Jack Todd: The Canadians are bad at losing this season

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This tank job isn’t going well.

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For those who can pick up points from the cheap spots, the Canadiens are in a four-way tie for third place in the Atlantic Division as of this writing, with the Sabers and Red Wings a game in hand have in front.

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They’re ahead of the mighty Toronto Maple Leafs and a young Ottawa Senators team that should make a big leap this season. They’ve even scored more goals than the Leafs after nine games, and Cole Caufield alone has one goal less than Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares combined.

It’s unlikely to last. Teams find their level over a brutally long NHL season. The Leafs won’t make the playoffs and Matthews won’t continue scoring at a rate Hal Gill would be worthy of, but this young, exciting Canadiens team is more fun than it’s been since Pierre Turgeon was traded to Shayne Corson — and likely with a higher up.

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It would still be overly optimistic to expect this team to make the playoffs or Caufield to score 50 goals or finish the season-ending Habs ahead of the loaded Leafs. But things are coming together quicker than anyone imagined, and Martin St. Louis fits this group so perfectly that it’s overly pessimistic to think they’ll be on the hunt for Connor Bedard.

The tank job for Bedard was fool’s gold from the start. The draft comes with no guarantees no matter how much effort you put in to lose. Buffalo lost the lottery to Edmonton, getting stuck with Jack Eichel, whose career is best summed up as “not Connor McDavid and never will be.”

This draft is different in that there are at least four elite players at the top, so many that it’s not unthinkable that Bedard himself might drop a pin or two like Shane Wright. The 2023 draft will dig even deeper into the top forwards, which is what Canadians need if they are to become serious contenders in the next three or four seasons.

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For now it’s enough to watch Nick Suzuki and Caufield operate. Like all great snipers, Caufield can do more with less space than mere mortals. Give him a ray of light and the puck is in the net.

It adds up to a very leaky tank job. But it’s definitely fun to watch.

Then there’s this other coach… St. Louis has accomplished great things in this city – but he needs to do something to take on Wilfried Nancy, who led CF Montréal to the third-best record in Major League Soccer from scratch before the club fell victim to his personal kryptonite in form by New York City FC in the second round of the playoffs.

That result should earn Nancy a hefty extension in the last year of his contract. Should – but will it? There are persistent rumors that a tantrum from Joey Saputo after a loss to Kansas City last summer left bad feelings on both sides, and even that Saputo planned to fire Nancy even if the club were to win the MLS Cup.

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That would be catastrophic, but also typical for an owner operating a revolving coach door. Team President Gabriel Gervais hinted during a stint at RDS that Nancy will be back for the final year of his contract, but what happens after that?

Nancy is both a class and an excellent trainer. The club must offer him three more years and a substantial increase in his annual salary of $180,000 – or face the wrath of some justifiably angry fans.

Nancy has shown that not only can he develop young players (a necessity in Montreal), but he can win while developing them. You don’t let a guy like that get away.

Lies, rumors &&&& malicious innuendos: A bit esoteric perhaps, but we’d love to see Hat-trick goalscorer Christian Dvorak’s goal song taken from the New World Symphony by its namesake, composer Antonin Dvořák. One Dvorak hit serves the other. …

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Pleasantly surprised to see Genie Bouchard make an impact and win matches. For a long time it looked like Bouchard would slip comfortably into a broadcasting career (which she’s good at), but she’s fought back and, at 28, is still young enough to be a factor on the WTA Tour if she’s anything can bring together . …

Samuel Montembeault can sometimes look like someone who can carry a hockey team 50 games or more. His performance against Buffalo was one of those games. He’s tall, he’s young, he’s healthy – maybe he’s a long-term solution? …

world series? Did someone say World Series? I don’t know – if there is one, the games end way too late for me.

Heroes: Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Christian Dvorak, Samuel Montembeault, Jordan Harris, Summer McIntosh, Maggie Mac Neil, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Djordje Mihailovic &&&& last but not least Wilfried Nancy.

zeros: Soccer Canada, Hockey Canada, Kyrie Irving, Danny Maciocia, digital rink board ads, Joey Saputo, the chaotic Maple Leafs, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least Jeffrey Loria.

Now & Forever.

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