On the sidelines of the general managers’ meeting held in Toronto, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said he was pleased with the performance offered by his team after fifteen games.
The maturity in the game of the young team led by Martin St-Louis is one of the most encouraging aspects, according to the analysis of the Montreal coach.
“Like most teams, there have been some good aspects and some not so good aspects so far. Overall, I think that in the last three games there has been an improvement in the team’s play. Individually, some had good streaks, others would like to have a better start. But I think that’s normal, anyway, in the season,” summarized Hughes.
“I think the team is more mature (than when I took over). More in the last three games as I said, but I think there is maturity in the style of play, in the decisions with the puck, the details of the defense. We are seeing improvements on special teams as well.
“Of course we want to see individual improvements as well. Maybe we don’t see it all the time, but I think it’s normal for young players. I always point out a comment that Dave Andreychuk made back when Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards (were Lightning players). He said: ‘They have always been good players but here they keep showing us that. And consistency is the last aspect to integrate for a young player. »
Goalkeeper condition
The Habs have had three goaltenders in their team for more than a month, namely Jake AllenSamuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau.
It’s not a very popular formula in the NHL, but Hughes doesn’t mind.
“It is a topic that is talked about a lot, but it is not urgent. I didn’t check today, but I think our goalies are one of the best in the league so far this season. They say that what isn’t broken can’t be fixed… That doesn’t mean we plan to (always) have three guardians. There are things we need to assess and put in place. Until we do, we will not make the exchange. »
Monahan’s impact on our team isn’t just what we see from him on the ice, where he plays in almost every situation. But it is also his leadership. This morning I was reading comments from Tanner Pearson, who said Monahan was easy to play with. You can predict what they will do and what’s more, lots of talk on the bench. He is a very useful player.
“I think Sean is playing even better this year than last year, but he was still very useful for us (in 2022-2023),” he emphasized.
