BROSSARD, Que. – The health of star goalkeeper Kerry Price and the development of their youth core will be key storylines after the whirlwind of the season for the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs went through one of the worst campaigns in its history, moving from Stanley Cup finalists in 2020-21 to 32nd and dead last, finishing in 2021-22.
At the beginning of the season, Dominic Ducharme had Canadiens as head coach and Mark Bergevin as general manager. By the end of the season, the two had disappeared as part of a major overhaul in the front office and behind the bench.
Kent Hughes became GM, team owner Jeff Molson brought in Jeff Gorton as vice president of hockey operations, and Martin St. Louis joined as interim head coach.
The ship is still sinking to the bottom of the ocean and ice problems could pass next season. Before defeating 10-2 in first place in Florida to end the campaign, the Habs were in the midst of a nine-game loss.
Price started this last game to take his only victory for a stormy season.
After helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup final in 2021, Price, 34, underwent knee surgery last summer. He suffered many setbacks on his return to the game.
The 2015 winner of the Vezina and Hart Trophy also sought help from the NHLPA / NHL player support program in October for substance abuse.
Despite the setbacks, Price returned to play five games in 2021-22. He was nominated for this year’s Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded to an NHL player who “best illustrates the qualities of perseverance, athleticism and dedication to the game.”
However, his future as a permanent holder remains in doubt.
“My honest opinion is no. I don’t believe that in the current state this would be sustainable for the whole season,” Price said. “So in that regard I have a lot of questions and fortunately for me, I have a lot of time in the summer to prepare.”
The goalkeeper added that he will seek a second opinion about his knee, which is still swollen after matches. Asked if another procedure was possible, Price said, “It’s on the table.”
The 34-year-old added that he was preparing for the final of the season, as if this was his last match.
“The whole day was just an exceptional day for me,” he said. “I slept great, it was just A-plus day. If so, that would be a great way to do it. “
Hughes said Price will go through his initial medical examinations, after which they will sit down with doctors to try to get a clearer perspective on what Price can achieve in the future.
“At the end of the day, what we hope to get is clarity,” Hughes said. “Is this an injury from which Kerry will be able to recover and return to his true form or not?”
“Whether it’s an injury that keeps him from playing again, I don’t think we have that answer, and to tell you that that answer comes from a medical procedure or an image or something, I don’t think I’m right now. now.”
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Despite the rough end of the season, St. Louis instilled a different mentality from the bench, while the Canadians turned their attention to the development of youth, influenced by Hughes and Gorton.
“Are we back? We’ll see, “Hughes said of the poor performances leading up to next season. “We will become younger. We saw (Justin) Barron, (Jordan) Harris, (Kaiden) Guhle coming, (Jan) Mysak coming, (Arber) Xhekaj coming, so there will be a famous young man.
“Our goal will always be to build a team that can win every year. That’s our main goal, and the decisions we have to make over the summer will be based on that. “
With a young blue line, the possible trade with Jeff Petri is still looming. Hughes said that if he unloaded Petri, he would try to attract another veteran to the defense.
“That would certainly be a goal for us,” Hughes said. “Our priority will be to put our young boys in the right environment for development. So to enter the training camp, with three rookies in 82 games, we will not take that risk. “
Hughes said Petri would only be changed if the offer made sense for the Canadiens, but the defender said he would take some time to consider his future as a hub.
“I don’t want to close the door and automatically say this is the last time I’m here,” he said.
With the highest odds in the first overall pick and possibly the Shane Knight Center, Hughes said his top priority right now is the NHL 2022 draft. The Habs director general also added that the center line will be an area of interest.
“We will continue to look for options to keep improving,” Hughes said. “I’ve always said as an agent that it’s hard to find a center, so we’ll see who doesn’t sign next year.”
“There’s a draft. If we appoint a center, that could change things.”
NEW CAPTAIN
The Canadiens were without Captain Shea Weber all season. The defender did not talk about the availability of the Canadiens at the end of the season, but Hughes said his situation was “complicated” due to league and insurance reasons.
“Since I arrived in January, the understanding has been that Shea will not play this season no matter what,” Hughes said. “In terms of injury, he needed time to recover. I don’t think Shea is physically able to play again. “
Montreal may have a new captain by the fall. Hughes said the decision will be influenced by what the list will look like next fall.
“I think we have a lot of guys who have taken the lead as leaders and we will need that in the future,” added Brendan Gallagher. “You need leaders, you need a captain if you want to win. I think it’s important to have these steps in your locker room. “
Despite his young age, Nick Suzuki said he would welcome the idea of becoming captain of the Canadiens.
“I think I want to take the lead. “I’ve been trying to do a good job since I joined this organization,” said Nick Suzuki. “Obviously we have very good candidates to be the next captains, older guys who have been through a lot, but for me I don’t really control any of that.”
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