Over the weekend, the Montreal Canadiens played two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre, and it was a great opportunity to see some of the young players in the organization. Here are some quick hits and observations.
Lane Hutson
I mean come on. I think everyone knew this kid was good, I don’t think anyone was prepared for what we saw. It was clear he was the best player on the ice. Did he make plays he shouldn’t have? Sure, but it’s a rookie camp game where he’s the best player on the ice. Try stuff, who cares. It was evident very quickly how the Canadiens felt about him. By the end of the first period of the first game, every player on the Canadiens had the game plan of “get the puck to Lane”. That’s the truest sign of respect from your peers.
And why wouldn’t they?
Even when he tried things and they went the other way, he quickly showed effort and literally took the puck back.
And right after a Maple Leafs goal, Hutson just tried to put the entire team on his back.
There will be ups and downs, obviously. But you saw what you wanted to see from Hutson and I don’t really think that he will spend much – if any – time in Laval. I think you want to have your top players learn how to play with him because there is a learning curve to playing with someone as unique as Hutson. Might as well start now.
David Reinbacher
Adam Engström and Logan Mailloux were both good in both games. Engström showed what I expected him to show and Mailloux showed what allowed him to become a solid AHL player. They both have things to learn. When things broke down in the defensive zone, Mailloux still struggled to recover but that’s what main training camp is for. Engström skates great, but sometimes takes chances he shouldn’t because he thinks he can recover. By the second period, he seemed to make better choices.
That leaves us with Reinbacher. I thought he was quite good. Some rust, to be sure, but Reinbacher was much better in the second game, where his ice time increased because of Mailloux’s 10 minute misconduct that went into the third period.
He got a secondary assist in the second game, on a shift where he created multiple chances.
The zone entry leading to a pass into the slot is exactly the type of play where Reinbacher will contribute offensively. He won’t be Lane Hutson, but he will create chances as well as shut them down on the other end.
I think that he will still start in Laval, just because of the reality of the numbers, but there’s plenty to like about his game and he’ll continue to impress people.
Filip Mešár
People will look at Mešár’s statline and lament that he didn’t get a single point in two games. Yes, that is a fact, but one that proves you didn’t really watch the games or pay attention.
Mešár, quite frankly, is a creator offensively. Not to the level of Lane Hutson, obviously, but the only thing stopping Mešár from contributing to a goal were his linemates. I don’t want to be overly harsh but Jared Davidson and Riley Kidney, while perfectly fine players, were not able to convert the chances Mešár created.
Everything when I watch Mešár screams someone who will improve as he plays with better players. That doesn’t mean that the team should put him with Juraj Slafkovský and Nick Suzuki or anything, but he should be a top-six player in Laval this season, and the two players he played with at rookie camp will not. I would have liked to see him play with Sean Farrell or Emil Heineman and Owen Beck, and maybe we will at some point.
Other quick hits
- Have to admit I liked what I saw from the line of Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch, and Tyler Thorpe. The Canadiens may have something in Thorpe, and Xhekaj and Tuch look like they can be solid contributors in the AHL this season.
- Owen Beck is going to be really good. I think he’s already 1C material in the AHL. I think he fit right in with Sean Farrell and Heineman. He showed a willingness to shoot and to try things with the puck, and that’s a good thing for his outlook of becoming more than a defensive player. He has better-than-expected skill as long as he uses it, and first impressions are good.
- Sean Farrell is the forgotten prospect in the organization but the skills are still there. Hoping he has a healthy season so we can really see where his game is at. I liked his game this weekend.
- This wasn’t a very good opportunity to see what the Canadiens have in Logan Mailloux and where he stacks in the depth chart. Playing with Hutson made Mailloux default to him a bunch. I am curious how he will look in pre-season games and who the team pairs him with. You can’t argue with that shot, nor can you argue with his defensive mishaps. But, again, this wasn’t his main goal. Let’s see how he looks alongside NHLers during the preseason. I think he’s at worst in Laval’s top two pairs (if Reinbacher and Mailloux both start in Laval will be fascinating to see how Pascal Vincent juggles the pair). There are many more NHL games in his future, regardless.
