Stu’s Slapshots: Canadiens’ Jayden Struble will get break at rookie dinner

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Jayden Struble’s pockets survived the Canadiens’ rookie dinner.

The Habs held their annual dinner final Saturday in Los Angeles after they misplaced 4-0 to the Kings in a day recreation.

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The rookie dinner is a longtime NHL custom during which the whole workforce goes out to eat at an upscale restaurant on the highway with the rookies selecting up the tab for meals and drinks. It may be an costly night time — particularly in case you’re the one rookie on a workforce like Struble.

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Struble was known as up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Nov. 20, the identical day the Canadiens left for a four-game highway journey with stops in Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles and Columbus. Struble made his NHL debut in Anaheim and has performed in each recreation since then, together with Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on the Bell Centre.

The rookie dinner was held at the Catch Steak LA restaurant. A take a look at the menu on the restaurant’s web site reveals the steaks begin at US$62 for a 14-ounce boneless ribeye and go as much as US$235 for a 40-ounce prime tomahawk.

“I believe many of the vets (took care of the invoice) as a result of there’s solely like two rookies,” Struble mentioned after Thursday’s recreation once I requested him concerning the rookie dinner.

Fellow defenceman Mattias Norlinder, who performed six video games with the Canadiens in 2021-22, was additionally known as up from Laval for the highway journey, however didn’t play in any video games.

“The vets coated the invoice after which we’ll should pay them again in some unspecified time in the future, I suppose,” Struble mentioned, including the dinner was “superior.”

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Struble is within the first season of a two-year, two-way contract that pays him US$867,500 within the NHL, however solely US$70,000 within the AHL.

Final season, the Canadiens held their rookie dinner in Chicago with 5 rookies splitting the invoice: Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic.

“It was tasty and costly,” Slafkovsky mentioned with an enormous smile after final 12 months’s rookie dinner. “Nothing else I can say about that. It’s good … we’ve 5 rookies, so it wasn’t perhaps that a lot. Nonetheless, it’s good. It’s enjoyable and it’s a part of coming into the league. It’s good … I prefer it.”

Kovacevic mentioned after Thursday’s recreation that veterans normally assist out with the rookie dinner invoice.

“It’s by no means going to be simply on the rookies,” he mentioned.

Residing a dream

Travelling with the Canadiens is loads completely different than with the Rocket, as Struble rapidly discovered.

“The personal jet isn’t dangerous,” Struble mentioned with a smile after Thursday’s recreation. “Every little thing is simply to a different degree right here.”

Struble couldn’t consider it when the constitution flight landed again in Montreal within the wee hours of the morning after taking part in Wednesday night time in Columbus that the gamers’ vehicles have been already working and warmed up.

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“I used to be like: ‘Oh, wow!’” Struble mentioned. “That is cool. Proper off the airplane and right into a heated automobile. It was loopy.”

The Canadiens chosen Struble, a Rhode Island native, within the second spherical (forty sixth general) of the 2019 NHL Draft. His mother and father and two brothers have been in Anaheim to observe him make his NHL debut and so they additionally attended the sport in San Jose. They weren’t on the Bell Centre on Thursday night time as a result of Struble wasn’t sure if he’d be taking part in.

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“Usually, in case you don’t get talked to the day earlier than or the night time earlier than, you’re taking part in,” Struble mentioned. “However I nonetheless wasn’t certain. I simply didn’t wish to overstep (by telling his household to come back).”

Struble mentioned he was simply as nervous for his first recreation on the Bell Centre as he was for his first NHL recreation.

“It was electrical, although,” Struble mentioned about taking part in on the Bell Centre. “Good environment. The nerves have been there, for certain. However when you get a shift or two in it’s simply one other recreation sort of factor. If something, it’s simply energetic and perhaps you get too energetic so that you’re leaping in while you shouldn’t. However I believe I’ve achieved a very good job dealing with it.”

Struble has been spectacular by his first 5 video games. The 6-foot, 205-pounder performs a bodily recreation and he has additionally appeared assured with the puck whereas partnered with Kovacevic.

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“I really like his angle, his composure,” Kovacevic mentioned about Struble. “He’s somebody who’s an enormous, aggressive, bodily man and generally while you try this you find yourself gripping your stick tight and never with the ability to make that subsequent play since you’re defending so exhausting. He doesn’t appear to be that to me in any respect. He’s exhausting to play towards and, on the identical time, making some silky breakout passes. I believe he’s been superb up to now and I really like taking part in with him.”

Struble has averaged 12:46 of ice time by his first 5 video games whereas selecting up an help to associate with a minus-1 differential, six hits and 4 blocked photographs.

“Simply superior,” he mentioned about his first two weeks within the NHL. “Wouldn’t wish to be anyplace else. It performed out actually properly. Received 5 video games in me. It was the whole lot I might have anticipated.”

Struble mentioned he hasn’t heard something from Canadiens administration about how lengthy he may stick with the workforce.

“Simply making an attempt to maintain going day-after-day,” he mentioned.

