After seeing the Montreal Canadiens go through a playoff run that, let’s be honest, was well beyond expectations, now is the time for evaluation.
While several players turned out to be nice surprises, others experienced significant difficulties during these 2020 qualifiers. And the loss against the Flyers also shed light on some of the crying needs of the organization in the game. optics where she wishes to aspire to top honors in the coming years.
To analyze the general portrait of the CH, at present, TVASports.ca has chosen to turn to a man whose reputation in the world of hockey is well established.
Grant McCagg served as a recruiter for the Canadiens organization from 2008 to 2010. Even today, he is actively involved in the world of hockey, and more specifically in the analysis and ranking of young prospects.
He also founded the website recrutes.ca, and he attends a large number of hockey games every year. Generally, McCagg is extremely active on Twitter during CH matches, where he is not shy to publicly analyze every player’s actions.
The author of his lines first questioned the hockey man on Jonathan Drouin.
Openly criticized at the start of the series, the Quebecer then received several praise following the last two games of the confrontation against Philadelphia, where he collected four assists to the left of Nick Suzuki.
But one question remains: Will Drouin one day become the dominant and consistent player everyone was hoping to see when he arrived, or is he more of a 50-point-per-season player?
“Jonathan Drouin is the most difficult player to pin down, honestly. As much as he can appear limp and in bad shape when games are not at stake, he can be decisive when games want to mean something. I remember how good he was in the QMJHL when the Mooseheads were in trouble. Seems like when the Canadiens get into a mess, that’s where he thinks he has to play.
Credit photo: Martin Chevalier / JdeM
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“He has to have that attitude for an entire season, and not just when the team’s season is on the line. In the last two games of the series, he and Suzuki have been the better forwards for both teams on the ice.
“I firmly believe that Drouin can collect 70 points in this league. He has what it takes to amass 50 NHL assists. He is 25 years old. The best years of players are generally in the 24-30 age group. So he still has time to explode. In my opinion, he can be a big part of the future of Canadians. ”
Le cas Ryan Poehling
The Ryan Poehling case also caught McCagg’s attention.
These 2020 series will have been the opportunity to attend a musical chair game on the fourth trio. Dale Weise, Jordan Weal, Alex Belzile, Charles Hudon and Jake Evans have all come and gone at one point or another on Unit Four. But Ryan Poehling has never been approached by his coaches.
What does the former recruiter think?
“We hear so many rumors about him! Poor physical shape, addicted to Fortnite … But he is still very young! Look at Patrik Laine. He was not in good physical condition last year and has arrived in great shape this year. Poehling must do the same and go about it with awareness. It’s undeniable.
“You have to remember that # 25 has always shown a lot of character in the past. He must take these sets as a lesson. I believe he will show up in good shape at the next training camp.
“He has always been one of the best throughout his career, and more specifically within the American development program. Now it’s up to him to bounce back. At the start of the season, Poehling was hierarchically ahead of Suzuki. Look at where we are today … “
Two jewels
McCagg was then asked to comment on how Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi might perform when they reach their full potential. The two young skaters have accomplished great things in the past few weeks. McCagg was very complimentary and encouraged in their case.
“This is the first time in quite a while that Canadiens fans can boast of having two quality offensive center players! Nick Suzuki is already, in addition to his incredible performance in attack, one of the best to kill penalties. He is excessively used in shorthandedness and that says a lot about the esteem that the Habs leaders have in him.
“When you see a first-year player become the team’s first center in the middle of the playoffs, that says a lot about the potential of the skater in question. I’m not saying he’ll have the exact same impact as Patrice Bergeron, but their styles of play are very similar. Suzuki is excellent in all three zones and he will have a great career frustrating the best opposing elements, while scoring goals. ”
Photo credit: Photo Martin Chevalier
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What about “KK”?
“In the case of Kotkaniemi, the pleasant thing is that we only saw the tip of the iceberg. Just seeing him evolve so much between day one of training camp and the end of the playoffs says a lot about the immense potential he holds. I sincerely believe he can collect 50 points from next season. By working a little more on the strength of his legs, Kotkaniemi will be able to achieve great things in this league.
“Right now, I don’t want to go ahead and say who will be the number one center between Suzuki and Kotkaniemi. What I can say, for now, is that the Canadians will have a 1A and 1B center very soon. ”
“They are undoubtedly the two candidates most likely to be exchanged”
With the recent elimination of CH, the time has already come to talk about the priority files with which the general manager Marc Bergevin will have to juggle in the coming weeks.
For McCagg, the situations of Max Domi and Tomas Tatar will be particularly interesting to follow.
“Both players have been flat in the playoffs. I believe the Canadians need to get their hands on a strong winger with great scoring skills. I think Bergevin will try to trade Domi and Tatar along with a draft pick to acquire a player of the genre.
“He knows he needs a pure marker. The # 13 and # 90 are definitely the two candidates most likely to be traded. Bergevin will want to add weight and flair on the wings. ”
“Serious contenders within two years”
The age-old question everyone is asking now: when will the Canadiens finally be considered a team with serious Stanley Cup aspirations?
McCagg’s answer will make many smile.
“The parity is so great in this league that everyone has a legitimate chance every year. Things are going so fast. Some teams quickly transform into contenders for top honors. The Flyers and Islanders, who weren’t considered last year, are now in the association semifinals.
“In the case of Canadians, talent is increasingly present. If Bergevin completes a few good trades and Romanov becomes the player he’s supposed to be, I would say they could be serious contenders within two years. ”
That is really reassuring, right?
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