Nick Suzuki said he wanted to forget Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Montreal Canadiens suffered several losses this season, but it was important not to lose a game as the main objective was to progress.

The Habs captain gave a journalist a rare look as he pointed out that the 50 shots allowed for the Hurricanes this season is a record for the Canadiens and that the Montreal club’s 14 is the lowest total.

Suzuki acknowledged that he and his teammates were never in the game against an opponent looking to reclaim their identity after three straight losses and a rare losing streak this season.

“The whole game was frustrating. We almost didn’t have the puck and when we did have it, a player was on us right away and we got a turnover, Suzuki noted after the 3-0 loss at Bell Center. It was the same when we were in the offensive zone. We gave them the puck back. It was frustrating and I’d rather forget everything. »

Head coach Martin St-Louis echoed his captaincy, speaking in frustration. St-Louis has also been tight on words in most of his responses for a rare time this season.

“I’ve experienced games like that, that feeling,” he said. You feel like you’re running from one end of the ice to the other without ever having the puck. It’s frustrating. »

Should context be considered when someone rates players based on Saturday’s performance? St-Louis replied that the assessments were almost complete.

“What, five more games? There is not much left to judge, he said. I have a good idea… but you must try to finish better than that. »

That’s perhaps the only good news for St. Louis, management and players: There are only five games left in the season.

Upcoming decisions

St-Louis was content to say it would be “disappointing” if the campaign ended in a fishtail. But he knows what’s in his hand and must already have a good idea of ​​which players will or won’t come back next season.

The off-season is set to be quite complex for general manager Kent Hughes. Only five players can claim full autonomy this summer, including Sean Monahan and Paul Byron, whose careers appear to be in jeopardy.

The other three are forwards Jonathan Drouin, Alex Belzile and Chris Tierney. Alongside Drouin and Monahan’s contracts, these are not major contracts that will disappear from the payroll.

Three players in particular have seemed out of sync within the St. Louis concept in recent weeks: forwards Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick, and defenseman Chris Wideman. The three are still under contract for the coming season.

We can also worry about the future of forward Denis Gurianov, who was acquired from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov just before the close. Gurianov had five goals and three assists in 18 games with the Habs and was quiet most nights on the ice.

The 25-year-old Russian could become a restricted free agent if the Canadian makes a qualifying offer. At this point, it would be surprising if the Habs continued their association with him to make better use of the approximately $3 million a qualifying offer would require.

Joel Armia returned on Saturday after missing 19 games due to a respiratory infection. We can also question his future with the Canadians, but his contract is valid for two more campaigns.

The most interesting situation could be in front of the net. Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault are already signed for at least next season, while Cayden Primeau is eligible for waivers for the first time in his career.

The Canadian called Primeau back in time to give him an NHL game last week. He played an honest game in a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. And after a long slump in the first half of the season, Primeau have shone with the Laval Rocket in recent weeks.

His NHL record remains 3-11-2 with a 4.05 GAA and an .876 save rate.

Hughes will likely have to make a goalkeeping decision this summer or risk losing Primeau to a waiver next fall.

During the Canadian’s review on April 14, we may learn a bit more about management’s vision. An appointment that for some does not seem to be able to come quickly enough.

To see in the video