Stéphane Robidas makes a powerful statement about the absence of Carey Price

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Jeff Drouin
September 1, 2022 (10:33)

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If there's one person who is looking forward to the opening of the Habs' next training camp, it's new assistant coach Stephane Robidas.

The former Habs player, who will be in charge of the defensemen, will have the daunting task of developing this defensive brigade that counts on several young players, but as Vincent Fournier of Danslescoulisses.com reports, the biggest challenge for the Habs defense will most likely be the absence of Carey Price.

In an interview earlier this week at the Habs Foundation Golf Tournament, Robidas said that the absence of number 31 will hurt his defensemen and that, despite the presence of Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault, you can't replace a goalie of Carey Price's caliber.

"You can't replace Carey Price."

Everyone needs to give a little more:

"It's about doing the job as a team. It's a team sport. Our goal is to grow in this and to, everyone, get better one day at a time."

- Stephane Robidas

It wasn't just his presence that reassured his teammates, but also the way Price could get the puck to his defensemen. Not only did he give the team a good dose of confidence, he had a knack for getting the most out of his backs, and let's just say it all showed in the 2021 playoffs, where the Habs reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Now that we have to get used to the idea that Price will probably not return during the season, it will be interesting to see what strategy the new assistant coach will be able to bring to his defensive brigade, which could count on several youngsters, including Kaiden Guhle, Justin Barron and Jordan Harris.

Among the veterans, we find Joel Edmundson, David Savard and newcomer Michael Matheson, without forgetting Chris Wideman, who was the surprise of the Canadiens' defensemen in 2021-2022.

It is understood that Robidas' first season as an assistant will not be an easy one since the team is in reconstruction and, without being mean, there are not many candidates for the Norris trophy among the players I mentioned!

Good luck, Stéphane!