I was hoping that two Canadian teams would finally go head-to-head in the Stanley Cup finals, but the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are on vacation.

To make matters worse, the Leafs were beaten by a Florida team and the Oilers by a Nevada team born in 2017. So we’re going to pass a 30^e There has been a series where an American team has won the Stanley Cup.

It is a worrying phenomenon and no one can say when this shortage will end. Our national sport has lost some feathers, although we still produce great players.

It seems like our passion is playing against us. It puts more pressure on Canadian teams, both leaders and players.

Difficult to rebuild

In Canada, amateurs have a hard time accepting reconstructions, and in that sense we’ve been exceptional in Montreal since the arrival of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes at the helm of the hockey department. We’ve been going in circles for 20 years, and there’s no need to remind you that Bob Gainey’s five-year plan hasn’t worked particularly well.

So I hope that Gorton and Hughes will continue to be patient and not cut corners. They are on the way to building a team that will continue to be strong for years to come, but there are still a few pieces missing.

Another factor strikes me. We quickly look for the culprit if it doesn’t work. For example, when the Leafs lost 3-0 to the Panthers in the series, the team’s four stars were highlighted: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

Even Leafs GM Kyle Dubas panicked in his dressing room. In those moments, everyone tries to do a little too much. Result ; We stop playing as a team and become vulnerable. The difference in this series is that unlike the Leafs, the Panthers were tight.

Another note; Three of the top four scorers in the series are the Oilers, namely Connor McDavid (20 points), Leon Draisaitl (18) and Evan Bouchard (17). However, they all have negative differences of -1, -1 and -4, respectively, and a total of twelve Oilers are in the red.

Balance first

In Canada, stars have to produce and often cheat. They end up neglecting the defensive aspect, which is counterproductive. Even a player of 3^e trio or 4^e The successful trio sometimes tries to do a little too much.

The Oilers and Leafs are built for offense, but in today’s hockey, you win with aplomb. Offense is great this season, but in the playoffs it takes four lines to get high, reliable defenders and two good goalies.

I can’t wait to see what will happen in Edmonton and Toronto. Can we get rid of 10+ million players like Draisaitl or Matthews against two 5 million defenders or a defender and a top goalie? We will see.

It is up to the respective managing directors to find solutions. It’s a great star, but who had the best in Eric Lindros’ move from the Nordiques to the Flyers in 1992? The Nordiques received six players, including Peter Forsberg, and two draft picks, not to mention $15 million. Unfortunately for Quebec, the team relocated to Colorado in 1995.

We won’t see a swap like this again, but Matthews and Draisaitl are of great value. What remains is the exchange prohibition clause, which in my opinion should not exist. It hurts both Canadian teams and parity.

– Interview by Gilles Moffet

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Emotions beat talent

The Leafs outnumbered the Panthers in terms of talent, but the latter played as a team and with emotion. That was what made the difference, along with the solid play of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who has his best moments in Florida. However, the Big Cats are likely to face more adversity in the next series against the Hurricanes. I’m predicting a seven-game win for the Canes. I really like their trainer Rod Brind’Amour. Matthew Tkachuk has truly taken his place as leader with the Panthers.

Pacioretty’s absence

I talked about balance in my main text and I think the Hurricanes are more balanced with the absence of Max Pacioretty, who has only played five games this season. Pacioretty would certainly have helped the Canes this season if he had been healthy, but in the playoffs I’m not sure they really needed him. I like the sandpaper aspect of the Hurricanes. It is the perfect model to shine in series.

The Devils are not ready

The New Jersey Devils surprised a lot of people this season, even beating the Rangers in the first round. They have made tremendous progress and will be closely watched. Rookie keeper Akira Schmid had no miracles against the Canes and number one Vitek Vanecek really disappointed.

No tank is upside down

The beauty of playing for a team like the Panthers, Golden Knights, Kraken or Hurricanes is that the fans are 100% behind their team without going to extremes. After the Leafs left, no one ran over police cars anymore. People just enjoy watching ice hockey. Now you know who won between the Stars and the Kraken, but at the time of writing I was hoping for a Kraken win and a final in West Seattle, Vegas.