TSN 690 Grab Bag: Suzuki’s Captaincy, Caufield’s contract and other stuff.

[Denis: How did Suzuki do as Captain](https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/denis-how-did-suzuki-do-as-captain-1.1945119)

* Denis starts off the interview by saying that Suzuki and Matheson showed a lot of leadership and led the way for the rest of the team to close out the season.
* McKenna narrows in on Suzuki specifically, asking how his first season as captain went. Was it a success? Denis emphatically says “yes, no doubt”. Denis was impressed that a 23 year old managed to remain productive and motivated through such a difficult season, especially after he lost Caufield as a linemate. Suzuki never let frustration boil over and showed up every night. Denis says that Suzuki still has some work to do however if he wants to enter the club of “elite” centres. He’s a #1 centre now, but of the 32 best centres in the league, he’s not near the top right now.
* Starr brings up Mike Hoffman, and asks what the organization thinks of this player, and what his future is. Denis says that Hoffman can still score goals, and that has some value. He could potentially be a fit on a team looking for a trigger man on the PP, but his cap hit really limits any potential trades. Denis was not impressed with Hoffman’s overall performance this year, noting that he had some bad turnovers and penalties.
* They talk a bit about Sam Montembault, with Denis saying that he has become more calm as the season progressed. He’s not great at handling the puck, but his puck tracking nd game management has improved. McKenna comments that he thinks Montembault has earned an invite to the World Championships. Denis agrees, and thinks it would be a great opportunity to play with his goal tending peers and get coached by a different goalie coach.
* Starr asks if the Canadiens have started to come together and bond as a team. Denis thinks that they have. There is no “heavy-ness” with the team. Denis compliments the leadership and coaching as contributing to this, and cautions about bringing in free agents that might mess with team chemistry.

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[Denis: Do the Habs speed up the rebuild](https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/denis-do-the-habs-speed-up-the-rebuild-1.1947517)

* They start off the segment by playing a clip from Gallagher’s exit meeting where he talked about the medical staff, and how players don’t always tell the whole truth when talking about their injuries. Denis says that none of this is a surprise, but is happy that Gorton and Hughes seem to be looking into the issue. Not everything is the medical teams fault though says Denis. Players are never 100%, and are driven to try and get out on the ice. A former player agent like Hughes will likely understand this.
* Starr asks if the team was happy enough with what they saw this season that they may become a little more aggressive in their rebuild. Starr mentions going after Dubois as an example of potentially speeding up the rebuild. Denis is in favour of having patience. He points to Detroit, who acquired Copp, Chairot and Perron to try and get to the next level but ultimately failed, as an example of how you don’t want to rush things. If we are going to be aggressive in our acquisitions, it should be in making moves like the Dach trade, which is a long term move. Denis does not think the Habs are ready to make a big splash in free agency yet.
* Starr responds to this, saying that he would like to see an organization that is capable of adjusting their strategy depending on the situation, and won’t just stick to a plan regardless of results. He thinks that if management liked what they saw from the team this year, they should consider being more aggressive in their rebuild.

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[Dreger: Are the Habs and Caufield close to a deal?](https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/dreger-are-the-habs-and-caufield-close-to-a-deal-1.1949313)

* McKenna brings up Kappo Kakko and Alexi Lafreniere, and how they may be the odd men out for the Rangers if they run into cap troubles (ie. if they try to keep Kane or Tarasenko). Would they be a player that could end up on the market at some point? Dreger talks about how while Kakko and Lefreniere may not have quite lived expectations, they have been important players for the Rangers. They could end up being sacrificed to the cap however if someone like Kane wants to stay with the Rangers.
* McKenna asks if Dreger has heard anything about the Caufield contract negotiation. Dreger says that as far as he’s aware, there have not been a ton of discussions between Montreal and Caufield’s camp, but his knowledge only goes up to near the end of the season, so that doesn’t really mean much. Dreger does say that both parties want a contract to get done, so he doesn’t foresee any major issues in this negotiation.

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[Wilde: I think the marketplace has opened up nicely for Caufield](https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/wilde-i-think-the-marketplace-has-opened-up-nicely-for-caufield-1.1946218)

* Joey starts the interview off by talking about Caufield, and how he didn’t seem to be his usual chipper self in the season exit interviews. He wonders if this is due to the ongoing contract negotiations. Both he and Simon speculate that Caufield may be looking for a shorter term deal to try get a bigger deal later, while the Canadiens are looking for a longer term, more cost certain deal. Wilde doesn’t really agree, saying that Caufield seems very happy here in Montreal and could see him wanting to take a long term deal. The issue is likely just the dollar amount.
* Wilde talks about how he liked what he heard from Gorton and Hughes during their exit interviews, preaching patience. He says that he was never a fan of the “get into the play-offs and anything can happen” philosophy that Bergevin touted. In the play-offs, more often than not, it’s the team with the best players that win and that is what Gorton and Hughes seem to be aiming for.
* Joey asks what Wilde thinks that Habs managements first priority is now that the season is over. Wilde thinks that their priority right now is the draft. They want to nail that top pick. After that they need to decide what to do with guys on expiring contracts like Drouin and Gurianov. Wilde thinks that Montreal will let those two walk and let the rookies have a chance to make an impact.
* Tsilikis plays a clip from Josh Anderson’s exit interview where he gets agitated by a question about the potential of him getting traded. Wilde respects that Anderson is probably tired of these questions, but also understands that it is the media’s job to ask these questions. Wilde makes the point that it is the fans who want this information, and the media is just doing what they can to supply it. Tsilikis is an Anderson fan, joking that he would love to see a line of him, Slaf and Dubois, but he thinks Anderson was being kind of soft here. Getting asked questions is part of the job, an a very well paid job at that.
* Joey mentions that there were rumours floating around earlier this season that the Canadiens would like to add another 1st round pick. Joey asks if it is more likely that we pick once or three times in the 1st round. Wilde says three. This is a very deep draft and Habs management seems to be fully invested in the rebuild. He does not think Gorton/Hughes would trade a 1st for a quick fix. The only way we are trading a 1st is if it for another Kirby Dach type move that brings in a young, long term player.
* Wilde praises the Matheson move, saying we acquired someone younger, cheaper and better than the player we traded away.