Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Joel Edmundson, Cedric Paquette, Jake Allen, Cole Caufield, Carey Price, Dominique Ducharme

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NEXT GAME: MTL @ WSH

The Montreal Canadiens begin their three-game road trip on Wednesday as they take on the Capitals in Washington D.C.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. on November 24th at Capital One Arena.

Watch for our full game preview available on Wednesday afternoon. Post-game we will publish a comprehensive game recap.

Be sure to bookmark AllHabs.net and visit often.

Bergevin on Caufield

During his impromptu media tour, general manager Marc Bergevin said that while Cole Caufield is currently with the Canadiens, it should be acknowledged that the team has several injuries. Bergevin said that Caufield could return to the Laval Rocket this year.

“For the first ten games, I saw that he lost the puck too often,” said Bergevin. “It was becoming an easy choice, he needed to leave for Laval. Last year, if we didn’t make the playoffs or if we lost in the first round to Toronto and Cole didn’t play in the playoffs, he probably would have opened the season in Laval and not in Montreal. We must be careful, we must not skip steps.”

Support for Caufield

In 12 games this season in the NHL, Cole Caufield has no goals and one assist. Caufield has a minus-7 rating averaging 14:15 of icetime.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme speculated that the competitive market in Montreal could be a factor for Caufield struggling early this season.

“It can be a trap, not just for young players, obviously, maybe even more so for young players. We have said it before: in our market, we are passionate, we have passionate supporters. When it’s good, it’s very good, we maybe even reach an even higher level;  and when it’s bad, it can be very bad.”

Caufield spent six games with the Laval Rocket recording two goals, three assists and a minus-6 rating. Caufield acknowledged the support of Ryan Poehling in welcoming him to Laval.

“[Ryan Poehling] is a very good teammate, and I’m very close to him,” said Caufield. “When I was demoted, he was the first to call and greet me (in Laval). He went through the same thing as me, so he understood what I was going through. He is a real leader there, he does the right thing and makes sure we stay focused on the task at hand. That’s what he told me and it helped me.”

Keys to Staying in Montreal

Cole Caufield described his focus while in Laval and his reaction to being recalled to Montreal.

“I had to clear my mind and find my bearings, in order to rebuild my confidence,” said Caufield. “It made me feel good because I was able to find myself as a hockey player, relax and forget about the surrounding noise. I was happy to get the call to take me back with the big club – I had butterflies, like the first time. I felt like I had a lot of energy for those first two games, and I want to make sure it continues like this.”

The 20-year-old claims that he has learned lessons that will help him stay in the NHL.

“The most important thing for me is to make sure that I am always on the move, in order to generate more chances to score. I always have to be close to the puck, and close to the opposing net. This is what I have to keep doing, and continue to analyze the video footage after the meetings to learn lessons. But I like the state of my game right now, and I want to improve it even further.”

Forward Lines / Defence Pairs / Goalies

On Monday, the Canadiens practiced at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. The team welcomed back Jake Allen (concussion), Cedric Paquette (undisclosed) and Joel Edmundson (lower-body).

Edmundson is not quite ready for game action but will travel and practice with the team.

“[Joel Edmundson] will have a stabilizing effect – stabilizing for the combinations on defense and for the time on ice. He’s also a guy with experience,” Ducharme said. “At the same time, though, he plays a simple, but efficient game. He’s tough to face. He moves the puck well, defends well, and helps on the penalty kill. All of that has an impact on the whole group.”

Paquette could play as early as Wednesday against the Capitals. Allen will be evaluated on Tuesday looking for the green light to return to the Canadiens crease.

Defenceman Brett Kulak was given a therapy day and was not at practice.

These were the forward lines, defence pairings and goaltenders:

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield
Jonathan Drouin – Christian Dvorak – Josh Anderson
Artturi Lehkonen – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher
Michael Pezzetta – Ryan Poehling – Joel Armia
Cedric Paquette

Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Alexander Romanov – Chris Wideman
Mattias Norlinder – David Savard
Joel Edmundson – Sami Niku

Jake Allen – Sam Montembeault

Injury Update

On Monday, Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said that Carey Price is receiving treatment for his knee following surgery while continuing to work on his conditioning in the gym. Price has not been on the ice in a week.

“He keeps working on everything else, in the gym, off-ice treatment and so on,” said Ducharme.

Here is the Canadiens current injury list:

Mike Hoffman (upper-body) – indeterminate
Mathieu Perreault (eye) – two weeks
Carey Price (knee) – indeterminate
Paul Byron (hip) – end of December
Shea Weber (multiple injuries) – out for the season

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