Has anyone here ever tried to exit Montreal through the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel during rush hour, or at any hour, really? Well, the Canadian’s offensive portrait looks a little like this: congested as possible.
Over the next few days, we will hear managers, supporters and armchair journalists extolling the merits of this or that prospect, while rehashing the cliché of the young person who could “force the hand” of the club. But this concept of the young hope who could cause surprise and upset the established order no longer works, firstly because of today’s financial realities.
Thus, it is useful to remember that the Canadian currently has 14 attackers under contract, including 13 who have a one-way contract. In this group, we find a majority of veterans whose place is more or less guaranteed, who are not part of the long-term plans, but who are not going to disappear as if by magic, like Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak.
Owen Beck, Lias Andersson, Filip Mesar, Sean Farrell, Emil Heineman, Joshua Roy, Xavier Simoneau and other Nathan Légaré can score five goals each in each intra-team game, their chances of starting the season at the Bell Center are little close to nil, unless injured. Beck, for example, cannot be transferred to the American League, and he will undoubtedly be sent back to Peterborough, in the Ontario Junior League. Mesar can already start shopping for an apartment in the Laval area.
There will still be some more difficult decisions. Jesse Ylönen, for example, who certainly didn’t look like a top striker in his 37 games with the Canadian last season. But the club used a second-round pick in 2018 to draft him, and he would have to go on waivers if ever he was demoted.
There could still be some suspense in the case of the first pick in the 2022 draft, Juraj Slafkovsky, who is on his entry contract, and who is exempt from waivers. Wouldn’t a little detour to Laval do him a little good? In any case, it is a possibility for the one who had difficulties in his first season, before injuring his left knee. The 19-year-old hasn’t played since January 15, need we remind you.
Otherwise, yes, there are always injuries that can be a game-changer; among others, we will have to keep an eye on the case of Dvorak, who had knee surgery in March, and who could miss the start of the season. His misfortune could bring happiness to a younger person, if only temporarily.
