St-Louis is already making a decision about Mike Hoffman, and it's not a unanimous one
In the last few minutes, at the Montreal Canadiens training camp, the different players present have been separated into groups, and they compete in a game situation.
It's interesting, especially because Martin St-Louis revealed his first trios:
Of course, you have to take all this with a grain of salt, because the camp has just started, but you can still read some clues about Martin St-Louis' intentions and vision.
One trio in particular caught our attention, this one:
Hoffman - Mesar - Caufield.
Why do you ask? First of all, because it is a trio that obviously includes Cole Caufield, but also because Mike Hoffman is on the same trio.
As you know, Nick Suzuki is currently out (injury), and often when this kind of situation occurs, different organizations replace the injured player with a similar player, but one that doesn't really have a chance to break into the lineup (a placeholder).
In this case, according to many, Filip Mesar would be the placeholder, pending Suzuki.
First, because he's earned it, because he's impressing so far, and because the organization wants to test him. But second, because despite all that, he has virtually no chance of playing with the CH this season.
So it makes perfect sense to give him the spot to Suzuki, during the camp, while waiting for the captain to come back.
It is therefore understandable that, logically, this trio will soon become this one:
Hoffman - Suzuki - Caufield.
All this can change quickly and it is very preliminary, but it shows a certain willingness on the part of Martin St-Louis and the CH's management to put Hoffman on the same trio as the young Caufield.
We must also remember that Josh Anderson is also absent because of an injury, but the question is: will Mike Hoffman start the season on the first line with Suzuki and Caufield?
That certainly seems like a real possibility, and it's not something everyone is happy about.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think should play with Suzuki and Caufield? | ||
| Hoffman | 26 | 12.5 % |
| Anderson | 84 | 40.4 % |
| Slafkovsky | 79 | 38 % |
| Pitlick | 19 | 9.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
