Calm down 90’s wrestling fans, this is a blog about hockey. Then again, there has been quite a bit of violence going on the ice lately….
The last week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Montreal Canadiens and their fans. We’ve seen Laine get hit by a knee-on-knee collision in the game against the Leafs only minutes after Reinbacher couldn’t put any weight on his leg on what looked like a very unspectacular play when the game began.
While we all thought Laine would be gone for the season after his knee bent in a way best described by doctors as “not supposed to bend like that”, we were all relieved to learn he would be gone for only 2 to 3 months.
But we couldn’t completely just take our PTSD regarding injuries to the side when we learned Reinbacher would be gone for much longer, likely only returning in 6 months.
I understand the appeal of getting Laine back sooner as we’re all excited about the potential of Kent Hughes latest reclamation project, but if we all take a step back, Reinbacher’s long term absence is actually a considerably worse scenario than if the players' situations were reversed. The Habs former 5th overall pick is an integral part of this team’s future and losing the opportunity to grow at such a crucial moment in his development isn’t ideal and may very well push back the moment Reinbacher is ready to contribute to the Canadiens success.
Already on edge by all that just happened, the next preseason game did nothing to calm everyone down as we saw Riley Greig blindside Kirby Dach with a late hit in the first period.
Now if you think the fans became highly emotional after seeing Laine and Reinbacher get injured, it seems like for the players, after seeing so many injuries to significant players these past few years, these last events were too much to take.
I’m a fan of hockey played mostly with skills, nice plays, big goals and great saves. This is what I want to see on the ice when I spend my evening y̶e̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶ t̶v̶ enjoying the game. But hockey remains a physical game where different kind of hits, shots and situations will risk causing injuries to players.
When that happens, how do you want your team to react? It seems the 2024-2025 edition of the Montreal Canadiens decided they wouldn’t just take it without answering the bell. We’ve obviously seen Arber Xhekaj already get fined for his actions and also ejected from two different preseason games but we’ve also seen the team answer back with more physical play with even some players getting into their first fight ever. (Someone needs to teach Slafkovsky how to fight before he tries that ever again).
Martin St-Louis mentioned he wanted his team to stick together and defend each other like a wolf pack. I think this is exactly what we’ve seen so far and the result will most likely be the team entering the season with alot of intensity.
Let’s just hope the preseason can finally end without more players risking injuries, it’s just not worth it.
The open chair
With Laine’s absence, a beautiful “chair” is available for the taking on the Habs 2nd line next to Dach and Newhook.
In a recent interview, Jeff Gorton immediately pointed to the usual suspects when asked who could fill that role with Roy, Armia, Anderson all being considered. A name that did surprise a few people was the president mentioning Kapanen as a possible solution on the 2nd line. While I don’t believe he’s quite ready for that role and would rather see Roy or Armia in that spot for the first game of the season, I think the most important part is the very real possibility of seeing Kapanen stick with the Habs to begin the season.
We all knew Kapanen would be getting a long look before the team decided what to do with him, but it feels like he has played himself into the conversation and deserves all the credit for it.
As far as the rest of the team goes, I don’t think the last two preseason games will change much regarding roster decisions. The hopeful Mailloux will likely be sent to Laval as he didn’t show enough to overtake Barron’s spot on the team’s third pair but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be called up during the season sooner than later.
One last thing about Xhekaj, he has both shown plenty with his fists and shoulders trying to defend his teammates…. But has also shown very little hockeywise. He has two more games to change the narrative because, as of today, Jayden Struble looks like the most reliable of the two.
The last few decisions will be made in the next few days. Preseason games are, thankfully, almost over.
Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
Hugo Brossoit (Scabeh)
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