Here are some things we learned from the Canadiens’ training camp:
The power play sucks: There was a slight improvement last season when the Canadiens scored on 17.5 per cent of their chances to rank 27th in the NHL.
Not great, but better than the previous season, when they ranked 29th with a 16.1 per cent success rate. Which, in turn, was a vast improvement over the 2021-22 season, when they finished 31st at 13.7 per cent.
It’s too early to sound the alarm because the Canadiens haven’t played a game that counts in the standings, but Montreal has yet to score a power-play goal in the pre-season. Through five games, they are 0-for-25. They are 0-for-2 when they have the two-man advantage.
This is disappointing if you were among the many fans who were looking forward to rookie Lane Hutson bringing some life back to the power play. It hasn’t happened because Hutson has been confined to limited minutes on the second power play unit and he doesn’t get an opportunity to fully exploit his skills.
I’m not advocating that Mike Matheson be pulled from the first unit.
He collected 28 of his career-high 62 points on the power play and only Nick Suzuki scored more with 31. But Marty St. Louis might consider turning the clock back and using both Matheson and Hutson on the first unit along with the top line of Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.
A successful power play involves movement of both players and the puck and this is where Hutson, with his vision and his water-bug moves, should excel.
This approach would make even more sense following the injury to Patrik Laine, who was pencilled in on the first unit. His absence affects the depth throughout the lineup. Using Hutson in his spot allows St. Louis to keep his first line intact and eliminates unnecessary juggling.
Bad news becomes good news: There’s something discouraging when losing a star player for two to three months is good news.
That’s the case with Patrik Laine, who is hoping a move to Montreal will resurrect his career after a season marred by injury and mental-health issues. Laine suffered a sprained left knee when he was involved in a collision with Toronto’s Cédric Paré last Saturday.
Looking at the replay, it appears that Laine’s knee bent in a direction it shouldn’t and it’s a pleasant surprise that he will not need surgery.
Rookie defenceman David Reinbacher wasn’t as lucky. He left the Toronto game a few minutes before Laine after what appeared to be a harmless hit along the side boards. He required surgery to repair extensive ligament damage in his left knee and will be out for five or six months.
The injury effectively wipes out a year of development for the 19-year-old who was a first-round draft choice in 2023. Reinbacher was probably slated to start the season in Laval, but he was getting a good look because he’s right-handed shot.
There are nine defenceman still in camp and only seven will remain in Montreal. Adam Engstrom will be heading to Laval and the final choice will be between Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux who are both right-handed shots. Barron will stay because needs to clear waivers to be sent down and Mailloux doesn’t.
There’s one cut to be made up front. Finn Oliver Kapanen has looked impressive, but the 21-year-old has to be among the top 12 forwards or he won’t have the opportunity to develop. He’s a centre, but the good news is that he can play on the wing.
Where’s the beef? You can never be sure which players are going to be in the lineup for a pre-season game, but one rule of thumb is that the closer you get to the regular season the better the lineup.
It didn’t turn out that way Tuesday night when the Ottawa Senators came to town. Season-ticket holders, who are required to pay regular-season prices for four pre-season games, had reason to believe they would see all their favourites because the Canadiens had trimmed the roster to 27 bodies.
But when the puck was dropped, there was no Nick Suzuki, no Cole Caufield, no Juraj Slafkovsky, no Mike Matheson and no Lane Hutson.
Fans did get to see rookie Luke Tuch score a goal. He and Lucas Condotta were recalled from Laval after being demoted a day earlier.
The big guns will be back when the Canadians close out their pre-season schedule Saturday in a rematch against the Senators, but that game is in Ottawa.