During the show thatantechamberMontreal Canadiens defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic has spoken about his desire to remain in the roster again next year despite the talented succession coming to Montreal, particularly in defence.

Mixing English and a surprising amount of French, number 26 in CH answered questions from Luc Bellemare via video conference. Kovacevic, who has two more seasons under his belt, appears confident in his chances of maintaining his position on the Montreal blue line.

The 25-year-old defenseman, who recovered from waivers on October 8, has played 77 games this season, only Nick Suzuki has done better for the Canadians. Averaging over 17 minutes per game, Kovacevic ended the season with a plus-3 rating.

“I don’t think that’s the best statistic because there are so many factors, but I’m proud of my defensive play. I want to neutralize the other team when I’m on the ice,” he said.

To be an integral part of the team again in 2024-2024, Kovacevic expects a good summer to stay in shape and arrive ready for training camp.

“The training camp is very important, I have to be in good shape from the start of the season, I have to have had a good summer and show that to the coaches. »

He also loves working with Martin St-Louis and Stéphane Robidas, he has great respect for them.

“You take care of me personally [St-Louis et Robidas]I want to give 100% for them, I want to go to war with them, I want to prove to them that they are right to trust me, they have so much passion and love for the sport and for us. I want to keep playing for them,” he said.

However, he and his coaches would like to have fewer injuries to contend with next year. Eleven defenders have played with the Habs this season and Kovacevic was the only one in that defensive squad who was spared from injury.

“I was lucky not to have been injured, it’s flat to have so many injuries. I hope we accumulated them all this year so that we can have a strong and healthy side in the future, but we can’t control that,” he admitted.

The Ontarian, who is now on vacation, assures that he will be watching Monday’s draft lottery as well as the rest of the playoffs. He also wants to improve his French, which is good for a player who has only been in Montreal for a few months.