The Canadiens have spiraled into a seemingly endless abyss of a slump, winning only three of 13 games to start the season. If they keep this pace up, they will finish the season with just 38 points, but hope and help are on the way, and their star goalie could be back in due time. Until then, the Habs need to find a way to turn this dismal season around.
Canadiens Price Back With Team
Carey Price, the Canadiens’ superstar goaltender who helped lead them on their magical run to the Stanley Cup Final, is back with the team and preparing his return to action. Price has been absent for the first month of the season as he entered the NHL/NHLPA players’ assistance program for issues he needs to work out. He also missed most of the pre-season due to knee surgery he had in the offseason. While recovering from this surgery, he went into the program, which lasts a minimum of 30 days.
Price will see the athletic trainer and set up a program to slowly get him back into game shape. Canadiens head coach Dom Ducharme says there may be a few games that see him with the Habs farm team, the Laval Rocket, before he gets any games with the parent club. Price is still recovering from his knee surgery, so the team must ensure that he is ready to go physically and mentally before any game action. This process could take some time, however, so Price returning to the team doesn’t mean he will be playing anytime soon.
Canadiens’ Caufield Gets Words of Encourgment From Old Teammate
Canadiens top prospect Cole Caufield was sent to Laval last week in an attempt to regain his confidence. After a successful playoff campaign where the young winger had 12 points in 20 games, he struggled in his first ten games this season, getting only one assist playing mainly on the top two lines. Caufield is one of the premier shooters on the Canadiens, but so far this season hasn’t been able to find his mark hitting posts and just missing chances. The move to Laval is in hopes he will find his rhythm and work his way back to the Canadiens.
The move shouldn’t be a bad thing for Caufield, and he will play on the top line with the Rocket with increased ice time, which will give him more chances to work his demons out. Caufield was disappointed in the move, but an old teammate reached out to him when it happened. Former Canadiens player Corey Perry, who now plays with the Tampa Bay Lightning, messaged Caufield to encourage him. So far, in two games with Laval, Caufield has one assist.
Canadiens’ Drouin Not Seriously Hurt After Getting Puck to the Head
Last week, the Canadiens’ leading scorer at the time, Jonathan Drouin, was struck in the head by a slap shot from Brett Kulak. He went immediately to the ice and then straight to the dressing room, where he was evaluated by medical staff then taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. Drouin had been one of the hottest and most consistent scorers for the Canadiens until that point.
Related: Canadiens & Drouin Will Both Benefit From Fresh Start
Drouin passed all concussion protocols, and is day-to-day. He missed the last two games, but should be back this week when they play the Los Angeles Kings. With Nick Suzuki now heating up, the Canadiens could use another hot hand to help them out of this slump. The team has yet to win two games in a row this season after losing five straight.
Frolik Not Happy with How Canadiens Used Him
Last season the Canadiens signed Michael Frolik to a one-year $750,000 contract. He was excited to sign a contract with the team, but five days later the Habs signed Corey Perry to the same contract. The team was already up against the cap, and that’s when Frolik knew he didn’t have a guaranteed spot with the Canadiens. He spent much of the season on the taxi squad practicing, but not playing with the Canadiens, or with their farm team the Rocket. Frolik ended the season only playing ten total games, eight with the Habs and two with Laval, scoring zero points.
Frolik now blames the Canadiens for ruining his NHL career and wonders why they would sign him to a contract in the first place. He stated in an interview with French sports channel TVA that he couldn’t find his place, and when someone got injured, he was never the one being called up. He spoke with the coach, but was never happy with the answers, and said he feels his lack of playing time, and the way the Canadiens handled him, was the reason he didn’t sign with any NHL club this season. He is currently playing in the Swiss National League, and has six points in eight games for Lausanne HC.
That’s the news and rumours for this week; let’s hope the Canadiens can turn around the season soon and start winning some games. If not, then all fans can hope for is that they finish in the bottom ten and keep that protected draft pick, or maybe win the lotto and be able to draft Shayne Wright.
