Laine and RHP back in the game: Heineman and Condotta don’t deserve to be punished

Dose
Crédit: MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 09: Look on Montreal Canadiens left wing Emil Heineman (51) during warm-up before the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Montreal Canadiens game on October 09, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Last night’s defeat was no ordinary defeat.

The Montreal Canadiens were dominated, picked off and crushed at home at the Bell Centre on a Saturday night , 6-2, by the Vegas Golden Knights.

It was a disgraceful game overall, one that clearly deserved to have the Habs players booed by their fans.

The worst part of the game was that the players who showed up the least, and were therefore the softest and worst, were two players seen as important pillars of the Habs’ future.

Indeed, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach were pitiful last night, playing very soft, flavorless, emotionless hockey, and each costing their team a goal with unacceptable turnovers.

They didn’t get a single shot each, and Slakfovsky ended his night’s work with a -4 differential.

In short, the two young players are really having a tough time of it this season, and more often than not, they’re invisible, if not detrimental, in every one of their appearances.

It’s not for nothing that Martin St-Louis decided to punish them and demote them from the first line to the team’s bottom-6.

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It’s a real shame and worrying to see two players supposedly so important to the team’s success perform like this.

It’s even more worrisome and problematic considering that they will surely take priority over other players when Patrik Laine and Raphaël Harvey-Pinard are well and truly ready to rejoin the Habs lineup.

Indeed, when Laine and RHP return to action, two players currently on the Habs roster will have to bail out.

And unfortunately, these two players may not be the ones who deserve to be bailed out.

Chances are that Lucas Condotta and Emil Heineman will be the two players who will have to pay the price by losing their place in the line-up, despite the fact that they play good hockey and give their all every time they play.

They’re both high-energy players who know how to help their team despite their limited playing time.

Heineman proved it again last night with his 4ᵉ goal of the season, which now gives him six points in 19 games.

The Swedish winger is having a good NHL rookie season, and he’s managing to endear himself to his coach and the fans.

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In short, it’s a real shame, but by necessity, Martin St-Louis is stuck with the poor performances of Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach, whereas if we went on merit, Condotta and Heineman would be ahead.

Clearly, MSL could very well decide to send Slaf and Dach to the stands for a game or two, especially since that’s the next step after being demoted to the fourth line.

But in the end, both will still have priority due to their status as top draft picks.

Even if they do end up in the stands, they’ll be back in the lineup in Emil Heineman’s stead in no time.

In short, the Habs are stuck with all their forwards, and will have no choice but to give Laine and RHP a chance to find their rhythm.

Heineman will have to be patient if he’s ever taken out of the lineup.

And I haven’t even mentioned Michael Pezzetta, who isn’t even playing right now, with Laine and RHP still injured.

It really feels like the end for him in Montreal, and that’s a shame.

Overtime

– Montgomery won’t have been out of work for long.

– Note that he already lives in St. Louis in the summer.

– That’s the right attitude to have.

– Read more.

– What do you think?