Canadiens Pocket book: On Monahan’s regarding standing, Suzuki’s problem, Kovacevic’s household

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BROSSARD, Que. – Sean Monahan was nearing a return to play. Three weeks in the past, the Canadiens stated he was “progressing nicely” in his rehabilitation of a lower-body damage and that he’d doubtless be again in two weeks. Canadiens basic supervisor Kent Hughes, in his midseason assessment on Jan. 18, even stated he thought Monahan can be activated quickly.

However the 28-year-old centre returned to observe in a non-contact jersey simply three days after Hughes stated that and we haven’t seen him on the ice since. And our a number of requests for updates on Monahan’s standing over the past week have been ignored, which doesn’t precisely encourage confidence he’s nonetheless “progressing” in any respect, not to mention nicely.

The Canadiens stated they’ll have an replace earlier than the tip of the week on that entrance, however their silence within the interim speaks volumes.

It’s comprehensible, although. Don’t get us unsuitable, this isn’t some gripe about transparency, or lack thereof, as a result of it’s no secret Monahan represents considered one of Montreal’s finest commerce chips and the group has virtually zero incentive to be forthcoming on his standing with the March 3 deadline lastly in view.

However any group with even slight curiosity within the participant has the identical questions we have now proper now – Was it only a damaged bone in his foot that Monahan was rehabbing? Did he, within the technique of taking part in on the damage for a number of video games, make it worse and/or undergo a unique one? Did he undergo a setback or one other damage throughout the rehab course of? – and no solutions being accessible will solely result in hypothesis one thing is significantly unsuitable.

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Contemplating the sequence of occasions: Monahan harm his foot a number of video games earlier than he stopped taking part in, and on Dec. 5, he was initially listed as day-to-day; on Dec. 13, his standing was amended to say he was going to overlook two to a few weeks; he then returned to skating in early January; he bought again on the ice with teammates briefly within the second week of the month; he lastly returned to observe in a non-contact jersey on Jan. 21; and now he’s been absent for 10 days with out clarification. So, there’s ample motive for concern.

And given Monahan’s lengthy damage historical past, we’re undecided how Hughes will be capable to persuade anybody he’ll be superb, particularly if he can’t return to play a robust pattern of video games forward of the deadline.

The worth the participant beforehand supplied to the Canadiens – after he was thought-about broken past restore following two injury-plagued seasons that led to surgery-filled off-seasons and his commerce out of Calgary – can be all of the GM might depend on.

That it was appreciable ought to matter if the Canadiens have data to guarantee consumers Monahan will make a full restoration and be capable to contribute the identical to their group for a playoff run.

“He’s a hell of a hockey participant,” Canadiens goalie Jake Allen stated on Monday. “He simply introduced that veteran presence with the way in which he performed – low and sluggish, all the time in the appropriate positions. Simply coming from Calgary, he performed that big-boy type of hockey, in the appropriate place on the proper time, and I feel we wanted that with lots of our younger guys. It was actually spectacular to see him come again, particularly with all of the accidents he’s had over the past couple of years. He was an enormous issue, I assumed, firstly of the 12 months for us. I’ve lots of respect for him, particularly for him to get again to the place he was in spite of everything these accidents the final couple of years. He might’ve are available in and simply gone by way of the motions on the final 12 months of his contract, however he didn’t. He did the precise reverse and had a huge effect.”

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki used totally different phrases however had the identical message.

So did coach Martin St. Louis, who stated, “I feel you’ve gotten a veteran like that, that performs in lots of conditions, that has a presence, and we felt that as a bunch for certain. He was a giant a part of the primary couple months of our season on and off the ice, and whenever you lose a man like that, it’s robust to switch.”

However even when all that’s true, buying and selling Monahan for what the Canadiens had been hoping to acquire for him might show even tougher if he can’t get again into video games quickly.

He’s actually not going anyplace as long as his standing stays a thriller.

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Suzuki will likely be superb

Suzuki hasn’t produced greater than 10 factors over his final 25 video games, however he’s not involved about it.

We don’t suppose he must be.

We additionally suppose the talk over whether or not or not he’s a first-line centre is significantly misplaced, particularly contemplating the context of who’s lacking from the Canadiens proper now.

Cole Caufield is gone from Suzuki’s facet, and he’s been changed by Rem Pitlick, who’s performed two extra video games for the Canadiens than he has for the Laval Rocket this season. Monahan and Jake Evans – the group’s security valves up the center – are each out. As are 4 established NHL wingers.

And Kirby Dach was moved off Suzuki’s line and again to his pure place of centre.

All to say, the Canadiens are decimated, and Suzuki is having to hold them – taking part in in all conditions and averaging the seventh-most ice time per recreation of all NHL forwards.

He’s additionally admittedly banged up.

Not that the 23-year-old is utilizing that as an excuse.

“There’s lots of guys taking part in banged-up, and also you simply type of get used to it and that’s your new 100 per cent,” Suzuki stated on Monday. “By way of the season, you’re not the identical as you’re throughout coaching camp, and that’s the grind of the NHL. You simply put together your physique by way of the summer season and former expertise to maintain taking part in and play nicely.”

Suzuki slumped concurrently most his teammates did – for 3 robust weeks in December – however he’s been taking part in nicely of late, even when his manufacturing hasn’t mirrored that.

Nonetheless, like everybody else, Suzuki wants a break. And even when he’ll get much less of 1, as he prepares to go to Florida to take part in All-Star weekend, he’ll nonetheless get one with the Canadiens on a bye week from Feb. 1-9 and solely returning to recreation motion on Feb. 10.

We count on him to return rejuvenated to complete the season robust.

And that doesn’t imply simply producing factors.

