Sport Day Pocket book: Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is again on skates

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Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki resumed skating Monday morning and is predicted to rejoin his teammates inside every week after recovering from a lower-body harm.

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The membership additionally reported that veteran defenceman Joel Edmundson is progressing from his rehab from a again harm, but it surely stays undetermined when he may rejoin his teammates.

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Each gamers had been injured throughout a scrimmage collision final week earlier than the official coaching camp began.

Suzuki was the one participant on the Canadiens to play in all 82 video games final season and he led the crew in scoring with 21-40-61 totals. The Canadiens named Suzuki as their new captain on the crew’s golf match on Sept. 12 and the 23-year-old centre is heading into the primary season of an eight-year, US$63-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $7.875 million.

Edmundson was restricted to 24 video games final season due to a again harm. He was listed as day-to-day when coaching camp began final season, however didn’t play his first recreation till March 12.

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The Canadiens will play their first of eight preseason video games Monday evening on the Bell Centre towards the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

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Beck at centre on No. 1 line

Owen Beck, who was spectacular at rookie camp and continues to impress on the essential coaching camp, will centre the No. 1 line towards the Devils Monday evening with Cole Caufield and Mike Hoffman as his wingers.

The Canadiens chosen Beck with the primary decide within the second spherical (thirty third total) at this yr’s NHL draft after he posted 21-30-51 totals in 68 video games with the OHL’s Mississuga Steelheads whereas profitable 60.6 per cent of his faceoffs.

Beck was additionally named the CHL’s Scholastic Participant of the 12 months after posting a 93 per cent grade common at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary Faculty in Mississauga. His grades included 96 per cent in superior features, 93 per cent in college chemistry, 94 per cent in kinesiology, 91 per cent in calculus and 93 per cent in college biology.

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“Owen Beck is a 200-foot participant,” Martin Lapointe, the Canadiens’ co-director of newbie scouting, together with Nick Bobrov, mentioned after the draft. “Performs the precise manner. He’s a scholar of the sport. He’s an excellent scholar in school. He does good issues on the ice. He’s obtained A’s in school, he does A issues on the ice and it displays on his play. All the pieces is detail-oriented. He’s been the most effective faceoff man within the OHL. Competes, can skate, could make performs, helps his defencemen very well. He’s under the puck on a regular basis. He simply performs the precise manner.”

The 5-foot-11, 191-pound centre was ranked tenth amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the draft.

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Slafkovsky makes debut

Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 total decide at this yr’s NHL draft, will play for the primary time on the Bell Centre Monday evening after not dressing for the annual Pink vs. White scrimmage on Sunday afternoon.

Slafkovsky shall be at left wing on the No. 2 line with Kirby Dach at centre and Rem Pitlick on proper wing.

“I’m excited to play with (Slafkovsky),” Dach, who was acquired by the Canadiens in a draft-day commerce with the Chicago Blackhawks, mentioned after Monday’s morning skate on the Bell Sports activities Complicated in Brossard.

Dach was the No. 3 total decide by the Blackhawks on the 2019 NHL draft.

“I haven’t obtained a complete lot of possibilities to skate with (Slafkovsky) in camp,” Dach mentioned. “I not often see him as a result of we’ve type of been on totally different schedules and he was at rookie camp and stuff like that. However he’s an enormous boy, skates quick, he’s obtained an excellent shot. He understands how you can play in tight areas and create time and house for his linemates and himself. So will probably be loads of enjoyable to play with him and even Pitter. I really feel like him and I’ve been type of collectively all camp and had fairly good chemistry. So I believe Slaf will complement us each fairly nicely.

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“Our video games simply type of mesh nicely collectively,” Dach mentioned about Pitlick. “He’s fairly shifty and he’s fast like that and he’s capable of play in open areas and discover the open areas within the offensive zone. However, on the identical time, he works arduous and he back-checks on a regular basis. He’s a helluva participant and it’s been enjoyable taking part in with him.”

Filip Mesar, the Canadiens’ second decide within the first spherical of this yr’s draft (twenty sixth total) will centre the third line between Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Anthony Richard, who scored two targets in Sunday’s Pink vs. White scrimmage on the Bell Centre.

“I believe we now have a younger crew tonight,” Harvey-Pinard mentioned. “It’s enjoyable to see the prospects taking part in good like that. We noticed good gamers yesterday taking part in good video games within the Pink vs. White recreation. Once more, we now have a younger crew tonight, loads of quick gamers, so it’s going to be enjoyable to see that.”

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The fourth line can have Jan Mysak between Michael Pezzetta and Joshua Roy.

Mysak was chosen within the second spherical (forty eighth total) of the 2020 NHL draft, whereas Roy was taken within the fifth spherical (a hundred and fiftieth total) on the 2021 draft. Roy led the QMJHL in scoring final season with 51-68-119 totals in 66 video games with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. He was the No. 1 total decide on the 2019 QMJHL draft.

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First cuts the deepest

The Canadiens introduced their first cuts of coaching camp Monday morning after inviting 74 gamers to the camp.

Antoine Coulombe, Jared Davidson, Cédrick Guindon and Daniil Sobolev had been the primary gamers to be launched from camp.

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Dan Robertson now calling Jets video games

Dan Robertson, the play-by-play voice for Canadiens video games on TSN 690 Radio for the final eight seasons, has a brand new job now because the TV play-by-play voice for the Winnipeg Jets on TSN.

Robertson known as his first Jets recreation Sunday evening when Winnipeg misplaced 4-0 to the Edmonton Oilers.

Sean Campbell will substitute Robertson because the play-by-play man on TSN 690 for the Canadiens’ recreation Monday evening on the Bell Centre.

scowan@postmedia.com

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