Sensible transfer

Struble is likely one of the few gamers within the NHL — and the one Canadien — to begin sporting a neck guard in video games following the dying of former NHLer Adam Johnson final month after his throat was minimize by a skate blade whereas taking part in for the Nottingham Panthers in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League.

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“It was principally my mother was saying I ought to put on a neck guard,” Struble mentioned. “She was sort of bugging out about it. I noticed the shirts (with a built-in neck guard) that got here in (for the Canadiens’ gear workers) and gave it a shot and didn’t discover it. It’s not dangerous.”

Struble needed to modify to sporting a half-visor when he joined the Rocket on the finish of final season after ending his fourth season at Northeastern College, the place NCAA guidelines mandate full facial safety — identical to in youth hockey.

After watching Calgary Flames defenceman Chris Tanev and Toronto Maple Leafs ahead Mitch Marner each get hit within the face with photographs this week — it’s superb it doesn’t occur extra typically — I questioned if we’d sooner or later see an NHL participant decide to put on full facial safety as a substitute of a half-visor.

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“I don’t know … I don’t assume so, no,” Struble mentioned once I requested him that query. “Me, personally, I wouldn’t. The neck is completely different … the face you’ll be able to recuperate from that (harm). I believe it’s in all probability going to remain (with the half-visor).”

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Kovy the scorer

Kovacevic scored his fourth aim of the season Thursday night time towards the Panthers. It was additionally his fourth aim in seven video games.

“Positively, you begin to really feel extra assured when you’ve got the puck in that scenario,” mentioned Kovacevic, who scored three objectives in 77 video games final season with the Canadiens. “I do know, if I’m being trustworthy, I didn’t rating on the Bell Centre in any respect final season and that was a aim of mine this season — I gotta rating within the Bell Centre. I scored towards Vegas (his first aim of the season on Nov. 16 on the Bell Centre) and that took just a little little bit of weight off my shoulders. After they’re getting into, any participant will let you know this, you simply really feel just a little extra assured when you’ve got a high-danger probability.”

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Josh the non-scorer

The frustration of not scoring a single aim within the first 23 video games this season boiled over for the Canadiens’ Josh Anderson when he dropped the gloves with the Panthers’ Jonah Gadjovich within the remaining minute of Thursday’s recreation.

The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Anderson put a reasonably good beating on the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Gadjovich.

“Josh is again,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis mentioned after the sport. “You noticed it tonight. Josh is again. He fought indignant. He’s again.”

Will probably be fascinating to see if Anderson can carry that over and at last rating Saturday towards the Detroit Purple Wings on the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, Citytv, TVA Sports activities, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Aside from not scoring, Anderson had a powerful recreation towards the Panthers with a team-leading 5 hits in 14:24 of ice time. Anderson ranks second on the Canadiens in hits this season with 48 (six behind Michael Pezzetta) and sixth in photographs with 44 (a median of 1.91 per recreation). Final season, when Anderson scored 21 objectives in 69 video games, he led the workforce in photographs with 164 (a median of two.38 per recreation) and had a 12.8 taking pictures share.

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Anderson isn’t the one participant on the Canadiens struggling to attain. Jake Evans has gone 22 video games with no aim, Tanner Pearson has no objectives within the final 18 video games, Sean Monahan has no objectives in 13 video games, Christian Dvorak has no objectives in 11 video games, Brendan Gallagher has no objectives in 9 video games and Pezzetta has no objectives in eight video games.

Kovacevic’s 4 objectives are the identical quantity as Slafkovsky (two), Evans (one), Dvorak (one) and Anderson (zero) mixed.

After Thursday’s recreation, the Canadiens ranked twenty ninth within the NHL in offence, scoring a median of two.70 objectives per recreation. They ranked twenty third on the ability play with a 16.7 per cent success charge after going 0-for-23 within the final eight video games.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry scored into an empty internet in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving him another aim than Anderson. It was the seventeenth goalie aim in NHL historical past and the primary for the Penguins.

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Threesome doesn’t work

I felt sorry for Canadiens goalie Cayden Primeau after Thursday’s recreation.

I walked into the locker room a few minutes after the remainder of the media following the 5-1 loss to the Panthers and Primeau was sitting alone in his stall with a ball cap on his head and a towel masking his face, ready for a scrum with captain Nick Suzuki to finish earlier than the cameras and reporters went to him.

Primeau was overwhelmed to the glove aspect for all 5 objectives, which means the Panthers’ advance scouts clearly discovered an enormous weak point in his recreation. It’s additionally one thing different groups will now know — in the event that they didn’t know already. It might be one of many causes Primeau wasn’t chosen till the seventh spherical (199th general) of the 2017 NHL Draft.

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This Canadiens’ goalie threesome with Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen isn’t good for anybody. St. Louis confirmed his frustration after Thursday’s recreation once I requested him if the three-goalie rotation system would proceed.

“I don’t actually know,” he mentioned. “We’re taking it week-by-week.”

It appears apparent St. Louis doesn’t have the ultimate say on who begins in aim.

The 24-year-old Primeau now has a 5-15-2 profession report with the Canadiens, together with a 4.02 goals-against common and an .875 save share. He appears to wilt beneath the intense Montreal highlight.

