It's Kovacevic's turn to walk the catwalk

It’s Kovacevic’s turn to walk the catwalk

Posted On: November 5, 2022

MONTREAL | The Canadiens now have seven healthy defensemen, a luxury not available in the first ten games of the season. After Chris Wideman against the Jets in Winnipeg, Johnathan Kovacevic will watch a game from the press bridge.

Martin St-Louis will adjust his defensive lineup for the visit of the Golden Knights, one of the NHL’s best teams this season.

While Kaiden Guhle remains on David Savard’s left, Joel Edmundson now finds himself in the company of Jordan Harris. In his first game of the year against the Jets, Edmundson played alongside Arber Xhekaj.

Xhekaj, meanwhile, will reconnect with Wideman, his main partner since the beginning of the year.

“Not too much changes for me, except coming back on the left side and happy to see Chris again,” said Xhekaj. I also like the trust the team has in me. They like what they walk, I must continue on the same path.

“There are now seven healthy defenders and it will be a challenge,” continued the 21-year-old behemoth. But I don’t want to put too much pressure on my shoulders. I only control what I can control. And I do that by playing the best I can.”

Good words for Kovy

St-Louis had absolutely nothing to blame Kovacevic for abandoning training.

“He comes out because we have seven defenders and it takes one to get out,” the head coach summed up. But Kovy gives us good hockey. He has a good hockey mind, he defends his territory very well and he supports the attack well. I didn’t know him as a player. When attacking, he generates not from the blue line to the net, but from the line of our gates to the other territory. He reads the ice well and he plays well in our concepts with the other four players. He moves the puck well.

“I’m impressed with Kovy, but it was part of a long season. Sometimes you have to watch a game from the press bridge.”

There is now another Kovy in Montreal. After Alex Kovalev and Ilya Kovalchuk, it’s Johnathan Kovacevic.

With Hoffman

Rem Pitlick and Michael Pezzetta will not play on offense. Mike Hoffman will be back after two games in Purgatory. He will play on the right wing alongside Sean Monahan and Jonathan Drouin.

Evgenii Dadonov, meanwhile, remains on the injured list. The Russian took part in morning practice again.