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Like Patrik Laine, GM Don Waddell has already criticized the losing mentality of the Blue Jackets.

 Charles-Alexis Brisebois
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Like Patrik Laine, GM Don Waddell has already criticized the losing mentality of the Blue Jackets.
Credit: Getty Images
When he arrived in his position as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Don Waddell talked about the mentality of the Blue Jackets.

As can be seen in a TSN article from August, the former Hurricanes executive stated about his new team that he felt losing was acceptable, even though it shouldn’t be the case.

And let’s say that with Patrik Laine’s comments (who said that the Blue Jackets were complacent in losing) yesterday, Waddell’s old interview is becoming relevant again in Montreal.

How is this different?

Obviously, Waddell wasn’t there in the years prior, while Laine was. And since he was one of the highest-paid players in the locker room, his comments carry more weight than those of the GM.

Yesterday, we clearly saw it on the ice. The Blue Jackets, who are dealing with the loss of Johnny Gaudreau, probably found a second motivation to play well this year.

For those who think I’m exaggerating, put yourself in the shoes of the guys in Columbus: when you get called a loser, it gets to you, doesn’t it?

Yesterday, the guys were angry during and after the game (Laine was checked on the ice and criticized in front of the cameras), and I’m convinced it’s not just a coincidence that the home team came away with the W at the end of it all.

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Canadiens said Laine was a “game-time decision” during the match. The Canadiens never say that when a player leaves the ice during a game.

Did the Canadiens do what they did in the last preseason game this fall by not playing their best players because they expected things to get rough? Possibly, yes.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Laine at the next team practice (even if Martin St-Louis wasn’t sure what to expect yesterday after the game), after the Christmas break. I don’t think he was seriously injured during yesterday’s game.

However, like Renaud Lavoie said on BPM Sports’ morning show, I think Laine chose the wrong moment to speak up. He would have been better off asking Aaron Portzline from The Athletic to publish his piece after the game.

This way, he would have had a nicer reunion with his former team, maybe he would have had a video tribute, and most importantly, his former teammates wouldn’t have targeted the upper body, the part where he was injured last year.

The idea was not to say nothing (even though he wouldn’t have lost anything by keeping it to himself), but to choose the right moment.

But nothing prevents that right now, after experiencing the atmosphere in the Jets’ and Blue Jackets’ locker rooms, where players wanted his head, he must be so happy to be in Montreal. There must be a bit of that behind his statements.

But it’s not just Patrik Laine in all of this. After all, to the dismay of Ohio’s fans, the Blue Jackets won 5-4 against the CH in a game that wasn’t perfect for the Canadiens.

What do I take away from all this?

1. It feels like the guys weren’t always on their game. The Christmas break should help a few guys on the team, including Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, and Samuel Montembeault.

I’m not saying the guys weren’t good, but they seem tired. And that’s normal.

2. I’m at the point where I think Kirby Dach has really upset the Hockey Gods. Even if he’s not perfect on the ice, he just seems unable to score.

This sequence proves it.

3. Yesterday, Juraj Slafkovsky remembered that he was a bigger and stronger guy than others. On Lane Hutson’s goal, he did a great job in the corner to come out with the puck.

This is what we want to see. And well done to Hutson, who scored his second in the NHL.

4. Jordan Harris, traded this summer by the Canadiens, scored his first in his new colors. So all his NHL goals involve the Canadiens, when you think about it.

I wonder if he had money on the board.

5. Jake Evans picked the right time to have the season of his career, as he will be a free agent in a few months – unless he signs a new contract by then, of course.

I’m repeating myself, but trying him on a better line would be part of my game plan.

6. The Canadiens took 31 shots on goal. After taking 33 shots on goal last Friday, the team seems to have developed a taste for taking more than 30 shots on the opponent’s net… after not hitting that mark once this season until last week.

That’s worth noting.


Overtime

After failing to string together four wins in a row, the members of the Canadiens went their separate ways to celebrate Christmas. From the 24th to the 26th, nothing will happen with the Canadiens.

On the 27th, the guys will have to head to Florida for the game on the 28th against the Panthers. And as tradition dictates, the upcoming games will not be played in Montreal after Christmas.

  • December 28, 1 PM: Panthers
  • December 29, 5 PM: Lightning
  • December 31, 3 PM: Golden Knights
  • January 3, 8 PM: Blackhawks
  • January 4, 7 PM: Avalanche

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