The Montreal Canadiens have had a very bad week, losing – in convincing fashion – twice in a row to the Ottawa Senators. As expected, losing is never really welcomed in Montreal, but how they lost both of those games has stirred emotions for the fan base that has been mostly suppressed for about 18 months, exasperation.
Related: Canadiens 2023-24 Midseason Prospect Report: Top 5 Prospects
With that, the honeymoon period with Canadiens’ management led by general manager (GM) Kent Hughes seems to be over. How is it that Canadiens fans demanded a rebuild, and for the first time in nearly a century, was finally implemented, but they lost patience with it after less than two years? The fans’ lack of patience is unwarranted, and there are many reasons as to why.
The Honeymoon is Over
The initial harmonious period in this new relationship has ended. It hasn’t been two years, and now those same fans who embraced this new plan are fed up and getting angry at the management group they demanded to replace the last one and implement the plan.
That is wholly unfair of a group that was hired to implement a long-term rebuild and has been transparent about this process from the very beginning. They have barely begun the process, having only been in place for two years, been through two drafts, and have only had enough time for one player they did draft, Juraj Slafkovsky, to become a regular on the roster.
The comments expressed by Eric Macramella from TSN690 aren’t wrong, there has been a loss of patience, at least among a vocal minority on social media which does signal the end of the honeymoon period. It’s a lack of patience born of a sense of entitlement. That doesn’t mean that Hughes is perfect, but the hope for a quick turnaround by that segment of fans has caused them to see his patience as a flaw, which has made them feel irritated and look for any imperfections to justify their feelings. Okay, the honeymoon is over, but that means it is time to settle down and take another look. After all, this is the relationship these fans wanted. The new car smell is gone, time to get to work.
Canadiens’ Focus on Long-Term
A major part of any rebuild plan is player development. With that as a focus, the team’s overall record will suffer, which is all part of the long-term plan according to head coach Martin St. Louis:
“I don’t like to lose, but do I want to win in the short-term mindset goal, so to speak, at the price of not developing the young guys that are going to help you win for years? No. I don’t want to risk that. I want to have the young guys, the prospects, the players that are here now reach their full potential.”
– Martin St. Louis (from “Canadiens St. Louis places focus on winning, development,” Montreal Gazette, 1 June 2022)
The 2021-22 season’s .434 points percentage should give fans a reference point. Development is the main goal, and that will be helped by being competitive, which, for the most part, the club has been. St. Louis has been able to get the team to play exciting, up-tempo hockey that keeps the games close, even against the league’s top teams. And yes, the Canadiens will likely be looking at another .500 or slightly less record, which should land them in the bottom 10 in the standings but provide a top 10 draft pick while also allowing the current crop of prospects some steps forward in their development.
We have seen improvements across the board for Montreal. The young core players continue to improve offensively, they have improved from a .457 points percentage in 2022-23 (after 47 games played) to .479 after 47 games this season. True, it isn’t a huge leap, but it is an improvement. In those 47 games from season to season, the Canadiens have been able to improve and score more goals, allow fewer goals, take more shots per game and allow fewer shots per game. They are showing signs of overall improvement, which would be enough to allow those who fell out of the honeymoon phase to at least curb their anger. But they will point to a weak special teams output next, but it isn’t as terrible as once thought, there has been improvement there as well. The power play (PP) saw an increase to 18.7% from its 2022-23 total of 15%. The penalty kill (PK) has also seen an improvement, if only by a razor-thin margin going from 73.8% to 74%.
Canadiens Using Internal Competition
The lack of patience for some fans can blind them to the fact that there are clear statistical improvements as a team and with individual players. It seems that the problem is the speed with which the plan is being implemented. While they are unreasonably demanding with the timeline, they do point out that the team has needs, such as an elite scoring forward. The lack of which was why many had their hopes set on Matvei Michkov being the Canadiens’ 2023 Draft pick at fifth overall, and the apathy towards management most likely began on that day when Hughes selected defenceman David Reinbacher instead. The first moment that a large segment of the fan base disagreed with the decisions made by management.
There is a plethora of quality forward prospects, such as Joshua Roy and Filip Mesar, but none rise to the level of a potential point-per-game player. So the internal competition on that front is still thin, however, the rebuild will be paved by the team’s systemic depth on defence, using some as trade bait with the excess draft capital to fill that need at forward, on top of a top 10 pick in 2024. While there have been incremental improvements defensively, the Canadiens are still in the bottom half statistically of the NHL, but there is good reason to be hopeful. That improvement, no matter how small, from year to year is a direct result of the development of the defensive corps, which went from nearly all rookies (a total of five rookies were used as regulars) in 2022-23 to their sophomore seasons being led by Mike Matheson and David Savard, two veterans.
There has been a revolving door of rookies and sophomores on the blue line this season with rookie Jayden Struble’s surprising play, and Justin Barron’s loan to the American Hockey League (AHL) allowing for Arber Xhekaj’s return to the NHL. This demonstrates the depth of the Canadiens’ defensive prospects. We can’t forget that several more defenders are pushing their way up the depth chart; Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, and Lane Hutson to name a few. This signals a healthy internal competition as they all try to establish themselves as NHL regulars.
Canadiens Take a Step Back to Make a Leap Forward
This internal depth is a good problem to have. The Canadiens are creating a culture of competition that keeps everyone on their toes and the roster spot battles will continue to be fierce, which in turn can help to increase their value on the trade market because nobody is entitled to a spot on the roster. Because not all of those defensive players can be NHLers and stay with Montreal, there are only so many spots that can be filled. Some will need to be traded, even if they prove themselves to be quality NHL players.
The step back this season will come at the trade deadline. While none of the young defencemen are expected to be moved, there is an expectation that veterans, at all positions, will be. Players like Sean Monahan, Savard, and Jake Allen just to name a few. Trading veterans for futures will make the team worse for now due to the loss of their consistent play, but also for their loss of mentorship and ability to take on larger roles that allow the young players to be insulated down in the lineup.
However, the returns from the trades and the short-term exposure to larger roles for the youth will provide value in the long term. But trading away veterans haphazardly would only hurt the club. That is why they all can’t just be dealt at the trade deadline, meaning Hughes will need to stagger these moves, which means that the fans who have become jaded after only two short years, will need to rediscover the patience they showed at the start of his tenure, because this isn’t a fire sale, it’s a systemic rebuild.
Cultivating Hughes’ desired team culture takes time, and so far, there has been visible improvement as players show joy, and generate entertainment and that has made players around the league take notice of Montreal as a viable destination. There is no question that Hughes, by his reputation of only making deals when he gets the value he desires, has demonstrated that he can remain consistent and focused on the long-term (big picture) goals of the organization. Building a winning team is more than just one or two moves made in a single season, it takes years and a plan. While the honeymoon for some fans may be over, that just means they must put in the work to understand that this is the direction they demanded the team take, work on their relationship with the team, and meet them halfway by showing some patience and understanding on the path they have only just started.