After two intrasquad games, Martin St-Louis likes what he’s seen from Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. His potential second line may not have scored yet, but the Canadiens head coach isn’t worried.

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“These are players who have their own expectations, which are very high. It’s about making them understand that you have to be relaxed and patient. We all know what they are capable of. With time and rehearsals, their game will improve, not only individually but also their collective game,” St-Louis stressed on Friday.

Dach played just four seasons last season before having surgery on his right knee, while Laine was limited to 18 games and nine points for the Columbus Blue Jackets due to injuries and personal issues, so the two forwards still have a long way to go.

“The National League is not a Game “It’s easy, and once you’ve lost time, it’s hard to come back,” St-Louis confirmed.

Even though he had two serious falls on Thursday and Friday, Dach assures us that he is fine.

“It’s good to shake off some rust before the friendlies,” he said. The important thing is to improve every day to be ready for the start of the season.

Three additions

The individual skills of the two first-round picks (2^e total for the Finn in 2016 and 3^e for the Albertan in 2019) give hope to the coach and the fans, who were also numerous at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, the result of an educational day in several schools on the south coast.

“Obviously Laine has a great shot, Dach is very good when he carries the puck and Newhook brings a lot of speed, which creates space for his teammates. He is quick to recover loose pucks. Laine and Dach are also big. In addition, I think they can complement each other well. We need to give them more repetitions, more time to get back into the swing of things,” analyzed St-Louis.

“We understand that we have to be patient, but we don’t want to wait for the chemistry to happen on its own, we want to provoke it,” Dach replied. During training or simulated games, we focus on details to get to know each other.

Photo credit: Photo Ben Pelosse

Things to prove

The three forwards have never played on the same team, so we can’t expect them to quickly form a cohesive unit like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.

“Today [vendredi]it was better than yesterday [jeudi]Dach observed. It will definitely take some time. When you look at Slaf, Cole and Suzy, it seems like they have been playing together for five or six months. They see each other perfectly on the ice and that is what all the lines are looking for.”

On Friday, Dach, Laine and Newhook set the table for a few plays and fired off shots without really threatening White in a 6-3 loss.

“With this trio, everyone is motivated. We all have a little grudge and we have something to prove to ourselves, but also to the team and the league. It can become a dangerous cocktail!” warned Newhook, author of 15 goals and 34 points in 55 games last season, who missed almost 30 games due to a sprained left ankle.

Photo credit: Photo Ben Pelosse

“Everything is possible”

However, St-Louis could change his combinations during training camp.

“Anything is possible,” he simply replied, adding that he had to be careful because a decision could “affect the group, not just the player.”

The first preseason game will take place on Monday when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Bell Center.

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