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Rebuild Lessons On Tap As Struggling Sabres Visit The Canadiens

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3 months ago

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montreal canadines kent hughes

NHL teams tend to love playing versus the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, and it’s not just a matter of passionate fans, fantastic ice, and a cult-like dedication to all things hockey, though that certainly helps.

Many teams will schedule an arrival in Montreal a few days early, if possible, to give the players a little time to unwind before they take to the ice.

And no, I’m not talking about the long history involving NHL players and the gentlemen’s club Chez Parée. The fact of the matter is that Montreal is a beautiful city, making it a good rest stop during what is otherwise a hectic season for travelling athletes. If time permits, some families will make the pilgrimage to the heart of hockey religion, enjoying a rare opportunity to dine, shop, and simply spend time together.

The Buffalo Sabres are set to face the Canadiens on Tuesday, and as they have many times before, they arrived a day early, which meant scheduling a practice on Monday morning.

But there were no Sabres on the ice as their schedule practice was set to begin.

Rather, team owner Terry Pegula met with his employees, including general manager Kevyn Adams, as well as the players. In case you didn’t notice, the Sabres are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, not to mention a 13-year playoff-appearance drought, epitomizing the theory that Buffalo is a city that was invented by the Sports Gods in a bid to test just how far fan loyalty can be pushed.


Montreal Canadiens Lessons

There are a few lessons worth keeping in mind as the Sabres continue to endure over a decade without any semblance of success.

Before we get into the details, it’s only fair to suggest the franchises are dealing with different situations. The Canadiens don’t have to worry about fan support in most circumstances, as it is intrinsically linked to the very existence of the franchise. The Sabres, on the other hand, are dealing with a small-market city with a population roughly two times smaller than Quebec City, four times smaller than Ottawa, and about eight times smaller than Montreal.

ON TOPIC: Poor Core Trades Started The Buffalo Sabres Drought

They also have to contend with the powerhouse NFL franchise known as the Buffalo Bills, which also happens to be owned by Pegula, whereas the Montreal Canadiens have little, if any concerns regrading their sports supremacy in the area.

With that in mind, it’s probably a good time to remind everyone that compared to most rebuilding teams, the Canadiens are yet to take the next step in their rebuild, which connotes the fan base will need to provide a little more restraint when it comes to demanding immediate improvements. It’s a big ask for a passionate fanbase, especially since many were told Montreal was on the cusp of making the playoffs, a suggestion that was born from hope and illusions of grandeur, rather than reality. We also have to consider that some fans will only be able to afford one visit Hockey’s Mecca, and we can never ignore the opinions of fans who spend good money on season tickets.

The Montreal Canadiens are in the entertainment business, after all.

However, we must also consider that many teams that have attempted to press fast-forward on their rebuild have come to regret it, with the current Detroit Red Wings team serving as the perfect example of trying to hit the water before you finish plugging all the holes on your boat.

Now, that doesn’t absolve the Canadiens from criticism during the rebuild, but it does serve as a good reminder that you can rarely fast-track a rebuild unless you land a generational player. That has not been the case for the Canadiens, especially since it’s become clear the 2022 NHL Entry Draft did not yield much in terms of game-breaking talent among the top five players picked. Before anyone reacts negatively to the last sentence, it must be said that Juraj Slafkovsky is still the youngest player in the lineup, and there’s a strong argument to be made that the Habs made the wrong decision for his development by rushing him into the NHL, especially after they warned everyone he would be a long-term project. Either way, fans probably shouldn’t hold their breath that he will one day win a Hart Trophy.

There’s still hope players such as Lane Hutson or Ivan Demidov will develop into top players at their position, which would be a great change of pace for a franchise that has lacked elite skaters in the last few decades, but suffice it to say that luck plays a big part in how well teams end up drafting, as draft classes vary greatly in strength from year-to-year.


It’s why hitting on first-round picks is so important, and why the decision to ignore Matvei Michkov in favour of David Reinbacher can only be described as incredibly risky, even if many thought Michkov was the riskiest part of the equation. Much of that was a media-driven narrative full of baseless claims supported by anonymous quotes in a bid to destroy Michkov’s character, and while it drove clicks, it also ignored an eternal truth in risk management.

Sometimes, avoiding risk at all costs is the riskiest option, as the fear of making a mistake can overshadow the potential boons involved in calculated risks.

For example, 14 NHL teams felt the risk associated with a smaller player such as Cole Caufield was so great that they could ignore a bona fide sniper who set scoring records at every level prior to his ascension to the NHL. What’s more, a handful of those very same teams are the ones who decided to pivot midway through the rebuild in a desperate attempt to accelerate the process.

In other words, they judged the risk to be too great to ignore archaic perceptions about size for a single draft pick, but were also willing to sacrifice years of careful planning when things went awry.

Another good example of poor decision-making related to risk would be the Edmonton Oilers, who are yet to invest in a decent goaltender despite having two of the best players in the world in their lineup. Holding onto a third or fourth-round pick rather than adding goaltending reinforcements, while Connor McDavid’s frustration mounts, feels like the ultimate sports sin.

And it goes to show that getting lucky in the draft is not necessarily a guarantee of success.

The same can be said about yet another divisional rival, the Ottawa Senators. Despite drafting a bevy of talented players, they’re now working on the ‘Rebuild 2.0’, and much like the Sabres, the fans have had enough, because there’s always a point of diminishing returns when it comes to selling hope.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

It’s very easy to criticize rebuilding franchises with the power of hindsight. While most thought the acquisition of Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach was a perfect decision that balanced risk with slow but steady improvements, their third season with the team has essentially reset the pendulums on their long-term value.

Rebuilding is a balancing act that comes with a built-in guarantee of ebbs and flows, which brings us to the crux of the issue as the Canadiens starts to row against the violent waves of negative public perception and waning fan support, while watching a team like the Sabres attempt to re-arrange the deck chairs on Titanic.

In reality, it’s impossible to be perfect, as it requires a combination of luck, foresight, focus, luck, dedication, patience, luck, planning, adaptability, proper risk management, and the most important factor of all: a little more luck.

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