Photo: Mark Blinch, The canadian Press
25-year-old, Domi has scored 17 goals and 27 helpers in 71 games with the Habs this season.
One of the few plots in the camp for the relaunch of the Canadian Montreal has seen its denouement on Monday, when the attacker Max Domi has participated in a first training.
Domi had not joined the team last week at the beginning of the camp, wishing to enjoy a few more days to decide whether he would participate in the series. Domi is suffering from type 1 diabetes and a greater risk of suffering severe symptoms or develop complications if it is reached from the COVID-19.
The Canadian had announced on 12 July that he would grant seven to ten more days to Domi to make a decision. Despite the presence of Domi to training on Monday, head coach Claude Julien recalled that the situation could change from one day to the other with respect to the elements related to the pandemic.
“We know that everything is possible and, if it is found to be at risk, it can also divide, said Julien about Domi. For the moment, he has had a good first day. He realized that the pace was good within a group that has trained for a week. “
Domi participated in exercises in numerical advantage, and has also resulted in the fifth trio of the team, with Laurent Dauphin and Alex Belzile.
Since Phillip Danault, Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jake Evans were perceived as the four centres of the Canadian in the absence of a Domi, a question has been asked Julien to find out in what place the combative no. 13 would be when he has caught up on lost time. Domi could it be used to the wing ?
We know that everything is possible and, if it is found to be at risk, it can also leave. For the moment, he has had a good first day. He realized that the pace was good within a group that has trained for a week.
— Claude Julien
“There’s still plenty of time to make adjustments, recalled Julien. It can happen a lot of things, and it does nothing to cement anything. There are already three that we are familiar, there are players [in which] we know that they will be part of the training. For the rest, we keep the time. “
25-year-old, Domi has scored 17 goals and 27 helpers in 71 games with the Habs this season.
The group of five
Attackers Ryan Poehling and Danault, defenders Victor Mete and Cale Fleury, and the goalie Cayden Primeau are trained before the rest of the team for a third session in a row.
During video conferences, Poehling and Mete have complied with the instructions of the NHL and have not offered details on the reasons for which this group had to be created and for how long these five players will continue to train together.
“There are circumstances and guidelines to follow. I can’t say any more, ” said Mete.
For his part, Julien has suggested for the first time that the situation was related to the protocol and health and safety established under of the pandemic.
“We would prefer may be a different scenario, but we need to make the necessary adjustments during training sessions and organize groups, trios and duos, he said. For the moment, we are working in function of the situation we are in. I’m not going to spend too much time worrying about things that we cannot control because there are a lot of things that we can’t control with the COVID-19. “
If Mete is expected to be found in the formation of Habs in the first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 1, the situation Poehling is much more uncertain.
When he trained with the regular group, Poehling was part of the attackers too, in a fifth trio. He believes, however, that the fact to train away detrimental to his chances of carving out a position for the series.
“The organisation and coaches are doing everything in their power to enable us to lead, and we perform the same exercises as the regular group, but of course with less players, said Poehling. All the teams around the league are going through the same things. I prefer to be positive and concentrate on what I control. “
The defenders Xavier Ouellet and Brett Kulak were once again absent. They have still not set foot on the ice at the Bell sports Complex since the beginning of the camp.
Finally, Michael McNiven has been shot in the face by a shot from Shea Weber at the end of the workout, when the firing of the captain of the Habs is passed through the grid of the mask of the goalkeeper. Julien said that McNiven was well, was not suffering from headache and had a cut to the face.
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