Call of the Wilde: Canadiens shut out in Minnesota — but it’s not all bad news

The past clip the Montreal Canadiens won successful Minnesota was successful 2011. They were either due, oregon they didn’t person a chance.

On Thursday night, Montreal was caller disconnected a triumph successful Buffalo wherever the offence yet got going with 7 goals.

The Wild play a small tighter than the Sabres. Minnesota unopen retired the Canadiens 3-0.

Wilde Horses 

Marcus Foligno is six ft three, 226 pounds. Lane Hutson is 5 ft nine, 162 pounds. They met successful a conflict for the puck astatine the Canadiens bluish enactment successful the archetypal period. It was an evident mismatch. It’s the benignant of infinitesimal everyone has been frightened astir and wherefore Hutson dropped to 62nd successful the draft. He’s conscionable excessively small.

No 1 told Hutson that helium can’t triumph that battle, and surely, nary 1 told Foligno what helium was up against. Hutson near the elephantine Wild subordinate down him connected each fours, having fallen, portion Hutson pulled away. Hutson past skated unsocial to the Wild bluish enactment and acceptable up Christian Dvorak for Montreal’s lone accidental of the opening 20 minutes.

It’s not the canine successful the fight, it’s the combat successful the dog. It’s besides astir balance. Great equilibrium and little trunk spot tin cancel a full batch of shortage successful inches and pounds. Ask Brendan Gallagher, oregon Cole Caufield, oregon adjacent Martin St. Louis, who are 3 different large examples successful the Canadiens organization. What a bargain for the rebuild to get Hutson astatine the extremity of the 2nd round. He’s a peculiar subordinate — each 162 pounds of him.

Wilde Goats 

It was a choky crippled with nary odd-man rushes and fewer neutral portion turnovers. It was the benignant of crippled wherever you knew 1 mistake would alteration the people of the contest. Enter Christian Dvorak.

Late successful the 2nd period, erstwhile the people was inactive deadlocked astatine zeroes, Dvorak had it successful the neutral zone, but alternatively than propulsion the puck down ice, helium got caught and turned it over. Sadly, helium past compounded his issues by missing his antheral successful beforehand of the net.

The archetypal extremity went to Minnesota, and a immense vantage was won. At the NHL level, that’s each it takes to suffer a crippled — conscionable 1 mistake against a large team. Not ever is it that way, but successful this one, it was wide that it was a first-goal-wins benignant of night.

In the 3rd period, Jayden Struble took an unlucky double-minor for high-sticking for Minnesota to adhd a 2nd goal, and it was over. Samuel Montembeault had a beardown game, but helium couldn’t halt the well-placed Marco Rossi shot. The Wild added an bare netter.

To ore connected the positives, though, the Canadiens are cutting their errors down significantly. It didn’t consciousness similar it, but this was a glass-half-full contention for Montreal. If they support making strides similar this, they volition beryllium fine.

Wilde Cards

There is 1 facet of the rebuild communicative that is not being told accurately. Contrary to fashionable belief, the rebuild is not regressing wherever it counts. It’s not astir wins and losses successful twelvemonth three. It’s astir graduating six top-six forwards and 4 top-four defenders.

Cole Caufield leads the full NHL successful goals. Surely, this is not a subordinate regressing. Nick Suzuki is approaching the quarter-mark of the play for the archetypal clip successful his vocation arsenic amended than a point-per-game player. Juraj Slafkovsky is disconnected to the champion commencement of his precise young vocation successful constituent totals. He is 20 and successful his 3rd season.

While Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach person not solidified their vocation way aboriginal this season, they are inactive viable to yet arrive. Should Newhook and Dach 1 time beryllium considered third-liners, the 2nd enactment of the aboriginal has overmuch promise.

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Ivan Demidov is the champion draught positive 1 successful KHL past successful Russia successful points per game, contempt his caput manager limiting his minutes successful galore games. Michael Hage is disconnected to a beardown commencement successful Michigan arsenic helium is delivering highly good successful his archetypal twelvemonth aft the draft.

The apical six could besides beryllium filled retired by a top-10 prime this twelvemonth successful the draft. Also, Patrik Laine hasn’t played a minute. Four options for 3 spots successful the apical six arsenic the rebuild continues is not regressing. If Dach and Newhook person different cogwheel yet — arsenic they might, considering their property — past that is six viable options to capable retired the apical six.

The 2nd enactment hasn’t seen a boost this season, but nary 1 has been cancelled either. Who yet claims those second-line spots won’t beryllium known for different 2 oregon 3 years.

On defence, the concern is really better. One has to beryllium reminded that the extremity is simply a existent apical 4 successful 2026, not today.

For that reason, this is an outstanding twelvemonth of promise. Lane Hutson is 2nd successful rookie scoring arsenic a bluish liner. He’s intelligibly a top-four talent. That’s a large triumph successful what was an chartless lone 2 months ago.

Add to that, Logan Mailloux is simply a dominating unit successful the AHL. He is delivering connected the committedness that helium volition beryllium successful the apical 4 eventually.

Kaiden Guhle has done thing incorrect to disqualify him from being a top-four defender. The lone setback is that David Reinbacher suffered a superior season-long injury. That’s not a loss, though. It isn’t arsenic if helium is playing badly. He’s done thing connected the crystal to beryllium discouraged about.

That’s some the forwards and defenders who person not suffered a setback successful the rebuild. Add that Jacob Fowler is astir apt the champion goalie not playing successful the NHL today, and the crease is taken attraction of arsenic well.

Many of the roster difficulties this play are successful places that don’t substance successful 2027. If you hatred however overmuch immoderate of the veterans are struggling during each these losses, who cares? It doesn’t substance however the aging vets are doing.

The aboriginal contending lineup isn’t filled with 30-somethings. It’s filled with the precocious ceilings of young guns Owen Beck, Joshua Roy, Adam Engstrom and Oliver Kapanen.

However, it is important to enactment that this rebuild cannot extremity until each portion of the puzzle is completed. That means the question people remains astatine centre, wherever idiosyncratic has to get who is astatine slightest arsenic bully arsenic Suzuki.

It inactive is each systems spell for this rebuild erstwhile you recognize the people isn’t really wins this season, but top-six and top-four targets reached.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca aft each Canadiens game.