* They start off by talking about Caufield, with Johnson saying that he has seen a big improvement this season in Cole in his positioning and the way he uses his body. Caufield has already demonstrated that he can even handle the rougher style of the play-offs last year.
* Johnson also compliments Dach, saying that he was surprised how well he has excelled as a « power winger ». He says that this was likely not Montreal’s original plan for him, but that they must be pleased as punch with how things are going. Johnson talks about how Chicago was unsure if Dach could see and process the game fast enough to be effective at the NHL level. The talent that made him get picked so high is on full display here in Montreal however.
* Melnick mentions how the line of Suzuki, Caufield and Dach have combined for 27 points in the 6 games they’ve been together. He adds that they aren’t playing easy minutes either, teams know they are our top line and play their best players against them, and they are still succeeding.
* Melnick talks a bit about Bruce Budreau, saying he feels bad that a veteran coach like him has been forced into such a bad situation. He looks stressed and is getting flak from his own manager. Johnson says that Vancouver is stuck in no-man’s land, too good to rebuild and too bad to compete. They’re also bogged down with a bunch of bad contracts, meaning they can’t make any big moves. Guys like JT Miller and Horvat are also really underperforming.
* They talk about the Penguins and Capitals, with Johnson saying father time may have finally caught up with them. He thinks the Penguins may figure it out, but the Capitals have a ton of injuries.
* In response to the gruesome Kane injury, Melnick asks Johnson what the scariest moment he has seen on the ice. Johnson says that the fight between Nick Kypreos and Ryan Vandenbush in his rookie years was disturbing, with Kypreos falling face first and lying in a pool of blood while his wife watched from the stands. Another scary story was when Zach Redmond cut open his femoral artery during a morning skate. Johnson was in the locker room interviewing players, and he heard the screams from the ice. Dustin Byfuglien put pressure on the wound for the 20 minutes it took for paramedics to arrive.
* They talk about PK Subban, and his transition to hockey commentary. Melnick asks Johnson what advice he would have for PK. Johnson says that you don’t want to turn down his personality, it is what makes PK PK. The other thing is that the job requires a lot of work, especially when it comes to staying abreast of the current stats, players, news, etc. Johnson thinks Subban will excel at the job however.
* Melnick talks about the Canadiens rookie defense, saying that they have exceeded expectations. Specifically, he talks about how all the rookie D men have been very good at getting shots through the defense, which is something even a veteran like Petry had trouble with. He cites Arber Xhekaj in particular as someone who has surprised with how good he is.
* Johnson says that the rookie D men have been a pleasant surprise for the Canadiens. The transition to playing D in the NHL is supposed to be hard, but they are making it look easy. He also talks about how Xhekaj, Harris and Ghule as players who all have completely different styles of play, but they are all succeeding. It speaks to the system and coaching that all these guys are succeeding.
* Johnson also talks about how Xhekaj was a little too focused on hitting at first, not staying with the puck. He was underestimating his own skill however, as he is someone who can make plays and do more than hit.
1 Comment
**Summary**
* They start off by talking about Caufield, with Johnson saying that he has seen a big improvement this season in Cole in his positioning and the way he uses his body. Caufield has already demonstrated that he can even handle the rougher style of the play-offs last year.
* Johnson also compliments Dach, saying that he was surprised how well he has excelled as a « power winger ». He says that this was likely not Montreal’s original plan for him, but that they must be pleased as punch with how things are going. Johnson talks about how Chicago was unsure if Dach could see and process the game fast enough to be effective at the NHL level. The talent that made him get picked so high is on full display here in Montreal however.
* Melnick mentions how the line of Suzuki, Caufield and Dach have combined for 27 points in the 6 games they’ve been together. He adds that they aren’t playing easy minutes either, teams know they are our top line and play their best players against them, and they are still succeeding.
* Melnick talks a bit about Bruce Budreau, saying he feels bad that a veteran coach like him has been forced into such a bad situation. He looks stressed and is getting flak from his own manager. Johnson says that Vancouver is stuck in no-man’s land, too good to rebuild and too bad to compete. They’re also bogged down with a bunch of bad contracts, meaning they can’t make any big moves. Guys like JT Miller and Horvat are also really underperforming.
* They talk about the Penguins and Capitals, with Johnson saying father time may have finally caught up with them. He thinks the Penguins may figure it out, but the Capitals have a ton of injuries.
* In response to the gruesome Kane injury, Melnick asks Johnson what the scariest moment he has seen on the ice. Johnson says that the fight between Nick Kypreos and Ryan Vandenbush in his rookie years was disturbing, with Kypreos falling face first and lying in a pool of blood while his wife watched from the stands. Another scary story was when Zach Redmond cut open his femoral artery during a morning skate. Johnson was in the locker room interviewing players, and he heard the screams from the ice. Dustin Byfuglien put pressure on the wound for the 20 minutes it took for paramedics to arrive.
* They talk about PK Subban, and his transition to hockey commentary. Melnick asks Johnson what advice he would have for PK. Johnson says that you don’t want to turn down his personality, it is what makes PK PK. The other thing is that the job requires a lot of work, especially when it comes to staying abreast of the current stats, players, news, etc. Johnson thinks Subban will excel at the job however.
* Melnick talks about the Canadiens rookie defense, saying that they have exceeded expectations. Specifically, he talks about how all the rookie D men have been very good at getting shots through the defense, which is something even a veteran like Petry had trouble with. He cites Arber Xhekaj in particular as someone who has surprised with how good he is.
* Johnson says that the rookie D men have been a pleasant surprise for the Canadiens. The transition to playing D in the NHL is supposed to be hard, but they are making it look easy. He also talks about how Xhekaj, Harris and Ghule as players who all have completely different styles of play, but they are all succeeding. It speaks to the system and coaching that all these guys are succeeding.
* Johnson also talks about how Xhekaj was a little too focused on hitting at first, not staying with the puck. He was underestimating his own skill however, as he is someone who can make plays and do more than hit.