CH Players Arrive Late: No Reason to Panic

Far fewer Habs players spent the summer in Montreal, mainly for two reasons. First, they played until the end of May this past spring, and many needed a real break. The playoff run was intense.

Second, the players don't have anyone to welcome this year. They don't have to build new chemistry with anyone. Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky won't be starting the season in Montreal, and Kent Hughes didn't bring in any reinforcements over the summer.

Still, some fans are concerned about the later arrivals of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky…

There's a saying, however, that applies here and will ease the fears of even the most dedicated fans: comparison is the thief of joy.

Quinn, Luke, and Jack Hughes were filmed attending a US Open match yesterday in the New York area. Quinn is far from Minnesota and the Wild…

Of course, many Wild fans noted that Quinn was once again with his brothers, who play for New Jersey—especially since, let's not forget, he still hasn't signed a contract extension. Let's just say Wild fans have 1,001 more reasons to be worried than Habs fans about the delayed arrival of their star defenseman…

There's also Nathan MacKinnon, who was spotted in the stands at the U.S. Open—and let's not forget that he plays for the Colorado Avalanche.

In short, I hope Habs fans won't read too much into the fact that key players arrived in Montreal later than they did last year.

What matters is the season, not the offseason.

Will the guys be ready to repeat last year's feats? Will the fact that the roster hasn't been improved hurt the Habs on the ice? Have the players fully recovered from their minor injuries after a shorter summer break than in the past?

We'll see.

In a nutshell

– Stay tuned.

– What do you think?

– One to watch.