Here are the nine players who did not speak to the media today

Félix Forget
Here are the nine players who did not speak to the media today
Credit: YouTube / CH

Today was the Canadiens' end-of-season press conference.

As usual, we heard from the front office, but we also heard from several players over the past few hours… and there were some good takeaways

Brendan Gallagher confirmed he's leaving Montreal, Cole Caufield called his playoff performance terrible, Samuel Montembeault said he wants to stay, and Patrik Laine talked about the past few months.

That said, it's worth noting that several players on the team didn't speak today. In total, we're talking about nine players… and in fact, it would have been interesting to hear all nine of them speak, each for a different reason.

Arber Xhekaj, for example, is at the center of countless rumors regarding his future. It would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on what lies ahead for him in the coming months and to find out if he sees himself staying in Montreal.

For much the same reasons, Jayden Struble also seems to be on thin ice. He has one year left on his contract, but the possible arrival of David Reinbacher next year could push him out of the picture. It would have been fun to hear his thoughts on that.

Still on defense, Mike Matheson surprisingly didn't speak today. He wears an A on his jersey and is the team's most-used defenseman. It would have been interesting to see if he shares the team management's view on the importance of improving defensively.

And Alexandre Carrier, even though he doesn't wear an “A” on his jersey, could have also answered a question like that. In fact, with just one year left before free agency and congestion on the blue line, asking him about his future might have been relevant.

On offense, it would have been interesting to hear Oliver Kapanen talk about his difficult end to the season. He might have helped us better understand his slump and go beyond the answer Kent Hughes gave on the subject.

Zachary Bolduc, one of last summer's major acquisitions, didn't speak either. He could have reflected on his first year in Montreal and explained what role he sees himself playing in the future.

Joe Veleno, who is just a few months away from becoming a free agent, could have told us whether or not he sees himself returning to Montreal, and if he would still be open to a role as the 13th forward next year. And Alexandre Texier could have reflected on all the progress he made over the past season.

Finally, in net, Jacob Fowler didn't speak to the media. It would have been very interesting to hear him talk about where he sees himself next year and whether he thinks it would be better for him to be the backup in Montreal or the starter in Laval.

These are all questions to which we won't have answers.


In a nutshell

– Classic John Tortorella, hehe.

– Interesting.

– The winger has had a big month.

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