BROSSARD, Que. — The health of star goaltender Carey Price and the development of their youthful core will be key storylines after a whirlwind of a season for the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs navigated through one of the worst campaigns in their history, going from Stanley Cup finalists in 2020-21 to a 32nd, and dead last, finish in 2021-22.
At the start of the season, the Canadiens had Dominique Ducharme as head coach and Marc Bergevin as general manager. By season’s end, those two were gone as part of a sweeping overhaul in the front office and behind the bench.
Kent Hughes became GM, team owner Geoff Molson brought on Jeff Gorton as vice president of hockey operations and Martin St. Louis joined as interim head coach.
The ship still sank to the bottom of the ocean, and the on-ice issues could bleed into next season. Before a 10-2 rout of the first-place Florida to close the campaign, the Habs were in the midst of a nine-game losing skid.
Price started that final game to pick up his only win of a tumultuous season.
After helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup final in 2021, the 34-year-old Price underwent knee surgery last summer. He suffered numerous setbacks in returning to the game.
The Vezina and Hart Trophy winner in 2015 also sought help from the NHLPA/NHL player assistance program in October for substance abuse.
Despite the setbacks, Price returned to play five games in 2021-22. He has been nominated for this year’s Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.”
Still, his future as a consistent starter remains in doubt.
“My honest opinion is no. I don’t believe that in the current state it would be sustainable for a whole season,” Price said. “So in that regard, I have a lot of question marks and fortunately for me, I got a lot of time over the summer to prepare.”
The goaltender added he will be seeking a second opinion on his knee, which has still been swelling after games. When asked if another procedure was a possibility, Price said: “it’s on the table.”
The 34-year-old added that he prepared for the season finale as if it was his last game.
“The whole day, it was just an exceptional day for myself,” he said. “I had a great sleep, it was just an A-plus day. If it is it, that would be a great way to do it.”
Hughes said that Price will go through his exit medicals, then they will sit down with the doctors to try to get a clearer perspective on what Price can achieve going forward.
“At the end of the day, what we’re hoping to get is clarity,” Hughes said. “Is this an injury that Carey is going to be able to recover from and return to true form or not?”
“Whether this is an injury that prevents him from ever being able to play again, I don’t think we have that answer and to tell you that that answer comes from a medical procedure or an imaging or any of that, I think we’re not at that point right now.”
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Despite the rough end to the season, St. Louis instilled a different mentality from the bench as the Canadiens turned their eye towards youth development influenced by Hughes and Gorton.
“Are we behind? We’ll see,” Hughes said about bad performances leading into next season. “We’ll get younger. We saw (Justin) Barron, (Jordan) Harris, (Kaiden) Guhle is coming, (Jan) Mysak is coming, (Arber) Xhekaj is coming, so there will be a certain youth.
“The objective for us will always be to build a team capable of winning year-to-year. That’s our main objective and the decisions we need to make in the summer will be based on that.”
With a young blue line a possible Jeff Petry trade is still looming. Hughes said that if he off-loaded Petry he would try to bring on another veteran defenceman.
“That would certainly be an objective for us,” Hughes said. “Our priority will be to place our young guys in the right environment to develop. So to come into training camp by having three rookies in the lineup for 82 games, we won’t take that risk.”
Hughes said Petry would only be traded if the offer made sense to the Canadiens, but the defenceman said he would take some time to reflect on his future as a Hab.
“I don’t want to close the door and automatically say that this is the last time that I’m here,” he said.
With the highest odds at the first overall pick and possibly centreman Shane Knight, Hughes said his biggest priority at the moment was the 2022 NHL Draft. The Habs GM also added that the centre line would be an area of interest.
“We’ll keep looking at options to keep improving,” Hughes said. “I’ve always said as a agent that it’s tough to find a centreman so we’ll see who isn’t signed for next year.”
“There is also the draft. If we draft a centreman it can change things.”
A NEW CAPTAIN
The Canadiens were without captain Shea Weber for the entirety of the season. The defenceman did not speak in the Canadiens end-of-season availability, but Hughes said that his situation is “complex” for league and insurance reasons.
“Since I arrived in January, the understanding was that Shea was not playing this season no matter what,” Hughes said. “From an injury standpoint he needed time to recover. I think it’s highly unlikely that Shea is going to be physically capable of playing again.”
Montreal may have a new captain by the fall. Hughes said that a decision will be influenced on what the roster will look like next fall.
“I think we have a lot of guys that took strides as leaders and we’re going to need that going forward,” added Brendan Gallagher. “You need leaders, you need a captain if you’re going to win. I think it’s important to have those steps in your locker room.”
Despite his young age, Nick Suzuki said he would welcome the idea of becoming the Canadiens’ captain.
“I think, for me, I want to take a leadership role. I have tried to do a good job ever since I came to this organization,” said Nick Suzuki. “Obviously we have a lot of good candidates to be the next captain, older guys that have been through a lot, but for me I don’t really control any of that.”
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
