Pat Hickey: Canadiens rebuild, like home Reno, gets messy – The Intelligencer

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I know about the reconstructions.

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When I bought a house in Eastern Commons, the real estate agent raved about the building’s potential.

This is real estate that speaks of “better be prepared to spend some time and money to make this place livable.

And that’s what we did. We renovated a bathroom and converted a storage room into a second bathroom.

We renovated the kitchen and knocked out a wall to create an open space with the dining room. We replaced the in-ground swimming pool and installed solar panels to heat the water, extending the season from Victoria Day — excusez-moi, Journée nationale des Patriotes — to Thanksgiving.

The area was full of merchants, but finding the right mix of competence and reliability was a challenge. The guy who installed our hardwood floors disappeared before he could finish the job, leaving behind an expensive sander. He showed up three weeks later and explained that he had found a cheap flight to Florida.

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The installation of a stone base for a wood stove was delayed to accommodate the deer hunting season.

Two full seasons and 11 games into their rebuild, the Canadiens are experiencing some of the same issues. Coach Martin St. Louis recently talked about turning a house into a home, and the analogy is apt.

Whether you’re renovating a house or a hockey team, you need a clear vision of the need in the finished product.

You need to be confident that you have the right people working for you.

And you have to ignore the garbage that accumulates during construction.

There was nothing good about Tuesday’s 8-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. With the loss, the Canadiens reached the 10-game mark with a 4-5-1 record, three points behind where they were at this point last season.

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The Kraken took a 4-0 lead before the game was 11 minutes old, Sam Montembo got the hook for the second time this season and the special teams were a disaster, giving up three power play goals and going 0-for-4 when they had the advantage.

Montembeault was rumored earlier this year to represent Canada at the 4 Nations event in February, but he and Cayden Primeau have been the model of inconsistency.

The loss to the Kraken was enough to make people forget that there was some progress in the rebuild and that, until Tuesday night, special teams were special. Even after Thursday’s loss in Washington, the power play ranked 11th in the NHL and the penalty kill ranked eighth. Last season, power play was 27th and PK was 24th.

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Two of the most effective penalty killers are Jake Evans and Joel Armia, both of whom are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next July. Evans has a cap hit of $1.7 million and is very good value for money, and the Canadiens will want to keep him.

Armia has a cap hit of $3.4 million, which, given his production, qualifies as a bad contract. He won’t be back in Montreal next season, but if he continues to play well on the PK, he could attract some interest at the trade deadline.

In fact, Canadians can be very active in the new year.

Christian Dvorak and David Savard are also in the final year of their contracts. Dvorak’s name appears on several short-term trade target lists because he is a reliable guy, albeit with limited offensive ability. Savard will be attractive to teams looking for a physical, shot-blocking defender. He’s a guy I’d like to see stick around, but the Canadiens have too many young defensemen looking for ice time.

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There are other positive developments. After 11 games, Cole Coffield shared the NHL lead in goals with 10, and teammate Nick Suzuki was tied for a point per game, with Juraj Slafkowski not far behind.

And then there’s Lane Hutson. As experienced as he is, I had my doubts that the 5-foot-10, 162-pounder could survive in the NHL. I thought he was going to be a third-pairing defenseman who would give juice on the power play.

A dozen games into his NHL career, he’s a top-4 defenseman who leads the team in ice time. His confidence level is superb and St.Louis doesn’t hesitate to use him in every situation.

And fans showed their love for him in the dying moments of Tuesday’s loss. The crowd began to thin midway through the third period, but the 7,000 fans still in the building unleashed a chorus of boos when the power play stalled again with five minutes to play.

But when Hutson stepped onto the ice with the second unit, the mood changed and there was a buzz of anticipation. The Canadians didn’t score, but it was obvious to Hutson that the house had become a home.

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