At this level, I’d ship Primeau again to Laval. He’d should clear NHL waivers first, although. If he clears, nice. He’ll get loads of taking part in time with the Rocket to work on his weaknesses. If he doesn’t clear waivers, a contemporary begin some place else is perhaps the very best factor for him.

A contemporary begin actually helped Montembeault when the Canadiens claimed him off waivers from the Panthers on Oct. 2, 2021 after Carey Worth was sidelined with a knee harm.

Montembeault has a 5-3-1 report this season with a 2.73 GAA and a .910 save share. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes rewarded the 27-year-old Montembeault on Friday with a three-year, US$9.45-million contract extension that kicks in subsequent season with a salary-cap hit of US$3.15 million.

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Goalie of the longer term?

Talking of the Canadiens and goalies, Jacob Fowler was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for November after posting a 6-1-1 report, together with a 1.85 GAA, a .939 save share and one shutout with Boston School.

The Canadiens chosen Fowler within the third spherical (69th general) of this 12 months’s NHL Draft. As an 18-year-old freshman at Boston School, Fowler has an 11-2-1 report with a 1.98 GAA and a .931 save share.

Fowler is certainly one of three goalies the Canadiens chosen at this 12 months’s draft, together with Quentin Miller (fourth spherical) and Yevgeni Volokhin (fifth spherical).

Miller has a Sep 11-0 report this season with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts, together with a 2.81 GAA and a .904 save share. Volokhin has a 9-2-4 report with Mamonty Yugry within the Russian junior league, together with a 1.53 GAA and a .939 save share.

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Defenceman of the longer term?

Boston College’s Lane Hutson — one other Canadiens prospect — was named the Hockey East Defender of the Month for November after posting 6-5-11 totals in 5 video games as his workforce posted a 4-1-0 report.

The Canadiens chosen Hutson within the second spherical (62nd general) of the 2022 NHL Draft. Hutson, now listed at 5-foot-10 and 162 kilos on the Boston College web site, has 8-8-16 totals in 13 video games this season

“He likes to win and he loves the sport,” Boston College head coach Jay Pandolfo instructed Boston Hockey Weblog about Hutson. “It’s loads of enjoyable while you see gamers like that that come to the rink day-after-day and have a ardour and love being on the ice. And love making an attempt to not solely make themselves higher, however assist their teammates get higher.”

Lindgren shines with Caps

Former Canadiens goalie Charlie Lindgren made 38 saves for the Washington Capitals in a 2-1 win over the Kings in Los Angeles on Wednesday, giving him a 5-1-0 report in November.

“I believed the fellows did a very good job in entrance of me tonight,” Lindgren instructed reporters in Los Angeles after the sport. “Felt like I noticed loads of pucks, which is what I have to do. The Kings might be the very best workforce we’ve seen all 12 months. For us to come back in right here in a troublesome constructing and get the 2 factors was an enormous one.”

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The 29-year-old Lindgren has a 5-2-0 report this season, together with a 2.30 GAA and a .934 save share.

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Chip off the previous block

The Canadiens’ Anderson isn’t alone relating to searching for his first aim this season.

Former Canadien Max Domi remains to be searching for his first aim after taking part in 21 video games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Domi does have 11 assists, which is 9 greater than Anderson, after signing a one-year, US$3-million contract with the Leafs as a free agent on July 2. Domi had his greatest NHL season with the Canadiens in 2018-19 when he posted 28-44-72 totals.

Because the Canadiens traded Domi to Columbus on Oct. 6, 2020, in change for Anderson, the 28-year-old has performed for the Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and now the Leafs — the workforce his father, Tie, spent 12 seasons with.

Tie Domi holds the report for many profession NHL fights with 333 throughout his 16-year profession — a median of 21 fights per season. That’s a report that can by no means be damaged.

His son dropped the gloves with Florida’s Sam Bennett through the second interval of the Leafs’ 2-1 shootout win over the Panthers on Tuesday night time in Toronto. After the struggle, Domi rubbed the highest of his full head of hair to mock the bald-headed Bennett.

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As a bald man, Domi’s gesture made me chuckle. It could have been funnier if Domi didn’t lose the struggle badly.

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Who wants tickets?

The Winnipeg Jets have a reasonably good workforce this season with a 12-8-2 report, however they’ve but to promote out any of their first 12 residence video games on the Canada Life Centre, which has a capability of 15,321.

The Jets drew their largest crowd of the season, 13,611, for Thursday night time’s 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. It was solely the second time this season the Jets drew greater than 13,000 followers after getting 13,410 for a 6-4 win over the Panthers of their residence opener on Oct 14.

In keeping with Hockeydb.com, the Jets have the second-worst common attendance within the NHL at 12,002 — forward of solely the Arizona Coyotes, who’re averaging 4,600 on the tiny Mullett Centre.

A take a look at the Jets web site reveals the most affordable ticket for Saturday afternoon’s recreation towards the Chicago Blackhawks at Canada Life Centre is $82.78.

Appears to be like like loads of Winnipeg hockey followers have realized it’s loads cheaper to remain residence and watch the Jets on TV.

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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