HabsWorld.net --
Monday was the Habs’ annual charity golf tournament, representing the unofficial kickoff to training camp which officially gets underway on Wednesday. Here are some notes from their media availability.
Playoffs? Last year, there was hesitance to even say the ‘p-word’ so as to not create any sort of unwarranted expectations heading into the season. This time, they’re not shying away from discussing the postseason but there appears to be a phrase that management wanted to hammer home. The goal is to be ‘in the mix’ this season. Considering how many points they missed the playoffs by in 2023-24, that sounds like a reasonable thing to strive for while still not truly setting any expectations.
Power Play: Martin St. Louis indicated that he will take over running the power play following the departure of Alex Burrows who has moved into a player development role. The bench boss noted that he had a hand in running the power play before and noted that he felt there would be some value in continuity on that front. In general, St. Louis highlighted the continuity of the roster several times as something he was pleased to see.
Grillo’s Role: Last week, the Canadiens announced the hiring of Roger Grillo as a coaching consultant, a very broad term. Both St. Louis and GM Kent Hughes were asked about his role but even with clarification from St. Louis, it’s still in some question. He won’t be behind the bench but will work as an extension of the coaching staff. While his title is a consultant, it is a full-time role for the 60-year-old who is entering his first season of working with a professional team. St. Louis indicated that he wanted an older coach for this role.
The D Is The Key: VP of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton emphasized that defensive improvement will be the biggest factor for them if they want to be in the mix for a playoff spot. With the addition of Patrik Laine, the return of Kirby Dach, and potential improvement from their young core, he expressed some confidence that the offence – which ranked 26th in goals last season – will take care of itself.
One-Timers
– Juraj Slafkovsky indicated that he’s entering camp at 101 kg or around 222 pounds. He played at 230 or higher in his first two NHL seasons.
– Laine was asked about what countryman Joel Armia had told him about the organization. Among the highlights was that Armia said that he wants to finish his career with Montreal which is notable as Armia is entering the final year of his contract.
– Dach said he is fully recovered from the knee injury that cost him all but four periods from last season. He added that he thought he could have played late in the regular season.
– Aside from the offseason training injury to Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Hughes noted that the team is fully healthy heading into training camp.
– St. Louis noted that he doesn’t see himself breaking up the top line of Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield with how they performed at the end of the season. That should leave Dach and Laine anchoring a new-look second trio.
