The best is yet to come: Lefebvre
Montreal Canadiens could send up to five players to St. John’s IceCaps this week
If this was a fill-in-the-pieces exercise, then the picture that is the St. John’s IceCaps’ roster is just about complete, minus a few important components.
The final cuts from the camp of the parent Montreal Canadiens are coming, and those headed this way should be among the IceCaps’ top players. Think of a full-body portrait of someone, but missing the eyes, mouth and nose.
“They’ll bring more speed, more skills, more experience,” agreed St. John’s head coach Sylvain Lefebvre after the IceCaps’ 5-4 shootout win over the Toronto Marlies Sunday afternoon in Gander in the rubber match of the three-game Colemans Cup American Hockey League exhibition series.
“But we also like what we have now. We like what we’ve seen from our (training) camp.”
There were four players released by St. John’s after Sunday’s game — Mount Pearl’s Ben Goss, brought in as a third goalie for the camp, heads back to Brock University; forwards Cal Wild and Jeff Brown are returning to the Brampton Beast, the IceCaps’ ECHL affiliate; and try- out Jamal Watson will join the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds as an overage junior.
That leaves 27 players on the St. John’s roster, including in- jured rookies Tim Bozon and Ryan Johnston. Fellow first-year players Brandon McNally, Mark McMillan and Josiah Didier are also injured, but are being treated in Montreal and haven’t been in St. John’s training camp.
With winger Tomas Fleischmann being signed by Montreal Sunday, the Canadiens could send up to five players — probably three forwards, a defenceman and a goalie — to St. John’s before the new NHL season gets under way this week.
“They have to put their roster in by Tuesday and what we do will, our decision on who we keep, how many guys we keep, all will be predicated on what Montreal does,” said Lefebvre.
There are factors like waivers, injuries on the Canadiens and other unforeseen events, like when Montreal forward Zack Kassian was hospitalized with minor injuries early Sunday after the truck in which he was travelling struck a tree.
“You never know, You have to adjust and re-adjust every day,” said Lefebvre.
But there will be assignments to the IceCaps, meaning some currently with the team will be bumped out, either sent to Brampton, or cut from the organization.
“There will be some tough conversations,” said Lefebvre.