Montreal Canadiens making small adjustmafter deep playoff run

Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis and his staff have learned valuable lessons from their recent playoff run, which ended in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team's young defensemen, such as Lane Hutson, recognize the importance of paying attention to the finer details in the defensive zone, including stopping pucks, positioning their sticks correctly, and boxing out opponents.

Head coach St-Louis aims to reduce the team's time spent in the defensive zone by addressing these issues. To aid in this effort, the Canadiens have brought in veteran coach Derek Lalonde as an associate coach to help organize the defensive zone and penalty kill. Meanwhile, rookie Chris Kreider has been placed on the team's top line, joining Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Kreider, a free agent signing, will have his debut in pre-season against the Maple Leafs at Bell Centre.