“I need to play nicely, play a very good 200-foot recreation,” he stated. “Manufacturing hasn’t been there as of late, however I’ve had a bunch of possibilities the previous couple of video games. Missed an open web final recreation. The facility play is working it round higher and getting possibilities, so it might’ve simply been totally different the previous couple of video games. However simply gotta keep assured and maintain going.

“I’m not apprehensive. I’ve simply been making performs, attempting to get photographs to the web, however simply haven’t been discovering a means in,” Suzuki continued. “Even if you happen to get a second help, it may well type of change the momentum in your favour, and I’m simply attempting to do every little thing I can to only play the appropriate means and never cheat the sport to attempt to produce offence.”

As we touched on in a pocket book final week, that’s nonetheless a course of for this younger participant, who’s nonetheless creating, no matter how mature he appears.

St. Louis appears to have that in perspective.

“I’m pleased with the way in which he’s taking part in as a younger participant who has a lot on his shoulders: first, in his first 12 months as captain; second, with a group that has many injured gamers; third, up in opposition to the very best strains, taking part in plenty of minutes and taking part in on the ability play and penalty kill,” the coach stated. “It’s lots of duties. I see this season from the begin to end as one thing that may assist him enhance.”

Johnathan Kovacevic additionally comes from humble beginnings

Like Arber Xhekaj, who grew up a simply few kilometres away and sits proper subsequent to him within the locker room, Johnathan Kovacevic’s path to the NHL was unconventional and paved by two individuals who overcame unbelievable challenges.

Their story, which Kovacevic shared on Monday, is touching.

“My dad is from Montenegro, and his identify’s Novica,” Kovacevic stated. “My mom is Angie, and she or he’s from Bosnia. My dad emigrated when he was round 30, and my mother, round eight, they usually met in Hamilton (Ont.) by way of the Serbian group. My mother didn’t spend that a lot time in Bosnia, however she lived in a village the place there wasn’t operating water, there wasn’t electrical energy, there wasn’t automobiles. It was a village with no roads. That they had a couple of horses, animals. When she moved over right here, it was like successful the lottery, it was superb she might transfer right here. However if you happen to look again at her life when she first lived right here, they lived proper throughout from Stelco – the metal plant in Hamilton – they usually had a number of households dwelling in a single home. It was a tougher life for them. That they had lots of struggles, beginning over with a brand new language and new life.

“My dad moved (at) round 30 as a result of he might inform tensions had been dangerous (warfare was breaking out). He moved right here for a greater life, and he got here with no household. My mother not less than got here with lots of people from her village and her entire household. My dad got here right here with no one, had one uncle, and he was simply attempting to start out a life for himself right here together with his future children in thoughts, which simply speaks to the sacrifices he made to attempt to give a greater life to his children. I get to reap the rewards of that. It’s superb. I get to work laborious to play within the NHL, however they needed to work so laborious simply to determine a very good life for us.”

Kovacevic defined that his mother and father knew nothing of hockey as they started to boost him, his older brother, Ryan, and sister Daniela.

“They’ve by no means placed on skates of their entire lives,” he stated. “I do know when my older brother began taking part in home league hockey in Grimsby, they despatched him to his first skate with out the right gear. They bought the starter pack from Canadian Tire, however I suppose some issues had been lacking.”

However that bought sorted out rapidly, and the Kovacevics settled into hockey life.

“There have been numerous mornings they wakened early for my practices,” Kovacevic stated. “We all the time had 6:30 a.m. practices, however the rink would open at 6. They all the time bought me there earlier, so I might get on earlier than observe began. They had been getting up at 4:50, simply to get me as much as get me to observe. I’d all the time get to be the primary one on the ice. We had three children taking part in sports activities, they usually drove us all over the place. They made unbelievable sacrifices with their time, their cash, every little thing.”

They usually valued training, greater than something.

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As Kovacevic pursued a level in civil engineering whereas taking part in at Merrimack School for 3 years – a level he later accomplished on-line with a 4.0 grade-point common – he might sense the pleasure his mother and father felt.

“That meant a ton to them,” Kovacevic stated. “For my dad, that was his means out. They do standardized exams over there and he was No. 1 in math and No. 3 in physics within the nation for his age group when he was graduating highschool. He’s in pc science, so he’s a software program engineer now. Training was his means out. Training meant a lot to him, and he all the time pushed that on us children.”

Kovacevic’s mother and father preached laborious work and self-belief, and Kovacevic utilized these issues to beat nice odds.

He was reduce from his AAA group and was a Twelfth-round choice within the OHL Draft. He couldn’t make his OHL group and performed junior A earlier than he was handed over in his first 12 months of NHL Draft eligibility. He was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets within the third spherical in 2017, and he performed practically three full seasons of AHL hockey earlier than making his NHL debut final 12 months.

And Kovacevic is simply now taking part in frequently within the league as a result of the Canadiens had a obvious want on the appropriate facet of their defence and he was accessible by way of waivers to probably fill it.

The 25-year-old might have just one objective and 6 factors by way of 45 video games of his rookie season, however he’s turned heads in the way in which he’s performed throughout his quick time in Montreal.

St. Louis, who knew completely nothing about Kovacevic when he arrived in October, has been impressed.

“He’s a really good child. Very quiet, however assured, and as a participant, he has an impression,” the coach stated. “He’s keen to study and get higher. He’s been nice. He’s a sponge, and you may discuss hockey with him and alternative ways to do issues, and I do know he takes it significantly and he begins eager about it and you may see the change. He absorbs suggestions and applies it fairly nicely. I all the time like these guys.”

Kovacevic says the great qualities he possesses are a mirrored image of his mother and father.

He all the time has them in thoughts.

“For no matter motive, it’s a random factor, however each time I put my tie on, I take into consideration the 2 sides of my household,” he stated. “I’m very grateful for every little thing they did for me.”

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