quarter, Laine was so upset by the bench when it was made that he slammed his stick against the boards. The toll was heavy on everyone with a single victory in their last nine games.
During the second period, he collapsed for Dobes, or, at least, he collapsed in the eyes of the head coach. Dobes lost his balance in the third goal and fell. He was out of position for the Brayden Point shot. It’s just a unlucky moment, but Dobes lost his turn in the match against Samuel Montembeault.
Martin St. Louis shows a lack of patience with his players in the past two weeks. It may not be a good strategy for a young team that shouldn’t be better than that anyway. Historically, when a head coach shows a short leash for his players, he finally shortens his own leash.
Wilde cards
Fortunately, for Montreal Canadians, the four -nations break is two weeks. Only a short time ago, the Canadians were in the last point of Joker who increased with excitement. However, they hit the wall, and now it’s a completely different script.
In the last 26 games, to reach 93 points, it will probably take the playoff series, Canadians must win 19 games and lose only seven. For a club that hovers around .500 for a whole year, that will not happen Just not.
The slide in 16 short days changed the exchange plan for the club before March 7. The SCUTTLEBUTT in the NHL circles is that the four nations break will be occupied for the general directors who will use time to plan for the future.
Canadians have three future, and they are all very distinct from each other at the moment. The immediate future is to prepare for a complete action on their free agents without restriction. Choices must be made for Dvorak, Armia, Jake Evans and David Savard.
The popular consensus is that Dvorak will not receive a club offer, Savard should receive a one -year offer, Evans will receive a serious three -year offer and Armia will also receive a serious offer. If the players reject their offers to strike the free market, they will be exchanged.
There is no logic to keep these players for culture reasons with only 20 games to play. Culture will not be won or lost because the club is terribly weak during the last quarter of the season. The weak is better because they try organically to obtain a higher choice of recovery. More prospects will also have a taste of NHL.
This deadline for negotiating Canadians will also accelerate success for next season. The weaknesses of the list should be filled. If the director general Kent Hughes can acquire a second line center and a 3-4 defender, he will make these movements for next year.
The objective with this trade is not to hypotherate the future while improving the short term. Expect a carbon copy from Justin Barron for the Transporters of Alexander’s transporters. Hughes will abandon the choices of second and third round project to strengthen the list.
There is even a possibility that the first round of Montreal is attractive. If the player who returns has a long -term future with Montreal, he will conclude this agreement. The rumors of Trevor Zegras last year, and Dylan Cozens this year, are all about this long -term objective to negotiate choices and prospects for a long -term long -term solution.
The final goal leading to the beginning of March is to ensure that no choice is made which only makes 2025-2026 attractive while losing success during the following ten seasons. Management has the eyes of the price and the prize is a long -term success. There will be no professions that harm the club’s long -term growth.
Hughes has been able to exchange his free agents over the years for the recovery choices in the first round. This will probably not happen this year because none of the four Ufas will bring first round choices – they are not strong enough players.
In addition, GMs understand that there is only one parade, and a short -term rental for a first -round choice does not work enough in the playoffs to justify such long -term destruction to their lists .
For Canadians, they can feel depressed for the past two weeks, but they have had a taste of grandeur, and now realize that the club can bring success for long periods. Last year, they were certainly not the best team in the league on a 15 -game section, but they were this year, so there is a cause of belief.
The next goal for 2025-26 is to be the best team in the League for 30 games and not just 15 years. Everything you need is to fill a few holes from the alignment, and wait for these perspectives to arrive and mature. This is an exciting period for Canadians, even if it doesn’t want to today.
Brian Wilde, a sports writer based in Montreal, brings you Call of the Wilde on Globalnews.ca after each Canadians’ match.
